During the week we were contacted by Rob Griffin regarding his classic wooden launch – MOANAROA. She previously appeared on WW back in Sept 2021, link below to that story. Rob advised they have just completed some maintenance work – I’ll hand over to Rob to tell the story – “Work included sand and repaint, a bit of re-caulking, Primocon and anti-foul, new engine mounts, servicing and retiming diesel injector pump and injectors, plus lots of other sundry items. Moanaroa was designed by Jack Taylor and built in Taupo by McLeod Brothers in 1949. She is carvel Totora planked construction, there has not been glassed. Powered by a 90hp Fordson Major diesel, 34.5ft long and these days calls Waiheke Island home.”
INPUT ex PAUL DRAKE – MOANAROA ( more correctly MOANA ROA) was launched at Lake Taupo at the end of December 1949, on the day the Lake Hotel was destroyed by fire. Her ribs are spotted gum and everything else is heart totora, milled at Oruanui (near Taupo). Her build took two years, at the Tamamutu Street home of Don McLeod. She operated commercially for many years, skippered by Don McLeod’s father – known locally as Braces McLeod because he always wore braces in lieu of a belt.
In 1978 the Pointon family got hold of MOANA ROA in a very run down condition. Over a period of a few years they built a new wheelhouse with door and raised a forward cabin, which vastly improved her use-ability. She is a very lucky boat, having had loving owners for a long time. It is very heartening to see that her newish owners are continuing to love her
Todays photos recently popped up on the ‘ Carey Boats’ fb in a post by Phillip Carey and show the very smart looking 46′ workboat KAHENO. Phillip commented that when launched in 1966 she was powered by a Gardner 6LX, which may have been replaced in the 1990’s with a 5LW.
Hamish Mason commented that she was built for his grandfather – Dick Mason. She was once owned by the Salvation Army to service Rotoroa Island. She tragically sank with the loss of 4 lives in the Tamaki Strait circa 1986 whilst carrying timber as deck cargo.
From previous WW stories we learnt that she was refloated and in the 2016 > 2019 period underwent a conversion to pleasure craft. Links to those WW stories below.
CAN CLASSIC VESSEL – VECTIS BE RESCUED + Details On Labour Weekend Woodys Happenings at Kawau Island
At the recent Woodys weekend cruise to Clevedon I ws chatting dockside with Jim Lott and he alerted me to the plight of the 1929 Bert Woolacott Keeler – VECTIS that these days resides on San Francisco Bay, USA. I’ll hand over to Jim to tell the story –
For the past 45 years, VECTIS has been sailing the waters of San Francisco Bay. Her current owner, Louis, has lavished TLC on her after a major restoration of the cockpit and aft deck. He now says his racing days are over and he is looking for someone who will appreciate and look after this fine little ship as she turns 100.
Louis has not found anyone in the Bay and has asked me to see if there is some way she can come home to where her life began in 1929.
“VECTIS” is 31ft plus bowsprit and 9ft 6in beam displacing seven tons. She is planked with 1¼ inch kauri over bent ribs, with every 4th rib sawn pohutukawa. She is fastened with copper rivets and treated with red lead, the well-tested standard at that time, and has bronze keel bolts. The deck was laid kauri, fore and aft over diagonals, and caulked with cotton and tar. Coamings and bright work are mahogany, with oregon spars.
She was built in 1929 and was probably the first Bert Woollacott keeler built in New Zealand. While the Registration Certificate named Percy Vos as the builder, other sources credit her build to Woollacott. Unlike Bert Woollacott’s later designs, she had a spoon bow and a bit of a counter aft, and was masthead cutter rigged.
She was well known around Auckland with owners including the Colebrook family and Alan Doull who was the manager at the RNZYS. She competed in one Suva race.
Karin and I bought her in 1970. At that time, a 32’ (9.5m) yacht was considered the ideal size for ocean sailing. The survey showed some areas of decayed timber in the deck, coamings and carlin just forward of the cockpit.
The deck was cut away exposing more extensive decay than expected and we also decided that the Morris petrol engine would need to be replaced with diesel. The cockpit was wider than the cabin trunk, so with the rot removed, it made sense to carry that width forward and incorporate a raised doghouse in the style of later Woollacott designs, giving more room below and some shelter at the forward end of the cockpit. We also added a small amount of headroom in the forward cabin, but left the original athwartships coaming in place just abaft the mast.
After a voyage in the Pacific, we sold “VECTIS” in 1975 and a few years later we heard she had been sold to San Francisco.
