ALPHA A90 ( Arrow Class) – Sailing Sunday

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ALPHA A90 ( Arrow Class) – Sailing Sunday
I have been contacted by Adam Akehurst who is Interested in what us woodys knows about the Arrow class sailing dinghy. Adam is currently restoring A90 – Alpha. Progress photos attached. Wood working done, interior nearly done, soon time to turn it over and sort the outside ready for summer.

All Adam can find on the class is that they are a Jack Logan design from circa 1950 and that until recently the class seems to have been based at Glendowie but interest seems to have died out a few years ago in favour of the Mistral. Also interested in what else Jack Logan designed. I have heard he had a boatshed at Mangawhai at some stage.

The historic photo of Alpha above on the beach (date unknown) shows her rigged for a gennaker on a fairly long prod. Adam assumes this is a later class development and that they originally flew a symmetrical kite.

Adam hasn’t been able to find many photos of the class online, so is interested in seeing anything ww have.

07-08-2017 Update from Adam. Project finished – see below. Stunning

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Check The Video Link Below Out – If you thought the commute to work was bad, these guys are mad 🙂

Kaikoura in the B.O.I.

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Kaikoura in the B.O.I.
The above launch is pictured above anchored in the Bay of Islands, Dean Wright scanned the image from ‘old’ film but is unaware of the boats name.
Anyone able to ID her & provide some history on the vessel ?

Update: Vessel has been ID’ed as the 1952 built launch Kaikoura. Lots of chat in the WW Comments section & photos at the link below

Kaikoura

03-09-2017 – Updated photos below ex owner of 25 years – Peter Jones, via Ken Ricketts. Peter bought her off the Bridgeford family & this would make him only her 3rd owner.
She still has her 2 x 510 cu. in. 165 h.p .V8 Perkins diesels.

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Tautane (>Centaurus)

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Serenity

TAUTANE (>Centaurus)

The above photo of Tautane was sent to me by her owner Clare Robinson, Clare is hoping that we can uncover more on her past.

What we know is that she is a Miller & Tunnage, completed in 1945 or 1946, operated as fishing vessel for a time and then was purchased by the Napier Harbour Board as their pilot boat and renamed Tautane. Sometime during her tenure there, a Detroit 6-71 manufactured in 1963 was fitted to replace a lower power Gardner.

She was purchased by Colin Davenport in about 1993 and was used to ferry guests out to Endeavour Inlet in Queen Charlotte Sound and for day fishing and diving charters. Colin added the canopy.

Clare bought her in June 2017 and is in the process of converting her to a live-a-board.

The photo shows Tautane as she is currently, sitting at Picton wharf next to the ferry terminal in May 2017. Clare has advised the boat is now named – Serenity.

Do we have any more information on? Russell W you must be able to help?

Input from Russell Ward – below are two photos of the ship one as originally launched – Centaurus and the other being used as she should be. More details in the ww Comments Section.

Update 15-05-2020 Line drawings below sent in by Murray Wikinson. Brian Engliss ex Miller & Tunnage foreman sent them to Brian years ago. Andrew Miller of St Leonards designed the hull for Miller & Tunnage. Murray owns a near sistership “Golden Light”.

Serenity (ex Tautane)

Knoxie

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KNOXIE
The above photo of Knoxie shows her when Fullers in the Bay of Islands owned her. Ray Morey who commented that she got her name from her engine at the time, a 4 cylinder ‘Knox’, sent the photo to me. I understand they also made trucks in the 1920’s.
Harold Kidd has given Ray her history but along the way he has lost it, so hopefully Harold will repeat it for us 🙂

Input from Harold Kidd

KNOXIE was built by Brown & Dalton in Mt Eden in late 1911 and sold to R.J. Acheson, Stipendiary Magistrate at Russell, in June 1912. She was shipped north on a scow. Fullers bought her from Acheson and converted her to a workboat. That work was probably done by Leon Warne who is sometimes credited as her builder, Her engine was a Knox twin cylinder two stroke of nominal 15hp., hence her name. Fullers had installed an Ailsa Craig by 1933.
Knox built cars and trucks at Springfield Massachusetts until about 1924.

Tamahere – A Peek Down Below

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TAMAHERE – A Peek Down Below

Tamahere last appeared on WW back in 2014 (link below), now thanks to a trademe listing we get to see down below.
She is 40′ long & powered by a 85hp Isuzu diesel that pushes her along at 6>8 knots. Its claimed she was built in 1903.

Back in 2014 we were unable to uncover any details on her, there lots of thousands of more WW readers these days, so hopefully we can unearth more on her.
Thanks to Ian McDonald for the listing heads up.

See / read more here    https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/03/17/tamahere/

18-04-2018 ‘New’ Photos below ex trademe

 

Willie-O

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WILLIE-O

Another photo from Dean Wright, taken in the late 1980’s at Russell in the Bay of Islands. This time its of the classic wooden game launch – Willie-O.

Who can enlighten us more on this beauty?

