Category Archives: Working Boats

CLASSIC MOTORBOAT – VANESSA TICKS ALL THE BOXES 

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CLASSIC MOTORBOAT – VANESSA TICKS ALL THE BOXES 

Get first glance you would think that the 49’ motorboat -VANESSA , falls into the converted ex-workboat group. But not this girl, she is a purpose built spirit of tradition woody. Designed and built in 2005 by Devonport boat builder – Rob Roberts as a custom passage maker. Her hull has two layers of 15mm ply over 150×150 mahogany ribs, and laminated kauri stringers, then glassed .

 Powered by a Caterpillar 3160, 210hp diesel engine that was reconditioned in 2005, the Cat will see her comfortably cruising at 8+ knots and she slips 8L an hour, very impressive for a 20 ton wooden craft. Combine that with 3,200L of fuel tankage + 1,600L water, she really lives up to the passage maker tag. 

In the interests for low maintenance , long haul cruising – her systems are very ‘old school’ i.e. no turbo, no ‘blackbox’ engine electronics etc. But no money has been spared on her navigation and house systems.

VANESSA has just returned to the water after her annual maintenance work (photos below) and is now for sale and presents in hop on > sail away condition. 

A wonderful craft that visually has all the feel good vibes of a classic boat but with the low maintenance benefits of a 2005 build date utilising the best materials and construction methods.

09-11-2024 UPDATE – Video below of VANESSA docking at Sandspit Yacht Club today

VANESSA 09-11-2024

CLASSIC GAME FISHING LAUNCH – BLUE SKIES

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CLASSIC GAME FISHING LAUNCH – BLUE SKIES

During the week I was sent the b/w photo of the game fishing boat – BLUE SKIES, a quick search on WW and we see the photo appeared in a Oct 2021 story, we learnt the photo of BLUE SKIES in Whangaroa Harbour, Northland was used by the Marlin Hotel in an publicity advertisement in the #4 issue of the Northlander published in 1964.

The photo triggered my memory that I had photographed a launch named BLUE SKIES berthed at the Thames Marina. Check out the winch set up, very OTT 🙂

Back in the 2012 story we never uncovered details on the designer / builder – any new input?

CLASSIC WOODY BOAT FESTIVAL AT THE WHANGAREI TOWN BASIN – 48 Photos & Videos

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CLASSIC WOODY BOAT FESTIVAL AT THE WHANGAREI TOWN BASIN – 48 Photos & Videos

The weekends weather in Auckland certainly wasn’t conducive to boating so on early Saturday morning I pointed the car north and headed to Whangarei for the 2024 Maritime Festival at the Town Basin.

Year two and a quick overview, – more tie-dyed tee shirt vendors and food trucks, a lot more general public – less launches, more large cruising yachts. Steam boat rides were the most popular offering – long queues of kids that probably walked away with a life time memory – well done to all the  steam boat skippers and crew.

Nice to see a couple of woodys from the Waitemata make the trip north – RAWHITI and JOHN DORY. 

As always when she makes an appearance anywhere Dick and Colleen Fisher’s ex pilot boat – AKARANA was the start of the show.

THE AUCKLAND WOODYS HAD AN INTERESTING TRIP HOME ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON 🙂

RAWHITI
JOHN DORY

CLASSIC GAME FISHING BOAT – RELIANCE

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CLASSIC GAME FISHING BOAT – RELIANCE

The photo above of the classic game boat – RELIANCE comes to us from Lew Redwood fb’s and is dated May 1930.

The photo is captioned  – ‘A launch returning from the Bay of Islands grounds at Cape Brett, with a captured mako shark landed on rod and line by Mr.J.W. Harding of Waipukurau, after a fierce struggle. The weight of this fish was 615lb.

Would love to have seen how they got that fish onboard. Several years ago fishing at Great Barrier Island we hooked a mako and even though we thought it was dead, hours later on the wharf at Tryphena , it was inches away from taking a passing child’s leg off…… 

WILL YOU BE JOINING THE CLASSIC MUSTER THIS LABOUR WEEKEND AT KAWAU

CLICK IMAGE FOR DETAILS

CLASSIC WOODEN WORKBOAT – KAHENO

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CLASSIC WOODEN WORKBOAT – KAHENO

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.

WW Oct 2016 https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/10/24/23166/

WW Dec 2019 https://waitematawoodys.com/2019/12/27/kaheno/

Do we know where she is today.

Full details here  https://www.whangareimaritimefestival.co.nz/boatshow

CLASSIC WOODEN WORK BOAT – ARAHINA

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 Arriving from Auckland on 31 October 1925
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.

LABOUR WEEKEND CLASSIC WOODY BOATING AT KAWAU ISLAND

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LABOUR WEEKEND CLASSIC WOODY BOATING AT KAWAU ISLAND

In recent years the Kawau Boating Club have probably been the must progressive boating club in town with their upgrades to facilities – clubhouse, jetty, fuel dock etc and securing the longtime tenure on the clubs assets.

In addition to all this the club, spearheaded by Mike Mahoney, have been planning to create an icon event for the club – well sometimes looking backwards is a smart thing – for decades the KBC hosted every Labour Weekend an OPENING WEEKEND REGATTA, but for all the wrong reasons the event had slipped off the calendar. Fast forward to 2024 and opening weekend at Kawau is back – bigger and better than ever. 

KBC will be holding hands with the Ponsonby Cruising Club to offer up an action packed long weekend of boating activity – afloat and ashore. See below for details.

