Category Archives: Working Boats

What Happened To The Viking?

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Viking?

What Happened To The Viking?
words & photo ex Mark Davis

This is a great tale – I’ll let Mark tell it 🙂

“I stumbled across your web site by accident after reading an article in the Otago Daily Times about the Elsie Evans. It got me thinking if anyone may know it’ll be yourself or one of your members. My late mum used to tell me of her life growing up in Waihi. Her dad, my grandfather, Walter Caldwell, used to own a well known fish shop in Waihi, called simply Waihi Fish Supply, (which is now a burger bar). To supply his shop he used to have a small number of boats moored at Waihi Beach. This, I think was sometime between the two world wars. Anyway to get to the point, he purpose built a boat to his own design in the “backyard” of the fish shop. This is the boat my mum talked about the most. When finished and launched at Waihi beach, most of the then town, turned out for the occasion. The boat was christened the Viking. Mum told me the Viking was an excellent sea boat and remembers going out on it once or twice. Of course being a “girl” she didn’t know any of the important stuff. The story continues, as the world was plunged into another global conflict in the late 30’s the government of the day commandeered as many suitable boats as possible for coastal patrol etc, the Viking was one of these boats. That’s where the story could end, but as chance would have it someone told mum the boat ended up at the Auckland Maritime Museum on Quay St Auckland. I’ve looked on line but didn’t find any trace of her, (the boat not mum), so put it down to urban legend or similar.

So that brings me to this email. After taking possession of mums treasures after her death I came across a suitcase of old photos. Amongst the hundreds of unidentified photos is a picture of a boat being built in a “backyard” of what looks to be the rear of the fish shop in Waihi, (I have visited and still do visit Waihi many times). The photo doesn’t show much apart from a hull being laid over with planking and not a lot of detail, however if you like detective novels then this may appeal to you or visitors to your web site. Please let me know if you’re interested, one way or the other, and I’ll email you a scan to have a look. As we now live in North Otago popping down to the Maritime Museum to research this further is not on the cards anytime soon.”

So woodys, can anyone help Mark out? Is there any truth in the Maritime Museum story or as Mark says – is it just an urban legend.

Aorangi

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AORANGI
photo ex Historic NZ Photos, ex A Turnball Library. details ex Russell Ward

Aorangi was built by Shipbuilders at St Marys Bay. Powered by two Kelvins which was unusual for a side trawler. The above photo of her slipped is reportedly dated 9th September 1949.

So a question for the work boat woodys out there – what became of her?

Input from Keith Munro – She is owned by Colin Silby and is on the hard stand at West Park at the moment. It belonged to Ginger Gibbs as well years ago. Washed ashore at Te Atatu a couple of year ago in a big easterly and was a major to re-float.

Input from Russell Ward –  photo below of her ashore for some TLC and a chat with friends -(photo ex Carol Forsythe-  Marine Compliance website).
Russell is rather fond of ‘St Kathryn’ that is alongside Aorangi.  In his words “A damn good looker that I’d give houseroom any time”

aorangiashore

Tainui – The old days

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TAINUI - c1940s

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TAINUI – the old days

Photos & details ex Fraser Chapman via Ken Ricketts. edited by Alan H

The above photos show Tainui in the 1940’s & 1970’s.
There have been several posts on Tainui on ww (link below) but these photos deserved their own post, rather than be added to the existing. I’m a little confused because the top b/w photo Ken emailed to me is tagged 1940’s but else where on ww it has been stated that she was built in 1967 for the Auckland Harbour Board.

Tainui is currently at the Whangateau boat yard undergoing an extended restoration which includes a full rebuild on the Gardner engine. Her Kiwi owner lives/works overseas so will be very keen to view these photos, equally we look forward to following her progress at the yard.

Fraser Chapman has told Ken R that he recalls he bought Tainui in the 1980’s off the widow of a Helensville gentleman, who had owner her for approx. 10 years. Tainui was moored at a jetty, on a private property, opposite Herald Island, (probably Beachaven), when he inspected & bought her. He took her to Thames, where he has lived for a great many years. He owned her for approximately 7 years & sold her to the proprietor of a Boatel in the Sounds, who sailed her directly down the East Coast, to the Sounds from Thames, without stopping. This ties in with the existing details in one of the previous posts on herr which states she was on-sold, (presumably by the Boatellier) in Plimmerton in 1994.

