Category Archives: Trailer Boats

WOODYS GALORE AT AUCKLAND’S WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL

Posted on by
Reply

Woodys Galore At Auckland’s Wooden Boat Festival

If you’ve got even a hint of salt in your veins, make your way down to Auckland’s Viaduct (Jellicoe Harbour) this weekend for the Auckland wooden boat festival.

The festival is a true celebration of everything that makes the classic wooden boat community special.

Expect a visual spectacle of beautifully crafted wooden boats both afloat and on display ashore, alongside undercover exhibitions and a series of engaging talks and seminars from people who live and breathe wooden boats.

From elegant launches and yachts to working classics, it’s a weekend that showcases the craftsmanship, heritage, and camaraderie that define the woody boat world.

Best of all — Entry Is Completely FREE.

Check out the full festival programme here:
https://www.aucklandwoodenboatfestival.co.nz/festival-programme

SHOW STARTS FRIDAY 13th > 15th 

FRIDAY 4PM>8PM – SATURDAY & SUNDAY 10AM > 5PM

▽A FESTIVAL MUST DO▽

Regular WW readers will be familiar with my frustration around the plight of the Vos Boat Yard on Aucklands waterfront, well I’m pleased to advice that its now once again a working boatyard and home to the NZ Traditional Boatbuilding School. To celebrate the yard will be open to the public during this weekends Auckland wooden boat festival and the team from NZTBS will give visitors the chance to see traditional clinker construction and repair skills up close, demonstrating a live build of a kauri clinker Frostbite dinghy in the shed.  
DETAILS: Saturday, 14 and Sunday, 15 March, 10am-5pm  Percy Vos Boat Yard, 34 Hamer Street Wynyard Quarter Auckland CBD Free entry.   Find out more at: https://www.maritimemuseum.co.nz/events/percy-vos-boat-shed-open-day

2026 NEW ZEALAND ANTIQUE & CLASSIC BOAT SHOW

Posted on by
3

2026 NEW ZEALAND ANTIQUE & CLASSIC BOAT SHOW

In the first weekend of March we have one on NZ’s coolest wooden boating events – the NZ Antique & Classic Boatshow, hosted in Kerr Bay, Lake Rotoiti, Nelson Lakes National Park.

Todays coverage of the event is a perfect example of how the WW community works – I get an email from a friend (John Burland) living in Germany informing me a friend of his (Cam Rodgers) is attending the show this year and would I like some photos – short answer – YES.

So thanks to Cam today we get to have a gander at the show. Looks like the weather gods were smiling.

Remember – click to enlarge photos and enjoy the gallery 🙂

CLASSIC MASON CLIPPER – HOTSPUR – REFURBISHED

Posted on by
1
BMW D190

CLASSIC MASON CLIPPER – HOTSPUR – REFURBISHED 

Recently, woody Angus Rogers sent in the top photos of HOTSPUR , a recently restored 24’ Mason Clipper that calls the Outdoor Boating Centre (OBC) in Auckland home.

Angus pointed her owner – Fraser Elder in the direction WW and Fraser sent in the gallery of photos of HOTSPUR.

This wasn’t a fast project, in fact Fraser commented that from start to finish it was 9 years, fitting it between work and family commitments.

Some background – HOTSPUR was built c.1968/1969 and during the restoration, several bits of the timber in the boat were numbered (as in the photo with H15 on  the inside of the instrument panel) and they are numbered H15, H16 and H17. Fraser reinstalled these parts to keep the numbers in the boat. Puzzled about the presence of three numbers, Fraser spoke to Anne Mason about this, and was told ‘Oh that’s to be expected, we built the boats in threes’, so there was always an amount of cross pollination between the boats.

HOTSPUR was built with a fibreglass hull, after the first tranche of builds with a timber hull, but there is a lot of mahogany in her. During the restoration Fraser needed to replace a high percentage of that timber, using sapele, as real mahogany is no longer allowed to be sold because of the CITES agreement.

