Todays woody is – BEVERLENE, the 40’ kauri planked sedan launch built by Owen Woolley in 1968. Her beam is 11’9” and a draft of 3’3”.
As with so many Woolleys the power plant is a 120hp Commer TS3 diesel.
Hasn’t popped up on WW before so keen to learn more about her past life.
INPUT ex Mark Erskine, via K Ricketts – The engine in BEVERLENE is a Rootes 3DB-215 TS3 c.1967>70. Mark reconditioned the engine in 2008 while berthed at Kopu, Thames. Tuned correctly it will produce 140hp. Gearbox is a Borg-Warner 72-C velvet drive.
The first weekend of May is not a good time for ducks – its opening weekend for the duck shooting season. Angus Rogers sent in the above photo yesterday that is pinned to the wall of the maimai (explained for non NZ readers – a temporary waterfront shelter for shooters to hide in, photos below) that Angus was shooting from on Saturday.
The caption reads – ’Shooting on the Piako – 1920’s. Various members of the Wilson and Collins familiars onboard.
Hopefully Angus’s bag for the day was less than what we see on display in the photo 🙂
Mystery Lyttelton Launch Again only a mystery because her owner didn’t include a name on tme (thanks Ian McDonald). If we believe the tme story she is a Logan, built in1908, 36’ in length. Powered by a 1970, 65hp Rustin Rover (???)
And that woodys is all me know – any southern readers able to enlighten us more on the launch.
Today we start a series of updates on the 1938 Colin Wild designed / built launch – REHIA.
A lot of woodys would say, and I’m one of them, that you can not spend too much money a Colin Wild craft , they are generally referred to as the Bentleys of the wooden boat scene.
One of Wild’s craft that has always attracted admirers is the 36’ launch – REHIA. After an extended period of ownership REHIA was acquired in late 2021 by the Telford family who have proved to be suitable custodians of her. Immediately after taking ownership they commissioned work that was deemed both needed – thru-hull updates and the addition of a holding tank etc and the nice to have – refurbished interior and topsides repaint (a JPPJ).
Very earlier on owner Joe clicked that the secret to a harmonious relation with the team at {the} Slipway Milford was the supply of donuts.
Now after 2 1/2 years of ownership REHIA is hauled out to address a few small areas of cancer and to refresh her bling i.e. the cabin Uroxsys finish ( I struggle to use its new name – Awlwood).
So woodys we have started this rolling story to showcase the work underway at {the} Slipway Milford. As you will see what can appear to the eye as a wee area of rot can mushroom into a more substantial fix, but its only wood and everything is repairable 😉
Also interesting to see how the majority of the Uroxsys ’sort of’ just peeled off, I have experienced this before on some of the early day projects – not a product issue more I think applicator error. It used to amaze me the number of boat owners that didn’t use the offical primer and thought they knew best. But there is always an upside – removal is a breeze 🙂
Unless stated all photos are via Jason Prew and myself.
Recently WW was contacted by Tom Gordon in relation to his boat – ADA that Tom is trying to find out more information – I’ll hand over to Tom below:
“ ADA, I have been told is one of the 3 kauri hulled boats. The three I believe were built by Miller and Tunnage in the 1920’s however so far I’ve not been able to find out some more finer details in regards to exact build date or archive type photos. I’m looking to repair ADA and re float to maintain some heritage now that I’ve learned some history.
Sir Clifford Skeggs was an owner and one of his ex workers ‘Squidly’ from Taieri Mouth, Dunedin did own it also. Sadly he has now passed and I’m unsure if Cliff is still alive.
Todays woody is the ex workboat – PITO and the photo comes to us from Dave Stanaway. Dave took the photo of PITO on the Mahurangi River (Cement Works) approx. 8 years ago when he was master of the tug – HERENUI.
Dave commented that she may have started life as a workboat for the Whangarei Harbour Board.
At the time of the photo PITO was most likely owned by Conrad Robertson, do we know what became of her and more on her past.