Simon Smith, who was tragically killed during the 2023 ‘Coastal Classic’, recalled happy times sailing on “VECTIS” as a youngster. He introduced me to the current owner, Louis who is delighted with “VECTIS”. He purchased her in a run-down state and undertook a two-year restoration , which he detailed. He describes the hull as like new, in spite of the past 95 years.
Louis is realistic about the value of VECTIS and is mainly interested in ensuring she goes to the right person. Getting her to New Zealand is a challenge, but she is very capable of making the voyage where fair winds can be expected along the route.
Even for such a historic yacht, finding the right owner is more of a challenge and we all know the cost of keeping a vessel in Auckland.
I am in touch with Louis and anyone who can help or be involved can contact me jim.karin.lott@gmail.com
Labour Weekend Just 20 Days Away – Join Us At Kawau Island
Commencing this year the Kawau Boating Club are celebrating the start of summer with the SPRING SPLASH REGATTA. A weekend of fun and friendship on and off the water. KBC are holding hands with Ponsonby Cruising Club to run the on the water sailing events – full details in the Notice of Regatta at this LINK WW encourages all yacht owners to consider participating in the Regatta.
The main reason for todays post is to confirm that WW has been working with KBC and PCC to involve the classic launch fleet and classic cruising yachts in the weekends activities. Aside from enjoying the overall ambience of Kawau Island and the recently renovated clubhouse which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner on all days, we have two events for woody boaties.
1. On Saturday 26th waitematawoodys invites classic boat owners to gather ashore at Lidgard House (deck) at 4pm for a meet up – BYO
2. On Sunday 27th waitematawoodys will be mustering classic vessels to convene off KBC wharf at 11am for the Classic Woodys Parade ,a circuit of Bon Accord Harbour. As with all good WW gigs there will be plenty of booty to be won – eg longest travelled boat, best dressed boat, etc + spot prizes and all classic boats flying either a WW burgee or KBB / PCC burgee will go in the draw for a complimentary haul out (3days) at the Slipway Milford yard. More details on Saturday afternoon.
With WW life is simple – no entry forms – just turn up on the day and enjoy the company of the classic wooden boating community.
CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH- LADY CAROLE – A Peek At Stage II Over the last few months we have been following the restoration the classic launch – LADY CAROLE and as seen in Wednesdays WW story LC is now back in the water.Whilst the exterior work has almost been completed and we will not be getting any updates for a while, we asked o-owner Patrick Crawshaw to share with us what’s inshore for Phase II (interior). Patrick commented that she originally had a beautiful kauri trimmed interior and the original configuration will be restored along with the fine timber work she once had. A few modern additions will bring her into the 21st century, but these will be hidden, or discreetly placed. The thinking / plans are shown in the drawings below Forward Cabin with four berth bunks. Toilet through the mirror in the bow.
FORWARD CABIN – with 4 berths/bunks – toilet thru the mirror/door > bow
CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – LADY CAROLE – UPDATE #8 – LAUNCH DAY
After a full few months co-owner Patrick Crawshaw reports in on the big day – as always Patrick tells the story…….
“ LADY CAROLE was relaunched on Saturday with much fanfare with about thirty people turning out to see her.
It’s taken four months’ to restore her exterior to her original lines and design. Next year the interior will be restored to her original layout and a new motor put in so we will start all over again and I will send posts on this final phase two part of the project.
I would like to say a big thank you to Waitemata Woody’s for the help in retrieving items that were lost and also the great advice they have given me over the past four months.
A big thank you also to the Bay of Islands Yacht Club who have also supported the restoration of LADY CAROLE with such great spirit. The club works on a volunteer basis and everyone helps out and works together. It’s been a privilege to be there five days a week among the great community that is the Bay of Islands Yacht Club. It was also a great honour that LADY CAROLE was asked to be a regatta boat. I am sure she will enjoy being in service to the club.
So now a new chapter for LADY CAROLE begins. She has to date had a very full and eventful life: Some of her adventures include slipping her mooring in the sixties and getting jammed under the Waitangi Bridge. A great petrol-vapour explosion happened in Whangaroa in the early 1970’s, after which her engine was changed to diesel. She almost sank on her pole at Waipapa Landing during a Kerikeri flood in the sixties and sailed out to witness the re-sinking of the Rainbow Warrior in 1987. She has been all over New Zealand from Whangaroa to the South Island and everywhere in between. These are just a few of the stories I know about – there are many, many more I am sure…
On Friday night she was put on display for the weekly dinner held at the yacht club. Saturday was busy doing last minute jobs. She went in at 4pm and sat in the cradle for ten minutes as we looked at all the water pouring into the hull hoping that once we were off the cradle, the bilge would keep up. The motor started up with a great plume of black smoke and she reversed out and sped off, very happy to be free from the cradle and parched environment she had been in for four months.
