Category Archives: Sub 28′

Kotimana

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KOTIMANA
On my last visit to the NZ Traditional Boatbuilding School I got chatting to one of the trustees – Kere Kemp & he casually dropped in that he was building a Dark Harbor 17 1/2’. Thats cool I thought & then I discover its being built in Port Hadlock out on the Olympic peninsula oppposite Seattle, Washington USA.
The yachts name is Kotimana – Maori for scotch thistle in recognition of Kere’s mother – Scottish, and his dad – Maori.
Kere commissioned her in September 2016 at the end of a post-retirement year at the North West School of Wooden Boatbuilding in Port Hadlock.
She was built by the classes of 2017 and 2018, & was launched at Point Hudson Marina, Port Townsend on August 29th. She is heading down under but with a few stops on the way – firstly Kotimana will be on display at the 42nd Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival, second weekend of September and will then head via container to the 2019 Australian Wooden Boat Festival in early 2019 before finally making it home to Auckland in mid February 2019.
For those of you scratching your head thinking “what is a Dark Harbour 17-1/2 below is a description excerpted from a pre-launch write up that the NWSWB wrote when announcing the launch.
Dark Harbour 17-1/2

Originally designed for the Manchester Yacht Club in Massachusetts USA and called the Manchester 17, the first boats were built by the Rice Bros in 1908. As the design’s popularity spread it acquired a number of different names including the Bar Harbor 17 and eventually the Dark Harbor 17-1/2. The plans for this yacht are credited to BB Crowninshield and were completed by R. N. Burbank, an employee of the firm at the time.

 
The Dark Harbor 17-1/2 is a pure sailing machine of great beauty, but large enough to offer considerably more comfort through a larger cockpit well and a small cuddy cabin. Low freeboard combined with a wide, self-bailing cockpit well that seats you “down in” the boat puts you very close to the water. The lovely, slender hull lines, long ends, deep draft and large rig provide wonderfully sweet feel in this powerful, fast, wet, responsive and handy boat.

BB Crowninsheild was a US Naval Architect from the late 1800’s / early 1900’s who designed a number of boats including an America’s Cup contender and the largest ever steel hulled sailing boat (just prior to the introduction of the steam engine to sail boats).
Kerry commented that he fell in love with the lines of a Dark Harbor back in 2010 and decided that he would ultimately build one for himself.  Sanity eventually crept in and he commissioned her instead – Kerry was able to do some work on her prior to his move to New Zealand in mid 2017.
I’ll get a sneak preview of her at the Australian Wooden Boat Festival in Feb 2019 so will update this story with more photos.
Kotimana will be a magnificent additional to Auckland’s classic fleet.

Olivette at Westpark Marina

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Olivette at Westpark Marina

My Westpark spotter, John Wicks, sent in the above photo. She looks very familiar to me but I just can’t recall who it is. Must be the blue paint (I like it) – from the condition of the rest of the boat, she looks like she has been ‘saved’.
Any woodys able to ID her? & remind me that the memory is slipping 🙂
Update ex Cameron Pollard – she is called Olivette & in the Pollard fleet. The reason she is familiar to me was I passed her under tow unroute to Westpark, several months ago. I even took photos (below) 🙂
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Harold Kidd Input – She was originally called ARK ROYAL and owned by Charles Blackburn of Egremont St Takapuna c1950. He sold to Jim McCauley of Kawerau St Devonport c1955. RM & GW Best owned her some time around 1960 but I don’t know when in the chronology. Her recent owner bought her c2003 and he renamed her OLIVETTE after his wife. Possibly Shipbuilders?

Popeye

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POPEYE

Woody Baden Pascoe sent me the above photos of the very salty, 18′ wee ship – Popeye. Baden spotted her on the ramp at Orakei on Sunday morning.
Can anyone tell us  more about ?
Input from Peter Mence – Popeye has just been sold by Bruce Whillans (also ex Fortuna).  Under Bruce’s care Popeye was treated to a good deal of renovation work by Colin Brown (and son-in-law Josh)

Input & photos ex Ken Ricketts – she is 18 feet long & is powered by a small Yanmar diesel. Pictured below under going a restoration at Colin Brown’s yard.

29-08-2018 Update from Bruce Whillans

I understand Popeye was built as a fishing boat in 1941 for use on the Hokianga Harbour. I purchased Popeye off yachtie Sean Connelly in 1998. He found her in a shed in Hokianga and partially restored her. I had Lees Marine (Greg Lees) at the Sandspit do a full refit just after we bought her. In 2012 we installed a new 10hp Yanmar and then in 2015 I had Colin Brown and Josh re-fasten her. We kept her on a mooring in the Whangateu Harbour
Having purchased another boat she wasn’t getting any use, so a good friend of mine Adrian Howitt has taken her into his custody and following a tidy up put her in the water at Okahu Bay yesterday. She will be moored in Whakatakataka Bay.
Update 31-08-2018 Photo of Popeye below ex Bruce Whillans, on her mooring at Whakatakataka Bay.
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Restoration of the 1936 X-Class dinghy Huia – X22