While most of the on-the-water activity is sailing focussed, WW have been working with KBC and PCC to encourage classic woody launches and classic cruising yachts to attend. 

The plan is to hold a classic woody event on the Sunday where woodys will participate in a parade around the bays / baches in Bon Accord Harbour – along the lines of the Mahurangi Weekend launch parade. Meeting time will be 11am off KBC wharf.

We will spice it up with prizes for things like – Best Dressed Craft / Longest Traveled / Oldest Boat / Lucky Draw etc – + all woodys in the parade will also go in the draw for a haul-out at the Slipway Milford yard. On the Saturday there will be a waitematawoodys gathering ashore to catch up and enjoy each others company. There will be lots of opportunities over the weekend to enjoy the recently refurbished clubhouse – so make plans to be there.

So for now

1. Circle Oct 25 > 28 in the diary

  1. 2. View / download the file below to read all about the weekend.

3. If you own a yacht or crew on one – down load the entry form at the link below

LABOUR WEEKEND SPRING SPLASH (12)Download

And there is always a woody boat story – check out the photo below ex Ken Ricketts of two woodys in Whakatakataka Bay (Orakei, Auckland), can we put a name to the boat in the foreground. Excuse the image quality – pulled off TV screen.

INPUT ex NATHAN HERBERT – It’s Natasha which kept sinking and then was hauled at Okahu and presumably left by road or bin. The other is a Kempthorne / Salthouse KB760 type, presumable fibreglass. https://waitematawoodys.com/2017/06/07/natasha/

CLASSIC WOODEN CLINKER – MISS MARAETAI – Where Is She

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CLASSIC WOODEB CLINKER – MISS MARAETAI – Where Is She

WW was recently contacted by Rowan Muir re Seacraft runabout named – MISS MARAETAI, read below

“We are compiling a history of sea rescue out of Maraetai as it has operated from 1975 and it will be fifty years in 2025. 
I am trying to locate the present owners of “MISS MARAETAI” the original rescue vessel that the Maraetai Beach Boating Club owned.

She was a 16 foot Seacraft clinker built runabout with a petrol inboard Falcon motor.
The last information I have is about 15 -20 years ago was that Rick and Viv who we think they lived in Manurewa somewhere owned her.Can we help Rowan and the MBBC track down what became of MISS MARAETAI.


NAME THE PENNANT – AND WIN A WW BURGEE In my recent travels around Auckland I spotted this on a club wall – I rather like the design ;-)First woody that can ID the pennant – wins a WW burgee. NOTE: entry via the WW comments section. Here’s a hint – not NZ, but not too far away………..

THE SAILING SCOW RIPPLE – CAN WE LEARN MORE ABOUT HER

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THE SAILING SCOW RIPPLE – CAN WE LEARN MORE ABOUT HER

WW has been contacted by James McLaren who recently was mooching around the riverside docks at Warkworth and noticed a scow named – RIPPLE keeping the JANE GIFFORD company.

James and myself were unaware of RIPPLE and would love to learn more.

So today  a question today for the Mahurangi River woodys – tell us what you know – old/new, wood?, builder, engine etc 🙂

INPUT FROM JOHN WICKS – Ralph Sewell’s Ripple. Not a scow – she has round bilges, though she has very shoal draft and a centreboard.

INPUT ex PETER MENCE – Ralph Sewell referred to her as a round bilge scow. Ralph designed and with Alison and Peter built her – launched on the beach at Okura in the 70s I think.
INPUT ex PAUL BARLOW – Ripple is a round bilge,drop centre board vessel.I owned her for several years when I was based in Coromandel town.She was built by Ralph Sewell (who also built the Breeze).Ralph used her as his family boat when he lived in Coromandel Town.Her shallow draft allowed her to be berthed in the creek at the end of the 309 road /Waiau river. Similarly,I had a jetty berth in Furey’s creek where she was berthed.
INPUT ex ROSS DAWSON – Yes, Ralph Sewell’s replica NZ trading ketch, according to Bill McCarthy little book “Blokes & Boats”, he notes..”built of Californian Redwood in just nine months, without any plans, by a guy who hated school and had no formal boat-building or engineering training, it’s a pretty impressive achievement.” He says that vessels like this were common at the turn of the century carting everything from livestock to gravel and timber all round the northern coastline. In later years Ralph built the brigantine Breeze now in the Maritime Museum…no plans, “a case of a great eye coupled with a natural talent.” “If it looks good from any angle, it’s a good boat, says Ralph.” (Ralph died 1999)

HISTORIC EX PILOT BOAT – ARAHINA – NEEDS SAVING

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HISTORIC EX PILOT BOAT – ARAHINA – NEEDS SAVING

Recently WW was contacted by ‘Wellington Waterfront’ regarding one of Wellington’s historic pilot boats – ARAHINA, that was available for purchase. Currently moored at Queens Wharf, the 66′ ARAHINA is a beautiful vessel constructed from Kauri wood and was originally delivered to Wellington in 1925.

In addition to its piloting duties, the Arahina played a heroic role in the rescue of dozens of passengers and three crew members from the sinking Wahine on April 10, 1968.

Wellington Waterfront are seeking a new owner who will cherish and preserve the ARAHINA for the next century. Ideally, they hope it remains in Wellington, as it represents a significant piece of the regions maritime heritage. The sale is via court order to pay mounting berth costs.

If you are interested in owning this remarkable vessel, please follow the link below for more details.

Tenders are welcome!

https://www.seaboats.net/19m-ex-pilot-launch-for-sale-by-tender-1586437
B/W photo courtesy of the Maritime Archaeological Association of NZ.