Mataroa

Image

14

Mataroa

MATAROA. Owned by Ted Ward in the 1940s & 50s, photo taken in Matiatia in 1948 by Ken Ricketts. Possibly a Baileys boat, had a 6 Cyl Graymarine petrol engine. Not been seen for many a year – anyone able to advise her current status, location?
She appeals to me, looks as if she was fast.

Harold Kidd Update

MATAROA was built by Joe Slattery as KENYA for Len Heard of Parnell in 1928 with a 40/60 Ailsa Craig. So this pic is probably taken during Heard’s ownership ie 1938 or earlier. He sold her to  Seagar and replaced her with KENYA II built for him by Lidgard Bros and delivered in early 1940.

The RNZAF took her to Fiji in1943 for towing at Lauthala Bay and put a 6 cylinder Chrysler Crown in her as the Ailsa Craig was thought to be on its last legs and for spares rationalisation.

08-01-2015 Updated Info from Kevin and Jan Price.

We owned her for a few years after purchasing her from Maurice Reynolds (of Auckland Coast Guard). I believe she is now in Wellington.
She was originally names Kenya. She was nearly named Kenya Mist after a book title that was popular during her build, but the name was considered too long so shortened.
She was designed to fit into Len’s boat shed and had a droopy sheer line forward to fit under the door lintel, but it looked horrible and false works were built to improve her forward end appearance.
When Len Heard (Heard’s Barley Sugar) sold her to the Seagers, Len kept the name for his new bigger launch and the Seagers named her Mataroa after a much enjoyed cruise on the liner Mataroa.

She saw war service in Fiji as RNZAF No W71 and was employed in the construction of the Lauthala Bay breakwater to shelter the flying boats and also the metalling of airfield hard standing for warbirds. To achieve this she towed three barges totaling 90 tons. I was told that some of her trips down the Suva river fully loaded was sometimes a finally tuned effort to keep her lined up and thru the bridge. I was told her engine was only a 30hp Ailsa Craig at that time. Her Cox was a young 18 year old with a Fijian boat boy. Somewhere at home I have a tape recording of his wartime exploits.
Under her paint forward are scribed roundel circles.
Under that paint on the transom is the imprint of a brass bowsprit star received when towing a string of yachts home following the Suva annual Pacific yacht race.
She was offered back to the Seagers after the war. When they went to look at her at Herald Is she was not in good order and considered not taking her back, but did.

I think the engine was replaced by a Crown then later by a 90hp Ford wet sleeve by the Reynolds. 8knots at 1900rpm. (One day in a fit of exuberance I pushed the throttle to the wall and the GPS recorded 14knts)

After a mishap when an accompanying launch lost her steering and rammed Mataroa broadside amidships and split her open from deck to waterline she was run up on a nearby beach. The hull was propped out with an array of timber posts and she was motored back for repairs by matching the waterline wave curve with the bottom of the broken planking
She underwent repairs and refit. During this refit her rear house top was raised 4” and her vertical shaft steering column and flat “ bus drivers” wheel was replaced with the current more conventional setup. The round ports in the saloon where changed to oval for improved interior lighting. The saloon was relined with oak paneling. The overhead was lined in white Seratone as trying to maintain any sort of finish on the underside of the cedar deck was not possible due to it’s continuous movement. This refit was during the Renold’s time.

Under the forward cabin sole is/was a large admiralty anchor, possibly an original. Under the cockpit sole is/was a spare five blade prop.

1” Carvel Kauri.
Spotted gum ribs.
Possibly Pohutakawa stem.
Cedar deck / cabin tops for light weight.
Cedar sole floor boards screwed one Kauri floors.
No frames.
Mid and aft bulkheads removable, to allow engine to be taken out aft.
Log is kauri boxed and pitch filled.
Her capstan motor was an aircraft starter motor and reduction box that finally gave up the ghost when we owned her.
300trl copper diesel tank at the transom. Copper water tanks under cockpit seating.
No ballast.

That’s all for now. When I eventually get home ( we haven’t been home for seven years) I will look for some old photos I have tucked away.

Regards,
Kevin and Jan Price.