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Restoration of the 1936 X-Class dinghy Huia – X22

 
I have been contacted by Charles Pope who has begun work on the restoration of Huia. Charles is aiming to have the boat on the water in January at the Mahurangi regatta.
Huia has impeccable pedigree having won the Sanders Cup in 1939.
I have reproduced what Charles knows below. Charles is hoping to fill in the missing information between her Sanders Cup success in 1939 and the recent history I got from her previous owner, Rex, who sailed her at Mahurangi around 1998.That’s nearly 60 years missing
 

The photos above show her on the water in Torbay after Charles tightened up her planks and gave her a paint job. 

 
Any woodys able to help Charles out? I’m a little concerned use of the words – epoxy & glass fibre……………….
 
“Last year I spotted an old 1936 classic wooden boat for sale. Her name was Huia and she was one of the original X-Class dinghies that were sailed by very competitive teams vying for the Sanders Cup in the 1930’s. Huia and her Canterbury crew won the cup in 1939. 
 
Now she was on a rotting and rusting trailer, not under cover, damage from rain water and rotting leaves and badly in need of TLC. She needed someone with more passion than sense to save her from the landfill and that’s where I came in. I took her home, fixed her trailer and began the journey to get her back on the water. 
 
First I had to learn about clinker (or lapstrake) boat construction and I procured copper nails and roves and suitable pieces of kauri timber to match her original construction. After months of working every weekend I was ready to launch her on the local beach. It only took a couple of hours sailing her for me to see that Huia was a beautiful boat. Stable and forgiving, well balanced and stately in appearance – despite sails that had seen better days and gushing leaks between the planks that kept the bailing bucket busy, she was worth spending more time and money on to get her into top shape for a new life. 

I decided to bite the bullet and apply modern technology to give the old girl a new life. West Systems epoxy and glass fibre cloth will seal and protect the old kauri planks and some rigid framing will strengthen the structure so the epoxy won’t crack.”
And as a bonus, below, a mystery yacht, ex Ross Griffin’s post on Historic BOL photos page
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Input from Robin Elliott

“The Canterbury Huia was built by R. Tredennick in 1932, probably off moulds by Fred Dobby. She did little of note until Trdennick sold her around 1936 to R. Hendry and, with Fred Tissiman as skipper she won the 1939 Sander Cup at Bluff.

After 1939 she was sold to Bill Poole of Akaroa and he still owned her in 1947 racing with the Akaroa Sailing Club. My Canterbury contacts seem to recall that she was converted to a runabout.

However …. way up in Northland in 1952 an X-class boat named Huia owned by K. Bradley from Dargaville appeared at Paihia to race in the Northland Sanders Cup Trials. She was quite good and raced in Whangarei and at the northern regional regattas for the next 2-3 years. I have not seen any photos to see if she carried a sail number. Many regional yacht owners bought sails but never bothered registering.
Sea Spray Oct 1953, in mentioning the 1953 Northland trials, made a note that “Huia from Dargaville will be worth watching.”

At the Whangarei Cruising Club the X-class Huia won the Wilkinson Shield in 1953 and 1954.

Interestingly enough. The ex-Auckland yacht Tuoma (built for Bob Greenwell in 1946) in April 1952 was owned by R. Long of Taumarere, was racing at the Northland Inter-Port Yachting regatta up at Paihia.

Her sail number was X-22. She vanished soon after that 1952 regatta.

Perhaps Mr. Bradley of Dargaville got hold of Tuoma’s sails? OR… perhaps he bought Tuoma and renamed her Huia?”

Mystery Launches 18-08-2018

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Mystery Launches 18-08-2018

The above photo was sent in by Baden Pascoe looking for some help ID’ing the two launches.
The tag on the photo says Northcote Wharf, the vehicular ferry might help age the photo.
Chatting with Cameron Pollard recently he advised the the family were looking to ‘move on’ (2 words you do not hear often from a Pollard) one of their craft.
Cameron & Andrew purchased the 23’ Grace (Golden Arrow), photos below, a year or so ago & had plans for her but have recently replaced her with another project.
Grace used to be moored off Devonport for a long time. The brothers have heard chat that she may have been built c.1930’s & by Lowe & Sons. Zoom zoom is via a 3 cyl. Fiat, with a manual box.
The brothers wanted to pass her on hopefully to some young blood who wanted to get into cheap wooden boating.
Well I can report that even before I got around to doing a story on her, Grace was snapped up by a gent looking for a boat for his son – we like that 🙂
So woodys, if you see Grace out & about – say high.

