Category Archives: Working Boats

St. Clair

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St Clair
photos & details from owner John Newton

The 34′ sedan St Clair was built for Lionel Barney by Brin Wilson in 1956 and is kauri carvel construction. ww readers may recall that it was used as a ferry for St Clair lodge at Vivian Bay on Kawau Island . Piers Barney who runs Norma Jean charters has recollections of collecting passengers from Sandspit when he was 10 years old, Piers had to stand on a soap box to see out of the wheel house.

She was surveyed for 39 passengers to Kawau limits and amazingly carried up to 20  x 44 gallon drums of diesel for generators and bags of wheat and meal for all the chooks and muscovy ducks at the lodge, so a really solid little launch.

Piers father Lionel used to enjoy racing it in fun races against other boats off Kawau Island Yacht Club where she did very well reportedly getting up to 13 knts with a 100hp Ford engine. She hasn’t seen that sort of speed since, perhaps because of the new heavier sedan cabin.

St Clair was bought by John and Helen Hager and refitted to a comfortable sedan in 2006 by Robertsons Boats. Current owners John & Natasha Newton bought her in 2011.

Meola

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MEOLA
photo & details from Barbara Cooke

Barbara & David Cooke spotted Meola in Whangamumu on the way home from there Christmas cruise. The owner rowed across for a chat saying that he spends a lot of time fishing and diving around Whangaruru and Whangamumu. She sports a Gardner motor and her early years were spent as a general work horse ie towing, shunting and hauling on the Auckland Harbour. Great to see her so well kept.

More details please, I’m sure the ‘work boat’ boys can supply info on her past.

Update from Russell Ward
Press cuttings above showing Meola –well just the tops of her masts in Drunken Bay (Islington Bay, Rangitoto Island) .
She was under the command of a navy officer (who else could show such skill). Rumour was that he was going inside the rocks off the point.
Once again, Arataki and the crew with a barge were on the spot pdq to salvage.
Amazing how many times Arataki managed to salvage the navy’s coastal foulups before the papers got the story.
No such luck this time.

Russell Ward Update #2

Russell remember that when she was new, she had her fwd mast hard up against the wheelhouse and the engine exhaust coming up through a funnel just behind. The pic below from Bob McDougall shows it well. Nowadays, her mast is set a little more forward or it was when I took the below (colour) pic in 2007.
I seem to remember that she was all engine space and storage forward of the aft end of the wheelhouse  –never saw down aft.

Russell wonders if she had a Kort nozzle that the Navy put on her perhaps to improve maneuverability?  Maybe the twirly wheel reverse on Meola is being confused with the Kitchen rudder that the old navy utilities boats (particularly the so called Cattle Barge) A wheel was used to move a set of cups that went around the propeller to ahead or behind the prop. This gave astounding mobility for the coxwain to avert maneuvering cockups.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitchen_rudder
The navy derivative had a beautiful casting for the tiller with a handle for steering curving above a wheel for reversing,  diagram below of the Navy Kitchen rudder showing the twirly wheel.

Screen Shot 2015-02-28 at 11.35.28 AM

MV Meola (model) 04/03/2015

photos & details from Grant Morrell

Below is a selection of photos taken during the building of Grants 1/24th scale model of Meola.  Construction was an on and off affair  over a 7 year period. The model is radio controlled and has sound and lights. The 3 photos on the water were taken on 03/03/2015 just after Grant completed the after boom rigging. Still to come are guard & weather rails.
A brilliant project & the attention to detail is spot on. Click photos to enlarge.

Kokoru

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KOKORU
photo & details from John Baird

Kokoru was designed & built by Jack Morgan in Picton in 1960. Her first owner being Russell McKay who was a local Wellington car dealer in the 1960’s. John Baird has owned her since 2000 & understands there were 6 vessels in the fleet with Kokoru being the last. Two others in existence that John is aware of are Hawaiki in Picton and Corrina in Havelock.

