OLLIE IRENE- with covers removed, catches her breath in Port Macquarie for a couple of years
Splined hull and repaired bow …and installed 5 new laminated ring frames to secure shape
Repaired garboard and glassed under waterline rolling the glass into a rebate and glued a “spline” into it secure the transition at water line.
Installed self draining front cocktail cockpit through front hatch carlings, including provision for ice bucket to chill the “ bubbles Also allowing safer working space for anchoring. Storage for 3 piece hard deck cover when cockpit not in use and spare anchor in locker under seat…
Fabricate and fit keel extension for rudder and install new prop shaft tube
New rudder
After removal of a number of previous era bearers New engine bearers install to take 80HP Vetus, new prop shaft and drip less seal
The tank!…..out, modified to fit and be removable in future increased baffling, water sump and inspection plate which now sits below the cockpit engine hatch…Cockpit sole and structure remained in tact
Engine pan fabricated and installed
Engine in position for installation
Front engine cover/ companion way with storage bins in each step for oils , spare belts, filters etc
About this time I decided to put Ollie out in my back paddock
OLLIE IRENE
Over the past couple of weeks I have been chatting online with woody from over the ditch – Keith Glover is well known to some of us in the classic wooden boat community having competed in several Auckland classic yachting regattas as crew on Auckland classics. Unlike most Keith has even gone as far as to sail his 1949/50 Alden ketch ‘WRAITH OF ODIN’ (photo below) from Brisbane to Auckland to compete in the 2010/11 regatta.
Todays WW story is based on Keith’s launch – OLLIE IRENE, that Keith has been restoring/rebuilding//recommissioning/rebirthing (multi-choice) for the last few years as he says “out in the back paddock’Probably best if I let Keith tell us about OLLIE IRENE:
* LOA 32’x Beam 9.3″‘x Draft est 3’ x Displacement est 5.5 Ton
* Original Iron bark keel, Spotted gum frames and hull planking, new sheathed ply deck, house, and laid teak cockpit sole
* Little is known of history or providence (long story of how it finished in my hands) other than to say it was a completely stripped-out mildly hogged hull, with a rebuilt deck, and bare house structure. No engine, gearbox, drive train, prop or rudder, although you could see from remaining engine beds it would appear at least 3 different power plants had made an appearance over time! However there was a fuel tank of unknown age or condition totally built-in positioned aft between floor plates and captured by custom deck beams prior to the teak cockpit sole being laid BONUS!!….it was sport but suffice to say it turned out to be new SS which now has better baffles, removable and the cockpit structure remains intact!
* De hogged (adjustable steel cradle) and Splined hull, installed a 80HP motor with hydraulic box ,bow thruster pressure hot water, head etc etc etc
*The complete fit-out has been built, dry fitted, finish coated including upholstery ,basic electrical systems and switchboard etc etc and are in storage awaiting installation whilst we finish painting stuff.
* Limited research suggests Ollie was built in Brisbane during the 1920s as a spec (launched as Irene) built by a yard long since gone and appears to have a close design reference to Blanchard Lake Union Dream Boats of the 1920s from the NW coast USA.
Along the way, I have managed to repurpose many orphan genuine classic bronze bibs and bobs boat bits including some from my original restoration of Wraith of Odin, and targeting a Wooden Boat show in Pittwater November this year.
The purpose of Ollie is to explore some Australian East Coast river systems for which Wraith is unsuitable.
During the week WW was contacted Kevin Uptown regard to the Mullet Boat MATARIKI N10.Kevin’s brother John had discovered reference to the boat in a Oct 2020 WW story (linked here) https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/10/02/classic-wooden-boats-bin-diving/ The yacht featured in a NZ Herald photo from Dec 1931, the photo is below.
I’ll let Kevin tell the story: “My brother John Upton recently sent me a link to this web site and I noticed the Mullet Boat Matariki. (NZ Herald 1931) Our Dad Murray Upton bought Matariki in Tauranga in the early 60’s and sailed her to Gisborne I think in about 1963/64. At that time the Harbour basin was being dredged so Dad had no mooring. Being the type of boat she was, it had to stay in the water. Anyway long story, short we striped her down an took her Lake Waikaremoana and used her as a house boat for many years. Matariki is still on the lake at Waikaremoana I must say she is looking a bit tired. I have attached some photos which may be of interest to you.”
