We have a special post for those unable to attend – click the link below to view the stunning 5 minute video Roger Mills filmed of last years regatta.
The vessel is currently being re painted and tidied up to put it back in the water. Below is a summary of her set up:
Engine. Stewert Turner No 6a, 2 cyl compound,
Pumps engine driven condenser pump and boiler feed pump.
Keel condenser with return to hot well.
Prop 16″x 18 pitch. Hull speed 6 knots .
Stern tube oil filled with mechanical seals?
Thrust block fitted with forward and reverse thrust bearings.
12 volt alternator v belt driven from prop shaft.
Water tube boiler,pressure tested to 600lbs static pressure,stamped by inspector at 400lbs (not marine certified.)
oil fired automatic pressure controlled with Beckett oil burner fitted.
Water level kept by manual control via needle valve bypass.
Engine can be run to atmosphere
Tanning type boiler water treatment used.
Boiler always left with the total boiler system full of treated water filled from hot we’ll by hand boiler feed pump.
30-01-2020 Update – Russell Ward requested more details on the boiler. The below was supplied by Ben Voisey
“The Boiler design is of the type of water tube boilers common in the late 1890’s, taken from an article in book No 5 of the Modeltec magazines Sept 1988 page 27.
I adapted the design to suit the available space in the hull of Estral.
As you can see the design can be varied as to width, height and length with ease.
The headers at each end have only a 1.5 “ gap and the total of the boiler’s water capacity is under 30 litres .
Fuel type can be whatever suits the furnace that is designed, in this case oil fired.
These photos were taken when I did the last boiler clean.”
Marlin 17 Rescued
Have been contacted recently by Keith Bradley concerning a Marlin 17 that he rescued from the chainsaw. The previous owner was about to cut the hull in half and mount it on the wall of the fish and chip shop in Nelson……… 😦
MELOA CREEK BOATING GRAVEYARD
Baden Pascoe recently stepped away from the boat for a few hours and went for a walk – a walk that is unknown / overlooked by a lot of Aucklanders – around the Meola Creek, Westmere / Western Springs area. Baden captured the above photos of using his words a “boating lost in time collection”.
The map and photos below are from the Auckland Council website.
NIMBUS II – 50th Birthday Party
Just before Christmas I was chatting to Allan Hooper regarding 23’ yacht Nimbus II that he built in 1970 and how Allan and his wife Pamela were planning ‘re-union’ of previous owners (details below). I asked Allan to drop me a note with details – in typical Allan Hooper style, the subsequent note is both perfectly written and very informative, so I reproduced it below.
The photographs above show Nimbus II sailing off the Northland coast in 1971, on her mooring earlier this month and the original construction drawing complete with glue stains 🙂
Allan has an armada of vessels, in a later WW story I will expose his addiction 🙂
Nimbus 11 Built by Allan Hooper
When I met my wife Pamela I was building Nimbus and when she said she would like to help I thought this is my kind of girl. So we have spent more than 50yrs building and sailing a succession of yachts and we now own a little launch which I have just finished altering.
We thought a get together next year of previous owners of Nimbus 2 would be a nice way to celebrate, if anyone is interested please contact Allan Hooper at hoopersnz@gmail.com
Brief history:
Whilst serving my apprenticeship I started building Nimbus 11. She is 23 feet. She was designed by John Hakker in 1957 while he was working on a hydro scheme in the South Island. I opted to cold mould the hull using 3 skins of 3/16” kauri. Each skin was glued with resorcinol glue and stapled using a hand operated staple gun. Each of the 250,000 staples was then pulled out again when the glue was dry. The finished hull was then skinned with glass cloth. There are laminated frames around the bulkheads and the floors and knees etc are generously proportioned.
I modified the keel and had a spade rudder which reduced the wetted surface, greatly improving her performance in the light and made the yacht easy to handle.
With no engine we had a lot of fun sailing everywhere. Once we dropped the spinnaker in the Town Basin Whangarei and rounded up onto a pile after carrying it all the way up the river.
The water tank was a 20L container under the sink with a pump up to the sink. Before we sold her I fitted a toilet, the new owner was insistent that his wife would not go without it.
Subsequent owners have sailed her offshore including New Plymouth to Moololaba singlehanded race and Chris and Tracey McGuire cruised as far as Vanuatu. Chris fitted a small diesel inboard and all the equipment required to go offshore.
Currently Nimbus 11 is on a mooring at Scotts landing on the Mahurangi. Although the varnished coamings have gone almost all of the deck fittings are original.
WW READERSHIP OVER THE XMAS / NY PERIOD
Incredible numbers of Woodys logging in and following the WW stories over the past 2 weeks, I thought I’d be able to lie low for a few days but with the numbers showing up each day, I was encouraged to keep taping the laptop keys. I think its a reflection of the uptake in mobile devices in the last few years – everyone now seems to have a device that allows them to keep in touch via the on-line platform. Thats good and bad – we all need to relax more. One of my new year resolutions is to switch all my social media (twitter, facebook,messenger etc) to pull only on messages. That means I have to check in to see if I have new content sent to me, as compared to the social media channels pushing content to me automatically. Note: I still get emails and WW alerts ‘live’ 🙂
Mystery LENORA – Woody Runabout
ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS
Is another clinker, but not much chance of that – Mrs H doesn’t read WW 🙂
A Spirit of Tradition Woody
Today’s launch was designed American designer – Ted Brewer and appears to be based on the traditional Maine lobster boat. She was built in New Zealand in c.1989 from strip plank cedar epoxied and glassed. She measures 30’ overall with a beam of 9’1″ and draws 2’4”. A fully reconditioned Nissan SD22 provides the forward motion.
Her tme listing (thanks Ian McDonald) is very impressive and she appears to be good value for the asking price. Home port is Kerikeri.
WIN YOURSELF A COPY OF THE HOT OF THE PRESS BOOK – K CLASS
This could be the final WW competition before Santa slides down the chimney. As always – entry is via email only to waitematawoodys@gmail.com
Entries close midnight Friday 20-12-2019 . All correct entries will go into the draw for a copy of the book – K Class by Jenni Mence. Plus a bobby prize – a waitematawoodys t-shirt, drawn from all email entries received – correct or not.
Q waitematawoodys editorial assistant – Flora McKenzie shares her name with a pioneer Auckland business women from the waterfronts past. What line of business was Flora in? Remember – enter via email only.
1958 16′ Runabout
JELLY STIK
I have been contacted by David Pattemore in regard to his recent purchase of the c.1960’s wooden speed boat. Its previous home was Cambridge and David understand she has had work done on her in the Taupo area.
David commented that from her current condition it would appear that she received a restoration job, 5 > 10 years ago.
David knows very little about Jelly Stik’s past and is keen to learn more – anyone able to help out with confirming the build year, designer / builder, past owners etc? Is there any spots on the boat where David should look for some mark or sign that would indicate boat builder and year?
She is powered by a a 2010 90hp Mercury outboard, the motor has had retro decals added – a nice touch 🙂
