Category Archives: Working Boats

Worldwide Classic Boat Show

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Regular visitors to this site will be familiar with my enthusiasm for the uber cool website – offcenterharbor.com (screen grab above), last year the crew behind OCH during CV-19 lock down pulled together a world first, an online virtual woody boat show and today I can advise that its on again in 2022. With a slight twist – this year access is complimentary thanks to the generosity of the OCH founders. Details below

And because I couldn’t not give you a woody treat today – check out this link to a great OCH video, it is one of my favorite videos, I’d be a little embarrassed if I told you how many times I’ve watched it 🙂 Its titled ‘Live Well: The Cruising Smack STORM BAY with Tim Phillips‘

So woodys mark your calendars — the second annual Worldwide Classic Boat Show is almost here, and friends of Waitemata Woodys are invited to CLICK HERE to register and get a COMPLIMENTARY PASS to the entire Show!

The Show is a completely online event from February 18th-27th, which means you can enjoy this gathering of the world’s best classic boats from wherever you are (without leaving the comfort of your favorite chair). 

More details about the Show are below, and…

You can CLICK HERE to GET YOUR COMPLIMENTARY PASS while they last.

WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?

Our friends at Off Center Harbor have used the power of the internet to put nearly everything in the world related to classic/wooden boats on one big interactive Google map…


WHAT’S “ON THE MAP” AT THE SHOW?

  • The Map – Everything related to classic boats is on one interactive Google map
  • Boats – Over 1,000 of the world’s best classic boats (with photos and details)
  • Organizations – Explore festivals, boatbuilders, clubs, museums, schools, etc.
  • Live Presentations – Inspiring presentations featuring experts on a variety of topics
  • People – Connect with other attendees anywhere in the world (right on the map)

YOUR BOAT COULD BE IN THE SHOW:

You can submit your own classic/wooden boat to be in the Show! Again, the Show is entirely virtual/online and will be open February 18th to 27th at ClassicBoatShow.com, and…

You can CLICK HERE to GET YOUR COMPLIMENTARY PASS while they last.

Enjoy the Show!

Mahurangi Regatta 2022 – 150+ Classic Wooden Boat Photos

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MAHURANGI REGATTA 2022 – 150+ CLASSIC WOODEN BOAT PHOTOS

2022 will be remembered as the no frills regatta – no small boats, no beach activity, no beach party (band, bbq’s), no prize giving – but woodys it still rocked. Great turn out of both launches and yachts, and the weather gods delivered a breeze that provided some of the best racing we have seen in a long time.

I was told by someone that should know – that the budget for previous regatta’s is knocking on the door of $50,000 – maybe CV-19 has been a relativity check and maybe – less is more 🙂

I’m told Peter Brookes has Rawhiti in the groove, she is smoking the rest of the fleet – well done skipper and the grey haired crew 😉 for taking out the A division + Little Jim backing up last years Logan Trophy win with another win.

Tomorrow we will have a look at Mondays launch drag race for the quicks – conditions were below average on the inner harbour – correction, bad everywhere, I had the 2nd worst passage back from Kawau yesterday – 4.5 hours of my life I’ll never get back 🙂 . If I ever see the prick in a very large Riviera that went past me at full chat less than 50m away in the Rangi Channel and almost rolled me – he will get a bottle of Thai Fish Sauce in his air-con intake. 

No real story today, just a photo gallery from the weekend – sit back and enjoy. Remember click photos to enlarge. No photos from the Scotts Landing casual gathering – no need for a record ;-).

Special thanks to Murray Deeble and Glen Keeper for sending in photos 🙂

Update 02-02-22 Mahurangi weekend photo gallery below sent in by Graeme Finch

Arahi – Update

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ARAHI – Update

The 34’ ex workboat Arahi last appeared on WW back in May 2020, link below. Now thanks to tme we get to have a better look at her. Arahi started life in 1940 as a survey boat for the Auckland Harbour Board,finishes up c.mid 1970’s. We know she spent time at Great Barrier Island. After a refit in Auckland she was transported to the Wanganui River in 2019, where she still resides but is looking for a new owner.

A very sweet wee ship and topped off with a 4 cylinder Gardner (4LW) diesel engine, that sips approx. 4L an hour.
There must be a buyer out there for such a salty classic vessel.

Link to 2020 WW story. https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/05/27/arahi-2/

Heading north today on a delivery – to Russell, hopefully I’ll snap a few photos on-route.

Woody Cruising In The Bay of Islands #3

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Woody Cruising In The Bay of Islands #3

In todays gallery we get a peek at a few more woodys cruising the far north, complements of BOI woody and pro photographer Dean Wright’s camera. The boats photographed above are – Florence, W1, Joleen and the yacht Nomad V. Links below to the boats that have appeared on WW before, the trawler style launch is Joleen, is I believe a 37’ Jackson design.

Florence https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/10/29/florence-3/
W1         https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/01/20/w1-caroma-goes-the-full-circle/

Sea Prince

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SEA PRINCE

Long overdue for a b/w photo – todays woody is – Sea Prince. The top photo comes to us via Lew Redwood. The ‘coloured’ one was sent to me a longtime ago but I couldn’t ID the boat, which now in my eyes is the same as in the b/w one. The caption on the b/w photo reads M.C. “Sea Prince”, Lake Manapouri, N.Z. and that folks is all we know of this very fine looking launch. Initially looking at the b/w photo and given the lack of obvious safety gear, I assumed she was probably in private ownership. But in the colour photo there’s a fair crowd on-board – maybe health & safety rules didn’t apply on Lake Manapouri 😉

Can anyone help enlighten us around who designed / built her and what became of her.