Earlier in the week we were contacted by Roy Jones from the Picton Clinker & Classic Boat Club. Roy advised that he had come across a photo of the 1906 Robert Shakespear built launch – INDIA on WW.
INDIA these days is a very active member of the PC&CBC fleet so Roy undertook to pull together an article on INDIA that has appeared in the June 2024 club newsletter.
The PC&CBC is a very active club and meets regularly both on and off the water. This year they celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the club – well done.
If you are time poor fast forward to page 3 and get a wonderful insight into this amazing classic woody.
Back in Oct 2016 Frits Schouten send in a photo of the – SOUNDS RANGER at anchor in the Bay of Islands, over the next few years we uncovered some intel on her history and movements.
An ex owner Tim Whelan advised that she was originally named – ENTERPRIZE but her name was changed to SOUNDS RANGER when she was acquired to ba a ranger boat to serve the lighthouses in the Marlborough Sounds. In Jan 2017 Davey Jones supplied some great intel on her past in the Comments Section, advising that his recollection was that she was built c.1932 by ER Lane, Picton. Link here to that story https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/10/19/sounds-ranger/
In March 2021 Penny Krone let us know that the vessel was sighted in Pahi on the northern Kaipara Harbour (west coast of NZ). Then in Feb 2022 Dave Stanaway sent in photos of her hauled out at Dargaville.
Then yesterday WW was contacted by Norm Judd an ex Havelock based ranger. In the WW Comments Section Norma posted the equivalent of ‘War & Peace’ – it was just too long for a comment and to good to be hidden away there.
So today woodys thanks to Norm we get to get a peek back in time and share some correspondence from the Chief Ranger (Marlborough Sounds Maritime Park) – Kerry Johnson to Norm regarding how to access and start the – SOUNDS RANGER. I have reproduced it in full below as supplied by Norm. Enjoy, I did 🙂
The following description by Kerry Johnson of the “Sounds Ranger.” is from the unpublished NZ NATIONAL PARKS AND RESERVES RANGERS’ ARCHIVE – a collection of written and taped memoirs of Lands and Survey rangers between 1952 and 1987. Kerry was Chief Ranger of the Marlborough Sounds Maritime Park from the 1968 to the 80s.
“Reading my note to Norm Judd, Havelock based ranger, re starting the Sounds Ranger brought back memories about those early days when I took over, among other things, the care and operation of the vessel. I wasn’t impressed with its overall condition. There was need to bring the launch up to Marine Department standards as soon as possible. The problems included batteries not set up properly to provide backup if one set went flat, the stern tube the tail shaft went through contained a heavy oil for lubrication but would not function properly and no matter how much advice and effort I could muster this thick oil would ooze into the bilge. A few months down the track while cleaning the accumulation of grime from a circulating pump it literally fell apart. Thank goodness the boat was safely in her berth in Picton then! Many improvements were eventually made but there was one incident that occurred one night when I think I was away. Late one rough, wet evening my wife received a call from the Harbour Board patrol to say the Sounds Ranger’s engine was chugging away in her berth with no sign of anyone on board and the doors securely locked! Now there has to be a logical explanation as to how this happened but I was never able to clearly identify the cause and that’s probably why the battery leads had been removed as mentioned in my note to Norm. I’m not superstitious and while I learned later the same thing had happened once before, you can’t help thinking that there must have been some free spirit lurking about that stormy night and was about to take the “old girl” for a cruise in the gloom! “Stranger things have happened at sea.” Thank you Norm for holding on to a note many (including myself) would have discarded long ago. As a friend commented recently when talking about recording family history, “even the milking cow’s name is important”. Here’s the note “Now a few directions in case you should be asked to take out the Sounds Ranger. Batteries have been disconnected – under seat on starboard side, crescent spanner in tool box near batteries. Before starting engine remove bucket from top of funnel – open hatch to engine room, light switch is on a beam just inside the hatch opening, that is if you stand on the engine room floor looking forward, the switch is on your right hand side on the back of the beam that forms the front section of the hatch opening. Move under the exhaust pipe along to the front port side of the motor. If you look around the actual front of the engine you will see a small wheel with finger grips around the outside (about 3” or 4” diam.) This is the wheel that engages the bilge pump by simply screwing or rotating the wheel clockwise or in towards the engine. It should be in this position now, so to