Love the paint scheme , keep it simple and it works 🙂
INPUT EX RAY MELROSE – PITO (belly button) was designed and built in Auckland for the W.H.B. as a workboat and dredge tender. She towed the coal barges to bunker the steam dredge “Thomas McKinnon” and later the fuel barge for both McKinnon and Pikau, the other old dredge. Also did duties with the three side dump rock barges building sea walls to contain the dredge spoil areas where the present day “Port Whangarei'” (Kioriroa) I drove many miles in her towing the harbour board drill rig up all the creeks and ditches drilling for the M.O.W. before they re-aligned the main road at Mata, from Oakleigh south. When handed over from the builder she was brought up by one of the Auckland coastal tug and barges, probably Harry Julian. Power was a 60 hp Ford (Lees) Her build was featured in Sea Spray magazine but it was a long time ago, maybe around 1950. She has good bones and has aged well.
02-05-2024 INPUT ex ALAN SEXTON – Pito is alive and well still owned by Conrad Robertson, picture taken today at Robertsons wharf.
I first saw the 1937 Dick Lang built 34’ launch – Resolute 12+ years ago when she was hauled out at the Devonport Yacht Club at the same time as Raindance. Her spot was directly in front of mine so I suffered all winter from the green eyed monster i.e. the workmanship and skills of her owner were on another level.
Fast forward to August 20i6 and she makes an appearance on WW (link below), this story generated details and 2008 photos ex her owner and Harold Lidd.
Then in 2017 we see her hauled out getting a dose of TLC (link below)
Then sadly in 2020 I reported that she had dragged her Stanley Point, Devonport mooring and was aground at low tide. Her owner and helpers saved the day (link below) WW 2016 https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/08/10/resolute/
Last week I was at the Te Atatu Boat Club and spotted Resolute hauled out. As you will see in the above photos she is still a fine looking woody, in architect speak – she’s got good bones, but the clocks ticking – hopefully a plan is in place to bring her back…………….
Todays woody recent popped up on a Lester Oliver fb post and appears via Maurice Sharp reposting.Lester’s commented that the boat at the dry dock at Ahuriri, Napier. The gent on the left is possibly Napier architect Louis Hay. In the background is the Hawkes Bay Farmers Co-Op Assoc. building . The cowel on the cabin top looks very large relative to the rest of the vessel. Anyone able to put a name to the vessel.
I still can’t establish a name for the boat but have a little more information. She was built in Auckland, no builder known, and shipped to Napier in May 1936 as a hull. Later Louis Hay fitted a steam engine which accounts for the small funnel shown in the earlier images. My guess is that the steam plant was replaced with an internal combustion engine later, hence the large ventilator occupying the same hole as the funnel. As for her name, it doesn’t appear in any newspaper articles even those announcing that Louis Hay was the Commodore of the new Hawkes Bay Yachting & Power Boat Club in November 1936.
Work in progress
29-04-2024 UPDATE ex HAROLD KIDD – The hull was built in Auckland and was offloaded from the PUKEKO at Gisborne because of heavy weather.
Message For The Owner Of The Launch – KARAKIA
If you send me an email confirming the boat location and your ownership I’ll drop a WW burgee in the post – why? Because if you look carefully at the photos you will see they have painted the WW logo on the cabin side 🙂 photos ex JASON PREW waitematawoodys@gmail.com Read / view more on KARAKIA here https://waitematawoodys.com/2019/10/01/karakia/
I had the occasion to be heading out west yesterday so flicked the car indicator on at the Te Atatu Road off ramp and dropped down to the Te Atatu Boat Club yard.
Have to same very quiet eg not many craft hauled out but I did spot a launch named – ELIZABET I hauled out getting some TLC.
A stranger to me and an interesting ‘mix’ of design styles – hull appears 1920>30’s but the cabin is a lot newer and could share some DNA with a garden shed. But I’m sure very functional and easily corrected if a future owner so wished 🙂
Interested to learn more about ELIZABET I , interesting that her life buoy has the name HEATHER II on it, might be no connection and just a reflection of the ‘first up best dressed’ rule 😉
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