Category Archives: Yachts

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH RACING TODAY

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CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH RACING

Todays a first for me – I’m crewing (moveable ballast) on Jason Prew’s woody rocket ship – My Girl in the Auckland Anniversary day launch race. Do not be confused its a drag race, sure there is a handicap prize but all the bragging rights go to the first (i.e. fastest) over the finish line. My lips are sealed on top speed but its somewhere between 20 >30 knots. Crew refreshments provided by {the} Slipway Milford.

Should be a hoot. Full report to follow.

One things for certain we will not be cutting the corner off Devonport Yacht Club – a certain A-Class gaffer with a green bum, spent 4 hours parked off DYC yesterday afternoon…………

BIG PHOTO GALLERY STORY TOMORROW FROM THE 2024 MAHURANGI REGATTA  

ELUSIVE – A Peek Down Below + 4sale

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ELUSIVE – A Peek Down Below + 4sale

I talk often on WW about some classic woodys being lucky in terms of their owners over the years – the 1963 Claude Smith 30′, E-Class yacht – Elusive (E75) is one such craft, enjoying 33 years of continuous ownership.

Elusive was designed and built by Allen Smith at his boatyard on Riverside Drive in Whangarei , Northland as his own yacht She was a very successful yacht in her first season winning many races, in fact probably every race entered.

• OYC 100 and 150 mile races   • The White Island race    • Balokovic Cup    • 4th in The Noumea race

Her builder once told  her owner, Alan Turner, that she was built with the “surplus” timber in their yard and is mostly full length kauri and has three bilge stringers instead of the usual one. As a result she is very strong and has had 2 pot paint to the topsides for the last 25 years and was repainted circa 5 years ago. 

Her keel was dropped and bolts checked at the same time. The stern tube was replaced with fiber-glass c.10 years ago and a new Blue Water seal is about to be fitted

When required forward motion is via a Ford 15hp diesel engine. She sports an extensive wardrobe of North Sails in good condition – main, No1, No2, Storm jib and spinnaker plus a cockpit tent and sunshade (cockpit is 6′ long). Toilet is near new and holding tank fitted. Electric windlass and chain.

Talking with Alan he commented that with her mainly paint finish she is very economical to maintain.

Elusive is for sale and when I asked Alan what her strong points were he said –   very easy to sail and strong as and doesn’t have any vices. She did the Noumea race in the 1960’s and is great at sea. She is a great little ship for a mature couple wanting an easy ship to manage and maintain. Her marina berth at Half Moon Bay will be available to rent and with a first right of refusal when up for sale.

Alan is happy to answer any questions, in the first instance contact via email. xpdxrd@gmail.com

WAIONE – Shed Visit

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WAIONE – Shed Visit

Back in late December 2023 we reported on the 28’, Lanes (Picton) built woody – Waione that had been in storage in a shed in Mapu, Nelson for 50+ years – link here to that story https://waitematawoodys.com/2023/12/21/waione-2/

At the time John Burland had promised to track her down, which he did with his friend Patrick. The above photos come to us from that days outing. 

Patrick also included his observations from the visit: 