03-07-2017 Update & photos below from Michael Best (owner)
Willie Oliver built the Willie O in Tauranga approx 1974. He used her as a charter boat for a couple of years out of Tutukaka. Robin Cutfield from Tutukaka then used her for charter work for many years in the Bay of Islands.
Michael has owned the Willie O for approx 11 years. The enclosed fly Bridge was on her when I bought her (can’t blame him for that – Alan H) Willie O is approx 41 feet long, 13ft beam and 4ft draft. Power is from a 3208 Cat 210 hp. Hull is ship plank kauri with mahogany cabins sides.

 

Lake Rotoiti Barn Find Restoration

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Lake Rotoiti Barn Find Restoration

Alan Craig the Lake Rotoiti boat builder (Craig Marine) dropped me a note the other day to say that he was restoring the about boat. She would have to win the WW barn find prize 🙂 Her story goes like this – has be in a shed on a farm in Rotoma for the last ten odd years. Built in 1928, 24′ in length, appears to be to a USA Hacker Craft design or most likely copied, she is in fact not to dissimilar to Malolo.
It has been owned by Peter Davies and was his Fathers boat from near new. Details Alan has been told about her history: Built in Picton by Vic & Clarrie Olson? (Scandinavian or Swiss?). Built for a Mr Stocker then brought by Mr Davies in 1930, it was sold a while later and brought back again by Mr Davies once the wool price lifted and in 1950 an old, but still new, 1938 Osco marine flathead V8 went in it and is still there now. Alan thinks it was sold once again then found by Peter and brought back to Rotoma.

There is a Hacker Craft step pad fitted to her (the only reference to Hacker Craft) but this could easily have been a later addition. The plans are to rebuild the engine and try get a bit more than the supposed 90hp out of it. Apparently they didn’t get much speed out of it but looks like pretty small prop set up.

This will be a great project to follow – Alan is keen confirm / learn more about her past so if any woodys can help, please comment.

Now Alan’s not a man to run things up the flag pole, chatting on-line he says ” speaking of projects, should probably show you the Chris Craft we just finished” – totally blew we away – amazing project. I’ll run a story on her soon.

Update ex Alan Craig – Alan found the below under the fore-deck – D Jennings?

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WAIATA II – Sailing Sunday II

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WAIATA II – Sailing Sunday
Waiata II was Snow Waters personal yacht, designed by Alan Mummery, and launched in 1971 /2 – Alan Sexton gave me the heads up on the trademe listing & Alan commented that remembers seeing her around Waiheke Island on their first summer on Tarata.

She was featured in Sea Spray August 1971 whilst under construction. The feature noted that Snow was looking for waterline length, in the Innismarra (or even further back William Garden’s Oceanus) style, ie long (55′) and narrow.

She is single skin strip planked kauri glued with steam bent ribs. No doubt with the 6 cyl. Ford she motors at a good pace too.

Waiata II has been owned by current owner for 41 years in NZ, with the last 3 years being based in the Australian East Coast, where she is 4sale. The current location making her perfect for someone wanting to cruise the Queensland Coast, Whitsundays or further north.

05-01-2025 – INPUT ex RICHARD LOCK  – It was brought to my attention that the grandson of the long term owner of Waiata II was trying to locate her.This image might assist. New years day 2026.

Yesterdays Quiz Winner – WW T-Shirt

Mr M Deeble – proof that the early bird does catch the worm, with his 6.00ish entry 🙂

Lady Doreen – Win a WW T-Shirt

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Lady Doreen @ Russell

Lady Doren a

Lady Doreen – Win a WW T-Shirt

As mentioned yesterday, Dean Wright also sent in the above two photos from the Snook Fullers collection. In the 1st photo we see Lady Doreen coming into weigh two marlin at Russell (the anglers left to right in the cockpit Ist guy unknown, WG Sherman, Bill Pocklington, Emmet Olsen, 5th guy is the deckie, name unknown).
In the 2nd photo with the 3 kingfish over the side – I’ll give a WW t-shirt to the first woody that can name the Maori gent standing on the left in the cockpit. Answers only via the WW comments section. (If you have won one already, you are out of luck)

31-07-2017 Update – In the comments section Lindsay suggested that the mystery person could have been Kura Beale, it wasn’t – the correct answer was Matt Rata. But Dean Wright sent me the photo below of Kura weighing in a thresher shark.

Kura Beale

 

 

Bay of Islands Game Fishing Fleet

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Bay of Islands Game Fishing Fleet

Woody Dean Wright was given access to some of Snook Fullers super-8 film that showcased big game fishing in the Bay of Islands. Dean edited all the fish out and made the movie clip below of the wooden boats Snook captured. A very impressive collection of craft.
I assume all (most) of you are able to view youtube movies?– if you are not, drop me an email, I would hate to think a lot of you were missing out. waitematawoodys@gmail.com

I have 2 great Lady Doreen B.O.I. photos from Dean which I will post on Saturday & run a wee promo for the first person to name a passenger in the boat 😉 WW t-shirt for the winner.