Lady Jess + Woody Workshop

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LADY JESS

Another woody spotted at Tutukaka Marina by Dean Wright -anyone able to tell us more about Lady Jess?

Input ex Scott Macindoe –

“Lady Jess was commissioned by an Auckland commercial fisherman, Gus Viskovic as a snapper longliner in 1961. She was designed and built by John Gladden at Milford Marina. The kauri came from half of a tree milled in the Coromandel. The hull is carvel planked. The planks are full-length, 32mm. Some demolition kauri from a church in Hamilton was also used in the bulkheads.

Not long after launching, the boat was sold and moved to Whitianga. She was spotted there by Harry Bannister from Whangaroa. Harry bought her and took her north. Since then Lady Jess has been a charter boat based in Northland. Since the 1970’s she has been based out of Tutukaka, owned successively by Doug Schlegel, Trevor Williams, Mike Airey, Peter O’Brynne, and since 1988, Pete Saul.

An open-topped flying bridge was added in the 1970s, with a folding Bimini top and clears. In 1997 Pete added the hard-top bridge. She still has the original dry stack arrangement. Lady Jess was powered by a single six-cylinder Ford for much of her life to date but for the last four years has been powered by a 200hp John Deere with Twin Disc gearbox.

The engine is well forward, in the galley, giving good access to the motor but necessitating a 5.5-metre drive shaft. The forward engine and flared bow make Lady Jess a great head sea boat. Top speed is 9 knots with 8 knots cruising. Fuel consumption for a day’s game fishing averages 8 litres/hour. Diesel capacity is 900 litres, allowing extensive cruising without refuelling. Pete retired from charters in 2019 but kept the boat for family use.“


Woody Moon Engines Workshop

Great turn out last Sunday for the Wooden Boat Bureau hosted-woody workshop at Moon Engines, the MC for the day was James Mobberley who ran a master class on diesel engine maintenance and servicing. 33 boat owners turned out and I will not embarrass him by naming him but this email feedback summed up the day perfectly = “Thank you for organising this enjoyable visit – an articulate, experienced and forthright speaker made James an ideal host for subjects one can never be over-informed about.”

Post the workshop – attendee Alan Sexton sent in to WW a list of minimum spares to carry on-board from YNZ’s safety rules for offshore motorboats that almost exactly per James’ advice. See below.

Alan also supplied the links below for the engine ‘junkies’ amongst us – enjoy. Seaboard Marine as recommended by James: https://www.sbmar.com/tonys-tips/ 

Ford history (Lees get plenty of recognition): https://everythingaboutboats.org/ford-2715e/ https://everythingaboutboats.org/ford-2725e/ I

interesting history about Cummins/Iveco co-operation (for a while) https://forums.ybw.com/index.php?threads/iveco-nef-vs-cummins-qsb.306183/

Te Hauraki

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Just A Fu@king Work Boat
Just before Easter (approx. two months ago) I did a two hour in/out haul out at The Slipway Milford for a quick bottom clean, as I was leaving the Milford Creek I passed the 1920 built ex Auckland Harbour Board vessel – Te Hauraki on-route to the Slipway, for a few week weeks TLC.

On Friday owner Rodger Moore proudly re-launched – Te Hauraki after an an extensive refit. Joe Average standing on the dock would struggle to spot most of the work undertaken because to quote Rodger “It’s just a f@cking work boat”, so everything gets covered in paint 🙂 and kept as close to original as possible. But having spent the last 10 days alongside her on the slip I can tell you these days she is a very special work boat and very loved by Rodger and family. Another happy owner and her photo will proudly grace the lunch room wall at the yard. Well done Cam and Jason 🙂

Te Hauraki has appeared on WW before – to see and read more about her here + a great John Street (previous owner) video – click this link .    https://waitematawoodys.com/2019/09/13/te-hauraki/

09-06-2021 UPDATE – Te Hauraki owner, Roger Moore, was pleasantly surprised recently to receive a ph call from his son giving him the heads up on a model of Te Hauraki on display / sae in a gallery on Waiheke Island. It was very quickly snapped up and now takes pride of place in Rogers ‘den’

Tern II

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TERN II

Several weeks ago we run a story on WW about the fate of the Stow & Son – UK yacht – Imatra, that is dining a slow death up the Tamaki River in Auckland. At the time xxx pointed out that there was another Stow & Son yacht (built in 1899) – the 52’,  gaff, yawl – Tern II in New Zealand. She is for sale on the UK yacht brokers website – Sandeman Yacht Company – I have taken the  of reproducing the background story on how she ended up in NZ.This link will take you to their site to see over 40 photos and read more about her   http://www.sandemanyachtcompany.co.uk/yacht/467/stow-and-sons-39-ft-gaff-yawl-1899-project-completion Thanks to Mark Erskine for the heads up on this hidden gem.

