Category Archives: Working Boats

Venture – Where Is She

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VENTURE – WHERE IS SHE – WW cap Up For Grabs

Todays WW story started last week – I’m standing in the queue to catch the Waiheke Island > Devonport ferry and the lady (Penny Ericson)  behind me asks if I’m from Tasmania, now it was Friday afternoon and I had been to lunch so the brain took a few milli seconds to engage. I was wearing an Aust. Wooden Boat Festival t-shirt and the logo was plastered over the back of the shirt. I explain no I’m not, and then Penny tells me she is off to Tasmania in 7 days time for a holiday, so being the nice person I am I give her my ’Things you must do / see in Hobart’ speech. I then open the photo gallery on my iPhone and back the story up with photos. She comments that there are a lot of boat photos and I explain why and tell the waitematawoodys story. 

Snap – she knows the site and was in fact about to email me concerning her grandfather > fathers launch named Venture.

After that long led in I’ll let Penny tell her story – 

“This is Penny , I met you on the Waiheke ferry the other day and we discussed the fact that I would love to know what happened to my father and grandfathers boat that he used on the lakes in Rotorua as a charter fishing launch . 
I think that it operated out of the fishing camp on the Ohau channel , and the Harvey family lived in a house on Lake Rotorua on the other side of the channel .
As you will see from the above photos the launch was called Venture, and the Log book below begins in 1937 and finishes in 1941. 

No one in the family knows what happened to the boat but I had a feeling someone thought it may have been sold to someone in Auckland .
I was delighted to meet you and you sounded so positive that you may be able to find the boat for me .
In the bottom photo my father John or “Jack” Harvey is on the left . He was distinctive as he had a wooden peg leg having lost a leg on the western front in WW1. All his life despite his disability he was a marvellous fisherman and boatman. I grew up in Torbay so was always in boats as a kid, Dad building many dinghy’s for us .

Thank you Alan , I would greatly appreciate finding the boat and maybe the original logbook needs to be reunited with the boat”

So woodys can we help Penny in her search for the launch Venture and along the way learn more about her and what became of her.

17-03-2023 INPUT ex HAROLD KIDD – VENTURE was bought by K H Wilson of Rotorua in 1947 and fitted with a 52hp Graymarine engine. He kept her until at least 1955.

I’ll reward the woody that is the most helpful with a WW cap.

VENTURE LOG – Might be a familiar name featured

Three Minutes Of Wooden Boat Porn

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3 Minutes Of Wooden Boat Porn

Last month I bombarded you with a several photo galleries of the 2023 Australian Wooden Boat Festival.  As part of the wrap up of the festival, the organising crew have pulled together a 3min short film that utilises a lot of aerial film footage. The video gives us a wonderful overview of the festival, the Hobart harbour and waterfront – if there is any saw dust in your blood – Hobart February 2025 needs to be circled on your calendar. As festival director – Paul Stephanus says “This festival is one of a kind” . And its the largest event of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere and surprise surprise woodys – its free, no charge – we like that.

Find a comfortable chair and prepare to be wowed.  

TIP: To enlarge screen size – scroll over the screen above and click on the icon I have highlighted below

RSVP (boat name & approx crew #) TO waitematawoodys@gmail.com

Double-Ender ex WorkBoat

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19’ Double – Ender Clinker ex Work Boat

The clinker built open ex work boat – Dudley Docker II has an interesting back story having been built in 1964 for the Lyttelton Harbour Board as a harbour tender. At one stage owned by the Picton Clinker Club. Built by Stark Brothers, she has had an interesting mix of owners – been in storage for the last 5 years. Currently powered by a 28hp Volvo. Has the makings of a very cool lake boat, very stable with a 7’ beam and lots of seating for passengers.

Do not normal talk $$ but at staring price of $3k and no reserve, it is a bargain. Thanks Ian McDonald for the heads up.

Clyde Quay Boat Harbour 

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Clyde Quay Boat Harbour 

Wellington woody admirer Geoff Fiebig sent in the collection of photos that he snapped off while wandering around the Clyde Quay Boat Harbour , Wellington on Sunday.

Can we put some names to them – • I’m sure the top photo is well know, but the bigger question has to be – how come its so unloved?

• The blue open double-ender looks very salty, and cared for.

• The tender is probably best overlooked, several sheets of ply on display. But no doubt a very useful work horse to get to & from a bigger moored craft (love the boat sheds paint scheme).

• The smallish woody yacht at a guess would be Lizzie the 1909 Edwin Bailey built 19>22’ gaffer. Read more about her below:  http://www.wcyt.org.nz/abode/getAdminCategoryProducts.do?_siteId=708&method=getCategoryProducts&_categoryId=4436 

Mystery Whangaroa Launch 1930’s

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Mystery Whangaroa Launch 1930’s

Todays woody is a big ask to identify – the caption is captioned ‘1930’s Whangaroa’ but the vessel is unnamed.Its mooching around a large school of Kahawai so no doubt is trolling a lure.

The photo comes to us from the British Museum via Lew Redwood fb and the photographer is probably J.M. Booth.

Are we able to put a name to the launch?