When Fraser C., bought her she had a 3 LW Gardner, but whilst on a trip to the Bay of Islands, not long after he bought her, Fraser called on the people at Opua who had replaced her original engine, which was a 3 cyl Kelvin, with the Gardner & actually saw the old engine, which was painted green, still there, under a tree, on the property. Fraser believes it was replaced because the Gardner was more economical & she went faster. Fraser said she cruised at 9 knots all day.

Fraser believes she was built by Coulthard possibly around 1953/55 & the kauri for her milled in Thames at the Twentymans Mill. Fraser was good friend with the Gt. Barrier Island radio operator at that time also, during the early days of her Govternment ownership era. They both spoke often, about her trips to service the lighthouses in the area during that period.

Fraser advises that her new owner John Sloane, rang him in an effort to try to find her, some time back, as John Sloane’s father, along with John as a young lad, had cruised on Tainui with Fraser frequently & John had such happy memories of that era, he contacted Fraser & told him he would like to buy her. Fraser told him that she belonged to the Christiansens, of Gt. Barrier Island, who he thought had had her there for about 10 years. John tracked the boat down & now owns her.

Can anyone confirm the builder / year?

Link to past ww stories on Tainui

Tainui On The Move

Typee

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TYPEE
photos & details ex Brian Cuthbert

Typee is a 33′ Baxter boat built in Whangarei in 1968. Alex Baxter moved to Whangarei about 1958 from Picton where he had worked for Roger Carey for many years.
After Typee he built Pandora (his biggest at 48ft for Brookie Richards) then Valiant (photo below) a sister to Typee which is still line fishing in Northland.
After a brief time trawling in Whangarei Typee ended up in Auckland seine fishing and owned by Ivan Guard. Brian bought  her from Ivans estate in 1993 and has owned her since. For the last 12 years Brian has worked her as a charter fishing boat out of Gulf Harbour.
She is powered by a Gardner 5LW and cruises at a comfortable 7 1/2 knots.

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Update 09-04-2020 – photo below at Gulf Harbor, ex Baden Pascoe

Typee Gulf Harb early2020

Classics at the Sandspit Yacht Club

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Rotomahana & Tuna 1

Rotomahana & Tuna

Rotomahana & Tuna
Tuna
Ngatira
Ngatira
Erinor
Erinor
Erinor
Erinor
Karros

Karros

Classics at the Sandspit Yacht Club
photos ex John Pryor

John sent in the collection of photos above of woodys currently hauled out at the Sandspit Yacht Club & asked the question is SYC the new ‘Traditional Boat Yard’ ? I think I would have to agree with him, a grand line-up & with their impressive haul out set-up + the legendary Greg Lees Boat Builders alongside, you would struggle to find a more woody friendly facility.

All the woodys above have featured on ww before, so to read more on them, use the ww search box.

A true woodys smoke-0

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Kauri Clinker

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The Bloody Boat 011

The Bloody Boat 070

16′ Kauri Clinker Work Boat
photos & details ex Arthur Neely

Arthur contacted ww as he has recently started the restoration of the beautiful little clinker work boat featured above and is trying to get some ideas as to her heritage, age, designer, builder etc. He is also keen learn if there is she any historical significance associated to the vessel.

What we know is that she is kauri clinker, 16′ long with a 5’6″ beam and Arthur reports in excellent condition, given her age. She has been in a shed in Hamilton for the past 45 yrs owned by 3 generations of the one extended family. However as is often the case Arthur hasn’t been able to get much of an idea of her lineage before that.

She had a Sea-Mite 4cylinder 20hp petrol engine in her with a shaft drive to a 3 blade fixed prop. Arthur doesn’t think it was the original engine as there are 2 sets of engine mounts visible.
She also had wheel steering installed at some stage, made up of what looks like old tractor parts, but appears to originally had inboard tiller steering.
From old photos Arthur has seen she looks very similar to designs by Logan Bros or Lanes, but he doesn’t know enough to know.
The canvas cover that you see in the photos, Arthur thinks is original.

