Category Archives: Working Boats

Moata

Posted on by
7

Unknown

MOATA

The above photo shows Moata alongside the old Clevedon Wharf on the Wairoa c.1960.

What became of her & details on her past life would be a nice – workboat woodys??? (Photo ex Lew Redwood Facebook)

05-04-2018 UPDATE

Input from Harold Kidd & Cameron Pollard – MOATA was built in 1937 by W.G. Lowe & Son for Nobel Explosives to bring explosives from the stores at Maraetai to town. She replaced the cutter REWA. 

Currently owned by Fin Horder and fishing out of Westport/Greymouth and further. So she’s not a “captain calm water” boat. Gardner powered of course and she is kept in perfect condition.

Geoff Brebner Input – For years she was kept on a mooring at Kawakawa Bay, not far from the ICI explosve magazine at Waitawa Bay.

Easter Woody Cruise – 36 photos

Posted on by
Reply

P1020527

Easter Woody Cruise – 36 photos

Wow – I can not remember when we last had 4 days back-to-back of stunning Easter weather. Not sure about the rest of the country but the Hauraki Gulf was near perfect. Each day the cloud / haze disappeared mid morning & the from then on it was 10/10, even the stick & rag boys would have been happy – enough breeze to push them along.

Above is a collection of random photos from over the weekend – on a personal front I had two highs – 

1. Anchored briefly in Oneroa on Friday & bloke came over in his dinghy & said (to me the magical words) “I used to own your boat years ago”. Turns out he bought her off Blair Cole (boatbuilder), who rebuilt her after she sank (late 1980’s). She was keep in the upper Harbour near Riverhead & he confirmed that her original name was Lady Gay.  Lots of chat & I was rapped to hear about a period of her life I was unaware off . I even forgave him for now owning a Riviera  😉

2. Second highlight was at last visiting Garden Cove, Waiheke Island. Every time I have attempted to enter the very small cove, it has been packed with plastic fizz boats. On Sunday morning the gods smiled on Raindance & we spent the day in this very special spot catching up with Sue & Mark Edmonds on Monterey. Even overnighted there. The entrance is very narrow & we witnessed a few fizzies enter via the wider side – luck must have been with them , as the dodged the bricks (the red arrow on the last photo shows the narrow entry point)

Garden Cove photos below, as always click to enlarge 😉

P1020581

photo – Mark Edmonds

Screen Shot 2018-04-02 at 9.33.51 pm

Mystery Launch – Dargaville

Posted on by
5

Unknown-6

 

Mystery Launch – Dargaville

I was contacted by Dennis Rule the other day, who was just back from a two-day cruise on the Kaipara Harbour, overnighting at Dargaville.  Dennis took the above photos on the slip at Dargaville while waiting to board the Kewpie Too for the return journey to Helensville.  All spruced up ready for the water, but no name.

Any woodys from the dark-side able to tell more about this vessel?

Input from Jeff  Norris

The name is Waima and is owned by Rodney W ilson who is the commodore of the Northern Wairoa Boating Club I helped put her back in water yesterday all ready for todays regatta all I now about her is she powered by GMC and is quite fast also she has been lengthen at one time

 

 

 

Tuatahi

Posted on by
11

Unknown

TUATAHI

The photo above shows the launch Tuatahi alongside the wharf at Kingfisher Lodge, Whangaroa in 1954.

Anyone able to shed some light on her?

Photos below ex Brian Worthington

I’m out & about over Easter, if my dinghy is looking a little low in the water it is because I have found spotX, that the boys below had  🙂     (both photos ex Lew Redwood)

Unknown-1

MV Rotoiti

Posted on by
14

Unknown

Unknown-1

MV ROTOITI

Both of the above photos of MV Rotoiti come to us via Lew Redwood’s post on the ‘NZ Cars, Boats, Motors etc etc.’ facebook page.

As the caption states, in the 1st photo we see her leaving Okere Falls on Lake Rotoiti. In the 2nd photo (very distant) she is on the Mokau River in 1930.

The question/s of the day are – what do we know about her & what became of her – can anyone beat Paul Drake’s reply?

