Corona

Posted on by
14
Approximately mid 60’s at Torrent Bay

 

CORONA
photos & details ex Peter Campbell

Corona was built by G.Curnow & M.V. Wilton in Nelson & launched at the beginning of 1938.
She was built for H.I. Dimock who sold Corona typewriters in Nelson, hence the name of the vessel.
Peter’s grandfather purchased the boat approximately mid 1940’s & she has stayed in the family since. 70 years of ownership is very impressive. Her specs are – 38′ LOA, Beam 10′, Draft 3′ 9″ & with 6′ Headroom.
The hull is kauri carvel construction & her original engine was a petrol Chrysler Ace. These days powered by a Ford diesel 2725E, which sees her cruising at 8 – 9 knots, max 11knots.

Peter reports that Corona is a very comfortable, economical boat & perfect for the use it gets now, Abel Tasman, D’urville Island & the Marlborough Sounds.

Legend has it Corona was featured in a NZ boating magazine in February 1938 page 9. Does anyone know what magazine?. Peter love a copy of the article or better still would anyone a copy of the magazine they would part with. So woodys – can anyone help ID the magazine &/or supply a scan of the article / or the magazine?

TURAKINA – Sailing Sunday

Posted on by
2

TURAKINA – Sailing Sunday
photos & detail ex Danvers Devereaux via Shane Anderson

Turakina is a very lucky boat, designed by Arnold ‘Bill’ Couldrey,  she started life being built in 1949 by Danvers uncle (Leo H Clarke) under his family home in Mt Eden. She is double skin kauri – 30′ / 8′ / 5′, the timber was actually a wedding gift.
Turakina is a sister ship to Tuirangi (C35). Bill Couldrey was a protege of Arch Logan. These 2 vessels look like clones of Tawera and Gypsy.

Leo sold her approx. 20 years ago, then 5 years ago Danvers found her for sale on trademe, in a very poor state, Danvers alerted his step-father Les & his pal Phil Rice to the sale & they jumped at the chance of getting her back. That was the 1st piece of luck, the 2nd was that her new owners chose Peter Brookes to do a complete 2 & 1/2 year restoration on her, the full monty –  from the keel up and cabin off.

The relaunch of Turakina featured on ww (link here)  https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/10/12/turankina/
Todays post shows some of the early build & sailing photos + her recent restoration. Enjoy 🙂

 

Navy (Admirals) Barge

Posted on by
19

Navy (Admirals) Barge
photo & details ex Ken Ricketts. edited by Alan H

The above launch was photographed by Ken while recently hauled out at Gulf Harbour for some maintenance. We understand that she is still in use by the Navy & used for cadet training. Built at the Devonport Dockyard, she is 3 skins of timber.
Her specs are – Length 14 metres, beam 4.45 metres, draught 1.2 metres.
She originally had 2 x Perkins Turbo 6 cyl diesels which have been replaced with 2 x D4 Volvos giving her a top speed of 10 knots, which seems rather slow ?

Like most service craft she has had highs & lows e.g. she was used by Princess Di on one of her Royal visits & also discovered some ‘unchartered’ (yeah right) rocks off Tutukaka 2 or 3 years ago on returning from the Bay of Islands.

I’m sure some of the woodys that have spent time in & around the dockyards will be able to expand on what we know about her.

OOPS Photos from Chris Leech

18-12-2015 Photo below ex Chris Leech of the twin Perkins HT6.354M diesels with Borg Warner gearboxes as installed when new.

Ready for re-launch – Feb 2016 – photos ex Ken Ricketts

30-11-2016 Photo of Admirals Barge below ex Jon Trimble via Ken Ricketts.

admirals-barge

Hazel May

Posted on by
11
Hazel May

Hazel May
photo & details from John Burland

Today’s launch, Hazel May resides in Nelson Marina & is owned by Stephen Donar (?), that folks is the extent of what we know. John took the photo while cruising the dock looking for woodys.

So folks can we shed some light on this old girls past?

Update from Geoff Brebner

Not to sure of when she was built but think it was before 1920. She was built (another “I think”) by T. le Huquet for Henry Bronlund (my mothers uncle) who farmed at Stony Bay on the far side of Cape Colville. Named for their eldest daughter Hazel. Stony Bay was very remote at that time and she was their only means of direct communication with Auckland. Kept in a boat shed, she would  be loaded with bales of wool then return with enough provisions to keep them going. She was latterly taken over by son-in law Jack Strongman  of Coromandel and kept there for many years. I think she was originally powered with a Twigg petrol engine. Strongman’s had the agency for Perkins engines so it wasn’t long before she was re-powered. She was very fast with it seeming no limit to her hull speed. Jack and his sons Cyril and Nigel were great tinkerers and innovators and Hazel May could to the trip to Auckland in under two hours. Jack Strongman set up the Strongman Electric Supply Co in 1946 and supplied Coromandel town with electricity until the late 1950’s when Coro was connected to the national grid. Jack’s brother Sam set up the Strongman Shipping Co in 1936 (Wee Pat, Maretana and Coromel). Hazel May was sold to relations in Nelson a number of years  back. Good to see she’s still alive!    🙂

