ARAWA
The above 45′ Gladden pilot house bridge-decker was built in 1972. Powered by twin Ford 180hp diesels that get her along at 10>14 knots. Thats about all I know, photos ex trademe.
Can anyone put a name to her & some history? (see comments section – lots of info there )
Sorry about the poor image used as the main photo but that was all there was available.
Photos below ex Brian Worthington & Ken Ricketts
TAWERA 1935 LOGAN – A18
Tawera was launched on 30th December, 1935. Tawera was designed by Arch Logan and built by Colin Wild of Stanley Bay, Devonport. Her first race was the Auckland Anniversary Regatta in January 1936.
She was Arch Logans last big cutter, measuring almost 50 feet on deck and the culmination of a number of racing keelers built at that time. As the largest of the more modern keelers from Arch Logans drawing board she represented the very best in design development and to this day still epitomises all of the racing winning and wholesome sea keeping abilities of Arch Logans designs.
Tawera is immaculate and has been extensively restored and is now considered one of the finest examples of the a keeler of the pre-WWII era. Her owner is one of the Classic Yacht Associations most loyal members & has loved her as a Logan should be & spared nothing on her maintenance & restoration. She is for sale & is I believe amazing value for money.
Her recent restoration was to the highest specification which includes the building of a new spruce mast to the original specs, new Volvo Penta engine, and redevelopment of the saloon, galley, heads and fore cabin. A new wooden spinnaker pole and wooden turning blocks on deck as well as an all new sail wardrobe consisting of Mainsail, #1, #2 genoas, asymmetric and conventional spinnakers.
Anyone interested in acquiring one of, if not, the best Logan a float could contact me on waitematawoodys@gmail.com & I’ll pass details on to the owner 🙂
MOANANUI
Moananui was launched in 1950, is 28′, carvel built from kauri & powered by a 1970 60hp Ford (Ebro) diesel. Thanks to Ian McDonald for the trademe heads up 🙂
Anyone able to supply more details on her?
Lady VIE
The above photos were sent in by Nathan Herbert, along with the questions – who is she & who built her – not often that Nathan draws a blank so keen to ID this launch & learn something about her past.
Once again Auckland was spared the worst of the weather predicted from ‘Cyclone’ Cook, there are some +’s to the high rates we pay. Must be time to go boating………. well maybe soon.
Update – Thanks to Ken Ricketts sending in the below photos (c.1939) from the Tudor Collins collection (Auckland Museum) we now know the boat is the Lady VI, so now woodys – who built her & where is she today?
Woody On Tour
Ross Dawson sent in the above collection of woodys from the Havelock Marina. In Ross’s words he is “currently touring around the Mainland, and taking any opportunity (when Mrs Tourist is otherwise distracted) to mooch about marinas and wharves to take pics of ‘interesting’ wooden boats.”
Great to see Gleniffer again – click link to see/read more about her, particularly Harold Kidd’s comments https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/04/11/glenifer/#comments.
Can we ID > provide more details on any of the other boats?
Home Needed – Seacraft Run-about
While out & about Mori Flapan came across the interesting small clinker runabout above, in a café at Rawene in Northland.
It is 12.4′ long and has a steering wheel marked ‘Seacraft Ltd, Auckland’. The history of the Sea Craft Ltd company can be found at http://www.mmsc.co.nz/history Makes for some interesting reading, particularly Yeoman Lionel Sands’ story, and the introduction of fibreglass.
The boat originally was an inboard, but the engine has been removed and transom cut to mount an outboard. However, a rudder with the boat looks like it might have been original.
The café owner told Mori that she is looking to dispose of the boat in the near future. She has had plenty of offers from locals to take the boat and use it as a garden ornament filled with soil and plants, but she hopes that the boat might have a better fate.
If there is anyone interested in the boat, contact Mori at mflapan@gmail.com & he will pass details on to the cafe.
LEONARDO
Leonardo started life in 1960 as a fishing trawler, last of Island Bay Italian fishing fleet. She has fished Cook Straight, Nelson, D’urville island and Marlborough Sounds. Has been moored in Purau for the last 20 years. Measuring 21′, carvel planked kauri and powered by a 20hp Ford diesel, Leonardo is a very pretty little ship that has had major work done on her & now is looking for an enthusiastic new owner.
Situated currently in Christchurch, at 21′ you could easily truck her anywhere in NZ. (Asking price is $6k)
Do we know any more about her? the work boat group must be able to chip in.
![Nor'west with [Te] Atatu (1919), Lochmara Lodge mooring 1 Jan 2008.](https://waitematawoodys.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/norwest-with-te-atatu-1919-lochmara-lodge-mooring-1-jan-2008.jpg?w=584)
NOR’WEST
Nor’West is one of 2 identical boats built by Lane’s at Panmure circa 1948-50, Nor’West & Sou’East, given the year of their design, they had a very futuristic, low, sleek, appearance.
Both were used extensively for game fishing for many years. You can read more here in the comments section https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/04/27/nor-west/
I was sent the above photos dated 2007/2008 by Frank Stoks who crewed on her back them.
The photos below are from Brian Worthington.
Input from owner Daryl Brighouse – edited by AH
“I own Nor’West, when I bought her in Picton she was a little sad with very tired Ford diesels (two of the 1,000 units imported by Lees Marine ex Germany – and apparently the very first of the overhead cam diesels – now with no parts available world wide so magnificent anchor projects) I have recently replaced the engines with Nissans and at the same time replaced the vee drives that were well past use by date with decent American units. The rest of the vessel is absolutely solid and as good as the day she was built. Based in Havelock now she is still a very pretty and well founded much treasured vessel.