Whitianga Cruise Launch

Posted on by
6

Unknown

WHITIANGA CRUISE LAUNCH

Today’s photo (ex Lew Redwood via NZ Cars, Boats etc etc Pre 1975 FB page) is captioned saying ‘Cruise Launch, Whitianga. No doubt Baden Pascoe will jump & tell us the name of the vessels.

The white & blue run-about is rather smart, if Baden was really good – he would be able to give us the owners name. 🙂

Baden Pascoe Input – Merv Stockley might have to correct me with this one. I am sure the blue boat is the Three Kings or Three Springs as the locals call her as she always had pumps running. She belonged to Mr. Reigns (spelling) and from what I remember she showed the signs of a very hard life and he did very little to make her right. My father Howard Pascoe gave her a “wide berth” whenever he was approached to repair her. The little run-a-bout is a Sea Craft and that belonged to either Jack Crawford or Jack Matthews. I can remember it had a twin cylinder Norman motor. I am sure Don Ross Merv’s father-in-law will know all about this scene.

Don Ross (via Merv Stockley) Input – Don said straight away `Three Springs’ also, actually `Three Kings’ usually just serviceable but  in need of care as Baden said. The owner was Les Rides. Ron Raines was a local wheeler /dealer in mostly Cars and Trucks but we don’t remember him owning `Three Kings’. The clinker motorboat belonged to Squib Jones.

Harold Kidd Input – Hardly a “Cruise Launch”! Les Rydes owned the fishing boat THREE KINGS which had a 150hp Hercules diesel. She was affected by the tsunami/tidal waves at Whitianga of 23rd May 1960.

 

 

 

 

Manaia – Launch Day + Volvo Race Start

Posted on by
7

Unknown

 

Unknown-1

Unknown-4

Unknown-5

MANAIA – Launch Day

The above photos of Manaia were sent to me by Paul Drake – I’ll let Paul tell the story behind them.

“The first four I took on launching day. I was 15 and in the midst of School Certificate. No exam that day, so off I went on my bike from home in Balmoral, camera in my bag. 

In the second pic, Capt. Warwick Dunsford can be seen in charge on the foredeck (white boiler suit and black beret). 

In the third pic, Percy Vos himself is clearly recognizable just by the fore foot. 

The last two photos I have had since the 1960’s & most likely come from the camera of TW Collins. Great photos, especially the one from the port quarter, and show MANAIA at work.

MANAIA is certainly very original, but note that the stem now has an unattractive (to me) hook near the top. Much better straight in my view.  Also note unusual chine aft. Double ender but hard chine aft. That’s why she can do 15 knots if required!

MANAIA was about the last of the large wooden pilot vessels built for New Zealand ports. About the same time as AKARANA and 10 years after TIAKINA (Wellington – and also a Collings design). TIAKINA of course built in England and steamed out via Suez Canal.”

You can see photos of Manaia today, looking very smart & read extensive details on her past here https://waitematawoodys.com/2018/01/26/manaia/

 

Volvo Round-the-World Yacht Race -Auckland Start

P1020237

 

P1020254

P1020239

P1020248

 

P1020265

Photos Below In The Order They Passed North Head

P1020293

P1020283

P1020289

P1020291

P1020296

P1020299

P1020308

And a couple of Woodys amongst the sea of plastic boats

P1020307

Peter Boardman – Lady Margaret

P1020216

Angus Rogers – Mahanui

Tutanekai

Posted on by
4

P1260425

 

P1260442

TUTANEKAI

While down South on my Trinidad cruise I spotted Tutanekai dropping off people at the Bay of Many Coves resort in Queen Charlotte Sound. Tutanekai was built by E.R. Lane in Picton in 1930 & measures 42’x10’x3’6”. The zoom zoom comes from a 115hp GM 471 diesel.

She started life as a mothership that towed harpooned whales back to the whaling station. Post those days, she was a mail boat for 30 years, then a fishing boat, & then worked in & around the mussel farming industry for 20 years. When retired she was very run down & her current owner Pete, restored her to what we see today.

These days Tutanekai is the backbone of Pete & wife Takutai’s tourism business – ‘Myths & Legend Eco-Tours’

In the last photo, we see Trinidad at anchor, while we were brunching 🙂

Can any southern woodys tell us any more about Tutanekai?