The only real damage is she doesn’t have a rudder and from what Arthur gleaned from the previous owners, the rudder was damaged and the boat was put in the Hamilton shed for repairs, and that is where she stayed for the past 45 years. The boat is currently in a shed at Dairy Flat, Auckland.

If there are woodys that might be able to help Arthur understand this project better, he would appreciated hearing from you.

Harold Kidd Input

For a start, forget Logan Bros. The last dinghy they built was in 1911 and this boat is 40 years later than that at least. However Arch Logan’s son, Jack Logan, did build many similar launches post WW2 at Stanley Bay. But then, she could have been built by a dozen other very good boatbuilders at that time. Most put their plates on them unless they were retailed by Wisemans for example, when they were usually anonymous.
I think you can forget Lanes too. They had bigger boats to build.

Update from Arthur Neely
The boat was bought by Jock and Edith Graham in 1950 and homed on their property at Graham Rd Puketaha, I understand that is near Hamilton. When Jock died he left the boat to his son John and he has recently gifted the boat to his daughter Vanessa.
The boat was mainly used as a pleasure boat and for fishing on both Lake Rotorua and Lake Rotoiti. Jock bought the boat as he believed that she had been “professional built”. There is some suggestion that the boat had been built in Tauranga but I think this might just be speculation.
To my eye though, there is no doubt that she was built by skilled craftsmen.
I am trying to find out who Jock bought the boat off in 1950 but I think this might be a long-shot, everyone who would know has since died.
There is no evidence of the boat having a name, feedback from the family shows a consistent view that the boat was always called “the bloody boat”.

Valhalla

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Valhalla 2016

Launch day – May 1964
Launch day – May 1964

VALHALLA - 1

VALHALLA
details & photos from Kazik Jascia, Sea Spray magazine (Aug 1964) Ken Ricketts & B Worthington. edited by Alan H

Valhalla was designed & built by John Gladden of Milford & launched in May 1964 for Tony Bullock, as a sport game fishing boat.

She is 40 ft x 12ft. 6 x 3 ft. 6 draft, could sleep up to 7 people, & at date of launching was powered by a John Andrew converted, 100 hp, naturally aspirated, 6 cyl Ford diesel. She also had a 9 hp Lister auxiliary, for trolling, on the port side,  at the time of launching. Currently she s powered by a 130hp Ford Dover engine.

Her original cruising speed was 9.5 knots (now 8.5) at 1950rpm through & “Snow-Nabsted” hydraulic gearbox fitted with Morse controls, with a 2 to 1 reduction to a 3 bladed Henley 24 x 16 propeller

Her hull is single skin kauri carvel construction, with varnished solid teak coamings & decks & hardwood timbers.

Given that she spent time in charter there must be some photos & stories out there so if you can contribute to details on her past, email to waitematawoodys@gmail.com

Electro-Chemical Damage In Wooden Boats Update

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rudder electrochemical damage


ELECTRO-CHEMICAL DAMAGE IN WOODEN BOATS UPDATE
A Special Post By Chris McMullen

Recently I received a note from Chris where he questioned if the story we posted last year on ww about electro-chemical damage to wood  was a little too long & were people reading it. Well I can tell you that the post is the single most visited story on ww, ever, & gets read by people all over the world. Its frequently referred to on the hugely popular WoodenBoat Forum in the USA. The link below takes you to the original story.

Electrochemical Damage To Wood – the marine version of ‘leaky homes’

For the impatient ones out there 🙂 Chris has done a ‘Readers Digest’ version & refers to a vessel that recently featured on ww.
I encourage all of you to read today’s story & if you own a classic wooden boat – read both versions – the problem is the biggest risk to the life of our classic boats.

In Chris’s words:
“I received the above disturbing images of another woody being destroyed by an owner who I believe is unintentionally loving his boat to death.

The use of anodes and bonding on a wooden boat is fatal. The cathode or protected metal makes hydrogen gas and this combined with saltwater makes Sodium Hydroxide (Caustic Soda). This chemical is used to pulp wood in the paper making industry. Not on my boat thank you! I say again, there is no reason to use anodes and bonding on any boat. The only exception, steel hulls require anodes. If copper or bronze are being corroded it is due to a positive DC leak and Zinc anodes will not help. Find the electrical leak is the cure. If there is brass or manganese bronze underwater it will corrode due to the
zinc in the alloy. Anodes will possibly stop the corrosion but at the expense of wood damage. A better plan is to replace the brass with proper marine bronze.