NZ Traditional Boat Building School’s Picnic Boat

Image

Reply

NZ Traditional Boating Building School - Picnic Boat

Photo taken during the 2013 Mahurangi Regatta of the NZTBS’s picnic boat designed by Robert Brooke & built under his guidance at the school. Check school out here http://www.atbs.org.nz

P1010397_2

Margurita sunsets

Image

2

Screen Shot 2013-04-14 at 8.51.03 AM Screen Shot 2012-08-21 at 10.17.06 PMMargurita sunsets

Margurita
Some stunning sunset photos taken by Silvia Juretich on board partner Zach Matich’s ‘Margurita’, Easter 2012, up the Port Albert river, yes I know thats stretching the boundaries of the Waitemata 🙂

Monterey

Image

6
Monterey with Florence Dawn behind
Christmas 1948
Monterey in Islington Bay Waikehe Island
Photoshop is a fun thing
Monterey
Mark Edmonds at ‘work’ on Monterey
Monterey & crew enjoying the Rudder Cup race
Boat Const. Photos 003 (2)

Monterey , middle centre, top photo, under construction in the Lidgard factory alongside sister ships

Monterey (33’6”x32’x10’6”x2’7”) was built by Lidgards in 1946 for R.T. (Alf) Postles, an accountant, she was one of 3 the same, the others were Almaray (owned by Stan Bell-Booth) & possiblily Tangaroa was the 3rd one, all had 30hp Listers when launched. Postles sold her to Alf E. Hayman of 22 Omana Ave Mt Eden in c.1950 and it went later to John A Hayman of 5 Riverlea Ave Panmure in 1958 (Alf’s son?).
The old photo above was taken by Ken Ricketts, Christmas 1948.
Monterey’s owners Sue & Mark Edmonds are active members of the Classic Yacht Association.

Margaret S

Image

2

Margaret S

P1110259

Margaret S was built as MARNE around 1918-9 by Collings & Bell for J. Goodwill who had owned Lizard before. She had a Fay & Bowen Reliable 40 marine engine for many years during her ownership by W J Parker who installed it in 1923. Guy Tattersfield owned her in 1932 but she appears to have had her name changed to Margaret S when bought by panelbeater Alex Stewart of Prospect Tce Mt Eden around 1938. The Johnson family bought her in 1967 and she still had the Fay & Bowen then. They must have been good engines. Coquette had one installed at the same time as Marne/Margaret S.
Ken Ricketts took the old photo in Schoolhouse Bay Kawau Island Christmas 1948 when owned by Alec Stewart
Recently she sank at her motoring in Bayswater & was resuscitated by her owner – new photo by Alan Houghton

How to – create that aged bronze look

Image

Reply
I have always had a hankering for an old style boat signal horn but could not find one that (a) was not chrome or plastic (b) did not look like it should be on QE2 (c) did not sound like a freight train.
So I bought a small chrome one on trademe & being a clever bugger talked to the people at Porters Paints http://www.porterspaints.co.nz about their speciality finishes range – in particular their ‘Liquid Copper ‘ & ‘Patina Green’ products, which if used together recreates copper with the green patination of age. Its used in/out doors on things like downpipes & garden ornaments.  So I think its worth a go, as they say
First step – give the chrome surface a good sanding to score the surface.
Next paint (2 coats) with a vinyl etch adhesion primer
Next step off to Porters Paints for the first coat of ‘Liquid Copper’, looked a little bright but I’m told by the experts to have faith. One more coat then we start applying the patina effect, after the 2nd coat it started to tone down (darken) a little.
We left the horn for a few days & the ‘copper’ darkened even more & will continue to age with exposure to the elements.
The ‘Patina Green’ was then applied & I’m very happy with the end result.
Note Porters Paints are about to launch a bronze finish so I’ll update later on that.

LINDA

Image

Reply

LindaLinda oldLINDA

LINDA story by Ken Ricketts

I first saw LINDA in 1946, when Roy Swales owned her. She is a another beautiful example of Colin Wild’s work, built in 1927 for E.J. Kelly, with huge grace & beauty. Linda had a 50/90 Loew Victor sleeve-valve (Knight’s patents) engine, sitting in the middle of the engine room, which was a large cabin, devoted solely to the engine, with only the toilet, as an extra, making the engine look very tiny.

The Loew Victor was replaced with a GM Detriot 6-71, in about 1947/48, & when I took the pic Christmas 1948, she had the GM, — note the large side exhaust pipe needed for the GM, (about 5 or 6 inches I recall). She later had a Volvo for a period, & presently has a 6 cyl Gardiner Diesel.

She had a cast bronze plate, screwed to the centre of the rear cockpit wall, just below the top of the tuck, with the words “Colin Wild Builder, 1928”, which I beleive is still there today.

