Kairanga – That Was Quick

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KAIRANGA – That Was Quick 

Only last week the 32’ Kairanga popped up on tme, and already appears to have sold, or maybe the owner realised it was too cheap and pulled the listing. In my eyes Kairanga is a real looker and always kept in top condition.

Kairanga’s past is a little cloudy in terms of builder and year – but its been commented on WW before that she is possibly a Baileys and built c.1912.

At one stage in her life she was a work-boat servicing lighthouses and marine construction in the Hauraki Gulf. The work-boat link is supported by the fact that she is built like a brick outhouse eg triple skin kauri – 2 diagonal planks and one horizontal

Forward motion these days is via a Ford 90hp diesel.

Current home is the far north – would be nice to see her back on the Waitemata. Photo below dated 2018.

Photo below ex K Ricketts

27-09-2024 INPUT ex CHRIS KOOGER – The photos and the listing on trade me was when we owned the good ship Kairanga. We had her for 30 years. Loved the boat and was hard to let it go but she is now loved by James and Ann-Marie. I bought the boat I 1992 from Derek Tanner and she was in a very sad state. We hauled her out and trailered her to Bucklands beach where she got a major makeover with the help from Harry Mieyer a boat builder who taught me a lot about boat building and repairs.  I was told by Derek that she is a Bailey built boat, 32 foot. Double diagonal and planked for and aft. About 40 mm thick. Super solid boat that handles the rough seas with no problems. She weighs about 7.5 tons. 

 It had a BMC engine in it when we got it but that was no good and we put the Ford 90hp engine in it. Changed the gearbox 3 times and fitted a hydraulic gearbox in it which was great. New Shaft and driveshaft fitted at the same time. I built the cockpit cover in the later years of our ownership. 

 While out in her we met a chap who said that his family owned her in the sixties and another time out we met a fellow who bought her in 1956.  Fantastic boat that I always felt safe in. My children and many friends have had great times with her and I think about her a lot. Great memories.  Great to see that she is still being loved and getting the regular attention that any boat needs. 

MYSTERY YACHT 23-07-23 VECTIS

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MYSTERY YACHT 23-07-23 – VECTIS

Recently woody Simon Smith commented that all the mystery launches were a struggle for the stick & rag brigade that follow WW. Simon sent in the above photo , so today can we ID the yacht and possibly the design.

INPUT ex Jim Lott – Hull looks like an early Bert Woollacott. Could well be Vectis, but only if she was later rerigged. When I had Vectis in 1972-6 she had two sets of spreaders and the boom was a bit shorter.

INPUT ex Robin Elliott – Although the boat is Vectis, that “23/7/23” date is a bit dodgy. Vectis was not launched until 1930.
NZ Herald 15/11/30: Mr. Wollacott’s new cruiser Vectis, which, is ready for launching at Devonport during this week-end was registered in the C class, although her waterline length of 27 feet would qualify her for the B class if length alone was the deciding factor. Vectis is 31ft overall and a wholesome type of cruiser.

I can’t just leave you with one photo of a yacht so check out the short film below of Auckland’s North Shore in the 1920’s. It was filmed an advertisement for the Devonport Ferry Company showcasing what the shore offered.

For the time poor just fast forward to the 4:14 mark – some great footage of the Devonport waterfront and craft hauled out at the Devonport Yacht Club + Bayswater in its heyday , how did we ever let that gem of a location slide into the condition it is today?.

Further on there is some excellent sailing footage and I love the pond yachts. ENJOY (ex Ngatira Tronga Sound & Vision) – CLICK LINK BELOW TO VIEW

https://www.facebook.com/100022491815652/videos/377063966386661/

King Fisher – A Peek Down Below

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King Fisher – A Peek Down Below

Todays woody – King Fisher if you believe her tme listing (thanks Ian McDonald) states she is a Shipbuilders design and built in 1998. Someone more worldly than me can advise if that possible.

What I can confirm is that King Fsher is 36’ in length with a beam of 11’5” and draws 3’3”. Built from kauri with f/glass to the waterline.

Forward motion is via twin 160 hp. Chev 4stroke V8 diesels, the engines are said to be ex military. 

Some very tidy interior wood work, but the listing mentions she requires some TLC. Currently located in Helenville.

Westwind

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WESTWIND

Todays woody is another ex the Tauranga Museum archives and comes to us vis Dean Wright, its tagged Westwind and dated January 1962.

And that woodys is all we know – so reaching out for more details on her design / builder and what became of her.

WW Caps – low profile, 6 panel, canvas caps in the new camel colour topped with dark brown WW embroidered logo has a dash of understated style.

