Tamahere

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Tamahere

Sandspit Aug 2014
Sandspit Aug 2014

TAMAHERE

photo & details ex ken ricketts

Tamahere is seen above tied up at the Sandspit wharf. She is currently owned by Chris Metcalf who has had her for about 12 months & bought her off a Mr Rose. She has a small Isuzu engine, which replaced a 135 hp 6 cyl Ford, which had been right in the bow, & he has put the Isuzu more amidships.

The designer / builder is un-know & while there is no concrete proof the talk is she was launched in 1904. She appears to have been low wooded in the bow & has had the bow raised & combings added to, altered, or replaced, through the years, but not for a very long time as Ken recalls her more or less looking like she does now back in the 1950s/60s.

In her past life she was used for years by a number of Kawau Island residents & trades people (builders etc) to tow barges & be a work boat & workers transport, Also for a while was used to tow the fuel barge with big tanks on it, to the KIYC, from Sandspit. She was moored for quite a period in the 1970s & 1980’s in Smelting House Bay.

Currently kept up the Matakana River at Sandspit & is in the process of being, in the owners words, ‘tidied up’. Any help in ID’ing her & her past would be appreciated.

Fidelis + Ranger + Mason Clipper

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Fidelis + Ranger + Mason Clipper

Fidelis + Ranger + Mason Clipper

photos ex mason clipper facebook page

On the day when the CYA’s Classic Yacht Regatta should be being decided on the water, I thought it very approximate to publish the photo of Fidelis & Ranger sitting on the hard along with a Mason Clipper. Photo was taken at the Westhaven main ramp in 1968 when the A Class keeler ‘Fidelis’ was owned by Jim Davern left and on the right ‘Ranger’ owned then by Lou Tercel.

Unfortunately the weather gods have not been kind & the regatta was cancelled. My waterfront spies tell me both yachts + Te Aroa did race in the RNZYS Friday night harbour race with Fidelis pipping Ranger at the finish.

I have also posted a few stunning Clipper photos below.
One of the great mysteries of the classic boating movement is why these wonderful vessels were never really adopted by classic motorboat followers. Any where else in the world you would see groups of them restored to showroom condition. Only in the last few years have we seen the restoration of a few.

Maybe the reason has something to do with a tale told to me by an old yachtie. It went something like this.

In the early days of boating on the Waitemata, yachting was the big thing, interrupted occasionally by (slightly) managed motorboat racing. With the arrival of boats like the Mason Clippers, almost overnight there were scores of boats capable of exceeding 40mph, these boats were able to be purchased almost like a motor car & were as easy to ‘drive’. A whole new group of people entered the boating scene. You only have to look back at the list of the original Clipper owners, to see that to the whos who of Auckland business, owning a Clipper was the thing to do. The quiet bay & anchorages of the past the yachties treasured were now being invaded by a new ‘set’.

Is it possible that back then, the Clipper was ‘tagged’ by yachties like most of us now tag jet ski’s ?, remember this was in the days before big fast outboards were common.

(I read somewhere that it was 5 years before Sea Spray featured a Clipper in the magazine, further proof that they were not openly accepted?)

KORAMA (THETIS)

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Wade River 2014
Mansion House Kawau Is c1950
c1980
c2004
Wade River
2004
2004
Kawau c2000
Off Manly Beach
As original c1920

KORAMA (THETIS)

photos & details ex ken ricketts. edited by alan houghton & supplemented by harold kidd

Some fine detective work by Ken has uncovered that the launch Korama is in fact Ronald William Grant’s (b1897-d1984) launch Thetis. Grant named the launch after his wife Thetis Maud Grant nee Braund (b1896 d 1985), a daughter of famous rugby player and yachtsman Albie Braund who named her after his friend Reg Masefield’s steel 5 rater of 1895. Albie named his first launch MAVIS B, after his daughter Mavis (b1899). To complicate matters the vessel has changed name numerous times across her life. More on this below.

Korama is 34feet overall with a beam of 9 ft 6inches & cruises at 8-1/2 knots with a top speed of 14 knots.