Bronze and copper should last indefinitely in the sea. To prove that statement, I ask you to look at the Roman coins and artifacts salvaged from ships wrecked in the fourteenth century. There was no anodic protection and the metal is well preserved. So what is the difference to the copper and bronze on your boat? There is absolutely no difference so why waste your money buying anodes that will in time destroy
your wooden boat.

Three or four bottles of wine will cost the same as anodes and will make you and your boat happier.”

Note: ww is read all around the world, if there is water & boats, there are people reading ww. So a little about the man for non kiwi’s  – Chris is one of NZ’s most respected boat builders (retired) and at one time was the Lloyds (Honorary) Wood Boat Surveyor in Auckland. Chris’s (the original company) ‘McMullen & Wing’ built and repaired wood, steel and marine aluminium vessels. They built the first welded aluminum vessels in NZ. Chris is the current holder of the Classic Yacht Association of New Zealand ‘Outstanding Achievement Trophy’ for services to classic boating.

14-05-2016 Photo Update
Gavin Gault sent in the below photos of a Nova skeg floor that he believes were probably damaged due to engine – anode bonding failure. Pretty graphic !!

10-07-2016 Reply from Chris McMullen

“Wow. Thank you Gavin Gault for sharing your very graphic images. Very sad, small consolation but yours will not be the only wooden boat affected by this scourge.
Maybe, at last some of the Flat Earth Society will start to believe what I have been saying. The worst detractors are some in the Marine Industry who have been preaching the Anode, Bonding party line for years.  Now there is no where to run for cover,  they continue to conjure up excuses and it seems, refuse to accept a simple scientific fact.
“If you have a positive and negative electrode in salt water, the negative cathode or protected metal makes hydrogen gas and this combined with salt water makes Sodium hydroxide.”
This chemical is also known as caustic soda and removes paint and destroys wood.  There is no doubt about this fact. You do require a power source and bonded dissimilar metals ( zinc and copper) provide sufficient current to do the damage, but slowly.
If there is a negative DC leak (to the sea)on a bonded boat the process is accelerated. If there is a positive leak any metal becomes an anode and will waste away. It is important to isolate the DC power from contact with the sea. Again bonding is just asking for trouble. Please remove Anodes and Bonding from your wooden boat now!
Chris McMullen”

06-09-2106 In case you were not to sure what to look out for – the below photo should be a wake-up call to a few woodys 😉

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Wainui

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Wainui on Slipway 1931 Photo sent by Arthur to Cora after purchase30102015

1931 on slipway after purchase

wainui 1931 dark scan30102015

1931 – Love the dogs

Wainui on slipway Bulwer1938 undergoing alteration to stern 30 10 2015

1938 – on slipway undergoing stern alts.

Wainui Bulwer 1940s 30 10 2015

1940’s – Bulwer, Pelorus Sound

Wainui 1955 Smiths Bay Clay Point 30 10 2015

1955 – Smiths Bay, Clay Point

WAINUI
photos & details from Brynn McCauley. edited by Alan H

Brynn’s grandfather owned the launch Wainui in the Marlboroough Sounds from the late 1930’s to 1950 & she was last seen in Wanganui in the late 1950’s.

Brynn is convinced his grandfather’s Wainui is the same Wainui that featured on ww on 16-07-2015 (link here  https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/07/16/mystery-launch-16-07-2015/  ) The hull shape and size are a near perfect match for this vessel. This Wainui is lucky to be owned by the Pollard Bros. & when it comes to custodians of classic wooden boats they do not come much better than Cameron & Andrew Pollard.
The Wainui was shortened by cutting off her stern and raised her gunnels by Brynn’s grandfather in the 1930’s so he could use her to fish in the Cook Strait and Outer Sounds. The photos above show her when he originally bought (dark cabin and long stern) her and then the year he sold her (white with high gunnels and cut off stern).