Tern II was launched as White Kitten in 1899, from the yard of Stow and Son, in Shoreham, UK. In early 1910 she was purchased by Claude Worth, who owned her for a couple of years and made several changes to her; documented in his book “Yacht Cruising.” Meanwhile all the ironwork he had made at this time is still with the vessel. 

After numerous owners over the next few decades, she came into the hands of Ben Pester, a New Zealand naval officer who had finished a period of service in the U.K. and was keen to return to NZ under sail. This passage, in 1951-52, was written about in his book “Just Sea and Sky”, published in 2010.  

Tern II changed hands again a few times, until she was found abandoned and a somewhat worse for wear in a mud berth near Thames North Island NZ, by Bill Cunningham. Going aboard with a mate unsure if she was worth saving; after downing the bottle of whisky found below it was decided she was indeed worthy – and thus began a 9 year period that she spent hauled out in his back yard in Cambridge not far away, replacing the deck with the addition of a cabin and all her spars, and a new interior. Her counter had been removed sometime before this and the rig changed to a cutter. She was re launched in April 1981.

Bill parted with her in 1991 and she was owned for a time by Mick Reynolds, and then Lyn Avatar, who had planned to sail her to Hawaii but cut the journey short after a 24 day passage to Tonga from the Bay of Islands. She then lay on a mooring there until the current owners came across her on their way to New Zealand. For a sum including coverage of outstanding mooring fees, a bottle of rum, and a kiss, they secured ownership and arranged shipping back to New Zealand. She is currently being stored undercover in a yard in Whangarei, Northland and undergoing restoration.

Linda Out For Some TLC

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LINDA OUT FOR SOME TLC

I said good bye to my slipway neibour today – Te Hauraki (Mondays story), but within minutes she was replaced with one of our finest woodys – the 1927 Colin Wild built launch – Linda. I’ll be honest and admit I experienced a degree of ’short pants syndrome’. Alongside Raindance, Linda looks like the QEII. I’m sure I’ll get over it 🙂 

A lot of people have reservations around coming into the Milford Estuary / Creek but if you choose the right time / tide, its a breeze and The Slipway Milford railway slip, can haul out most classic launches on the Waitemata.
To read / view the wonderful job the Brooke family did rebuilding / restoring Linda in the early 1990’s after a fire that would have seen most other boats heading to the landfill – click the link below https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/11/24/linda-3/

30-11-2025 UPDATE: LINDA leaving the Slipway Milford after a serious dose of TLC

MYSTERY LAUNCH QUIZ – Win A WW Long Sleeve T-Shirt

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MYSTERY LAUNCH QUIZ – Win A WW Long Sleeve T-Shirt
Todays story / quiz is a doozy – maybe a woody will go – thats easy I know that boat, but it had myself and one of the WW guru’s stumped.All I can tell you is the photo was taken in Nelson, a couple of years ago. I have a b/w launching photo, so even if you do not know the boat – check back later to see the b/w photo – you will be very surprized 😉 Email entries to waitematawoodys@gmail.com (photo ex Nathan Herbert)


The prize to the first correct answer, emailed in after 9am 21-05-2021 (sorry KR – not everyone keeps vampire hours) gets a long sleeve WW organic cotton t-shirt. Normally reserved for F&F – (family and friends) – they are great to wear.If you are one of the many female woodys – you can swap it for the ‘Brooklyn t’ another F&F shirt (thats George Cloonys Lake Como house in the background 🙂

We Have a Winner

Mark McLaughin ID’ed the launch correctly as Hinemoana, built by Sam Ford, Also known as Princess for a short period. B/W photo below also ex Nathan Herbert

Mystery Launch On The Tamaki River

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Mystery Launch On The Tamaki River
I spotted the above launch a couple of weeks ago while mooching up the Tamaki River onboard Angus Roger’s launch – Centaurus . She looks very well cared for and well rugged up for winter. Can one of the river rats tell us the name and any known background on the launch?

Input from Mark McLaughlin = The mystery boat is ORA-KIA, designed and built by Snow Waters in 1963.


Also Up The River

Unless you were traveling by boat, you wouldn’t normally see the dry stack (I think its called something like – Tamaki Boat Park) on the banks of the upper Tamaki River. Appears to be well populated and anything that gets people towing boat trailers off the road during weekends gets my tick 🙂 And if you are wondering what happens to all the trailers – some boats are ordered new without one, but for those with trailers, there is a smaller staking system on-site for empty trailers

Disturber

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DISTURBER
Thanks to Ian McDonald for giving WW the heads up on the tme listing for the Warmington Bros built 25’ launch – Disturber. Disturber made a brief appearance on WW back in 2013, with a photo (refer below) of her racing on the Kaipara Harbour, most probably participating in the annual Pah Regatta.