Photo below ex Andrew Pollard ex Classicboatsnz

 

Kawhiti

Posted on by
10

KAWHITI
photos ex Tim Jackson, Russell Ward & Harold Kidd, details ex Russell Ward & Harold Kidd

Tim sent in the above photo of Kawhiti hauled out at The Landing (Okahu Bay) getting some TCL. I’m very happy to see the ‘spoiler’ has vanished 🙂
Kawhiti was built by Collings & Bell in 1952 for D A Wilkie, later owners J M Simpson of Beach Road, Howick (1958). Terry McAvinue owned her from 1968 to 1997 when Harold Kidd took the image below of her in Matiatia.

Kawhiti is powered by a Ford diesel & if the memory is correct was for sale in 2013. I assume she has a new owner, can any of the woodys update us on where she calls home these days & any other info?

 

Lake Taupo Launches

Posted on by
2

Lake Taupo Launches
photo ex Paul Drake

Today’s photo was sent in by Paul ex his brother Roger. Roger collects old Taupo postcards & this one is part of the collection. The post card was tagged ‘Launch Haven, Waikato River, Taupo’.
The recently posted launch ‘Katoa’ can be seen center right, can we ID any of the others?

10-12-2015 Input from Paul Drake

In the stream from the left – KAHURANGI (said to be home built in Hastings – last seen at Mana Marina some years ago being set up as a live-aboard). NGARO (Lidgard?). ARCADIA (said to be a Slattery and still at Taupo but with a different cabin). KATOA.

Moored to the river bank – at far left is KOTAHI (now at Auckland Zoo as previously discussed on ww.) At far right alongside each other are MARY (last seen on the Whanganui River) and HAPPY DAYS.

On the far side of the river above KATOA is NOMAD (previously owned by the Bull family who replaced her with KATOA). NOMAD last heard of at Rotorua.

Lady Joyce (Lady Jane)

Posted on by
12

Lady Joyce (Lady Jane)
photos & details ex Ray Morey

Now last week I did a post on Lady Jane, hauled out at Gulf Harbour, via ww we discovered that Lady Jane was originally named Lady Joyce. Ray sent in a wonderful photo of her being transported on launch day.
As Lady Jane she has been significantly altered (photo below). Ray sent me the two photos above that show Lady Joyce on a picnic cruise, the location is up the Whangamarino river at the junction with the Maramarua river. The people are, from stern – Willy’s sister Mrs. Thelma Nolan, Willie himself, wife Jessie in cabin door, the head behind belongs to Ted Stedger, farm manager, one of the ‘girls’ in the wheelhouse/saloon and on the bow is Barry Logan and his wife-to-be.

Ray asked the question as to how could anyone destroy those beautiful sweeping curves and plant ugly boxes atop that hull. In retrospect ww would have to agree with him, but boats are like houses, they get modified primarily for two reasons (1) to suit the current owners requirements (2) to remain stylish or current i.e. matching the latest design trends. There is no doubt that as launched she was a very smart motorboat & today I’m sure she is a very practical wooden boat, the dilemma people face is ‘do I want a classic wooden boat or an well maintained old wooden boat – from ww’s viewpoint its fantastic that so many people are now restoring some of our old wooden boat fleet back to classic looks.
But as they say – beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, so as long as people are looking after these old girls, ww is happy. One day they might closer match their former beauty.

Now I could have added these photos to the existing ww post but they are just to good to be ‘add-ons’, they show off the beautiful lines of the vessel & lifestyle her owner enjoyed.

Click link to view & read the first ww post on the ‘two’ Lady J’s

Lady Jane (Lady Joyce)

Note: we have already learned that the owner of Lady Jane is considering reverting back to the Lady Joyce name & overtime undertaking some sympathetic restorations 🙂

LADY JANE - GULF HARBOUR 28.11.15 - 1

Update from Ray
Ray sent in the photo below (ex Brian Worthington) that shows Willy’s two eldest daughters, Margaret  and Betty with the tender he built for Lady Joyce. These exquisite little dinghys were built using only two shadow molds. He would knock up one boat inside of a week. It is not in the above cruise photos because Thelma’s husband Thomas would have been in it with the camera.