In the 1987 Onehunga photo of the Pollards Wainui we see her with the raised running boards added as she was bought after serving as a mail launch in the Sounds by Arthur McCauley as his fishing boat, and fished on the fishing grounds well out into the Cook Strait and around Durville. She was one of the McCauley Mosquito Fishing fleet described in the book on Nelson and Marlborough pioneering fishing families, and served the family for well over 30 years, fishing, hauling wool and sheep around the Sounds. Patrick McCauley settled in the Sounds in the late 1870’s mining for gold and then cutting the family farm out of the bush. He taught himself to build boats building a fleet of fishing boats initially all sail, then introduced the first petrol engine into the Sounds at the turn of the century in the Ark. He pioneered a design suited to fishing in and out of the Sounds, building them on the beach in Bulwer, Pelorus Sound. He drowned in 1913 by falling off her near Havelock. Arthur his eldest son initially fished from the Ark, on returning from WW1, then purchased the Wainui and fished in her along side the Ark, The I’m Alone and the Eastern Star till 1955 when he downsized to a smaller clinker named the Nunui which unbelievably he continued to fish from well out into the Cook Strait and around Durville. Brynn still has the tender dingy that the Wainui towed which allowed access for picking up the nets and landing ashore on the many hunting trips enjoyed from her around the Sounds.

Wainui has a very special place in Brynn’s family history and they would very much like to learn if this Wainui is the same vessel and be able to chat to the current owners. Which won’t be a problem – Brynn can be contacted on brynn.mccauley@xtra.co.nz.

ps when ww does these ‘hook-ups’ it makes all the work in the background so worth while – 🙂  Alan H

Input from Andrew Pollard
She sure looks like the same boat…Many alcohol fuelled stories with Wainui, one involving some an umbrella and some faulty navigation lights..
Anyhow, as mentioned before we bought her in 1997…as a semi afloat wreck, as I hopped on the floorboards floated into the cockpit to meet me…She was a mess, bitumen on the decks,decay everywhere, a stuffed 40hp Ford diesel and a long since departed snapper carcass soulessly eyeballing us from the bilge…
She was at Te Atatu boat club on poles right outside the clubhouse. They kept her there so they knew when she was about to sink, apparently one of her pastimes!
We purchased her off a dubious bloke named Ryan Cornelious. He purchased her of the guy that steamed her from New Plymouth to Onehunga (a Gary Swordc. Rumour has it they had to wait outside the Manukau bar for the weather to calm down and ran out of fags and booze and things got tense between the crew as a result.
Anyhow Sword took her to a K’road panel beaters yard and fitted the cabin she know has but back then it had huge black tinted windows.
Now we were told he purchased her from a couple of Maori brothers who had cray fished her out of New Plymouth and Waitara area and she was built in 1903…
I had heard whispers of a history in the Sounds…with wool bales…
She is two skin not three, and has 6 (3 each side) huge Pohutakawa knees a midships running from deck level to keel…
She steams like a witch with the Gardner…we don’t open it right up as she starts to suck the back deck down and…

Update – photos below ex Angus Rogers show her hauled out in April 2017 at Okahu Bay, Auckland

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07-07-2017 Input from Brynn McCauley

I was given the photos below in November 2016, when I stopped in at Waitara where the Wainui spent some time, by the son of Paul Blossom who owned her there. Its a photo of her in New Plymouth, you can see the breakwater to the left. Amazing when you see her in this photo, taken in the early 1980’s before Paul Blossom took her to Waitara. She looks pretty rough in the photo, incredible she survived.
The colour photo shows where she used to be docked in this tidal stream beside the main river. Spent most of the time sitting in the mud.

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Waitemata – Pilot Cutter

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WAITEMATA JUST LAUNCHED

WAITEMATA EARLY DAYS - 4

WAITEMATA FOR SALE

WAITEMATA & AKARANA

WAITEMATA REFIT - 1 - EX. HYLTON E

WAITEMATA – Pilot Cutter
photos ex Hylton Edmonds via Ken Rickettts

The above photo gallery shows the 58′ ex Auckland Harbour Board pilot cutter Waitemata from when first launched to her refit to pleasure vessel & as she is today. Her ‘sister’ ship Akarana has featured numerous times on ww.

I’m sure Hylton & others will chip in with more details on her.

Photo below ex Nathan Herbert

Waitemata - now

UPDATE 04-10-2021 Photo below ex Dean Wright of – Waitemata on her mooring up the Te Puna Inlet, B.O.I.