“Well I went to inspect the Waione a few days ago and she’s securely parked in a shed and you know it’s been well covered, out of the water for a long period I think 30 years and the paint basically has all been stripped off so it’s a bare hull. Construction is kauri and seems to be double skinned, the inner skin is diagonal and the outer planking is end to end or a longitude carvel arrangement, she has a long keel and  a counter stern,  quite a small volume boat. I think built by Lanes in Picton, so she would’ve been designed for the Marlborough Sounds before there was much access via road so would’ve been designed to to operate pretty economically with a small 5 to 10 hp engine, some sail arrangement plus large oars or sweeps as they called them in those days to propel the boat and manoeuvre it should the engine fail or docking or whatever. Some of the first engines didn’t even have a reverse gear so you were up against it a bit for manoeuvrability, but it would’ve been a very easily driven boat being quite narrow and very fuel economic and quite fast for the time. That sort of a classic early 20th century design with tram cab arrangement in the higher part of the cabin and then a curved front to the the cabin not a lot of room inside it but a very sweet little boat and seems to be in reasonably sound condition. And I would say a relatively easy restoration as far as restorations go, a little bit of dry rot on the cabin top and things around some of the work around the hatch at the companion way probably a little bit not keeping with the times made of not solid timber, but overall it’s amazingly original and so I think it would be a very worthwhile and enjoyable project for anyone who who was keen to take something of that nature on. The caulking that would all need to be redone, it’ll all need to be re-caulked and primed and painted and possibly refastened, no doubt and just a good going over really, but there didn’t appear to be any worm in the keel or or anything. The propeller shaft, propeller and rudder are all in place. The oval portholes and the fore cabin were still serviceable and able to be to be restored to their former glory I would say and it’ll be a lovely little craft once it was operating again and quite practical and useful for you in sheltered waters so I would recommend anyone that was interested in that sort of boat and had the desire to keep a little bit of our maritime history going would be well worth a look at.”

Don’t normally link to tme listings but this one deserves to be saved + a $1 starting bid  https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/boats-marine/motorboats/listing/4475286531

Bay of Islands Summer Mooching + Anniversary Weekend Cruising 

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RANONI
ENTERPRIZE
ARETHUSA
IORANGI
ALOFA
VALHALLA
RAMPAGE

Bay of Islands Summer Mooching + Anniversary Weekend Cruising 

Todays gallery of classic wooden craft comes to us from the camera of Dean Wright, taken while he was cruising the bay on his woody – Arethusa.

From top to bottom the craft are:

• Ranoni – Army Bay

• Enterprise – Opunga Cove

• Arohanui – steaming past Cable Bay, Urupukapuka

• Arethusa – Whangamumu

• The Logan yacht – Iorangi – Whangamumu

• Alofa – Whangamumu

• Valhalla – Whangamumu

• Rampage – Whangmumu – an early 2000’s Robertson Boats sedan launch ( lengthened and repainted)

• Mary of York – Ben Tomb’s leeboarder

2024 MAHURANGI REGATTA – Classic Launch Parade & Sunday Gathering At KAWAU ISLAND 

The countdown is on for one of the worlds best and biggest classic wooden boating events, the Mahurangi Regatta, organised by the Mahurangi Cruising Club.

Sadly due to the freakish weather the 2023 regatta was cancelled, but plans are in place to make 2024 on-the-water and ashore at Scotts Landing bigger and better.

The Classic Wooden Launch Parade is one of the highlights of the weekends activities – followed later in the day by a serious ‘old school’ boaty BBQ ashore at Scott’s – including a massive marquee for the 20 piece dance band.

 On the Sunday, most woody launch skippers head to KAWAU ISLAND and the plan is to gather later in the day for a few sun-downers at the newly refurbished Kawau Boating Club.

CLASSIC WOODYS CRUISING THE HAURAKI GULF – SUMMER 2023/24

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CLASSIC WOODYS CRUISING THE HAURAKI GULF – SUMMER 2023/24

Now todays post is the one you have been waiting on – the classic wooden (mostly) craft that I spotted around the Hauraki Gulf over the Dec 27 > Jan 5th period.

Probably the best turn out of woodys that I have seen – seems it just wasn’t me suffering from cabin fever 🙂

As always some photos are good, some not so good – direction of sun and distance dictates that. Mostly I’m taking photos as a visual account.

Enjoy the gallery – broken into locations – I have endeavoured to list the craft in the tagged section.

AS ALWAYS CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE

If you have any good photos, send them in to waitematawoodys@gmail.com

RAKINO ISLAND

KAWAU ISLAND

WAIHEKE ISLAND

OUT & ABOUT – on route

The Motor-sailer – Silver Spray

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SILVER SPRAY – Motor-sailer

WW was recently contacted by Bella Scott whose father owns the rather impressive motor-sailer – Silver Spray.