disengage the pump, just screw the wheel very slowly out. Do not on any account force the wheel too far out, or for that matter too hard in, otherwise it will stick hard. The pump has to be primed before it will start, this done on the starboard side of the engine. There is another light there with the switch by the light bulb, you will find an old kettle with water in it. You will see towards the front, a tap with an opening for the water to be poured in on the top. With the engine at low idling speed, turn the wing tap to vertical – pour water in slowly. I hold my thumb near the hole and when the pump looks like starting I block the hole with my thumb then turn the wing tap to horizontal. To start the engine use the starter button on a beam in front of the light on the Port side of the motor, but you should only have to use this one when the engine is cold. It also pays to use the overload button on the fuel pump (when the machine is cold only) the button is on the front of the fuel pump.” (Here there was a small diagram that showed the location of the overload button on the fuel pump.) “Button should be pushed up, at the same time pull back the rack. Push the starter button until the engine starts. Be sure to turn both lights out, on leaving the engine room. To stop the motor just pull a string that hangs on a nail beside the top of the steps that lead into the forward cabin. Normal starting can be done by using the starter button by the compass. (This for some reason has given trouble in which case I have used the engine room button.) Push throttle lever up to 1100RPM after about 20 minutes. I doubt whether it will be necessary for you to use the boat, and if you do, I don’t think the bilge will have to be pumped out. There is a hand pump in the engine room, the valve is on the side is off. If you have to use this rather that the pump on the motor please be sure to turn the wheel mentioned earlier to off position. Remember that the motor is only 60 HP and will not pull up as quickly as the PR (Pelorus Ranger – Havelock based vessel) in other words take her quietly and don’t get into shallow water or you will get into trouble. Hope this makes sense?” “P.S. Key to door lock is under bucket by gas cylinder rear of wheelhouse.”
(All of this made sense but just being up with the detail didn’t necessarily mean I was any less concerned with the implementation! – Norm. My recollection is that SR drew about 6 feet and was 45 feet at the waterline.)
01-06-2024 -INPUT ex LINDSAY WRIGHT
Hello – I delivered Sounds Ranger from Picton to Tauranga many years ago so she could be taken further north to work for a box netting outfit somewhere in Northland.
She was powered by, I thought, a 5L3 Gardner, but my memory is a bit fuzzy these days and it could have been a 6LW. I believed, at the time, that she’d been used to service a Christian camp in Queen Charlotte Sound.
The dockside dawdlers in Picton cautioned me that she had rolled over while servicing the Brothers Island lighthouse while called Enterprise. All her fuel was in a big steel tank on the port side of the engine room, so, with the tank full, she had a residual port list. I took down the hefty wooden derrick and lashed it along the starboard bulwarks and put a 200 litre drum full of water on the starboard side too. That fixed the list.
We had a good run – with her fine forward sections she punched into a sea beautifully. The wheelhouse was spacious and comfy. I’d planned on going into Gisborne for fuel but in the event, when I sounded the tank, she’d hardly used any, so I kept on going.
In Tauranga I checked all the fluid levels in the Gardner and topped them up, closed the seacocks and left a note to that effect on the dashboard so the new owner would know when he picked her up in a couple of days time. And flew home to Picton.
A few days later the broker rang and said the new owner had rung to say that I’d run the engine out of oil. It made a ticking noise when he started it and there was clean oil in the sump.
But he didn’t know Gardners – they often make a ticking noise on starting and the clean oil was what I had added before I left her.
I suggested to the broker that he tell the new owner all this – and that he tell him to take a running leap off the stern….and wondered about such a good boat going to an unappreciative owner.
A few days the broker rang back and said the new wowner had been in touch to apologise. Perhaps she had gone to good people after all.
Retired boatbuilder Kerry Lilley sent in the photos above of the 52’ workboat – TE KAUIA, which he built in 1978 in Panmure. Kerry built TE KUIA for Harbour Transport, Tauranga which at the time was part New Zealand Forest Products. Her role involved ferrying workers to and from Matakana Island, towing log barges, and other duties and the occasional fishing charter.
TE KUIA was later sold to Hugh Ensor in 1989, who then operated her as a charter fishing boat based at Tauranga. Later Jack Elliot converted TE KUIA to a passenger ferry. At the time the cabin roof was extended.The vessel is powered by a GM 6/71 Detroit diesel engine.