REMEMBER – WOODY STILLWATER DOCKSIDE PICNIC TOMORROW

Santa Maria – A Peek Down Below

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Santa Maria – A Peek Down Below

Todays trawler style woody is the 42’ 1955 ex workboat – Santa Marie, built in Nelson by Curnow and Wilton for the ‘Italians’, fishing hapuka and crays in Cook Strait. She subsequently worked various roles around much of the rest of the country. Powered by a Gardner 127hp engine she was converted to leisure use around 20 years ago.

I was aboard a couple of years ago in Kerikeri and she truely is a magnificent craft. One could easily spend extended periods aboard.

Thanks Ian McDonald for the heads up on this woody.

INPUT ex Brian Kidson – Santa Maria was launched 7th Sept 1949, Curnow and Wilton’s, Nelson. Built for Mr Basile of Island Bay, Wellington for fishing around Cook Strait.

Full details on this Saturdays woodys picnic at Stillwater have been emailed out – if you didn’t get the email let me know and I’ll add you to the mailing list. (email link below)

waitematawoodys@gmail.com

Woodys On Tour – Hobart – Australian Wooden Boat Festival – 50’ HALVORSEN MOTOR LAUNCH

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Woodys On Tour – Hobart – Australian Wooden Boat Festival – 50’ HALVORSEN MOTOR LAUNCH

Hello Woodys

While the Australian Wooden Boat Festival is done and dusted the woody camera is loaded with photos – today we feature the 1947 built, 50’ Halvorsen motor launch – Minocqua. Designed and built by famous Australian boat builder Lars Halvorsen, she was one of seven built in the late 1940’s. If my memory is working, the Australian Americas Cup legend – Ian Murray owns one (possibly this one).

76 years later she is still a very imposing vessel and stands out anywhere.

Something for the petrol heads – check out the video below of a 1945 Tasman Marine engine, two stroke, 3hp, single cylinder. Built by the Tasman Engineering Company. 

TURN UP THE SOUND

And Then They Were Gone 😦

Woodys On Tour – Hobart – Australian Wooden Boat Festival – Day 5

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Woodys On Tour – Hobart – Australian Wooden Boat Festival – Day 5

Hello Again Woodys  Felt slightly guilty this morning when I called home to advise Air NZ had cancelled my Hobart > AKL flight. Next available – 7 days away…. A little bit of online work and I found a flight out of Sydney on Thursday night. So 2 more days in Hobart 🙂

One big plus – I get to see the very cool kiwi singer- Marlon Williams live in concert. 

Anyway back to the boats – today is an extension of yesterdays gallery – there is just so many woodys to see. 

FYI – WW viewing numbers spike when the weather is bad and people are at home, so yesterdays numbers were approaching an all time high. Today (Tuesday will be another bumper day)

Boat Of The Day – HEATHER BELLE, a 24’6” gaff rigged pilot cutter, built in 1990 by Andrew Wilson to a Lyle Hess design. She is a sister-ship to Larry Pardey’s – SERAFFYN.

And compulsory food shot – lunch = seafood chowder 🙂

Woodys On Tour – Hobart – Australian Wooden Boat Festival – Day 4

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Woodys On Tour – Hobart – Australian Wooden Boat Festival – Day 4

Hello Woodys – Day four of the trip, day 3 of the festival. As compared to yesterday (Saturday) it was a lot less crowded with less rubberneckers 🙂

I went on several guided walking tours of the docks, very insightful, as you inspect individual vessels and meet the skippers.  

As promised today (Monday) story is a photo gallery of craft at the festival – no particular order, just as the camera found the boats. FYI – the festival organisers mix the vessels up, so you have sail/power/big/small all together, which makes for a good vibe. 

Boat Of The Day – Green Moon

Check out the impressive berthing of the Tall Ship – Windeward Bound in the video below – well done skipper and woodys not being sexist – BUT I meet HER the other day.

And discovery of the trip Iron House Tasmania Ginger Beer (6%alc) and scallop wontons

Woodys On Tour – Hobart – Australian Wooden Boat Festival – Day 3

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Woodys On Tour – Hobart – Australian Wooden Boat Festival – Day 3

Morning Woodys – a stunning day today on the weather front – clear blue skies and not to warm, perfect. The docks today were a Zoo, just so many people and a high % of rubber neckers. Hats off to the boat owners for answering all the ‘blonde’ questions e.g. “is it made of wood, or has it got a special paint effect” etc etc. On the advice of a seasoned festival attendee I hit the docks very early in the morning and again early evening.

Lots of chat with owners and good awareness of WW. I decided today to engage the right side of the brain and caught the ferry to MONA (Museum Old New Art) its like nothing I or probably you have been to – check out the website https://mona.net.au

In todays WW story we focus on some of the smaller craft at the festival , with a leaning on steam propelled. Enjoy – if you don’t like it blame Russell Ward, his side of our movement needs a leg up 🙂

The Boat Of The Day   – TAMARESK

And a wee sea shanty for aboard the Tall Ship – ENTERPRIZE – enjoy

TURN UP THE VOLUME

And lunch was X12 fresh Australian prawns – never seen the inside of a freezer, soooo good 🙂