Recent Photos – Oct2019

CYA Patio Bay BBQ & Xmas Race Weekend 2015

Posted on by
9
Seafarer & Richard Darke
Arohanui
Allergy
Rotomahana
Silens
Freeboard? Lifejackets?
Kailua
Waimiga, Arohanui
Arohanui
Arohanui
Seafarer
Alpheus
Lucille
Allergy
Peg
Margaret & Bert Woolicott, Alan Houghton
Viking
Waitangi on her way to winning
Chris McMullen

CYA Patio Bay Weekend 2015
photos ex Alan Houghton & Fiona Driver

Just back from another spectacular wooden boat weekend at Patio Bay, Waiheke Island. The weather was good for the yacht racing but a little rolly in the bay. This put a few owners off anchoring but most bit the bullet & dropped the pick & were rewarded with another brilliant evening ashore at Margaret & Burt Woolicott’s waterfront bach. It had all the ingredients of a classic kiwi boating function – sun, sand, wood fired BBQ’s, the odd cold beverage, a barrel of rum, fire works & lots of nice people.

The evening was made special by the presentation to Chris McMullen of the CYA Outstanding Achievement Trophy for services to classic boating. See the previous ww post for more details.

Even yours truly got a mention in dispatches – I was the surprised recipient of the 2015 Patio Bay Trust Book Award – for my work on/with setting up this site & ensuring that future generations will be able to better experience our wooden boating history.

Enjoy the photos. Sorry that its light on yachts but conditions did not suit bobbing around in a wee dinghy & by now I hope most people realize that a ‘drive-by’ past Raindance almost always ensures a photo on ww 🙂

Must also mention the  magnificent sight of having Viking sailing in the fleet.

I have posted on the CYA forum photos from the yacht post race prizing giving  – link here

http://classicyacht.org.nz/cyaforum/topic/cya-patio-bay-race-xmas-party-bbq-weekend/

Yacht race results here http://classicyacht.org.nz/sailing/

10-12-2015 Sailing Photos below ex Carolyn Anderson (Waimiga)

Waitangi
Prize?
Waitangi
Rainbow
Seaward
Rainbow

 

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT – CYA Outstanding Achievement Trophy

Posted on by
6
Chris McMullen
Alan Houghton,Baden Pascoe, Chris McMullen, Rod Marler

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT – CYA Outstanding Achievement Trophy

Last night (Dec 5th 2015) at the 2015 CYA Patio Bay weekend BBQ / Xmas party CYA member Chris McMullen was presented with the CYA Outstanding Achievement Trophy for services to classic boating. The trophy has only been presented once before (Haydon Afford).

Now Chris is a regular on ww & has sent most of his life in & around wooden boats. As a founding partner in McMullen & Wing boatbuilders there would not be a medium that Chris has not applied his skills to – wood, steel, alloy & the f word (fiberglass), the great thing is that thru-out his career he has remained true to his passion for wood. Even today Chris  is at the forefront of trying to raise awareness & educate classic wooden boat owners on the issue of electrochemical damage to wood.

There is no other living, New Zealand wooden boat enthusiast more deserving of this award & I was proud to stand alongside Chis when he received the award.

photos ex Fiona Driver 

Manukau Racing – Sailing Sunday

Posted on by
6

Manukau Racing – Sailing Sunday
photos ex Manukau Yacht & Motor Boat Club ex Nathan Herbert

Today’s post shows the start of the Champion/s Cup run by the Manukau Cruising Club in 1929. The bigger yacht in the center of the fleet is A27, photo below.
This post was done via the iphone from Patio Bay on board Raindance, make sure you check in tomorrow for lots of photos from the CYA weekend 😉

Harold Kidd Input

A27 is ANAHERA, built by Robert Logan Sr in August 1893 for D.S. Sutherland of Onehunga as a centreboard cutter. She was a 38 footer, rated at 3.5 tons and by far the biggest yacht on the Manukau.  She was taken over to the Waitemata in late 1919 and eventually registered with the APYMBA as a C Class, C22. She went back to the Manukau in 1924 when bought by the Hammond brothers.A27 is her Manukau number, the “A” her Manukau Cruising Club number and the “27” her Manukau Yacht & Motor Boat Club number.
Back on the Waitemata, in May 1936 she was completely gutted by fire while hauled out on the Tamaki River below the Panmure Bridge.
She is also third from left in the top pic.
The patiki on the extreme left of the top pic is MYRA, (sail number W), built by Logan Bros in August 1898 for Roy Wilson. She was on the Manukau between 1919 and 1930. She appears to have died in Northcote around 1939, but Robin may have more details.
The next boat to the right is one of the several mullet boats on the Manukau in 1929. I can’t read her number or tell her by the cut of her jib but she’s possibly the 22 footer MAIDIE. The rest to leeward are a mix of mulletties mainly, although the Logan patiki AOMA is probably in there.