Wakatu – A Peek Down Below
Wakatu was launched in Dec 1976, her hull was built by Des Scott & then finished off by her first owners – Ron & Mary McGehan.
Now if she looks like a Roy Parris design, that would because her designer, Graeme Bronlund had worked for Roy 😉
You can read / see more at this link to her previous ww story https://waitematawoodys.com/2017/08/23/wakatu/
Thanks to Ian McDonald for the trademe listing heads up.
Mystery Launch – 03-05-2018
The above photo is from Lew Redwood’s fb page & dated 31 March 1947 & is caption “Mr Tappenden on a launch”
Can we ID the boat & supply anymore details?
Input from Ken Ricketts
Ken tells us the launch was called the Hoturoa & origiallhy had a large petrol engine ( either a Sterling or Kermath c200hp). She had an older style coamings style, which were replaced in the late 1930s or early1940s, with that you see in the image. She was built by Colin Wild for Alf Court & launched in December 1934 (photo below), & by 1946/47 was owned by a Doctor Horton, of Mission Bay, & had a little 4 cyl Graymarine petrol engine, but she had retained the original huge exhaust pipe out the port corner of the tuck.
He did winter maintenance at Okahu Bay hardstand, as did my family on Juliana, we got to know him, & his daughter, quite well. He had her for several years selling her around the earlyish 1950s.
I lost track of her until her 1990s, when she appeared at Mangonui, adjacent to the road by the Mangonui Fish Shop. She was there for several years again, & still looking as she did in 1946. I inspected her c1998, when she was at Kaingaroa (Northland) (a few Kms., from Mangonui, on the way to Awanui,) — for maintenance & had a look inside. By then she had a 6 cyl Nissan diesel painted light iridescent blue. She was still in fairly tidy & good condition.
Not too long after she went back in the water, one night when she was on her moorings she burnt to the waterline & sank, there were lots of local rumours, about the reason for the fire & her demise.
A beautiful little Colin Wild classic, which on this occasion, in my view, was made even better by her second set of coamings. she is a really sad loss to our classic fleet.
RELIANCE
The above photo of the motorboat Reliance came to me from Keith Humphrey’s collection of old Auckland photos.
The gent in the bow, looks ‘The Boss’ being delivered somewhere.
Does anyone know anything about the boat & what became of her?
Harold Kidd Input – This RELIANCE was built by Bailey & Lowe in June 1905 as a “commuter ferry”. She was 22′ x 5’9″ x 2’6″ and had a 2.5hp Hercules engine. Although this image is clearly on her trial trip in Auckland with, I think, Walter Bailey amidships, I’m sure she was built for A. Billing of Thames.
GLENARAY
Glenaray was built by Ship Builders in 1942, is 36’ & gets pushed along by a 1970 Ford 180hp diesel.
Her owner is selling her due to lack of use, but there is a twist – if she doesn’t sell by 5th May, she is booked to be transported to Hamilton on the 7th of May and stored in a shed to rip inside out. Thanks to Ian McDonald for the listing heads-up
So woodys if you are interested, move fast. Her Whangamata marina berth is available for $325 a month, sure beats Bayswater………..
Photo below (off old 8mm film) ex Ken Ricketts 1958, when owned by Vince Noton.
AS FOUND
RESTORATION STAGE ONE
NOW PHOTOS
SEA BEE – Part 2
The launch See Bee recently appeared on WW & interest was expressed in her background & what had happened to her – link to the previous WW story is here https://wordpress.com/post/waitematawoodys.com/33451
I have broken the photos into 3 sections – As Found > Restoration Stage One – As She Is Today. The first two photo groups are from her current owner, Rick Coster & the current photos are ex Ken Ricketts. Ken also scanned a lot of the older images from prints.
Post the 1st ww story, boat builder Colin Brown alerted Ken to the fact that Sea Bee was alive & well on her owner’s property at Point Wells & in the final stages of a 8+ year restoration.
Rick Coster is by trade an engineer, just check out the engine / drive installation photos, & he bought Sea Bee off Phillip Waye approx. 10 years ago, Waye had her on a private property at Whangaparaoa, but only owned her for approx. 1 year. He had bought her from an unknown yard in Silverdale.
Ken commented that he recalls seeing her in the 1980’s or early 1990’s on the Te Atatu Boat Club hardstand, & believes she had sat there for a number of years & had also spent time on a pile mooring at TBC. Her owner had got too old to care for her any longer, but had loved fishing & used to go out very regularly, for many days at a time, & bring back lots of fish, in an extensive refrigeration system she had onboard. Ken also recalls Sea Bee from back to the very early 1950’s when he was mooching around the Kawau Island area, & believes she looked almost identical to how she looks today. She had 2 engines in that era, with stern exhausts, not the 2 top stacks with truck mufflers, seen in the above photos. She now has a new side exhaust out the starboard side.