One of Kokoru’s claims to fame is that she was a Wahine boat – Russell McKay had sold her to a George Mulligan but not before she had been put to the test on ‘Wahine day’. Although she made one or more effective rescues she was rolled on her beam ends when hit by a monster wave and miraculously self-righted. The force ripped one of the motors from its bed and she limped back to port while taking water through the now open seacock. The complete story is reported in Radiator Magazine of the time and hopefully John will supply a copy to ww for inclusion.
As a result of the Wahine disaster a local rescue service was established and Kokoru was one of the original vessels. She was also warranted and used by the local Police in the 1960’s as an official patrol boat when various US vessels were in port during the Vietnam war.

Any more details on her would be appreciated

30/03/2015 Update & photos from owner John Baird.

If any ww followers are passing by Wellington I’d be very happy to show them over her. The first picture I sent you (above) was taken in Ngaruru Bay and indeed one of the readers almost got it right as Ngaruru is off Tory Channel. The pictures below are a bit dated as now she has new grey carpet and I’m in the process of replacing port & starboard lockers and the floors to facilitate the installation of Acoustop sound insulation as alas the old solution is now ineffective and slowly disintegrating.

20-03-2016 Update
Kokoru’s owner John Baird sent in these photos of Kokoru following a complete strip and repaint of her hull and topsides. It took from early January to March to complete the job. In the 16 years John has owned her it’s the first time this has been done to this extent. The job was done in Waikawa Bay by Sounds Marine.

 

Iawai (Tidesong)

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Iawai (Tidesong)

The above photos were sent to me by Andrew Pollard, owner of the 1913 Tom Le Huquet launch Aumoe.
Andrew received them from the grandson of Aumoe’s original owner, Mike Brookfield.

Can anyone ID the launch? (done)

Harold Kidd (+ Baden Pascoe) Update

She’s the 55 footer IAWAI, built for Judge H.G. Seth-Smith of Russell by James Reid’s brother David Reid at Customs St W in late 1911. She had a 40hp (rated) heavy duty 4 cylinder Buffalo engine. She was the largest pleasure launch in Auckland at the time. Seth-Smith donated her to the Government in 1915 for war work. The Government sold her to R.B.S. Hogwood in 1922 and then she went to Auckland metal and carrying contractor A.W. Bryant and used for commercial work, heavily modified from this configuration, but looking very smart. I’ll post a pic later. Baden and I struggled over this pic for some time until Baden hit the spot.
In 1933 she was renamed TIDESONG and run by C.D. Cooper until 1938 when F.D. Cadman bought her and had her renovated by Joe Wheeler at Bayswater. She was taken over by the RNZAF as W95 by 1942 for towing at Hobsonville. She also possibly went to the flying boat base at Lauthala Bay. There is some confusion in the RNZAF records on this (and her correct W number).
Post war she was used as a hire launch at Gisborne and Tauranga. She finished up being a total loss when she sank at anchor in Shipwreck Bay, Northland on 23rd June 1972 when owned by Roy Callister of Browns Bay.

Photos ex Harold Kidd

23/02/2015 – A message from Shelley Arlidge , the Curator at the Russell Museum

Hi Alan,
I was able to narrow down the date of that photo of Iawai to about a five year window. Your commentators say that she was built in 1911. There was a Russell Regatta in 1912 after a gap of some years and then every year after that until the 1950s. There is a building in the background of your photo of Russell’s first town hall. It collapsed in a storm in 1916 and a new one wasn’t built until 1922. So this photo must have been taken in the years 1912 to 1916.

2015 Australian (Hobart) Wooden Boat Festival

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2015 Australian (Hobart) Wooden Boat Festival
photos ex Simon Smith & Baden Pascoe

Several CYA members crossed the ditch for the bi-annual wooden boat festival in Tasmania. A group transported the kiwi skiff  ‘wee’ Tawera over to take part in the rowing section of the regatta & I understand did us proud with a win.
Rumour has it that Neil Chalmers was cruising the docks & hopefully took the Box Brownie with him.
Simon Smith sent in the gallery of boating photos below + a couple of stunning scenery shots, love the one of Hobart town bathed in sunshine.
This event is on my bucket list. Enjoy 🙂

19/02/2015 – more photos ex Simon Smith

Lake Rotoiti Wooden Boat Parade Update

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Lake Rotoiti Wooden Boat Parade Update

photos ex Chris Miller

As I mentioned in Mondays post I traveled to Lake Rotoiti with Chris Miller, Chris is a very talented pro photographer & on this trip packed a lens that was longer than my arm. This enabled him to get up close to the boats & shoot from a better angle (sun was a problem). He’s also a dab hand with photoshop so these photos are stunning.