The external fibreglassing on the cabin and some parts of the internal fine paint job had unfortunately covered up patches of dry rot / black water disintegration … in the extended coamings – looks as if, while the original coaming materials were kauri and in perfect condition, oregon or similar had been used to do the extension and end grain water ingress did the damage on the very course grain timber. The silastic put into the hull instead of putty no doubt looked good when first completed however turned into a disaster after a season with all planks and joins showing badly and the silastic peeling out while under way. With putty replacing the silastic and professionally painted she is starting to look as she should. However I am really pleased to say that the heavy work is now done and only the cosmetic touch ups on the coamings and interior are left for me to play with this season / winter – which I do get a great deal of pleasure out of pottering around with, she is a fabulous vessel, handles magnificently and very comfortable. I remembered her as a child sailing in the Bay of Islands watching her thunder past with her nose in the air and stern well tucked down.
Any details from past owners would be well received.
QUEST – Sailing Sunday
Mid-week we were lucky to have a peep at some of Peter Midgley’s fathers photo collection, that show the launch Kenya & the Joe Slattery boat shed. I asked Peter if he could share with us anymore of Eric Midgley’s photos & today we have the yacht Quest, built at the Vos yard for a Mr Wood of Devonport.
The top photo shows the launching on 10 December 1936, Peter commented that this photo of the exact moment a lady christens Quest has always fascinated him as a great moment frozen in time. Eric is third from the left with his arms folded. The man in uniform far left appears to be a St Johns person, did they have then at launchings in case of accidents? The man next to him with pen & paper in hand is perhaps a reporter for the “Star” or “Herald”. Then a lady in a heavy overcoat & umbrella, looks like a wet day in December.
Then the man far right also with umbrella “Photo Bombing” the photo.
Unfortunately the lady doing the honours, is blocking our view of the man holding the sledge hammer, Peter has an identical one in his dad’s toolbox.
Then the real character of this photo, the lady with a piece of paper in her hand having just read some words, with an expression of surprise as liquid sprays back towards her. Perhaps she is the wife of the owner – Mr Woods?
You have to love the way two planks of wood balancing on two saw horses is sufficient for the lady to stand on, no health & safety in those days!
The bottom photo of Quest moored presumably after launching.
As a footnote in the Percy Vos book, ‘Launching Dreams’, it states Eric Midgley worked at the Vos yard from 1937 to 1938 & only worked on the ‘Korea’ but Peter thinks he was there in 1936 working on the Quest. He went on to work at the Devonport Dockyard throughout the war & built the sailing dinghy ‘Kiwi’ in 1947, the NZ Navys gift to Princess Elizabeth & Prince Phillip for their wedding. Link here
It would be great if any woodys could identify people in this photo.
Input from Harold Kidd
QUEST was a design by Dr. Harrison Butler (he of the metacentric shelf) built by Percy Vos (with one S) in December 1936 for L.M. (Milton) Wood of Devonport. His brother Lincoln had the Butler-designed 22 footer MEMORY built by Fred Mann in 1930. She’s very English in her lines (and all the better for that).
As to the people my guess is, from left, A St John’s “Zambuck” who used to be present at Rugby matches (and possibly launchings if they were yachties, as many were), W.A. (Wilkie) Wilkinson of the Auckland Star, Vos employee, the matriarch Mrs Sarah Wood, Milton and his wife/fiancee not sure when they married), Lincoln being silly. There was a multitude of Wood brothers and sisters, so the latter could any one of the other brothers.
LAZEALON
Doug Tutill sent in the above photo of the launch Lazealon that was owned by his father Arthur TutillI. Doug is curious to try and find out if Lazealon still exists & what became of her over the years.
Arthur Tutill had a great interest in boats and crewed on Val Masefields Thetis and the Nuns brothers champion H18 mullet boat, Corona.
Arthur was also secretary and commodore of Ponsonby Cruising Club. He bought Lazealon fully equipped in 1936 and sold her to a J.Shaw in Mangere in 1942. In the time he owned her, he cruised and fished the gulf extensively.
20-04-2017 Input from Keith Turner
Arthur Tutill (AJ Tutill Carriers, green trucks, still operating today) purchased Lazealon I think from Colin Wilde who built and launched her in 1936. Arthur used Lazealon until 1942. I don’t know the history between 1942 to 1947’.
1947 saw a new engine, a Morris Navigator, (Morris Cowley block) installed. The name was changed to Lone Star, and had a forward cabin built over the engine.
Easter 1965 Del Whitcombe found Lone Star lying clear of the tide beside Tim Lees shed at Sandspit. Del towed her to Milford and slipped her on the Milford Cruising Club slip where he recaulked her. We purchased Lone Star from the slip. After using her for a season we replaced the Navigator with a 60hp Fordson purchased from Don Tillesly in 1966. We installed the motor from the Inga Rd bridge. I removed the wheelhouse to make Lone Star look more original and fitted a mast. This engine was still in her when we sold her in 1976 to Alan Underwood who owned her for 2 years.
Alan sold her to 2 pilots, who sold her (I think) to Barry Johnson, then (I think) to Max Leech who took her to South Head. Then Lone Star was sold to Merv Brown in Paihia.
Next I heard Lone Star was sold to Vern Tonks around Feb 2006, and moored in Whangaruru where she was rammed by a runabout leaving a hole 1200 x 1200 and sank. She is now being restored in Whangarei by Steve Ekman.
BETTER THAN A BEEHIVE RESTORATION
Sadly a lot of your old wooden boat end up either in a land fill or as firewood (set alight with a box of beehive matches) – the one below morphed into a rather cool cabin/ shed. I missed the listing on trademe, probably just as will because if I had bought it, there would have been trouble on the home front 😉
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