Before the restoration, she had a BMW D150 (around 140HP) diesel engine. However, this had several parts that were too corroded or rusted too be used and very hard, or impossible to replace because of the age of the engine. So Fraser installed the BMW D190 (around 180HP) that he had purchased along with the boat. It was also newer and had, he was told had been rebuilt, although this is later questioned. It is this engine that you see running in the boat after he had figured out the few issues he had getting the engine started.

The restoration was mainly completed around August 2022 after nine years but as with any of these restorations, there are still (mainly small) tasks to do, and things that Fraser will eventually get around to, including replacing some of the work he did in the early days, as he says he is now more skilled 🙂 and more knowledgeable about some the techniques to use.

LOCATION IS DOCKSIDE AT THE VIADUCT EVENTS CENTRE – DETAILS HERE https://www.auckland-boatshow.com

CLASSIC JOHN SPENCER WOODY RUN-ABOUT

Posted on by
1

CLASSIC JOHN SPENCER WOODY RUN-ABOUT

Todays woody gets to be on WW because its just so cute – as Harold told me once re classic wooden boats “dear boy do not be under any illusion, it is a beauty contest” .

What we learn from her recent tme appearance is – designed by John Spencer, launched in 1960, 16’ 5” in length powered by a40hp Mercury outboard. I wonder who built her, most likely a home / DIY project.

Home is Kaitaia, Northland so hopefully someone in the BOI buys her.

 BUDGET BOAT BLING

There is a secret to buying well on trade me , I have bought ace clinker dinghies for $200 and an embarrassing amount of bronze hardware for next to nothing.

The waitematawoodys Slipway Milford car boot sales are also legendary.

Aside from the clinkers I think this weeks buy is the best to date. A pair of bronze/chrome 1/2 vents for $25. A quick clean up with a scotch pad and WD40 and almost like new. Have I a need for them ? – of course not, but better in my glory box than sold for scrap. 

The reason for the bottle of wine in the photo below (size comparison) is when I told Jason Prew what I’d bought and the price, his reply was “I bet they are 1” high and from a model boat kit” if I’m honest I was concerned when the seller wouldn’t answer my question re what size they were (post buying) 🙂

CLASSIC MASON SPORTS CLIPPER RUNABOUT – RAROA

Posted on by
Reply

CLASSIC MASON SPORTS CLIPPER RUNABOUT – RAROA

This 23′ woody recently popped up on tme and immediately caught my eye — helped in no small part by the great photography and those postcard-perfect backdrops.

Built in 1966, RAROA presents as a very well-sorted example of the Mason Sports Clipper style. She’s beautifully finished and comes with one very practical bonus – she’s trailerable. That means no marina fees and the freedom to tow her to wherever the water (and weather) looks best.

At 23’ she strikes that sweet spot between classic elegance and modern usability. 

Power comes from a Chevrolet blueprint 383 V8, pushing out a serious 405hp. Top speed would have to be well and truly off the dial. The engine alone reportedly cost around $50k, which tells you straight away this is not an entry-level woody.

This is a complete package that has the woody wow-factor.

2026 LAKE ROTOITI CLASSIC & WOODEN BOAT PARADE + PICNIC – Report. 140 photos

Posted on by
3

PARADE 🔻

PICNIC 🔻

LADY BETH

2026 LAKE ROTOITI CLASSIC & WOODEN BOAT PARADE + PICNIC – Report. 140 photos

As the photos will quickly confirm, Saturday 7 February delivered near-perfect conditions for the Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Association’s annual gathering. While the event unfolds over four days, it’s the Saturday on-the-water get-together that remains the undisputed highlight.

From a photographer’s point of view, wall-to-wall sunshine and tricky angles don’t always play nicely with timber and varnish. So, if I’ve missed your boat or the images aren’t quite showroom-perfect, my apologies — I was doing my best to keep up with a lot of very good-looking boats.

The day naturally divides into two acts: the Parade, followed by the Picnic. A few familiar regulars were absent this year, but they were more than ably replaced by some truly stunning “new” additions to the fleet, making for an impressive and varied lineup on the water.