She is presently owned by Leo Comesky, who bought her in October 2012 off Gus & Kelcey Gager who had brought her up from Tauranga c.1999. Comesky & Gager  have provided tech. & historical data & info., to Ken.

According to Comesky she was designed by Logan & built by Fred Mann, in 1922, in St Mary’s Bay. She was built for a Bob Knox of Grey Lynn, who apparently, along with his son, used to walk down to see her during construction, every evening. The Logan claim is questionable as she does not look like a Logan & if Arch Logan had designed her its highly unlikely that he would have allowed Fred Mann to build her. Mann was very much a spare-time builder at his John St., Ponsonby home, and nothing he built attracted much attention. His main job was looking after the horses for the Cashmores’ timber mill in Cox’s Creek and maintaining their craft.

Her original engine was an Ailsa Craig petrol engine & is presently powered by a 120hp Ford diesel.

Knox apparently owned her for 15 to 20 years & other owners include a Mr Dickson of Pakuranga (could be Jim Dickson an ASB manager of Pakuranga, who later had a sedan top 34 footer built by Owen Woolley who Ken knew well in the 60s & 70s), Bill Ridley of Pakuranga, Cyril Parker of Mission Bay (for approx. 6 years in the 1980’s – powered by a 110hp Ford diesel), Gary & Fay Lowe of Whangamata, Reg Hodson of Tauranga, & then she went to Picton. She was owned in Picton by a Mr M Montgomery (refer survey letter) & later returned to Tauranga where she was purchased by the Gagers

Leo Gager says that when Bill Ridley owned her, he changed her name back to Thetis. When Cyril Parker bought her, he discovered ‘Korama’ carved in to the tuck & changed her back again to Korama.

The Gager’s sold her to Comesky in October 2012.

In Grant’s day she had varnished coamings which no doubt were original, perhaps one day, someone may reinstate her to her absolute original concept.

What kindled the discovery:

Ken’s shape eyes & a good memory combined with Harold Kidd’s knowledge & wicked database combined with the following elements confirmed the discovery.
1. Both had Ailsa Craig 24h.p. engines
2. The common position of the their engines & exhaust i.e. well forward
3. The common rounding at the waterline at the tuck
4. The reference to Bill Ridley having owned her

07-01-2016 – photo ex Harold Kidd of Korama (c.1970?)

KORAMA221a

01-05-2017 Update from Leo Comeskey – hauled out at Weti River

Korama @ Weiti April2017

Seaway Fair

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Seaway Fever

SEAWAY FAIR

photo ex Colin Pawson

A bit of a mystery this one, I seem to recall her hauled out at Milford Marina a few years ago & boat builder Geoff Bagnall enclosing the cockpit. I would be very surprized if Mr Bagnall had anything to do with the penthouse addition.
Some good bones here – anyone able to supply further info on Seaway Fair?

opps – based on Ken R’s comment re the name & blowing the photo up, I think she is called Seaway Fair – have amended headings.

Harold Kidd Update

SEAWAY was indeed built by Lanes for Fred Brake in 1956. She was 38′x35′x11′x3′ and had an 85hp Graymarine petrol engine. Brake sold her to A E Hayman in September 1958 when he had Lanes build him SEAWAY FAIR.
Things get very confusing from then onwards.
I think what happened was
1. N T Burrill of Redoubt Road bought SEAWAY from Hayman in 1961 and changed her name to TANGAROA, which she was until at least 2003 when I spoke to her owner, Bill Burrill at Mahurangi. She had had a series of Perkins engines and then had a 100hp Yanmar.
2. I think that SEAWAY FAIR gradually became known as SEAWAY as well as SEAWAY FAIR.
3. If I’m right, then she was sold by Brake to A V Beckett of Castor Bay in 1973 and in 2011 she was for sale on Trade Me with a 120hp Ford.