16-01-2022 Harold Kidd Input – SEA PRINCE was built at Fairlie in 1947 by Jones Motors’ boat building division under S J Guard. She was built for the Wanaka tourist trade as MALIBU. She was a 30 foot hard chine vessel with a Kermath Sea Prince 100hp engine. She was sold in 1956 and renamed (then or perhaps earlier) as SEA PRINCE after her engine. An advertisement for her sale in 1956 calls her “hard chine”. I agree she doesn’t look it. Perhaps the chine was well-guarded (dreadful pun).

16-01-2022 Input from Scott Barnsdale – Sea Prince ended up as a fishing boat at Stewart Island, looking very different to the photos. Unfortunately, she disappeared from her mooring during a severe gale in 1987, never to be seen again.

A Story For The Engine Heads + Must Read Book

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A STORY FOR THE ENGINE HEADS
Over the break two diehard woodys sent in some photos of what a lot of woody boaties consider to be the holy-grail to marine propulsion – Gardner engines.The top 3 photos shows classic yachty – David Glen standing alongside the Gardner 6L3 in the ex workboat – Faith. Link below to uncover more on her.  https://waitematawoodys.com/2019/04/06/faith-the-milford-slipway-opens/
In the second group of photos (ex Angus Rogers – MV Centaurus ) we see the Gardner 4LW in Dean Wright’s woody – Arethusa, nice wheelhouse too – again WW link below for an insight into the repower. Also lots more to read / view on Arethusa by using the WW search box. https://waitematawoodys.com/2017/12/31/restoring-installing-a-gardner-in-arethusa-revisited/

BOATS OF THE LAKE –  REVIEW  As most of you know, I’m a big fan of the annual Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Parade on Lake Rotoiti, North Island. During the recent CV-19 lock-downs past commodore David Wilson, his wife Glenys and member Lois Palmer teamed up to pull together a book detailing some of the history surrounding the LRC&WB association. The hard cover, 4 colour printed book is full of beautiful photos taken at events spanning the 25 years, plus many stories about locals and their boats around the lake. I tucked a copy away for Xmas / NY reading and if you have any interest in classic wooden boats, I give it a big tick and encourage you to buy a copy, details below. Link For Ordering https://form.jotform.com/213318234322849

Make sure to check in to WW tomorrow (Monday) we have a brilliant story on the woody – Callisto 

FLORENCE (Florence M – Carla Maria)

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FLORENCE (Florence M < > Carla Maria)

The name Florence would have to been of the most popular launch names on WW, and now another has popped up on tme, thanks Ian McDonald for the heads up. This started life as a work boat , actually a cream boat i.e. a vessel that took the milk from farms to a dairy factory. When launched she was named – Carla Maria – more on her at the WW link below. https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/04/28/12377/ She is built from kauri planks and is 29’6” x 8’10” x 3’3” and powered by a Isuzu 60hp diesel engine.
From the photos she appears to be a very well fitted out woody – if you invested a few thousand dollars with a classic sympathetic boat builder and ‘lost’ the three ‘TV monitor’ windows from the cabin sides she could be a very smart classic launch. Currently on the dark side e.g. berthed on the Kaipara Harbour. 

Update 09-02-22 From Dave Stanaway – Photos below dated 20 April 2019 during Northern Wairoa Boating Club race day. 
Dave also commented that he reckons that the boxy shape of her cabin suits her age bracket rather than some slanty looking modern version. 


HELP WANTED Can anyone make a recommendation on where / who to go to, to restore a marine compass – the one below is crying out for some TLC

A Pot-Pourri Of Woodys

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Viveen @ Te Komua 
Raira @ Te Kouma
Tamure
Altair
Olive Rose @ Waiheke Island
Alma G @ Russel Wharf 

A Pot-Pourri Of Woodys

Today’s collection of classic launches come to use from a collective of woodys photographers that are cruising the Hauraki Gulf and outer waters – thanks to Angus Rogers, Murray Deeble, Colin Pawson and Lindsay McMorran.

And if you need a reminder of the cleverness of Chris McMullen, check out the link below to the story of his Herreshoff steam launch – just updated with shed photos post her ‘pretend’ (waterline check) launching.  https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/04/26/chris-mcmullens-herreshoff-steam-launch-2/

Waiheke Island Causeway Haul-Out

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Waiheke Island Causeway Haul-Out
After driving past the haul-out yard at the top of Putiki Bay most days, normally around mid-morning (worst light) I at last got the light and the tide right. Great collection of craft in various states of repair / refit – I imagine the council nazis’s keep a tight rein of the ‘residents’ but it was remarkably tidy.

The launch Safari appears to be getting a serious dose of TLC – read / see more on her past here https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/05/02/safari/ Leonardo, the very salty ex workboat, popped up on WW in Oct 2021 – more here https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/10/24/leonardo-gets-a-birthday/

click image to view

Nelson Marina Dockside Mooch

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Unknown
Rarangi
Lady Karita

Nelson Marina Dockside Mooch

One of my southern spies (in the summer months) John Burland sent in the above gallery of woodys that he spotted while patrolling the docks. From top to bottom we have Katoa – all spruced up, then Kelvin and then two unknowns. Finally the very regal Lady Karita, who is looking very well turned out these days, more on her tomorrow.

Update – 4th launch down is – Rarangi – WW story here https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/12/12/rarangi-a-peek-down-below/