Many moons ago when I was launch captain at the CYA I had a lot of dealings with the then owner of – FORTUNA, the 35’ Henry Scheel designed motor sailer. As you will see from the photo gallery above FORTUNA is very well fitted out and in great condition for a 1949 built wooden craft.
Her tme listing (thanks Ian McDonald) states over $580,000 spent on her, which is possible but I have no memory of the boat being in Peter Brookes yard……… 😉
Back into 2007/8 she had a back to bare timber refit, which included a re-power with a 135hp Lees Ford.
For a 35’ woody that has a 11’6” beam she is more than capable of extended cruising, with all the fruit e.g. water maker, auto pilot, 600L fuel and of course rigged to sail.
RESTORATION OF A NEW ZEALAND CLASSIC WOODEN YACHT IN AUSTRALIA – ROXANE
Back in May 2018 we ran a great story about a gent named Keith Dawson that was celebrating his 105th birthday and we learnt of Keith sailing to Australia back in 1937 onboard the Tercel brother built 26’ yacht – ROXANE. Link here to that story below –https://waitematawoodys.com/2018/05/13/roxane-a-105th-birthday-party/ make sure you read the comments section – lots of chat there.
Now fast forward to early Sept and WW is contacted by Ralph Finch from Queensland in Australia – a summary of Ralphs notes to me below – “I’m in the process of purchasing the little boat called Roxane that you have on the WW site. Roxane has sat in a back yard in Townsville for last 25 years partially restored. I’m beginning the process of completing the restoration.I’ve read snippets about her history and would love to fully document the history and contact past owners and descendants and anyone previously connected. Roxane is now 90 years old and my intention is to eventually get her back in the water and sailing again.The centenary would be an exciting maritime event for both New Zealand and Australia I think.”
“I have already begun cleaning up and restoration work. The photo of her on the transporter was taken about 20’ish years ago as she was removed from the Townsville Slip Ways to go to the owner’s house where she sits till this day. I am very excited to take this project on and eventually build a website dedicated to her with as much history as I can find. It’s important to me to trace and document all those connected to her. If you know any of those people or descendants, could you please let them know that Roxane is still alive. She does have a brand new deck, cabin and cockpit. The cabin has been extended to just in front of the mast. The owner has also built a new timber mast and boom. I completed clearing away 20 odd years of rubbish from on, and around Roxane yesterday and took some clear photos.” WW will follow this project and Ralph has promised to keep us updated. In the mean time as mentioned above he would love to hear from anyone with links to the yacht.
Going about her business on a calm Wellington Harbour
1954 at the start of her 18,000 pound refit, which included a new wheelhouse
Classic Wooden Work Boat – ARAHINA
Back on August 24th WW draw attention to the Wellington ex Pilot Boat – ARAHINA and how she was desperately in need of a new custodian – At the time Paul Drake commented as below, then sent in the above photos from the past.
ARAHINA arrived in Wellington from Bailey and Lowe’s yard in Auckland on 31st October 1925. On trials she achieved 10 knots with her 100HP Fairbanks Morse engine. In 1954/55, ARAHINA had major work done on her structure and a new wheelhouse added. This was done by Wellington Harbour Board shipwrights, at a cost of 18,000 pounds. In 1979, she went to Jorgensen’s in Picton for another refit, and on her return (under tow) she had the 193HP Kelvin engine fitted. She was sold into private ownership at the end of 1987 and relocated to Picton.She is remembered by one Wellington pilot who knew her well as “a narrow gutted single screw vessel.
She was a seaworthy vessel but tended to broach severely in a following sea, as was often experienced off Pencarrow in a southerly”. On one such occasion when she picked up speed on the face of a large sea astern, her stern picked up and over she went, throwing her Launchmaster into the corner of the wheelhouse as he tried but failed to keep her on course. The pilot and engineer eyed each other as they made for the open wheelhouse door. But ARAHINA recovered herself and all was well enough.
LABOUR WEEKEND CLASSIC WOODY BOATINGAT KAWAU ISLAND
In recent years the Kawau Boating Club have probably been the must progressive boating club in town with their upgrades to facilities – clubhouse, jetty, fuel dock etc and securing the longtime tenure on the clubs assets.
In addition to all this the club, spearheaded by Mike Mahoney, have been planning to create an icon event for the club – well sometimes looking backwards is a smart thing – for decades the KBC hosted every Labour Weekend an OPENING WEEKEND REGATTA, but for all the wrong reasons the event had slipped off the calendar. Fast forward to 2024 and opening weekend at Kawau is back – bigger and better than ever.
KBC will be holding hands with the Ponsonby Cruising Club to offer up an action packed long weekend of boating activity – afloat and ashore. See below for details.
While most of the on-the-water activity is sailing focussed, WW have been working with KBC and PCC to encourage classic woody launches and classic cruising yachts to attend.
The plan is to hold a classic woody event on the Sunday where woodys will participate in a parade around the bays / baches in Bon Accord Harbour – along the lines of the Mahurangi Weekend launch parade. Meeting time will be 11am off KBC wharf.
We will spice it up with prizes for things like – Best Dressed Craft / Longest Traveled / Oldest Boat / Lucky Draw etc – + all woodys in the parade will also go in the draw for a haul-out at the Slipway Milford yard. On the Saturday there will be a waitematawoodys gathering ashore to catch up and enjoy each others company. There will be lots of opportunities over the weekend to enjoy the recently refurbished clubhouse – so make plans to be there.