21-07-2022 Input ex Angus Rogers – below photo from Rakino Island 01-05-2022

CYA Classic Yacht Regatta

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CYA Classic Yacht Regatta

CYA Classic Yacht Regatta

The Southern Trust sponsored 2014 CYA Classic Yacht Regatta was cancelled for safety reasons due to Cyclone Luis.

The (blue) link below is to the official event programme, check out some great photos & the very loyal event sponsors.

Classic Yacht Regatta 2014 E

Percy Vos Dory

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Percy Vos Dory

Waitematawoodys follower Sam Leijen, has asked for some help, In 1964 Vos built an 18ft dory at a cost of 300 pound, that was used in the Waitomo Caves for many years, it was retired in 1990 and now sits at the Waitomo Museum under the lean of the roof. Photos above, including the plans.

Sam is keen to get a better understanding of the plans so that one day he can build a replica. He is looking for a better understanding of some of the plan details & asks for any comments to clarify the meanings in the plans.

Hopefully a ww follower can help Sam. I can email the plans if anyone wants a better ‘view’.

Lady Rae

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LADY RAE

Designed & built by Chas Bailey Jnr. in 1950, Lady Rae is a 12m,  kauri planked , carvel bridge decker, powered by a 120hp Ford.

Given her very distinctive style , I would be keen to learn more on her past & design influences .

Harold Kidd Update

She was built for Ken Simpson of Ventnor Road, Remuera. He owned her for many years, at least as late as 1967. She seems to have been a sister ship to GALA LASS built for A.H. Hurt of St Heliers about the same time. As for design, the styling cues were in every issue of “Rudder” and “Motor-Boat and Yachting” magazines of the time and ultimately derived from mid-1930’s American automotive design. If you half shut your eyes, LADY RAE looks quite like, say, a 1936 Dodge sedan, flat windscreen and all.

Lucinda

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LUCINDA

Lucinda sat unused off Devonport Yacht Club for a number of years & being a DYC  member I have had more calls about her than any other boat. Normal stuff – “who owns her”, “is she for sale”, “has she been abandoned” etc. This was all because she is a very pretty little ship & would be a perfect restoration project. Its rare to find a sub 30’ launch that looks ‘right’ i.e. in proportion.

Well people – nows your chance, a CYA friend has tracked the owner down (overseas), purchased the boat, hauled her out, scrapped a few wheel barrow loads of weed & mussels off her & now circumstances have changed & she is on the market,  ready for someone to take on the project. At $4,500 ono they do not come better priced than this.

Some Info:

1930 hard chine Coulthard bridgedeck launch –  28ft.

The hull is sound and the boat does not appear to have rot in it, but needs a full re-paint & engine overhaul.

Engine is a 1987, Perkins 50hp which was apparently rebuilt before the boat was left on mooring, and now does not turn over so will want taking apart again.

She has new navy blue upholstery, various electrical spares, spare bronze nails, GPS chart plotter, fish finder, VHF

Has engine compressor driven refrigeration but unkown if it works still.

Stove/ oven in good visual condition but have not tried to start as there are other priorities with such a vessel.

View here http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=705353146&ed=true

Tuatea

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TUATEA

photos ex trademe, details ex Ken Ricketts.

39 ft 6 inches built by the Lane Motor Boat Co. in Riverview Rd Panmure in 1954. She has spent much of her life game fishing out of Tauranga, initially, then Whitianga & to the B.O.I., & back to the Whitianga region, as at now.

Present owner Colin Orr has owned her for 11 > 12 years & previous owners include Ron Elliott in 1950s & 60s who sold her to Morris Mitchell who initially kept her at Whitianga, in the later 1960s or early 70s, & he owned her until the mid 1980s. During this time he relocated to the B.O.I. where he sold her.

She presently has a 6 cyl. 135hp Ford diesel. She is of the era & stable, of Sou East, Nor West & Tangaroa, with her distinctive coamings styling, especially in the mid section.

Some classic boats end up with a block of flats on top, this old girl has an apartment building 🙂  Ken & I agree that her cabin top / open flybridge, as shown in the early B & W photo, suits her perfectly.