Just click the email link here and tell me your name, postal address and number of caps required. I’ll come back to you with payment details – $38 + $6 p&p. waitematawoodys@gmail.com

Nga Kiwa (Ngakiwa)

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NGA KIWA (Ngakiwa)

While Bay of Islands woody, Dean Wright was working on his own launch – Arethusa at Opua Marina, he spotted the 1956 Percy Vos built 28’ launch – Nga Kiwa  being relaunched after what appears to be so annual maintenance e.g. a bum clean and new anti-fouling.

The video is ex DW and the still photos are screen grabs from the video.

Nga Kiwa is new to me so would love to learn more about her.

INPUT ex Russell Ward – previously spelt Ngakiwa – 2013 WW story below https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/06/16/ngakiwa/

TARANAKI (Theologus) / Wakatoa

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TARANAKI (Theologus) / Wakatoa

Recently WW was contacted by Alistair McRae in regard to the vessel – Taranaki, Alistair commented that he spent a big part of his early holiday life on her. At this stage the boat was named Taranaki but Alistair believes it had been renamed (possibly named Theologus).Taranaki was owned by his uncle, Les Henry and was used by Les to tow barges at his sand company on the Waikato River. In the mid 1950’s Les steamed Taranaki out of the Waikato River (West Coast), up and around the top of the North Island and down to Whangarei.

Alistair recalls that she was approx. 37’> 38’ in length and had a four cylinder Fordson engine and had a canoe stern and built like the proverbial brick outhouse. Sadly Alistair has no details on who designed / built Taranaki or when she was launched. Alistair recollects possibly sighting Taranaki moored at Orakei probably 20 or more years ago. Where she may have resided for some years.

What Alistair does have is the actual log of the above mentioned trip from the Waikato River to Whangarei. The crew left the ‘Elbow’ on the Waikato River (where Les’s sand business was and now Winstone) at 0500hrs Friday 5th March 1955. They got to the Waikato Heads 1-1/2hrs later and waited for a day to get through the bar , quite a trip – the full story below – the reproduction is a tad scrappy and I has issues with converting / uploading but in my eyes that just adds to the story 🙂 It appears as a downloadable PDF file and as a booklet – click on the book to view and you can enlarge the pages.

So woodys can anyone enlighten us on Tarananki’s early days.

taranaki-trip-logDownload
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TARANAKI (Theologus) / Wakatoa

UPDATE -Thanks to input from Murray Debble we learn that she is now named – Wakatoa and featured on WW back in Dec 2021 https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/12/03/wakatoa-2/

UPDATE  – from Hylton Edmonds -Photos below taken about 4 weeks ago – just upstream of Ashbys Boatyard Opua.

Waitanguru

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Waitanguru

The photo of todays woody, the 31’ launch – Waitanguru , built in1953 by Alan Williams in Milford Creek, was sent to me back in Jan 2023. The location is the Bay of Islands and was taken by Dean Wright. Slightly embarrassing delay in posting, somehow the email slipped under the radar 🙂 Aside from the rubber duck she is looking very salty and carries the game poles very well.

Waitanguru is kauri carvel and powered by a Yanmar diesel – lots of details and photos in the two previous WW stories, linked below

May 2018 https://waitematawoodys.com/2018/05/07/waitanguru/

May 2020 https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/05/07/waitangaru/

Te Honu – A Peek Down Below

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Te Honu – A Peek Down Below

The 34’ Brin Wilson built launch – Te Honu was launched in 1963 and has been lucky with her ownership over the years – back in 2015/16 she was given a decent birthday that saw her decks glassed, a re-modelled cockpit and new windows throughout. Then in 2021 she was re-powered and her hull repainted. Link to the Aug 2015 WW story.  https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/08/25/te-honu/

I spotted Te Honu at the 2019 and 2020 Mahurangi Regatta and Dean Wright snapped her in both April and August 2022 in the Kerikeri Inlet + BOI 

Forward motion is via a Ford Otosan 130hp ex Moon Engines, that gives her a top speed of 13 knots.

Manutere – Sailing Sunday

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Manutere – Sailing Sunday

Another great photo shared with us by Dean Wright from the Tauranga Library archives.

We see the yacht – Manutere alongside a wharf, dated April 1964 and given the bridge in the background – has to be Tauranga.

Can anyone enlighten us more on the yacht (motorsailer?).

Short story today, waking up in the Waikato after a highly esteemed woodys 80th birthday party last night – great party, topped off with an All Black win 🙂

Woody On Tour – USA

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Woody On Tour – USA

A good friend , John Burland has been mooching around the eastern shores of the USA – Portland / Maine / Boston / New Hampshire etc.

In between eating his body weight in seafood he dropped into Lowells Boat Shop in Amesbury, Massachusetts. Lowells was established in 1793 (I’ll do the maths for you – that’s 230 yrs ago) and is the oldest operating boat shop in the USA. Google search the name to read / view the shops story. 

John was even press-ganged into helping turn a clinker that was being built.

Sure looks like a place I could spend sometime in – another addition to the bucket list.

(The birch bark canoe is on display at the – Portland Museum of Art)