Friday Evening
Launch Day – 28th September
CIRCLE LABOUR WEEKEND IN THE DIARY – OCT 25 > 28TH – MORE DETAILS LATER IN THE WEEK BUT THIS IS SHAPING UP TO BE THE CLASSIC WOODY WEEKEND OF THE SEASON
NGARUNUI + LUCINDA ON-ROUTE TO CLEVEDON CRUISING CLUB
DOCKSIDE STROLL
Classic Wooden Craft Overnight Trip Up The Wairoa River
Over the weekend we had our first woodys event for the classic boating summer season – a cruise up the Wairoa River to overnight at the Clevedon Cruising Club. Due to lock downs and weather bombs we had skipped a couple of years so the weekend was long overdue.
Given tidal access restrictions the weekend always starts with an early departure to the mouth of the Wairoa River, the smart ones leave on the Friday.
The weather early (<5am) Saturday morning was raining cats & dogs, but as if prearranged at 5.30am it stopped and we enjoyed a very pleasant dawn passage. The group gathered at 8.45am and journeyed up the river, always a tad anxious but it was a 3.6m tide so all good.
I snapped a gallery of photos of the woodys that are moored on-route – separate WW story tomorrow.
Our hosts , lead by Commodore Alister (Al) excelled themselves from the RIB on-hand to assist with docking to the world famous (on the river) Saturday night BBQ. The evening included raffles, outdoor fires, a singer and karaoke and even dessert provided. I can report no-one in the woodys group stepped up to karaoke the mike 🙂 Woody Dave Giddens donated several ‘old’ sails to the club which will be repurposed as shade sails around the clubhouse.
If you have never been on one of the trips you need to – the club facilities and hospitality is so traditional / old school but in a cool way.
Included in the raffle prizes was a WW chopping board… I’ll need to talk to my copyright lawyer 🙂
We eat very well – sorry about the food pix but thats what you have to put up with 🙂
If you think that classic wooden craft are all sub 7 knotters check out the videos below of a couple of the voom-voomers.
At one of the waitematawoodys / Slipway Milford – Boat Boot Sales I was talking to Michael May and he casually mentioned he was restoring an X-Class yacht named – SONYA. As I do I asked for details and last week Mike advised he had completed the project. So I’ll hand over to Mike to tell the story – “Restoration of X48, SONYA According to Harrold Kidd, SONYA was built by Trot Willetts, in 1946, for the Elliot brothers. Greg Elliott says the B /W photo from the Auckland Star, shows his father, Mervyn, at the helm of SONYA in a race off ST Mary’s Bay. I took possession of SONYA two years ago. She had been sitting on a trailer under canvas for the last thirty odd years. Under all the dirt and leaves the hull looked reasonably sound, but the deck was rotten, and she has a sloop rig off a trailer sailer. Looking for something to keep me amused, I decided it was worth a shot at restoring her. First I removed the ply deck, and waterblasted the inside to remove all grime. I then started to scrape off all the old paint inside, and that’s when the rot started to appear. It was either a chainsaw, or persevre. I eventually replace about 20% of the planking, and 60% of the ribs. Also the stern half of the king plank. The centrecase and knees were very agricultural, so I decided to rebuild that too.. I used Yellow Cedar for the planks, and American Oak for the ribs. With the help of Youtube and others I leant the art of using roves, and steam bending timber. I made my own bolts with Silica Bronze rod. [Fosters were a big help] Interestingly, the whole boat was built with no glue, all screws, bolts, roves A sign of the times I suppose. Some of the deck knees and framing are plywood, and still in good condition. Against a lot of advice I glued and filled every plank to plank join inside and out, after removing all the old red lead putty. My theory being that modern glues, Wests, would hold the wood and stop any water egress and swelling. I didnt want to have to go through the “Let it leak and swell” every time I launch the boat. After doing all the inside, fitting new centrecase, deck, Everdure, and painting, I turned the hull over and started on the outside. Strip paint, dig out all putty in seams and nail holes, fill old and new nail holes, glue/fill seams, everdure, and paint. Then the right way up again, and finish the inside and the new “Bling” deck. Not traditional I know, but I had the mahogany veneer from years ago, and always imagined using it on some sort of boat one day.. [I have some left over if any one can use you’re welcolme to it] I managed to buy four spars from Bob Van Pierce in Kerikeri. All different timbers and build methods, but each one worked well with what I needed. The gooseneck was a major stumbling block. Very kindly, Herbert Krumm-Gartner, also Kerikeri, lent me a set of blanks he had made for his classic yacht. I made all the wooden blocks using pohutukawa from timber off the trees in our garden. I have gone modern with the running rigging and used dyneema for main halyards, and backstays. Brent Gillies, BG Sails, has made a fantastic set of sails, using traditional methods. I have only sailed SONYA once, in very light breeze to check everything out. Especially any leaks!!! Nothing of note. Now need some better conditions to get her flying again.”
