Paterangi Sinks In Shoal Bay – April 1973

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INPUT EX ALAN DEMPSEY “Oh God.. this article tears at my heartstrings.. MV Paterangi was my parents’ launch.. and summers were wondrous upon her. That partial sinking was a failed skin-fitting,but strangely there was evidence of out outside impact in it ( suspected tanalised pine pole that was found washed up on shore later). We spent that following winter on Okahu Bay hardstand getting her back seaworthy, and finely dressed. Huge respect to Keith Wyllie ( the ultimate Hauraki Gulf Old Salt) for doing srtrip-down and rebuild of motor , in situ. That’s a Good Mate eh?.. I learned  a lot about Ford Ds , all of 16 years old as I was, just handing him tools and watching and listening.  Sadly in ’78 a cyclone hit that dropped a neighbouring yatch’s rig on to Paterangi’s fordeck  that smaskedout the bollar, and she was blown ashore onto the seawall and smashed to bits , the waves blowing the bits all across the Harbour Bridge toll plaza… I was living in Devonport and we had solid water hitting the house,100 yard away from the beach.  Riding my motorbike into Auckland at 8am was the biggest traffic jam ever, and when I got to the toll-plaza area, I was pondering my stupidity in attempting the Bridge in  those winds, when I saw the wreckage all over the road.. and recognised the bits . Saddest moment of my life to that point. That afternoon was the first time I’d ever seen my father cry. Vale BJD, and MV Paterangi… two stalwart Woodies of yore. Cheers.”

This Is A Loyal WW Follower – woody Michael Park (MV Lady Jan) is a recent recruit to the classic wooden boating movement – in the photo below Michael is sporting his recent tattoo – I assume copied from the WW site. Also in the photo I spy a WW t-shirt. Photo ex David Cooke.

Mason Clipper – Alibi

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Mason Clipper – Alibi

Just prior to Christmas the owners of Alibi, a rather elegant Mason Clipper, quietly slipped her into Greg Lees shed at Sandspit. I understand that she’s in for a minimum of 3 months for a ‘makeover’ – we have seen some stunning makeovers from the shed in recent times. – Trinidad, Mahanui, Arohanui – so we look forward to following with interest – nudge nudge Greg Lees, photos please 🙂

(Photos ex Mason Marine Clippers fb)

Photo below Oct 1979 – Sea Trial on the Waitemata Harbour ex fb via K Ricketts

INPUT EX ALAN SEXTON – Copy of original Sea Spray article below + more photos from her recent haul out at the Sandspit yard.

You will note the she still has her original engines twin straight 6 Chrysler Mitsubishis.

21-04-2023 UPDATE – A PEEK INSIDE THE WORKSHOP – lots of Awlwood (Uroxsys) being applied 🙂 photos ex Mason Marine Clipper fb

PACIFIC GETS A TICKLE UP

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PACIFIC GETS A TICKLE UP

Happy New – todays the first story for 2023 and Pacific is a very fitting woody to welcome in the new year with – during the winter of 2022 Pacific sent time on the hard having some delayed maintenance issues addressed and some creative comforts added. I’ll let owner Nathan Herbert tell the story:

“Bit of an update is due after Pacific’s most recent haul. In past attempts, the prop shaft wasn’t able to be drawn out more than 150mm so I had always been nervous about the situation up there. This time with the help of Seagar Marine and The Slipway Milford, we by brute force and a makeshift large slide hammer removed the shaft. It was found to be pitted, and then very badly pitted in one section where she ran in a highly noble bronze bush about tube centre. Three bearings were subsequently rammed out; one lignum vitae, one fibrous and one bronze. The Tube was found to be thin walled gunmetal and had almost completely de-zinced to mush. The mystery bitumen bath on the keelson was found to be a crude repair some decades old, hiding bad corrosion. A boring bar was made from the old 3.6m tail shaft extended to 5m and with unholy effort the remnants were removed and the hole gradually bored out to accept a fibreglass stern tube. This tube was epoxied in, with two Vesconite and one rubber  cutless bearing installed, topped off by a Chatfields  blue water dripless seal. 

Interior works included re-configuration of the saloon to cater for modern(or at least 1970s) needs and finished in kauri and honduras mahogany. A lightweight cradle was made for the RIB when in commission, and a Francis  searchlight fitted to the bridge deck.

There are always extras attended to along the way such as minor/insidious leaks but they fade in the memory compared with the newfound smoothness of a new, dry drivel ine”

2021 saw major updates to the zoom zoom – link here https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/01/27/pacific-the-105-year-old-woody-get-a-new-heart/ https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/02/03/pacific-sea-trial/

29-10-2024 INPUT ex JOHN DAWSON – JD sent in the photos ex fb below of PACIFIC’s new cockpit refit

Woody Ho Ho

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WOODY HO HO

Wishing you all a safe and Merry Christmas and happy New Year. I hope you get time with family and friends – after all, that is what its all about, the boats are #2.

As we rolled out of the nanny state control of Covid I imagined WW might take a dip in viewing numbers from the heady figures we hit during the enforced downtime. Well totally the opposite – new visitor numbers have continued to grow and more importantly the amount of time people are spending on the site has over trebled. 

When I started WW the primary intention was to create a daily blog on and about wooden boats – it is still that, but its morphed into a resource tool for just about anything associated with the wooden boating movement.

As with most things in life, they are only as good as the people that rub up against them – so thank you to those that reach out with content, comments and even abuse 🙂

As per previous years it is my intention these holidays, technology and wifi access allowing, to keep publishing the daily stories. But if for some reason I miss a day, just check in again the next day.
I ask that if you see anything woody related over the festive period you take a photo and send it in to   waitematawoodys@gmail.com  I’m always looking for content.

Thanks to my good friend Dave Giddens we will have a slight theme to a lot of the stories over the break – a lot of ‘BUGGER / OOPS’ moments.

Stay dry, safe and wear your PFD when you have been enjoying the good life afloat.

Warmest Regards Alan