In 2023, the Bay of Islands ferry – WAITERE was involved in collision off Russell and.suffered major damage, and was a write off. TE KUIA was purchased as a replacement in June, 2023 for the Pania > Russell run.
Olaf Wiig Has owned several woody in NZ, all of which have been enhanced by Olaf’s talents as a gifted boatbuilder / wooden craftsman. For a period he was also a trustee at the NZ Traditional Boatbuilding School.These Olaf and family resided in the UK but summer in NZ on board their 45’ launch – NGARO , built in 1953 by Lidgards, photo below. During the week Olaf dropped me a note on his recent boating adventures – I’ll let Olaf tell the story. Have to love the flying of the WW burgee 🙂
“For many years we had a beautiful river cruiser in London. She was all varnished mahogany from the waterline up. When we were thinking of returning to NZ full time she had to be sold as I wouldn’t be here to look after her. She had a mooring in West London which is a really special place but only fits a boat which is narrow boat shaped so a steel narrow boat has lived on this mooring ever since. This year I decided we would take the narrow boat closer to our home in Henley-on-Thames for the summer. Now there are two ways to do that. Come out of her berth in Notting Hill and turn right. This will take you west on the Grand Union Canal (Paddington branch) through West London and eventually down to the Thames at Brentford. Or you can turn left… this takes you east through Paddington, Little Venice, Regent’s Park, Camden Town and East London, eventually all the way down to Limehouse basin next to the Thames. You can then lock out onto the tidal Thames just below Tower Bridge, ride the flood tide all the way up the river to Teddington where you lock up onto the non tidal Thames.
I took the second option. Now the Thames is a very busy commercial port and has a wild reputation for big waves crazy tides and very fast ferries. Narrow boats are slow bathtubs! It wasn’t without a degree of trepidation that we locked out of the huge lock at Limehouse. We were really lucky, it was the perfect day still and calm and being early on a Saturday the clipper ferries hadn’t started for the day. What a ride. Under tower bridge past HMS Belfast, London Bridge. HMS Wellington (built for the New Zealand station and based in Auckland to patrol the Pacific Islands, arrived on station in 1934, and recalled for war service in 1939, went on to be a Dunkirk ship in operation Dynamo) the Houses of Parliament…. We arrived at the half tide barrier in Richmond just in time to see it open and Teddington lock right on high water. From there the Thames passes Hampton Court Palace, Eton, Windsor royal estate and castle and then slowly out into the Buckinghamshire countryside, the boat is now on her summer mooring at Temple Island, the start point of the Henley Royal Regatta (rowing).
Now just to bring this back to woodys.. The last photo above shows one of my favourite London based woodys Wairakei 2 (always thought there must be an NZ connection) another Dunkirk little ship. Her history can be seen here. https://www.adls.org.uk/wairakei-ii “
Back in July 2015 we shared a photo of the 1911 Collings & Bell built 35’ launch. – DOROTHY, in the photo ex Barry Davis, she was under power and looked very impressive. Note: the photo had been retouched many years ago.
At the time of the 2015 story Harold Kidd contributed a wealth of intel on DOROTHY and her original owner – W.J. Quelch + her builders, Collings &Bell. Clink below to the story
Through the powers of the WW archives, Lynley Stone discovered the 2015 story and reached out to share todays photo of DOROTHY and to advise of her grandfather – Lindsay Burrell Stone connection to the launch – I’ll let Lynley tell the story :
“ The above photo of the Dorothy – I think it was probably taken summer 1915-16. It is from my grandfather’s photo album. Either he took it, or it was a gift from the Frys.
I have evidence that Roland Fry owned the Dorothy at least as early as September 1914.
My grandfather was Lindsay Burrell Stone. His father Arthur was first cousin to Roland Fry. Lindsay joined up when war was declared and sailed from Auckland with the Main Body of troops, leaving in September 1914.
In a letter he posted from Colombo, en route to Egypt in 1914, he asked after The Dorothy and sent his best wishes to Roland. This indicates that he had developed some sort of relationship with the launch before he left.” (Photo ex Lindsay Burrell Stone album)
Todays story comes to us via Ken Ricketts, with details and photos begged/borrowed/ uplifted by KR from the following sources – fb/google/Lew Redwood/Ken Brown/Daniel Michaels and KR himself.