Łatę last week I had to visit Tutukaka Marina in Northland, first up a confession – I had never been there before by road. Made an emergency stop there 40+ years ago on a yacht that was taking on water to the extent that we were sinking i.e. manual bilge pump and bucket couldn’t keep up – ’saved’ by a fishing boat that rafted us up and took us into Tutukaka where we went straight on the grid and waited for the falling tide. Issue repaired and after a very long day at the bar in the Swordfish Club, continued on to the Bay of Islands. That woodys is the short story, before the fishing boat arrived we were at the point of grabbing what we wanted to take with us in the very small dinghy……..
Very impressed with the marina and surrounding area, friendly staff and well maintained set up.
While waiting to meet someone I walked the docks and snapped a few photos of some of the classic wooden craft berthed there. I have a few more but will save them for future stories.
Looking forward to the woodys Clevedon overnight / BBQ cruise this weekend – weather forecast to looking good.
RESTORATION OF A NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC WOODEN YACHT IN AUSTRALIA – ROXANE
Back in May 2018 we ran a great story about a gent named Keith Dawson that was celebrating his 105th birthday and we learnt of Keith sailing to Australia back in 1937 onboard the Tercel brother built 26’ yacht – ROXANE. Link here to that story below –https://waitematawoodys.com/2018/05/13/roxane-a-105th-birthday-party/ make sure you read the comments section – lots of chat there.
Now fast forward to early Sept and WW is contacted by Ralph Finch from Queensland in Australia – a summary of Ralphs notes to me below – “I’m in the process of purchasing the little boat called Roxane that you have on the WW site. Roxane has sat in a back yard in Townsville for last 25 years partially restored. I’m beginning the process of completing the restoration.I’ve read snippets about her history and would love to fully document the history and contact past owners and descendants and anyone previously connected. Roxane is now 90 years old and my intention is to eventually get her back in the water and sailing again.The centenary would be an exciting maritime event for both New Zealand and Australia I think.”
“I have already begun cleaning up and restoration work. The photo of her on the transporter was taken about 20’ish years ago as she was removed from the Townsville Slip Ways to go to the owner’s house where she sits till this day. I am very excited to take this project on and eventually build a website dedicated to her with as much history as I can find. It’s important to me to trace and document all those connected to her. If you know any of those people or descendants, could you please let them know that Roxane is still alive. She does have a brand new deck, cabin and cockpit. The cabin has been extended to just in front of the mast. The owner has also built a new timber mast and boom. I completed clearing away 20 odd years of rubbish from on, and around Roxane yesterday and took some clear photos.” WW will follow this project and Ralph has promised to keep us updated. In the mean time as mentioned above he would love to hear from anyone with links to the yacht.
Going about her business on a calm Wellington Harbour
1954 at the start of her 18,000 pound refit, which included a new wheelhouse
Classic Wooden Work Boat – ARAHINA
Back on August 24th WW draw attention to the Wellington ex Pilot Boat – ARAHINA and how she was desperately in need of a new custodian – At the time Paul Drake commented as below, then sent in the above photos from the past.
ARAHINA arrived in Wellington from Bailey and Lowe’s yard in Auckland on 31st October 1925. On trials she achieved 10 knots with her 100HP Fairbanks Morse engine. In 1954/55, ARAHINA had major work done on her structure and a new wheelhouse added. This was done by Wellington Harbour Board shipwrights, at a cost of 18,000 pounds. In 1979, she went to Jorgensen’s in Picton for another refit, and on her return (under tow) she had the 193HP Kelvin engine fitted. She was sold into private ownership at the end of 1987 and relocated to Picton.She is remembered by one Wellington pilot who knew her well as “a narrow gutted single screw vessel.
She was a seaworthy vessel but tended to broach severely in a following sea, as was often experienced off Pencarrow in a southerly”. On one such occasion when she picked up speed on the face of a large sea astern, her stern picked up and over she went, throwing her Launchmaster into the corner of the wheelhouse as he tried but failed to keep her on course. The pilot and engineer eyed each other as they made for the open wheelhouse door. But ARAHINA recovered herself and all was well enough.
waitematawoodys.com #1 for classic wooden boat stories, info, advice & news - updated daily - 15+ million views 