AWARIKI – On The Market – PRICE REDUCED – $48,000 ono

27-02-2024 UPDATE – Owner has just installed new exhaust hose to transom, new S/S through stern fitting turning. 90deg outside to a flapper finishing inside the belting starboard side.

AWARIKI – On The Market

Two years ago I helped sell the classic launch Lady Adelaide for her owner of 20+ years, my first question was – what’s next – well he was way ahead of me, having identified a very smart 32’ Owen Woolley designed and built launch named – Awariki. It was one of those relationships always meant to happen because back in 1967 Kerry was serving his apprenticeship under Owen Woolley and helped build Awariki. So the DNA was strong. 

When I inspected Awariki she was a little tired, but the bones were there and Kerry was the man to give her a serious dose of TLC. Over the last two years Awariki has had a refit to her interior and most of the systems  enhanced / upgraded – including a solar system and auto windlass – there’s even a custom built in wine frig 🙂

Some specs – 32’ x 10’5’ beam and 3’ draft. Built from Kauri planks. A 6cyl. Perkins 97hp engine (recon 1987) gives Awariki a top speed of 10 knots.

Another rarity in a 32′ classic is her 2m headroom.

Its not often that a 32’ launch with a flybridge looks good to the eye – Awariki carries hers well, everything is in proportion. Check out the last photo with everyone ‘up top’ – as I mentioned – she just looks right to the eye.

So woodys after reading all this its obvious that Awariki is reluctantly on the market – she is in turn-key condition – a wonderful classic cruising launch ideal for family summer cruising in absolute comfort

Interested parties to initially contact {the} Wooden Boat Bureau at waitematawoodys@gmail.com

The Launching of Wynona

c.1950’s

The Launching of Wynona

Todays story is on the launch – Wynona, in the top photo above ex fb via K Ricketts we see Wynona being launched at Ohinemutu on the shores of Lake Rotorua in the North Island of NZ.

From previous WW stories we have learnt (thanks Harold Kidd) that Wynona was built in 1948 by Sam Ford for the Rotorua Lake Service Ltd., who used her for tourist trips to Mokoia Island in the middle of Lake Rotorua. The colour photo of her c.1950’s is from the front cover of a brochure promoting the trips.

A comment was recently made on WW that Wynona was being restored at Tarakohe marina, in Golden Bay – would love details / photos, so if this is a happening thing and someone knows the owner – I’ll reward a report with a WW burgee.

And remember to RSVP to waitematawoodys@gmail.com for the Riverhead waterfront Tavern lunch cruise  – 0n Sunday November 19th

The Halvorsen Story

Neutral Bay, Sydney – 1936
25′ Wonglaa
42′ Pollyana – 1934
38′ Kweena – pre restoration
Kweena – post restoration
Kweena – interior
60′ Tooronga – owner by A/Cup skipper – Ian Murray
57′ Sinana

THE HALVORSEN STORY

Todays WW story comes to us via the crew at the Australian Wooden Boat Festival and features a video presentation by Tony MacKay on the legendary

Australian boat building dynasty – the Halvorsen family. Tony gave the presentation at the 2023 festival. 

Some background on Tony – he has been on board Halvorsen boats all his life, having owned nine substantial cruisers, all of which were significantly and lovingly restored. Through his involvement with the Halvorsen Club, he has passed some of this passion and energy to like-minded owners of these beautiful craft, also assisting with the improvement of skills and historical information. He has also represented the family for significant events at the Australian National Maritime Museum, exhibitions, on water parades, birthdays and even eulogies. It has been a lasting passion. 

Tony is a real character and has a very salty Australian vocabulary e.g when referring to a narrow beamed craft he said “it would roll on a wet lawn’.The photos above are just a taste of the many in the presentation – linked below – ENJOY.

Defender At Speed

DEFENDER (Scripps III)

The above photo of the launch Defender, previously named Scripps III, was taken by H Winkelmann and appears to have been ’torn’ out of a 1918 copy of NZ Yachtsman.

In a 2013 WW story Harold Kidd commented that Scripps III was pretty quick with her 4 cylinder Model K Scripps, bore 5.5″ and stroke 6″ = 475 cu ins =7.6 litres. It was a straightforward side-valve engine with twin ignition, producing vast gobs of torque. The above photo was tagged as saying on the day of the photo she nearly hit 17 knots.

Her specs were 35’ x 7’6” beam. At the time she was owned by a Mr. E. LeRoy.

Question of the day – can anyone ID the white hulled launch (race #94) in the background.

(Photo ex fb sent in by K Ricketts)

WW 2013 https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/08/15/how-did-they-keep-their-hats-on/

WW 2018 https://waitematawoodys.com/2018/04/20/scripps-iii-defender/

FLOATING BACH AWARDS

FLOATING BACH AWARDS

Thanks to Lindsay Grenfell we have two new contestants for the boat that most resembles an apartment / bach. As Lindsay commented and I have to agree – “what were ya thinking and why?”