Sit back, enjoy the gallery, and soak up a little Lake Rotoiti magic. As always click photos to enlarge.

Special thanks to David & Glenys Wilson for the generous loan of a boat for the day 🙂

CLASSIC MASON CLIPPER RUNABOUT

Posted on by
2

CLASSIC MASON CLIPPER RUNABOUT

As the WW early birds read todays story I will heading down State Highway 1 to attend the Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Festival. 

Therefore its only appropriate that todays classic craft is a 1967 25’ Mason Clipper. Good looks and breeding let me overlook that her hull is the evil f/glass.

Powered by a 250hp Yamaha 4-stroke outboard one would assume she can lift her skirt and run rather fast 🙂 Thanks Ian McDonald for the heads up.

If you couldn’t make it to the lake today – check out WW Monday for a photo gallery / parade report.

SERIOUSLY – DID I READ THAT CORRECTLY…….

You have worry when you read the criteria for boat selection at an Australian (Victoria) Classic Boat Rally – “ If its older that 25 yrs, of historical value or of classic design”

True classics must be few and far between over the ditch to have craft built in 2000 labeled CLASSIC.😎

TODAYS THE DAY – LAKE ROTOITI COMES ALIVE WITH 70+ CLASSIC BOATS 

WAS THIS MAHURANGI REGATTA OUR BEST CLASSIC WOODY EVENT EVER

Posted on by
2

WAS THIS MAHURANGI REGATTA OUR BEST CLASSIC WOODY EVENT EVER

As some of you will be aware todays Mahurangi Regatta was cancelled sadly for all the right reasons – the safety of our craft and people must always come first.

So today we flash back to 2020 , the biggest and best classic woody weekend on record – check out below and enjoy a vicarious regatta 🙂 https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/01/28/mahurangi-weekend-biggest-on-the-water-wooden-boating-event-down-under-200-classic-wooden-boat-photos/

Race start off RNZYS / Westhaven > Orakei and return > RNZYS

TANIWHA 1950’S QUEENSTOWN LAKE RUN-ABOUT

Posted on by
1

TANIWHA 1950’S QUEENSTOWN LAKE RUN-ABOUT

Earlier in the week WW was contacted re the above c.1950’s wooden lake day boat – TANIWHA. Her owner was having to move the craft from Queenstown to Dunedin and had an insurance question.
They commented that she has been in a watertight garage since the late 1990s/early 2000s where the conditions are bone dry. 

It is believed that the craft hasn’t been near Lake Wakatipu since about the same era. The photo are all from the same period.

The run-about was home built by the owners grandfather and father.

It’s a long shot but do the photos ring any bells from the past. TANIWHA was quite a looker so should have been a memorable sight, so fingers crossed.

UPDATE – THEY SUCCESSFULLY REMOVED HER TODAY AFTER 20+ YEARS IN THE GARAGE

UPCOMING EVENTS – CIRCLE THE CALENDAR

CLASSIC 1955 WOODEN RUNABOUT – LITTLE HONEY UPDATE

Posted on by
Reply

CLASSIC 1955 WOODEN RUNABOUT – LITTLE HONEY UPDATE

Back in March 2025 WW ran a story on a1955 17’ Mason Marlin runabout named LITTLE HONEY that owner James McConnell was restoring – link to that story here – https://waitematawoodys.com/2025/03/17/little-honey-1955-classic-wooden-runabout/

Over the xmas/ny break James sent in photos above and commented that after managing to dislodge the transom on the 2nd voyage after the initial rebuild, he had now completed the repair.

James pulled the transom back the 1/2 inch it had moved when the motor hit the submerged log.  Cut the buckled veneer off, cleaned it up and epoxied it back in place followed by 8 coats of varnish.

He then put 4 threaded rods from the transom to the next structural point as he felt the motor put a lot of load on the transom.  Lastly a layer of fibreglass tape along the bottom of the transom just in case.

In James words itt’s a goer now and the new perma-trim meant no need for a new prop”