Harold Kidd Input – E.R. Lane built TUTANEKAI for Charley Perano and K. Sutherland in 1930. Her original engine was a 2 cylinder 18hp Regal. Peranos sold her to M T H Steele in 1936, he sold her to Kennys in 1942, later Queen Charlotte Transport in 1948. Peter Beech owned her in 2002. The Regal was replaced with a 4 cylinder Sterling then a 6 cylinder Hercules in 1935 and a 471 GM in 1946. In 1940 a Government report stated that she had a maximum speed of 10 knots and a range of 180 nm at 8 kn.

 

Kingston

Posted on by
8

Unknown-3

Unknown-4

KINGSTON

Another photo from Nathan Herbert’s recent Southern trip – this one shows the launch Kingston berthed at Havelock.

Putting aside the ‘block-of-flats’ addition, there is an interesting hull hiding there – possibly an old whale chaser ?

If you look at the bow & stern photos of Rorqual below, it could be – what say the woodys?

Screen Shot 2018-03-13 at 1.01.54 pm

Screen Shot 2018-03-13 at 1.02.07 pm

Screen Shot 2018-03-13 at 1.00.25 pm

Input from Harold Kidd

She was in Havelock in 1942 owned by Dr. Jacobson who used her to get around his patients in the Sounds. see “A Labyrinth of Waterways” by Frank Ponder, p134.

Comment was “converted whale-chaser” but alas not which one.

Great Input from Mark McLaughlin below

As per Harold’s comment, Kingston was used by Dr Vic Jacobson through to the late 1980’s to get around the Pelorus Sound for his motor launch medical service. He used to cover up to 150 nautical miles per day, 6 days per week on his rounds.

Kingston is 37ft long and powered by a big GM diesel. Dr Jacobsen used to wear earmuffs and his patients could hear him coming long before the boat came into view. She was built in Australia and was originally used as a whaler at Norfolk Island. I don’t believe she was never part of the Perano fleet. She had a black hull when used by Dr Jacobson and a small pilothouse at the rear of the boat. The cabin extensions were completed in Havelock in the early 1990’s after Dr Jacobson’s ownership.

I understand prior to the Kingston, Dr Jacobsen used the old Perano whalechaser Balaena (1910) for the serviced, which is also still in Havelock.

There was a two part RNZ interview series with Dr Jacobson onboard Kingston in 1973, which is available online and can be googled for anyone interested. The jimmy is humming away in the background!

17-03-2018 Input from Kelvin Petrie

 

The Kingston is definitely an ex whale chaser.
She and ‘Cascade’ were imported from Norfork Island to the whaling station at Whangaparapara, Great Barrier Island in the early 60’s their power was a Hall Scot engine.
They joined the Suprise and Oria (might have the spelling of Oria wrong ) The Suprise and Oria were powered by V12 Ford Scrips engines.

I spent time on them all as a 8-10 yr old and have some photos taken by my father of them.

Mermaid

Posted on by
4

Screen Shot 2018-03-13 at 8.11.54 am

Screen Shot 2018-03-13 at 8.13.07 am

Screen Shot 2018-03-13 at 8.12.27 am

MERMAID

Mermaid started life as a mullet boat (H14), built in 1914. At some stage she was converted to a launch & used for commercial fishing for many years.

She measures 28’ & is made of kauri carvel planked. Zoom zoom is via 1985 Ford Dover 80hp diesel.

With a little bit of work she would make a nice classic woody – winters coming up – a good project.

Thanks to Ian McDonald for the trademe listing heads up.

Any of the woodys able to tell us more about her past, including the days under sail?

Harold Kidd Input – MERMAID was built by Alan Crossley for his father Capt. G P Crossley of Bayswater in 1914, a 28 footer, basically for cruising. She was ballasted with rocks. Her 1914-22 sail number was 120, her 1922 sail number was H14 (28 footers were lumped into the H Class for 26 footers); her registration as a fishing boat in the 1980s was AK1441. The only racing she did was the odd local race with Bayswater Boating Club during its brief existence. Crossley sold her to W. Oxley of Mercury Bay in 1936 where she had one side stove in when fishing. Later owners included Ron Bowman and Max Brown in the 1960s.