Category Archives: Yachts

Sea Hawk – SOS

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SEA HAWK – SOS

New woody owner, Sam Mendlowitz gave me the heads up on the ex work boat – Sea Hawk and the fact that she was very close to having an affair with a back-hoe. As the heritage architects  say – its got good bones and we need to find her an owner. I understand that the asking price is low and all relative to the intentions of the next owner, I almost never put links on WW but this woody needs saving – the tme listing # is 3380519991.

Check her out and if its not you, please forward this WW story to anyone that might be her saviour. Current home is Picton.


Sloanes Beach Regatta and Centreboard Cup

A quick heads up from the Herne Bay Yacht Club – the annual Sloanes Beach Regatta and Centreboard Cup is on this coming Sat 11 Dec 2021. FYI – the post-race prize giving and music is running as a vaccine pass event, so please be ready to show your vaccine pass.

As in previous years, the day will feature around-Watchman races for boats entering the Centreboard Cup.  Come along and enjoy the spectacle of traditional mullet boat racing. 

The rough plan is as follows. 
Sat 11 Dec Sloanes Beach Regatta & Centreboard Cup
1130 Race Entries accepted at Sloanes Beach
1200 Race Start 1: Mullet Boats and other boats 18’ and over, which we expect to be following the long course
1205 Race Start 2: Boats under 18’, which we expect to be following the short course (Race only runs if enough boats show up.) Followed by Prize Giving & Music

Times are estimates only; all activities are weather dependent. 

For more details, please visit http://hbcc.net.nz/centreboardcup2021/.
To view previous events – check out the links below 
https://waitematawoodys.com/2018/12/23/2018-centreboard-cup/
https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/12/20/herne-bay-cruising-club-help-needed-iding-some-woodys/

Valezina – Ready To Sail Away This Christmas

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VALEZINA – Christmas Afloat For $34,500

The owners of Valezina acquired her as a 2020 post lock-down project and sent 6 mths full time restoring the yacht to a better than new standard.
Valezina is a 1939 Colin Wild design, known as the ‘Val Class’, most of the sister ships sported ‘Val’ names e.g. Valkyrie, Valderon and Valhalla. She was built in 1957 at the Salthouse yard in Bayswater, Auckland.

At 27’ she comfortably fits into the big little category – everything about her – looks, volume, sailing performance says Valezina is a serious classic yacht from one of the best combinations (Wild / Salthouse) we had. And she is built of gold – double skinned kauri, carvel planked.For when the wind is absent, a 10hp Yanmar inboard is there to help out.

Of course she is for sale, you will have worked that out by now 🙂 her owners are now oversea reconnecting with another of their passions. So the instructions are – sell the yacht.

In addition to the shiny stuff (sanding, painting and varnishing) Valezina is the recipient of – new mast & boom etc. / all new standing & running rigging / new tracks, blocks & winches  / new electrical including batteries and lighting / new safety gear / new plumbing including head and holding tank / new galley / new Raymarine auto heim and a lot more.And as an added bonus – her Westhaven marina may be available to rent.


To learn more about Valezina’s  – email waitematawoodys@gmail.com
Below is a selection of photos from her early days + details on the Val Class and some interesting event entry paperwork. Click on the blue link at the bottom to view.

Hobson Bay dinghy lockers 1959
Skipper looking into sun
History Of ValezinaDownload

Schooner Dance Party

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SCHOONER DANCE PARTY

Our friends at Off Center Harbor captured some of the magic of Maine’s incredible schooner fleet as they finish their season with a final gathering to enjoy food, music, and a chance to sail in company. 
Make yourself a cup of something hot, head to your favourite chair and enjoy 5 minutes of Brooklin’s finest eye candy (turn your sound on).

Next week we will be telling you about a cool offer from the OCH team, the perfect Xmas treat to yourself or if you’re brave your partner 🙂

WAITEMATAWOODY CREW GEAR – sent a large chunk of yesterday packing up waitematawoodys crew gear orders – so keep an eye on the letterbox this week. Still have some stock, but low on the popular sizes. Order at this link  https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/11/11/58095/

Very Cool Row Boat – I get asked to help re-home a lot of woody items – the 20’ kauri row boat, possibly built in the 1890’s in Nelson (photos below) was one recent item – very pleased to say that the owner has confirmed she is now in safe hands. If I had had the space, it would have been in my hands 🙂 

HOW MANY MORE SUMMERS WILL YOU LET SLIP BY WITHOUT A BOAT …….

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HOW MANY MORE SUMMERS WILL YOU LET SLIP BY WITHOUT A BOAT ………

Waitematawoodys has a sister  – its called the Wooden Boat Bureau and we sell classic wooden boats – launches, yachts, big and small. We like to fly under the radar, as do most of our clients. Someone asked me what I did the other day – below sums it up (sounds a bit fluffy, in reality I just sell boats.

Inform and enthuse interest in the joys of owning and sailing traditional and classic wooden boats. And we do this by promoting partnerships between the boats, the sellers and the buyers, for the benefit of all. At the end of the day – its all about the boats, as most will out live their current owners.

To view a sample selection of classic woodys berthed at the virtual Wooden Boat Bureau dock, click this link –  https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/10/17/buying-or-selling-a-classic-boat/

Myself and David Cooke (MV Trinidad) are almost always available to offer advice to sellers and buyers – in the interests of marital harmony – in the first instance email to the below

waitematawoodys@gmail.com

Oranoa

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ORANOA

While mooching around the yard at Hobsonville Marina today I spotted the launch – Oranoa out for some TLC. We do not see her out and about much and WW only knows a little from her very early days.