Back then Disturber was a pure racer, powered by a 150hp aircraft engine. These days she has a Ford 72 hp D Series pushing her along, but a glance at her hull below the water-line will tell you that she can still deliver a good turn of speed – 13+knots.

Recently she has undergone a lot of mechanical and structural enhancements. With a sub $8k price tag, Disturber could be a great entry point into the classic wooden boating movement.


Falcon Comes Home

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FALCON COMES HOME
The 1930 Lane Motor Boat Co. designed and built launch Falcon has always been one of the smartest woodys in the classic fleet.I do not have a lot of photos  mainly because she was just so dam quick, always passed me like I was standing still 🙂 Previous owner – James Mobberley (Moon Engines) had shoehorned a beast of an engine (Hino turbo) into Falcon. He did the same transplant on Harold Kidd’s — Romance II and Graham Guthrie’s  – Kailua. Both of these woodys are serious zoom zooms.

Back in 2013, she was sold to a Whangarei owner and later re-sold to another Whangarei owner – the photo below shows Falcon looking a little sad, moored in the Whangarei Town Basin.
In the last few months there has been chat about her returning home to Auckland – well woodys, I can confirm that she has a new owner and is back home on the WaitemataWe look forward to seeing her get the TCL she deserves.We will follow her process closely.


LAST CALL FOR THIS WEEKENDS WOODY WORKSHOP AT MOON ENGINES – WE WILL BE CLOSING THE DOORS TO RSVP’s LATER TODAY – RSVP NOW OR MISS OUT – waitematawoodys@gmail.com

606 Rosebank Road, Avondale

Korora Saved

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KORORA SAVED

Two WW followers – Ian McDonald and Philip Goddard drew my attention to the the fate of the 28′ launch – Korora that was recently on tme. She has appeared on WW before and there was good chat around who built her and when – link here  https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/10/21/korora-2/

Back in 2015 she popped up on tme, not sure if she sold then but in 2017 she sank on her Auckland mooring during a storm, happened like this – awning blew off > bilge pump not working > boat fills with water > sinks. Korora was hauled out and taken to her owners farm. Time went by and farming tasks took precedence and in early 2021 she made another guest appearance on tme.I’m very pleased to advise that Tony Howse bought her and she now resides at his farm, where she will be restored. We like that, was a pretty boat in her day, see b/w photo below.


PLEASE RSVP FOR THE ABOVE WOODY EVENT – NEXT SUNDAY (23/05) – LOCATION IS 606 ROSEBANK ROAD, AVONDALE – RSVP TO waitematawoodys@gmail.com

Dunkirk Little Ship – Lady Gay – Destroyed By Fire

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Dunkirk Little Ship – Lady Gay – Destroyed By Fire

Flicking thru my digital subscription to the UK Classic Boat magazine, I was saddened to read that the Dunkirk Little Ship  – Lady Gay has been destroyed in a fire at the old Thornycroft sheds on Platts Eyot, Hampton, on the River Thames.

Lady Gay was 34ft motor yacht built in 1934 for Lord Alfred Dunhill.

One of the builders was interviewed once – this is his tale – “We didn’t have a shed big enough to take her, so we set up a canvas shelter outside, which also saved us extra rates. We only had one 100-watt electric light bulb and no machinery. Every part of her was made by hand. I remember going to Maldon in Essex with templates of the woodwork to get the timber cut to size. Then we shaped it by hand. Three of us worked on her for nearly five months and my pay was under £3 a week. Every Saturday Lord Dunhill came to the yard in his chauffeur-driven car and handed out cigarettes and, on one occasion, pipes. When she was finished, she had cost His Lordship £1,500. Having no slipway, George and Eric, with some helpers, dragged her down the hill, through the local car park and manhandled her over the sea wall next to one of the Bastions and into the water. They went on board with the fuel, the twin Morris Commodores started first time and Lord Dunhill’s boat was on its way.”

You can view the launching on this link – can you just imagine the health & safety / police / city council nazi’s if you tried to do this today 🙂

WOODYS LOVE A RAILWAY HAUL OUT

A nice line up of woodys out at The Slipway, Milford. L>R – Maroro, Raindance, Te Hauraki

PLEASE RSVP FOR THE ABOVE WOODY EVENT – NEXT SUNDAY (23/05) – LOCATION IS 606 ROSEBANK ROAD, AVONDALE – RSVP TO waitematawoodys@gmail.com