The photos show that Rick has done an amazing amount of work on Sea Bee & while not following the traditional classic look with her new interior fit-out, she will be, when launched, a very practical woody.
A summary of the work – below:
Given that she is kauri planked, with South Island beech ribs, & a pohutukawa stem, which Colin Brown scarfed a new section into, the suggestions in the original WW story that she was an imported Chris Craft cannot be correct – that does not rule out a kiwi knock off 🙂
04-05-2018 Update from Grant Renall
“It is great to find out more history about Grandad Redges boat Seabee and have talked to my father again about what happened to her after she blew up.the whole cabin top was blown off and sides off the hull were extensively damaged worst being the left hand side.when back on the hard at the garage he owned seabee was completely gutted,dad and uncle Don went to Awhitu and found a kauri partially cut up which was 30 ft long by 2 ft by 8 or 9 inches thick which he formed to make the runners, excuse my limited timber boat building jargon.then they found a piece of pohutakawa branch with the right bend to cut up to form the chines .to shape these right he recalls took a lot of work for an engineer /mechanic and riveted in?.all the ribs were replaced with kauri ones which he made a steam press for the task.Dad and Uncle Don got the job of fitting these after school.The cross beams were made from Tanekaha and fitted snuggly together Dad recallsHe had plenty of kauri which was used for the extension and rebuild.He said they painted arsenic all throughout the hull and can remember it stinging his hands and eyes,amazing he is still alive .he had a look at the new photos posted and likes the look of her now and would like to see her when finished as I would.Dad reckons he wagged school and cycled to john burns to buy the steering wheel and a hand basin amongst other things during the rebuild.Seabee was purchased from Easton products limited when a year or two old who told them she came in from the states as deck cargo the boat was a freighter perhaps taking troops back.Colin Brown reckons not but with all the rebuild who knows,I will try and find out more as Dad is moving soon and I will look at Grandads records if he still has them,thanks Grant Renall ps Colin was the youngest and moved to a farm in Waimauku with the family in reply to someones comment.”
RIP MOLLIE
Sad to report that the 1911, 39’ Lane Motor Boat Co. built – Mollie, sank off Stanmore Bay over the weekend, in the storm. Not sure if she was beached but I understand she has had 2 tides over her, so not good. Thanks to Nathan Herbert for the fb heads up.
You can view photos & read more on her past at the WW link below – make sure you read the comments section — https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/03/07/mollie/
Can anyone update us?
UPDATE at 2.00pm today (photos ex Ken Rickets)
I HOPE SOMEONE SAVED THIS
Update 2 – ex Ken Ricketts
Ken has just sent in the photos below of the remains of Mollie hauled out on the ramp at Stanmore Bay.
In discussion with her owner, Ken uncovered that:
Update3 01-05-2018 ex Ken Ricketts –
Ken discovered that Mollie was completely copper sheathed below the waterline. The only good news is the owner has saved the section of her bow with the name on it & will restore as a memento.
SHEMARA
The photo above shows the ketch Shemara being launched in Wellington 0n the 9th August 1958, it looks a very miserable day – the wee girl I’m sure would rather be elsewhere. Photo ex Lew Redwood > fb.
Do we know what became of Shemara?
Input below from Gavin Pascoe
I own Sherama. She’s moored at Clyde Quay Wellington. 23′ LOA but feels more like 26 or 28′. She was Roydon Thomas’s first design. Built by Frank Ballinger. That’s him with his two sons Peter and Trevor, who are both still active boating in Wellington. She’s an awesome boat, Australian hardwood to the waterline, Alaskan cedar above. There’s footage of her being hauled up to Grafton Road prior to her launching (plus other cool footage) here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hSB9RWMMlw&t=29s. Many, many stories go with both the boat and Roydon Thomas. Stories of Roydon Thomas’ exploits are legion. Some clean ones may be read here: https://thomasfamilyhistorynz.wordpress.com/
Shemara was never ketch rigged. People would call her a sloop as she carries one main and one jib at a time. However her mast is stepped quite well aft in comparison with most sloops, and therefore strictly speaking is more accurately described as a cutter. Though I’m no expert in the finer points of these matters: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10155263975080674&set=pcb.10155263977035674&type=3&theater and https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10155191194915674&set=pcb.10155191195575674&type=3&theater
And speaking of miserable days – the November 1963 photo below of the Oriental Bay boat harbour in Wellington, is proof of why they build such sturdy vessels so down there 🙂
Not often a classic woody graces the cover of a NZ boating mag
When you are out & about, pick up a copy of the May issue of Boating NZ, they feature Laughing Lady, post launching at the Mahurangi Regatta. Great story & photos. You can see / read about her restoration > launching at the link below (lots of links to stories). There is also a feature on my boat builder friend, Geoff Bagnall, another great reason to grab a copy 😉
LAUGHING LADY – 1949 33’ USA LUDERS – COMMUTER / SPORT MOTOR BOAT REFURBISHED IN NEW ZEALAND
LORNA DOONE
The game fishing boat Lorna Doone has been mentioned in numerous WW stories but I have never had a photo – thanks to Lew Redwood we now do.