The Swales lived in Fernleigh Ave Epsom & they owned the NZ Lead Works Ltd in Morrow St Newmarket.
She suffered a massive fire whilst unatended on her moorings at Waikeke in the mid 1980s, & I later saw what was left of her, bundled on to a barge, up in the mangroves at Beachaven North Shore, one day when we were going for a run up to Herald Island, on my own boat, TIARRI, so as the tide was in, went over to have a look, & I would never have beleived that anyone could ever have faithfully & beautfully rebuilt her to her original glory, but Robert & Russell Brooks & their family have done an amazing job, — well done.

The Lady Margaret (Colin Wild). Chapter one

Posted on by
10
Lady Margaret Registration certificate
Lady Margaret NZ Yachtman Vol 3 1936 p.3
Lady Margaret nZ Yachtman Vol 3 1936 p.2
Lady Margaret NZ Yachtman Vol 3 1936 p.1
Lady Margaret 2013
LADY MARGARET CIRCA 1928-30
LADY MARGARET CIRCA EARLY 1930s
Auckland Star 15/6/1928
Lady Margaret design drawings
Stern Marine engines
THE LADY MARGARET STORY by Ken Ricketts
CHAPTER ONE
Such is the concept of this most beautiful, but sad story, & such  a  wonderful example of Colin Wild’s work, that I am devoting a whole email to it.
Perhaps it could almost be likened to a “Shakespearian work on the water” with much beauty & much sadness.
I have put considerable work time & effort in to researching & developing this project, since December of last year, with Harold’s input & mutual support to each other, with developing & sharing our knowledge & making discoveries along the way.
My Daughter Karina lives right next door to where LM is being presently given some TLC, but sadly not the full restoration, she so richly deserves, so am able to keep up with the state of play, on a regular basis, at the moment.
As you will see by the attachments, she was commissioned by a Mr H O Wiles to C W in 1927, & was launched in 1929, powered by a Stearns 160hp petrol engine, which in the pre build plans, shows it in the cabin in front of the bridgedeck, with just the gearbox under the bridgedeck floor, — never seen this before, & in my view, was too far forward to be at the point of balance. However as you will see in the pic of her circa 1936 she was very quick for her day, achieving 17 knots when new & sat well in the water, at speed.
She was owned & used very regularly by Wiles, for many years, until the late 30s & was a boat where everybody who was anybody was likely to be seen. — He was a very social person. In so saying however, he used her for fairly extensive cruising off shore, out to Poor Knights, up to the Far North etc.
I first came in contact with her, when I saw her cruising in Auckland, in the later 40s & she was always well kept at that stage.
My first vivid memory of her, was when on a visit to Mangonui, about 20 years ago, I saw her anchored or moored directly off the main wharf, & looking an absolute a picture, with gleaming white hull, light blue boot top, red painted insert areas, in forward portholes, with gold edging to rims thereof, the name in gold leaf arched across the tuck, scallop bottomed light cream blinds in the bridgedeck & dodger, obviously replaced along the way, but you will see in the early photos, this was trademark of hers since new, they are there in the pic of her in the Warkworth River in 1929. She  had light blue & cream decks, in areas that were not teak, & all in all, truly loved & beautiful,
My daughter I spoke of earlier, lives at Kaingaroa, (between Mangonui & Awanui,) & with my son in law & children, has done for the last 20 odd years, & we visit fairly regularly.
During this 20 years, I realised the boat was living there & not just visiting & I must have seen her first time within a very short time of her arrival. Once there however I  also realised she was never moving off the moorings ever, I have slowly watch deteriorate, decay, & in the end really start to prepare to die, I thought, as I believed she was slowly getting to the stage, when she would not be retrievable. However, perhaps just about at the last minute, my daughters next door neighbour persuaded the most recent owner to give him a half share of her, in return for bringing her back to some sort of recovery, but although he is a professional boatbuilder, as he is in his 80s & has limited funds, the work he appears to be doing, is still limited. His half share was gifted to him in return for the work required to get her back to some sort of respectability. The original owner & partner in the present partnership is a property developer who lives in Auckland, who bought her several years ago now, off the person who originally took her up to Mangonui from Auck. who lives above Mill Bay, where she has been moored, & he was the person who started her decline by never going near her. — she went for about 10 years I am told without even having the bottom cleaned. When the original owner bought her it was his intention, he tells me, to give her prompt TLC & bring her back to original, however, as a result of unexpected  business circumstances, he did not have the funds to spare, to make this possible, hence she has continued her downward slide to oblivion, until Dec 2012, when she was put on a trailer at Awanui, & my daughter Karina who has the same huge interest in classic boats as me, actually watched the whole slipping & arrival procedure to where she is now resting, & took the recent photos of her. —
I actually have many more showing much detail of her present progress.
She is now powered by a 150hp Lees Turbo Ford, which somewhere along the way, has been moved under the bridgedeck floor, & am told she still achieved around 15 knots on the journey from Mangonui to Awanui for slipping.
If you compare the early pics, you will see the dodger was added later, & having now been aboard her, I discovered the cockpit floor was also lowered, as originally she did not have a well in the cockpit, it was at deck level, also she has had a new top to the bridgedeck to match the dodger with side doors, — the original had doors opening on to the foredeck from the middle of the front thereof, & was straight up & down whereas the present one has the front screens sloping back, as with the dodger.
Am to a degree looking forward to seeing how they will present her when she goes back in the water, however, still with some serious misgivings, as I believe she deserves the best of everything, to be done to her & I don’t think that can happen in the present undertaking, however she is definitely going to be sold, as soon as finished, & it is their plan to bring her to Westhaven for the sale process, so perhaps some suitable person may acquire her & complete faithfully & well, what they are at present starting.
She is of course a sister ship to TASMAN, although a little longer & a little different below the water line in design & built just before TASMAN as I recall.– She semi hard chine, perhaps similar to the LINDA with 2 skins below the waterline, single skin above the waterline, something I had not seen often.
One can see just with a walk through, she is a boat of huge character beauty & charm & was done in every way to the very highest of standards when CW built her, & no expense was spared for the perfection he created
I also believe she is the real LM (I) & Clarks boat & another built around the 50s or 60s which, has had a name change to LM should be LM II & LM III.
As this LM, as you can see by the registration as a British Ship, was obviously the first officially recognised vessel with this name in NZ, so all others must follow as I suggest above.
 A further thing you will note on the appendage to the Registration Cert. in red ink on the Certificate, is that on 10.6.1941 the navy allocated her the call sign of “ZMPY,” during her naval service in WWII.
I forwarded a copy of this cert., to Radio Spectrum  Management who are a government agency, & control all call signs for NZ  & am delighted to say she has now been given ZMPY, for the rest of her life, & the owners are delighted.
There endeth the epistle.
Long may she live, & long may she be loved, & a boat of much beauty, for us all to admire.