The ship Q406, is probably the last Fairmile left in NZ. She was used during WW2, as a N.Z. coastal patrol boat, and later in the Solomons. Once she and the other Fairmiles returned back to Auckland in 1945, they were decommissioned.
Q406 was offered up for sale via tender and purchased by Rodney Farry, who fitted 2 x Graymarine marinised GM Detroit 6-71 diesel engines, and converted her into a passenger ship. In this configuration she operated around the Otago Harbour, until she ran aground on a sandbar, causing Farry to lose interest in the concept.
She was renamed NEW VENTURE in 1949 and sailed back to Auckland, under command of a temporary crew. While sailing back, she struck a violent storm off the Castlecliff Coast, with the inexperienced sailors clinging near the coast.
In 1950, she was sold to Waiheke Shipping Co. and had her name changed to MOTUNUI and was used as a passenger ferry, transporting people to and from Auckland to Waiheke, Great Barrier & Motuihe Islands.
When Waiheke Shipping was sold to North Shore Ferries. MOTUNUI would continue operating under them until 1984, when she was sold into private ownership.
Over the next 20 years she would switch ownership multiple times, one of these being to the late Ken Brown, an old friend of Ken Rs, who converted her to pleasure craft use, in the 1980s. She was kept at the bottom of his garden, on the water’s edge, in the Tamaki River.
There were plans in 1997 to have her brought to survey standards in time to be used as a sightseeing boat for the America’s Cup.
This was abandoned when relations between the joint owners, (& several suppliers) soured. Even though much work was done by then (including fitting an original wheelhouse taken from Fairmile Kahu).
She was sold again in 2001 and 2006, when she took one final voyage to Tauranga, so her machinery could be removed, along with her superstructure.
Her final owner was Barry Woods, who operated Woodlyn Park Motel, at Waitomo. MOTUNUI was hauled onto land, and converted into a motel, now advertised as the ‘WAITANIC’. A sad ending but better than a date with a backhoe and box of matches and she has some funky neibours for company – a Bristol Frighter and railway car, refer below 🙂 . (edited by Alan H)
One of the many wooden bating channels that I follow is {the} Southern Woodenboat Sailing news-blog out of Australian, their tag line is ‘The News, Culture and Practice of Sailing Woodenboats in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific’ . Its very good check it out and subscribe. In this weeks communiqué one of the stories was a link to a 45min interview on the ABC Radio Sydney’s nightlife program, hosted by Philip Clark – the stations intro blurb was – ‘We are a land bound by sea, and boats are an integral part of Australia’s history. Wooden boats especially have something magical about them. They flex, they groan, they creak. They each have unique characters. Philip Clark on Nightlife is joined by a panel of wooden boat specialists. Steve Robson, a self-confessed timber tragic from Sydney. Peter Higgs, President of the Wooden Boat Guild of Tasmania and Greg Blunt, a shipwright and fifth generation boat builder from Williamstown, each with wooden boats in their veins.‘
Click the link below to listen to the interview – so many similarities to the NZ scene, a lot of the discussion focussed on the dwindling wooden boat building timber stocks, being Australia its Huon Pine, they do make reference to out mighty Kauri.
Three comments that made my ears prick up:1. The key tip for looking after these old girls is – usage and maintenance was use it and often e.g. one > two weeks
2. In Australia fractional ownership eg a group of people forming a syndicate to buy, maintain and use vessel is well established. In NZ I only know of 2>3 successful ownership syndicates. While there are numerous ‘charitable’ (I use the word loosely) trusts that own and maintenance classic yachts, seems NZ is slow out of the gates with fractional ownership groups – food for thought.
3. One of the panel was asked to give an estimate to build a clinker dinghy out of Huon Pine – answer for a 10’ one AUS$30>40,000………..CLICK LINK BELOW TO ABC RADIO
Can Anyone Tell Us About This Classic Wooden Boat At The Clevedon Cruising Club
Todays woody is high and dry at the Clevedon Cruising Club. Its name is Sceptre and at this stage thats all we know about here. So a shout out to the CCC members and or anyone else that may have bumped into Sceptre.
And speaking of the Clevedon Cruising Club – we are long overdue a cruise up the river for one of their infamous overnight BBQ’s
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