Lake Rotoiti Mystery Launch – 1956

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Lake Rotoiti Mystery Launch -1956

Today’s launch is pictured on Lake Rotoiti, at Okere. The location will be very familiar to any of the woodys that have followed my annual pilgrimages to the Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Parade.
The photo dated Jan 1956 comes to us via Lew Redwood’s fb postings & shows a family heading out on the lake.
Any woodys able to ID the launch?
ps I would encourage you to scroll down & view yesterdays story on St George again, I added a lot of additional photos late yesterday to the story.

Prema

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PREMA

Prema was built in 1965 but looks older, no mention on her trademe listing as to a designer / builder but I’m sure we can uncover that.

She measures 26’ & is kauri built. The zoom zoom is via a 48hp Perkins.

While she obviously needs some DIY repairs / maintenance, given that if her hull is sound, the asking price of $12k is a great entry point to classic wooden boat.

Home port is the Thames Marina & I just weep when I see that the rental is $30 per week.

Input from Cameron Pollard – Billy Rogers.( so we where lead to believe)
Original name was Raewyn.
We bought her from Milford marina some 25ish years ago. Very nicely built and roomy for her size.

Charlie

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CHARLIE

From what WW can learn from her trademe listing (thanks Ian McDonald), all we know is that Charlie was built in 1927 by the Monk Bros (?), is approx. 27’ in length & her zoom zoom is via a 60hp Ford diesel.

Charlie has had some TCL in recent times & would make a nice entry point into classic wooden boating. Current home is Omokoroa, Tauranga.

 

Anyone know more about her?

 

 

Mystery Woodys at Kawau Island

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Mystery Woodys at Kawau Island

The caption on the above Tudor Collins photo, ex Auckland Museum (via Lew Redwood fb) states that the photo is dated 1936 & possibly / probably Mansion House Bay, Kawau Island.
Interested in ID’ing the closest launch to the shore. At first glance I thought Tasman, then Rehia but the shape & number of portholes is all wrong – what say the Woodys?
The dark hulled vessel behind, could be one of the early pilot boats – Ferro?
And any clever yachties able to ID the small yachts – mullet boats?
Input from Robin Elliott

NOT Mullet boats but 18-foot V-class. See endless posts and publications over the last 20 years (puts hobby horse back in stable)

From what I can make of the name on her transom, the light coloured hull looks to be Vaalele, V-78, built by Charlie Hardman to a Ralph Goodwin design in 1936.She was one of the four Auckland 18-footers that travelled to Sydney for the first World’s 18-footer championship in 1938. Charlie Hardman kept Vaalele until 1939 when he sold her to S.H. Bailey.

The darker boat is a bit later and looks to be quite new. She’s marconi rigged and could possibly be another Charlie Hardman / Ralph Goodwin boat, Vindex, V-35 built in 1939. Marconi rigs were not common in the V-class but by 1939 the more competitive yachtsmen were moving away from gaff.

From other photos I have seen, she was painted a dark colour, either black or royal blue and was marconi rigged. Vindex was laid up in 1940 and In 1944 he sold Vindex to Keith Atkinson who was working at Lidgards with Hardman.

If this is the case then that would date the photo to the summer of 1939/40, with the two Hardman boats cruising in company, and also explain the patriotic display of the Union Jack from the wharf,

15-07-2018 Update from Steve Pople (current owner)

Steve sent me the 2 b/w photos below (ex NZ Herald) of RF as launched – what a stunner, just about perfect from any angle. Steve confirmed Ken Rickets comments re being lengthened (by 6′). RF is currently in the very capable hands of Dave Patterson of Leader Boats in Pakuranga undergoing a total refit. I will updated the restoration story with new photos.

Royal Falcon 1934 Martin boat 1

Royal Falcon 1934 martin boat 2

ARGO – Mason Marine Clipper 26

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ARGO – Mason Marine Clipper 26

In recent years there has been a resurgence in the restoration of the Mason Marine motor boats. Aside from being very smart craft, the ability to pop them on a trailer & take them home, cuts out the savage marina costs. Her owner has had her since 1993, in later years she was always a project to be completed but life got in the way.

Todays deep vee Clipper 26, Argo, & is for sale on trademe, she looks a little tired after sitting out in the weather for years but the bones are their. Her looks are deceiving. Her hull has been tapped her out and she sounds good. Internal wood work needs a lot of attention.

Although the Clippers originally never had a flying bridge, one was added with hydraulic steering top and bottom.
This boat comes with a 6.4 GMC Diesel motor (not converted) Volvo stern leg plus the standard bits and pieces that were on her originally.

The photos of her in her original glory are from Pete Miller’s web site. Got to love the photo from the “old times” checking for fuel leaks whilst the character n the background has his smoke.

Argo had a wide beam of 9’6” & interesting construction of strip plank cedar glassed on the exterior and ribs on the interior. Fuel consumption must have been fierce with twin 283cu inboards  originally, later replaced by a 440cu Magnum 4bbl and she had a third with a 440 cu Magnum with a 6 BBL carb. But then fuel was dirt cheap in those days.

So Woodys anyone looking for a project?