Flying Scud (and Waimiga)

Posted on by
11

FLYING SCUD ( I bought her as ROBBO, but had known her since new & knew she was built as FLYING SCUD, so in accordance with my beliefs I reverted her to her original name. — (It is my view, that the original owner has absolute naming rights for a boat for its life), I owned her from 1970 to 1976. she was 30 ft long, 2 skins Kauri Built by R Lidgard at Kawau Island in 1953, towed to Auckland to have twin 6 cyl Austin Skipper 100 petrol engines fitted when built, (sister ship to Miss Lidgard). I replaced these with 2 x 6cyl OM321 Mercedes Benz diesels in 1971. I sold her to B Purdy who onsold her & later she had engines replaced with 2 x Bedford Diesels by subsequent owner. Dragged anchor &  went ashore by the sugar works at Birkenhead & was wrecked circa 1985.

photos & copy ex Ken Ricketts

Update 05/05/13 with b/w photo, when ‘new’

13-09-2018 Update from Ken Ricketts – photo below c.1980 when owned by Garth McGowan (1979>1980)

FLYING SCUD c1980

 

Waimiga – additional info ex Alan Houghton & Shane Anderson
Of interest in the photo is the launch Waimiga closest in, on the poles. The photo is dated c. Nov 1970 so Waimiga would have been very new. Have to love the yellow cockpit canopy (that would not have passed her recent owner Colin Pawsons approval) The game poles were no surprise as the boat was built for Graham May who was a very keen fisherman. Graham commissioned Waimiga in 1967 after selling his farm in Howick to the Howick Golf Club.  He lived on the river, 200m downstream of the Panmure Boating Club…..hence the picture location.

11-12-2025 UPDATE ex Ken Ricketts – KR’s first boat – the Lidgard built FLYING SCUD , appeared on the May 1956 issue of Sea Spray magazine, and made an appearance at the Easter Show in the same year.