WW is very short / light on details – can anyone tell us about Silver Spray

INPUT EX PAUL DRAKE #1 -Built for the McManaway family of Paremata, Wellington, as a commercial fishing boat, and fished out of Paremata for many years. Converted to present configuration at Mana Marina twenty or more years ago. Good to see that she has retained her name.-

INPUT EX PAUL DRAKE #2 –Built by Jack Guard in about 1938. Owned by Wilfred Thomas McManaway and fished as a line boat in Cook Strait. According to his grandson Ian who served on SILVER SPRAY as a teenager and who I talked with today, she was a very stable working platform. Painted green with white boot topping when new. After being sold out of the family and reconfigured much as she is now, she struck rocks in the Marlborough Sounds and sank. She was salvaged and somewhat rebuilt by McManaway Marine (Picton). It is said that she survived her rocky encounter only because of her collision bulkhead, which had been retrofitted by grandson Ian at the behest of the Marine Surveyor, probably in the late 1960’s. Ian McManaway served his time as a shipwright with the Wellington Harbour Board when he finished his time fishing, and later became a Pilot-Launch Master.

Is There Money To Be Made In The Classic Wooden Boat Industry

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Is There Money To Be Made In The Classic Wooden Boat Industry

Short answer yes – if you are good, own a railway slipway and fair in your costs.

The Slipway Milford smoko room wall of honour is a good indication of the woodys that have been for a ride on the Slipway railway 🙂

Would make a good quiz – ID’ing the boats but too busy / lazy doing nothing in a bay at the moment.

2024 THE YEAR TO BUY YOUR CLASSIC WOODEN BOAT

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2024 THE YEAR TO BUY YOUR CLASSIC WOODEN BOAT

I hope you all survived New Years eve, these days its always a struggle to last to midnight 🙂

I’ll make a new year prediction – 2024 will be least expensive time to buy a classic wooden boat for the next 5+ years. Prices were very deflated thur-out 2023 but they won’t stay like that – so if a classic craft is something you have on the bucket list – check out the link below. There are others that for privacy reasons do not appear on the list so if you are or are going to be in the market in 2024, let us know.               https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/10/16/buying-or-selling-a-classic-boat/

CLASSIC WOODEN BOATS FOR SALE

WAIONE

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WAIONE

Todays 28’ woody just popped up on tme (thanks Ian McDonald), the listing states that she was built by Lanes in Picton c.1918 and spent her early life around the Marlborough Sounds and French Pass and then more recently at Mapua. For the last 50+ years has been stored in an apple shed in Mapua, where she still is today.

Has been in one family ownership for almost 50 years.

Was originally powered by a Standard Gas Egine Co. diesel and is offered for sale with an addition Petter diesel.

Big leap of faith given the only photos are obviously at least 30 years old. Would be nice to learn more about Waione. I suspect that WW has a cub reporter very close to the apple shed so hopefully more to follow 😉

UPDATE 16-01-2024 More photos and details here https://waitematawoodys.com/2024/01/16/waione-shed-visit/

DESTINY II

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DESTINY II – Treat Your Grandchildren This Xmas

This rather cute / salty 21’ gaff rigged cutter sitting on tme and is crying out for someone to step up and adopt her. Destiny II has a $1 reserve and at last look bids were in the low $300’s.

Built /launched c.1930’s she had a major refit in 2007.Her owner has looked after her in the 2+ years he has owned her but with 4 young children she is not getting the use she deserves.

An inboard Bukh 7hp gets her along at 7 knots and there is access to a Weiti River mooring till the end of Jan so thats the holiday cruising in and around Kawau sorted.

Check out the tme listing is a lot of boat for the $$$ – Auction closes 7pm Dec 22nd – Just buy it and the kids / grandkids will think your the best ever.

Question of the day – can anyone ID the pennant (tie-pin?) below.