Poseidon – 36’ Owen Woolley Launch
Its only a mystery because the broker selling it has deleted the name…….. She is 36’ in length, has a beam of 10’5” and draws 3’3”. Built in 1963, from kauri and carvel planked. The forward motion is via a 80hp Ford diesel.Home is probably Northland.
Can anyone put a name to the boat, so we can have a record of her on WW.
27-11-21 Update from John H (previous owner) the boat is named – Poseidon
Haunui Restoration Update #3
Almost 6 months has passed since I poked my nose and camera (I was invited) into Paul Tingey’s shed to view the progress on the 1948 Colin Wild built woody – Haunui.The links below will take you back to the two previous visits https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/11/13/haunui-restoration/
https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/04/28/haunui-restoration-update-2-woody-classic-event-dates/
Given all the constraints of CV-19, the countless lock-downs, supplier closures etc – Paul Tingey has made amazing progress on the project. A high % of the work done in the last 6 months has involved rebuilding and adding additional strength to the original design / build. Even my untrained eye could see how more resolute the vessel was.
We also got a peek at the twin new engine installations – the main ‘Deutz ‘ engine and the trolling / backup electric side engine.
WAITEMATAWOODY GEAR FOR SUMMER – GETTING LOW ON SOME SIZES, SO ORDER ASAP TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT. LINK BELOW FOR ORDERING
https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/11/11/58095/
Yesterdays WW T-shirt winner was Ronald Walton, with his emailed entry – “Todays boat at Milford Sound is the sister ship to Miss Picton and it is a Donald Sutherland photo taken c.1935 I have seen this before down at Milford from an old Museum at the road to the Holyford Track. The museum was burnt out with a loss of lots of old photos.”
Milford Sound – Mystery Boat
The above photo is rather stunning, and comes to us from Lew Redwood’s fb. Its date c.1940’s – and woodys is all we know.Hopefully we can ID what appears to be a commercial boat, given that she is boarding passengers attired for tramping.The poster below were used to promote the area in the 1940’s.
Seeing we didn’t have a winner to the WW t-shirt quiz last week, the most accurate (you’ll need to explain e.g. it could be XXXXXXX that was contracted to the NZ Tourist and Health Resorts Dept etc) answer wins a WW t-shirt – entries via email only to – waitematawoodys@gmail.com
LADY ADELAIDE – A Peek Down Below
The woody Lady Adelaide has been part of the classic launch scene in New Zealand for a very long time, if you were able to view the old CYA launch event photos (the death of the CYA Forum said bye bye to the old photos)), Lady Adelaide and her skipper, Kerry Lilley feature in most launch event photos. Amazingly Kerry has owned Lady Adelaide for 32 years and being a boat builder, that makes the lady a very lucky boat. Not many classics have that length of ownership and care, most slide up and down in terms of maintenance and appearance.
Built by Dick Lang in 1922, she is kauri carvel planked, and back in 2000 Kerry splined and glassed the boat, so maintenance is minimal. LOL is 36’ (35’ LOW), beam is 8’ and she draws 3’. Power is from a Ford 70hp, 3 litre diesel, installed new in 2000. Top speed is 10 knots, but cruises all day at 8.2knots, with a fuel consumption of 7L an hour.
As you will see from the photos, after 32 years Kerry has refined and fine tuned very aspect of Lady Adelaide, need something, just reach out and it is where it should be.
Kerry contacted me several months ago and said “I’ve made the decision to pass the lady onto her next custodian, so once we escape CV-19, can you sell her” – so woodys Lady Adelaide is now on the market. If you are looking for classic launch that you can just step aboard and be boating this summer – this is the woody for you. Marina also available for rent. Expressions of interest to the Wooden Boat Bureau c/o waitematawoodys@waitematawoodys
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.
Milford Boat Yard – 1948
A little bit of a flash back today – in the above gallery we have a mixture of photos which show the yard in several stages e.g. the top two are of what might be a working bee at the club to build the slipway. And another showing the completed yard and ‘workers’ standing around. Not sure about the ‘paddock’ photo, maybe someone can enlighten us on a possible date for this.The photos come to use from the Parsonson family collection via Mitchell Hutchings and are dated 1948.
WIN A WW T-SHIRT
If you think you know the identity of the launch hauled out in the 3rd photo – email your answer to the address below and go in the draw to win a WW t-shirt. Entries close 8pm 20-11-21
waitematawoodys@gmail.com
Very Cool Vintage Engine
Todays all about on vintage outboard engines – mooching around a boat shed yesterday I spotted this wee gem – aside from being such a cool piece of engineering, the first thing that hits you is how light it is – compared to the Yamaha 3hp alongside, it was a less than a 1/4 the weight – how does that work?
So the question today is can we ID the model and year – we must have some o/b nutters amongst us.
UPDATE (A) 21-11-21 Mark Jack advised the model of the engine is a MATE, refer photo below, and rated at 1/2 hp and built in 1939, they were also marketed as the more basic Elto.
Renown as one of the must frustrating engines ever made, smooth and sophisticated when it ran but it frequently didn’t. The engines are relatively lightly built intended for fresh water use.
UPDATE (B) 21-11-21 Chris McMullen sent in the photos below of the engine and a page from the Popular Mechanics magazine, the shows the intended usage – as a canoe engine.
Second half of the story today – a few months ago I did a plug on WW for the small hydro-plane Miss Wahoo , it was snapped up by Keith Munro and she has already been given a spot in the man shed, see photos below – Keith is now on the lookout for a 15 hp motor of 1950 > 1960 vintage – an Evinrude or Johnson would be the 1st picks – any one able to help out?
Beachaven Mystery Launch
One of the woodys was mooching around Beachaven in the weekend, must have taken a wrong turn 😉 and spotted the above woody. From the condition of the boat and the cradle set up, I think we could safely assume she has been there a while.
Given the clandestine nature of the woodys visit, I cant ID them, their partner would not be impressed with another woody joining the fleet.
Anyone able to tell us more about the boat?
RIVERHEAD WOODY LAUNCH CRUISE 28-11-2021 POSTPONED – New Date tbc
MANURERE – Work Boat Wednesday
The 43’ Manurere was built by Miller and Tunnage in Port Chalmers and launched in 1937. She spent her working life cray and cod potting, exclusively in the Dunedin and Stewart Island areas. She is constructed in 1 and ½ inch kauri strip planking with spotted gum frames. Manurere has a 11’ 6″ beam and 5′ draft.
Based in Lyttleton, for the last 18 years, she has been extensively restored during that time. Powered by a 120hp Iveco Fiat. (thanks to Marcus Petraska for the tme listing heads up)
IF YOU ARE WANTING WW CREW GEAR B4 XMAS – ORDER NOW – LIMITED STOCK – LINK TO ORDER https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/11/11/58095/
NGAWAI
Today’s woody is the launch Ngawai and in the above photo we see her when owned by Jack Batty, out on the Waitemata Harbour. The photo comes to us ex the Parsonson family collection via Mitchell Hutchings.Very light on details on the launch, so any input would be great.
Anyone Know The Owner & Location Of The Launch – EAGLE, (bad) photo below Contact waitematawoodys@waitematawoodys
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