The good news is they dont reside in NZ, the photos were taken several years ago when Lindsay was staying at the Jamaica Bay Inn at Marina Del Rey, a 30min drive from LA Airport and out of the city.Lindsay commented that there was a marina adjacent and naturally (as we do and like to) he ventured off to view some of those berthed, it was a biggies, from memory – 5000 berths.   

LOOKING FOR A COOL DINGHY /RUNABOUT

Do not normally link to tme listings but this 11’ L,G. Coulthard dinghy is a honey and at current bids, a bargain https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/boats-marine/dinghies-rowboats/wood/listing/4391413624?bof=zXgwcdZX

BABY LU / WARATAH DNA CONFIRMED

BABY LU / WARATAH DNA CONFIRMED

Recently there was some debate on a WW story (link below) regarding the DNA of a launch named Waratah. Now thanks to the above stunning photo sent in by Harold Kidd we can close the case – all 3 craft pictured in the WW story are the same boat (ttps://waitematawoodys.com/2023/10/20/baby-lu/

Normally I would have just added the new photo to the existing story, but its such a cool photo it deserves to stand alone – you have to love the attire of the gents onboard – collared shirt and necktie 🙂

TIME TO RSVP FOR THE WOODYS LUNCH CRUISE TO THE RIVERHEAD TAVERN – SUNDAY NOV 19th – rsvp to the email address below with boat name and approx crew numbers (if known) RSVP waitematawoodys@gmail.com

Tinopai

TINOPAI

Back in Oct 2015 we ran a ‘mystery launch’ story – the boat was ID’s as Miss Picton (later named Mitre Peak) thanks to Harold Kidd we learnt that Miss Picton was built by Collings & Bell for a Captain M. Steele of Picton and was launched in December 1933.

Miss Picton was a replacement for Steele’s 45’ launch Tinopai that was also built by Collings & Bell and launched in November 1932, sadly Tinopai was destroyed by fire in Marlborough Sounds just on month after being launched.

Today thanks to a NZ Herald press clipping, sent in by K Ricketts we get to view the short-lived – Tinopai

Oct 2015 Miss Picton WW story https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/10/28/mystery-launch-28-10-2015/

INPUT EX HAROLD KIDD – vastly better photo 🙂

Proof I’m A Nutter – suffering from post AB’s loss blues so Sunday afternoon was spent polishing the engine and upgrading the old engine box insulation 🙂

LYNETTE – A Peek Down Below

LYNETTE – A Peek Down Below

Regular WW readers will be familiar with my view that the builder of f/glass L33 launches, 20 years ago was decades ahead of their time – the market is ripe for low maintenance classic looking launches that has a degree of mast/sail to keep the older sailors happy and tell themselves they have not really moved over to the dark side 🙂

Lynette would be one of the top fitted out and maintained L33’s in the fleet. Her price on tme reflexes this but like most things in life – you get what you pay for 😉

Standard specs – 34’4” in length / 7’10” beam and draws 1’11”/ 35 hp Lomdardini engine  and lots of bells and whistles.

Lady Colleen + Mystery Tug

LADY COLLEEN 

Todays woody the 30’ Lady Colleen was launched in December 1933, built for a Mr. W.D> Burns of Devonport, Auckland. The photo angle / compression isn’t helping the look of the boat.

Sadly 5 months late in May 1934 she was destroyed by fire at Bayswater, Auckland. A gogle search comes up with zip on who built her and the cause of the fire.

Any one able to expand the story more.

(photo ex NZ Herald ex fb via K Ricketts)

INPUT EX HAROLD KIDD -LADY COLLEEN was a “bridgedecker” built by the Invincible Boat Co (Sam Ford) in December 1933 for W.D. Burns of Devonport and that’s what she did best, unfortunately.

MYSTERY TUG

I have been contacted by a gent named Phil Doyle who has recently purchased the below painting and would like to know the vessels name and anymore details. Phil commented that the flag may help with the ID.

Mystery 1939 Lane Launch

MYSTERY 1939 LANE LAUNCH

A recent addition to tme this 27’ Lane, 1939 built launch is powered by a Perkins 40hp diesel engine, and that woodys is all we know, other than current home is Whangarei. 

Can we put a name to her and maybe learn where she has spent the last 80+ years.

(Thanks to Ian McDonald for the heads up)

29-10-2023 Input ex Mark Sorrenson – Looks like Lyrebird. I bought her from Brian Juers in 2004. She was on a swing mooring at that time off McLeods Bay. Brian believed she may have been a Lanes and that she had spent time on the Hokianga Harbour. My late father Graham helped me bring her down the coast to Milford marina. It was a great journey.
We sold her to a couple of gals that lived at Mangawhai Heads. They motored her over the bar and she was on a mooring in the Mangawhai Harbour for a number of years.
She featured on W/W in 2015.
She is very hard chined and would be quite a speedster with a higher powered modern lightweight engine. I had a dream that I would buy her back and repower her, but I’m in the final throws of refurbishing my current boat Manapouri and I will have to wait for the next time she comes up for sale.