She is pictured above at the Black Rocks, Bay of Islands. The photo was taken by Tudor Collins.
Lorna Doone is a sister ship to Otehei, Alma G (the first of the Collings & Bell clones) & Manaaki. All were powered by Redwing engines & were capable of 16 knots.
For comparison below is a photo of Alma G, off Cape Brett.
Input from Martin Howson – In the late 50’s both Lorna Doone and Matareka 11 were moored in the Tamaki River at Bucklands Beach L D was owned and operated by a Des Shimanski and M was owned and operated by Rex Sly both vessels were long lining at that time, great to see that both remain both , Des’s son Brian went on produce Briski propellors .On one occasion Lorna Doone came ashore on Hooks Bay on Waiheke with a big easterly blowing and Bert Surbritski with Romo would not tow her home because he knew that he would lose her on the way home with her riding up on the tow and dropping back with a heavy shock load. It was always rumoured that LD had the end of a sword fish bill through her bottom planking beneath the cockpit sole, I never saw it myself.
Some Advice Sought
I have been approached by Graeme Finch the owner of Te Arahi looking for some advice on his name boards (see below). They have a paint effect that appears to have been done to look like a varnish finish. The name / letters are done in gold – which Graeme believes is gold leaf given how well they have weathered.
Graeme is intending to paint the edges white, and would like to find someone who understands the “brown paint that looks like varnish aspect” to touch up the front surface – it’s not too bad at present, but he wants to attend to it before it becomes a major.
So in summary he is trying to preserve the gold leaf lettering so hoping to leave the lettering in place and work around it touching up those small areas, which have started to deteriorate – rather than removing everything and starting again.
So woodys anyone know the paint/varnish effect & who might do a small job like this?
My initial thought was it might be aged Cetol? A horrible product.
Mystery Launch 27—4-2018
I was recently contacted by Brad (surname unknown), the new owner of the above woody, who is looking for more info the launch.
What we know is that he bought her off Manda Bishop who bought the boat off her cousin in Kaiwaka. Manda owned her approx. 2 years. Under Manda’s ownership she was located at Wainui.
She is 30’ long, with a 9’ beam. Zoom zoom is via a Ford Lee marine, Model 2712 E, 4-cylinder motor.
The photos below of the decals, found on the boat, may help with ID’ing her.
Brad has re-located the launch to Pahi, where he will be restoring her.
Are we able to shed some more light on this woody?
CYA ANZAC DAY REGATTA 2018
Raindance was overdue a run so I decided to head out yesterday afternoon & catch the start of the CYA / PCC ANZAC Day Regatta. The photos are from the pre-start > start & a wee bit of racing. A used a long lens, as I wanted to stay out of the start area.
A stunning day for woody boating, but I have to say – excluding the A Division, the turn out was a little RS.
The day had every thing going for it – late start, sun, wind & a good post race gig at PCC, seems some people most be suffering the boating equivalent of cabin fever.
Enjoy the photos – remember to click photos to enlarge 😉
The yacht below – Time, is a marina neibour of mine – a very salty vessel, & equally stunning down below.
MATIRA
Matira, the 1956 Collings & Bell woody, has featured on WW many times before & is what I call a lucky boat, lucky in that her owner has an appreciation for classic woodys & spends what is needed to keep her in spectacular condition.
Due to personal reasons, Matira is now for sale & in my eyes would be the best classic wooden launch on the market.
Over the last 2 ½ years she has had a rolling re-fit that has included re-powering with twin Yanmar 110hp diesels & numerous other significant mechanical work.
The mechanical work has been matched by just about new everything inside. For more details, view the trademe listing (link below) , from where todays photos come from.
https://www.trademe.co.nz/a.aspx?id=1596072305&tm=email&et=47&mt=16373835-5D
The photo below was sent to me by Bryce Strong, a previous owner of Matira, & shows her sporting a steadying sail –
25-07-2022 Input from Sam Harris (son of past owner – Peter Harris)
Peter Harris purchased Matira in 1993 from Herald Island area, Auckland.
Vessel was steamed to Tauranga for refuel then onto Gisborne as a Live aboard and Charter vessel. Peter a Electrician and Electrical Inspector installed Ship Shore 230v system and operated Matira for sight seeing and xmas parties, hens nights and even a funeral at Sea scattering ashes. Matira had many trips up and down the east coast visiting Napier and other harbours
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