Chris McMullen commented on a previous WW story that during the first few years of this apprenticeship to boat builder Morrie Palmer at 15 Clarence St Devonport, he worked under Morrie and Cal Crooks. As Chris said back then boat building was a competitive cut throat business. At the Devonport yard at least five major builds took place Cara Mia, Lady Ethel, Venture, Oranoa and the Stewart 34 Phoenician. All that, along with repair and insurance work all done, by three people (average) in just over two and a half years. Most owners finished their boat off but Oranoa was the exception and largely complete and later launched from Devonport wharf c.1962/63.

Oranoa was built for the Lineham family and as of 2015, was still owned by the family.
Can you learn a little more at Oranoa eg length, propulsion etc.

Also hauled was a nice selection of other woodys – see below.  Lady Ruby is a very salty looking motorsailer, the double-ender launch I think hails from Bayswater and has grazed WW before but her name alludes me. The sedan / flybridge launch I suspect has a few too many sheets of plywood for my eyes. The classic yacht waiting her turn to be relaunched ? – very pretty.

Saturdays Quiz – ID The Launch – No winners. And we still do not know the boat.

MIZPAH – Sailing Sunday

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MIZPAH – Sailing Sunday

Today’s classic photo comes to us from Lew Redwood (via Ken Ricketts) and is of the yacht Mizpah, seen here off Leigh. The two crew are – Earnie & Ted Torkington.

15-11-2021 Harold Kidd Input – This MIZPAH is the Logan Bros yacht built in November 1895 for A.L. Wilson of the NZ Herald as a centreboard 2 1/2 rater.

IF YOU ARE WANTING WW GEAR B4 XMAS – NOW’S THE TIME TO ORDER – LINK https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/11/11/58095/


FREE TO A GOOD (or bad) HOME
I’m told the yacht below is/was an 18’ racing skiff, project came to a halt several years ago – comes with the trailer. Maybe not 100% free – a few cartons of beer and the boat and trailer are yours. Auckland based.MUST BE PICKED UP IN 6 DAYS EMAIL waitematawoodys@gmail.com if interested

House Boat – A Peek Down Below

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House Boat – A Peek Down Below

Mooching up the Tamaki River in early May, I spotted this house boat moored in the upper reaches of the Tamaki River. The top two photos are from then. Now thanks to tme, we get a peek down below.

Its 36′, made of ferro cement and started life as a Hartley yacht – that folks is all I’m going to say, I’ll only get myself in trouble 🙂

Korowai – A Feel Good Story

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2021 November – Below

KOROWAI – A Feel Good Story

In the last few days I received several messages about the 34’ Woollacott yacht – Korowai, that had popped up on tme with an asking price of $1,000. One of the woodys that contacted me was Alistair Rowe, who commented that he remember Korowai being at Shelly Park Cruising Club in the mid 1970s owned by Eric Roberts. In those days she was powered by a Ford 10 petrol engine and had no reverse gear, so was a bit of a beast to maneuver in tight places. Quite a few years after Eric’s death, and her sale to new owners, Alistair saw her on the hard at Okahu Bay being given a major birthday.

In the tme listing it stated she had great bones for a restoration – well that she does.
She was being sold as-is-where-is as she had had a few problems eg a leak in the hull that a bilge pump with a float switch was keeping up with. But she had, had a bilge pump malfunction and there has been water inside. The water level went part way up the motor, touching the motor, however the dipstick hole on the motor remained well above water level. It was stated that the engine was in not running condition. But the sails were described as ‘good sails’. Korowai appears to be a really solid kiwi built yacht and a perfect opportunity for the keen handy person to restore her back to her prime at the right price. The seller was very clear about the sale process eg. 

(1) The yacht needs to be out of the marina berth ASAP

(2) The successful purchaser will not be the first person to offer the money but the best and quickest plan for the removal of the yacht from the marina berth

(3) All enquiries must explain how they will remove the yacht and when- if the answer is unsatisfactory then no further time will be spent on the enquire – no time wasters.

Well woodys – must have been a record listing time for a classic yacht – sold to a great new owner and removed from her West Harbour berth and relocated to her new home, last night. Tow boat was Jason Prew’s My Girl – but he assures me he is not the new owner – 2 classic launches and mullet boat yacht is more than enough 🙂

In my travels yesterday I acquired a very dinky 2-1/4″caulking iron – light clean up and it joins the WW global HQ, desktop paperweight collection.

Two Ends Of The Ownership Cycle

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Two Ends Of The Ownership Cycle

Back in December 2020, B.O.I. woody Dean Wright, sent in a few photos taken when he was mooching around the Te Puna and Kerikeri Inlet area.The top photo is a very salty looking and well cared for yawl rigged yacht, no name. The black cat looks fake – seagull detergent?

The yacht in bottom photo – possibly named – Sinope and shows her home port as Mangonui, has her hand up for some serious TLC. Lets hope her owner used lock-down to bringer back.

Woody Sleeping Place

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Woody Sleeping Place

Recently the boys at The Slipway Milford ‘moved-on’ one of their semi permanent woodys – Lonestar, a 28’ woody that had its hand up for saving for lengthy period. Sadly covered boat shed space comes at a premium and commercial reality set in – so Cam and Jason loaded Lonestar up and took her to an off the beaten track woody boat park. Lonestar will not be lonely, there is small flotilla of craft being worked on or repurposed.The selection of photos ex Jason Prew will either make you happy or sad – my view – they have been saved from the back-hoe > box of matches, so who knows there is always a chance someone will step up to the plate 🙂
Check out WW tomorrow for a hero > zero woody story.