So for now
1. Circle Oct 25 > 28 in the diary
2. View / download the file below to read all about the weekend.
3. If you own a yacht or crew on one – down load the entry form at the link below
And there is always a woody boat story – check out the photo below ex Ken Ricketts of two woodys in Whakatakataka Bay (Orakei, Auckland), can we put a name to the boat in the foreground. Excuse the image quality – pulled off TV screen.
INPUT ex NATHAN HERBERT – It’s Natasha which kept sinking and then was hauled at Okahu and presumably left by road or bin. The other is a Kempthorne / Salthouse KB760 type, presumable fibreglass. https://waitematawoodys.com/2017/06/07/natasha/
WW was contacted yesterday by Lindsay McMorran (MV POPPET – Logan 33) in regard to a woody that has just appeared on his pier at the OBC (Outdoor Boating Club, Orakei) the boats name is KAIPAPA.
At first glance I might be a little to quick to use the term woody….. looks a relatively new hull shape and someone made good use of some plywood sheets on the cabin 🙂
Seems PACIFIC isn’t the only boat that used the ‘WARNING BOW THRUSTER decals that came in the packaging 😉
MERLE – 1956 CLASSIC KAURI CLINKER This very smart looking 14’ Sea Craft built kauri clinker runabout popped recently on tme. In the last 18 months we have seen several of these woodys hitting the market . This one is named MERLE and appears to be one of the best.
She was rescued and restored by retired Fairlie boatbuilder Dick Guard as a retirement project. His father, in turn, was also a boatbuilder in the region who helped create Jomo Craft, which built some of the country’s most beautiful old timber boats.
Her owner has correspondence between the restorer and Lionel Sands of Sea Craft – which went on to become Haines Hunter. Sands talks about working in the family’s 1,000 acre forest where for two years he milled the kauri timber used to build this boat. His father believed you must appreciate the living tree before you could build boats.
The original construction of these boats is detailed in the correspondence and the restoration detailed in hand-written notes.
The owner purchased the boat but a growing family has meant MERLE has not been used she she should be and the decision has been made to pass her onto an appropriate new owner.
She’s fitted with a 30HP Mercury two-stroke and an auxiliary Mercury outboard.
Todays woody recently popped up on tme (Ian McDonald ✔️), while the cabin house is calling out for a facelift more in keeping with her hull, as the architects say – she has got great bones.
A woody sympathetic craftsman could easily turn ORMPAPERE into a real looker.
Some background – 22’ in length built by Alf Sanders in the carvel planked method. Forward motion is via a Nissan SD22 4cyl. diesel engine.
Home port is Waikawa Bay, Picton – the perfect base and craft for cruising the Marlborough Sounds
Today we have the latest update on the restoration of LADY CAROLE, as previously co-owner Patrick Crawshaw will walk us thru it – certainly on the home straight 🙂
“A couple of weeks ago the cradle had to be removed for another boat, and so the cover had to come off. After all this time under the plastic, we were able to see Lady Carole for the first time after all the work we had done. Later that day, the cover was pulled back over and she went back into hiding for the home stretch of work to be done – finish line in sight!
The original waterline, which was grooved into the planks, was reinstated.
Window trims with top coats
The glass for the windows arrived and were fitted along with the trims.
Chrome half cowl vents were collected from the fabricators who had to repair them and then they went to the Chromers. Both companies did an incredible job at restoring them.
Plinths had to be made for them to sit on. This is them being pre-fitted to the boat so we could get the plinths right as they angle back and in.
And finally the colours are going on and we can see the colour scheme a bit better. All two-pot rolled on and then tipped off with a brush.
Second coat white, then it will be masked for the blue to form a sharp line.
Lady Carole letters will go evenly spaced just below the walk through instead of either side as they were before.
Mid section is going to be browny red and this goes on tomorrow, so more photos to come once this is done. Rub rail will be white to break up the blue a bit. Waterline will also be white.”
Thursday night was the second event in the Ponsonby Cruising Club’s new initiative called ‘Featured Vessel Series’ , this time the vessel on display at one of the berths outside the Westhaven clubhouse was the 1904 Arch Logan designed, built by Bennett Bros & Stitchbury, 34’5’’ guff cutter yacht – WAIRIKI.
15+ years ago thanks to the talent, determination and deep pockets of Jason Prew WAIRIKI was successfully saved from a beehive restoration and totally rebuilt and relaunched in 2010. For the next 10 years Jason and WAIRIKI were a familiar sight at every classic event, then he saw the light and came over to the dark side with the purchase of the launch – MY GIRL, another total rebuild. This coincided with WAIRIKI being acquired by current owner – Keith Logan, grandson of Arch Logan. You can view the restoration at this link https://www.my-girl.co.nz/Wairiki1904/Welcome.html
Complimenting WAIRIKI was a collection of Arch Logans tools on display upstairs at the club, video below + ‘RUMBO’ spiced rum tasting 🙂
MYSTERY LIDGARD WOODEN LAUNCH– LE ANNE > SALACIA TOO > EMMZEE
John Dawson wrote in earlier in the week that while sniffing around fb he came across the above photos. In them we see a c.1960’s launch built by John Lidgard at this West Auckland yard on a Winstone Ltd transporter on route to launching.
Can we ID the boat and learn more about what became of her.. Update – was originally named LE ANNE and now named EMMZEE.
INPUT ex KEN RICKETTS – The boat is the SALACIA TOO. She lied at the Sandspit for many years & was named as she is, (or was originally), by the early owners as their first boat was called SALACIA. Photos of SALACIA TOO below (last three relate to – SALACIA)
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