Also today we have a link to the TV3 news coverage of the event http://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/vintage-vessels-invade-lake-rotoiti-2015020717#axzz3RGmeg9GX

 

 

 

 

 

2015 Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Parade – Photo Gallery

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2015 Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Parade – Photo Gallery

Morning Woodys

Just back from the 2015 Classic & Wooden Boat Parade at Lake Rotoiti (Nth. Island). As always a brilliant weekend, well run & the boats just keep getting better – over 80 this year & I’m sure much to the enjoyment of the USA ww followers – lots of varnish & zoom zoom motors this year.

The weekend kicks off with a meet/great/BBQ lakeside on Friday night with the parade on Saturday morning. Post parade everyone heads off to bay where the festivities began – while there is lots of boat talk, its a great family day that includes the full family with kids & relations.

Highlights for me was I small launch named ‘Mako’ (#63 in the parade), has been on the lake a long time, I’ll do a ww post on her. And meeting ww contributors Paul & Nigel Drake.

I have not attempted to include every boat, this is all about giving you a taste of the weekend. I think I took a photo of most boats , so if your not here, email me & I’ll send you one. The location & the sun was not kind to photographers, so some photos are a little dark.

I traveled to the event with Chris Miller, who leaves me for dead in the photography stakes, so in the next few days I’ll do another post with some of Chris’s finer work.

Enjoy – as always click on any photo to enlarge.
Alan Houghton

ps ww passed 3/4’s of a million views in the weekend – 750,000 !!!!!!!

pps I have included a link below to a file that tells you a little bit about most of the boats in the parade.
2015 Lake Rotoiti Parade Entries as at 3-2-15



TV3 attended the parade & featured it on the 6pm News – star of the clip was CYA member Russell Ward & the steam boat Romany that he skippers. Post the 6.00pm news Russell had no shortage of helper dockside 🙂

Restoring & Installing a Gardner in Arethusa

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Restoring & Installing a Gardner in Arethusa

story & photos ex Dean Wright

It not often I get sent info on a boat & it jumps the queue & appears on ww the next day. If you have been following on ww the rolling restoration Dean has been doing on Arethusa over the last few years you would know two things, Arethusa is in very good hands & Deans a very talented commercial photographer. So the links below to Deans latest project – the restoration of a Gardner 4LW & subsequent installation in Arethusa are well worth check out.

Restoration     http://deanwright.co.nz/arethusa/log-arethusa/152-gardner-4lw-diesel-restoration.html

Installation      http://deanwright.co.nz/arethusa/log-arethusa/154-installing-the-gardner.html

Some history below

Arethusa ticked over 96 this year. She started life as a gaff rigged cutter, built by Bob Brown (designer of the Z class) at Sulphur Beach, Northcote. She’s carvel planked kauri, 33′ 4″ LOA with a 12′ Beam. With the aid of a fair bit of ballast she weighs 10 tonnes. She’s had an interesting life, more details here http://deanwright.co.nz/history.html

2015 Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Parade – Get There

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2015 Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Parade

One of the best wooden boating events in NZ is taking place this long weekend at Lake Rotoiti (Nth. Island). If you are anywhere around the central North Island on Saturday (7th) I would encourage you to make you way to Lake Rotoiti. I went last year & it was a hoot, I’ll be back again on Saturday, so if you miss it – it will be on ww early next week.

Event & viewing details here
http://www.woodenboatparade.co.nz/
http://www.eventfinder.co.nz/2015/classic-wooden-boat-parade/rotorua

Classic Yacht On-Line Magazine Jan/Feb 2015

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Classic Yacht On-Line Magazine Jan/Feb 2015

Latest edition of the on-line USA magazine ‘Classic Yacht’ . Remember in the USA yacht = boat so there is lots of motor-boat related stories. Enjoy 🙂

click link to view   http://www.myvirtualpaper.com/doc/ClassicYacht/cym-janfeb2015/2015012001/#0