Tag Archives: Bailey & Lowe

SYBIL II

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SYBIL II

With the opening of duck shooting season only a few weeks away now seemed a good time to run the photo above of the 1910 launch – Sybil II.

In the photo which comes to us from a Lew Redwood fb post, we see the launch post a very successful mornings shoot. Must have been no ‘bag’ limited back then, today I think its 8 birds pre shooter.

Harold Kidd has commented that Sybil II was built by Bailey & Lowe for a WR Twigg.

Back in August 2018 Cameron Pollard sent in photos of Sybil II on the move to a new storage location. At the time Cameron had owned the launch since 2004 and she was being ‘stored’ in anticipation of a restoration in the future – any update Cameron?

2018 WW story link https://waitematawoodys.com/2018/08/04/sybil-ii/ lots of photos and details in the comments section.

ANN MARIE – A Peek Down Below

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ANN MARIE – A Peek Down Below

The 33’ 1912 Bailey & Lowe launch recently popped up on tme so today thanks to Ian McDonald we get to have a gander down below.

Her story is that she was possibly built as a port service vessel for use in the South Island. Her current owner has had her for 24 years, and in that time crossed from Wellington (North Island) to the Sounds (South Island) numerous times.

Forward motion is via a 65hp Bedford 220 diesel (keel cooled) that gets her along nicely at 7 knots.

Anyone able to shed some light on her past.

RAWHITI I

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RAWHITI I

Todays woody photo was sent in by Peter Radford who spotted the photo on his sister-in-laws wall, sadly no comments/ notes on the back. 

Recently another woody – John Dawson sent in the bottom photo with the comments that he believed the 32’ Rawhiti I  was built c.1905 by Bailey & Lowe for Caesar Roose of Mercer. 

Started life as a ferry. What became of her after that is a blank to WW.

As you would expect of anything that came out of the Bailey & Lowe shed, she has wonderful lines. The small cabin ‘fits’ perfectly. Very unpractical but as designer William Atkin once said – ‘lack of headroom is one of the least objectionable features a small boat can have’ 🙂

21-12-2023 INPUT ex RAY MOREY – In both of those photo’s Caesar’s baby sister Mary is fourth from the bow of the young girls. This was a picnic outing to what was called “The Rocks” at Pukekawa and later the site of Smeed’s Quarry”. Somewhere I have the complete list of all on board, included is the local P.C. plod. That launch was later sold to Walter Dwenn, Ceasar’s wharfinger at Port Waikato and when in season he was a whitebait buyer, the launch was renamed “Seagull and he sold to the cannery at Tikorahi, up towards The Elbow. After Walter passes away his son Sammy sold it but I don’t know where she went. This was about the very early 50’s. I have a photo somewhere of her alongside the LST when she came in to Port Waikato

22-12-2023 Photo below ex Ray M. of Rawhiti in later life. As mentioned above, called “Seagull” a play on words, Walter was a whitebait buyer in season and seagulls like whitebait too.

Alecia

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ALECIA

This week we have had a several very fine looking woodys appearing on WW, today we have another – Alecia and she comes to us from John Dawson who sent in the above photo.

With that very distinctive scroll (is that the correct term) on her bow Alecia couldn’t be anything other than a Bailey & Lowe design / build. 

Do we know what became of the launch – is she still around today?

If you lose the tram top, its very similar to Harold Kidd’s old launch Romance II, also a Bailey & Lowe – photo below 

UPDATE – SORRY IF YOU EXPERIENCED SOME DUPLICATION WITH THIS STORY – ALL SORTED NOW 🙂

Lapwing

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LAPWING

Todays woody is the Bailey & Lowe 1915 built launch – Lapwing. Her specs are 26’ x 6’6” and in the above b/w photo she was powered by a 17-25hp Sterling engine that gave her a very impressive speed of 12 knots. Her original owner was Capt. J Davies and the photo comes to us from a supplement to The NZ Yachtsman – May 22, 1915 via Lew Redwood’s fb.

Lapwood is my marina ’neibour’ and I took the bottom photo on Sunday, sadly she very rarely leaves her berth.

Below is a link to a WW story on her from March 2013.

Lapwing

INPUT EX PAUL DRAKE – LAPWING was a Taupo ‘hire’ boat for a number of years from1929. She was brought to the lake from Rotorua by Englishman Donald Hunt, who had arrived in Taupo in the early 1920’s. He was a mechanic who also had dinghies for hire, and who became the agent for Johnson outboards – he supplied a Johnson Sea Horse to our grandfather in 1928, an outboard which we still have and which is still operational. Later he was also the agent for Gray Marine and supplied the engines for PIRI PONO when she was returned to Taupo with a damaged engine after WW2, when she saw service with the RNZAF at Hobsonville, Auckland. LAPWING was renamed PANDORA after an incident which left her reputation a little tarnished. With bow pushed up on a beach in typical Taupo style, a number of passengers proceeded to move towards the bow on the same side, whereupon LAPWING took a severe list and deposited said passengers overboard. Reputation being everything, LAPWING was no more, but PANDORA went on to be a popular hire boat! Donald Hunt eventually progressed to SUNBEAM (now in Tauranga as SEA BREEZE). PANDORA continued at Taupo for some years as a private boat, before disappearing from view.

JOAN + AUCKLAND ANNIVERSARY WEEKEND CLASSIC BOATING MUST DOs 

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JOAN + AUCKLAND ANNIVERSARY WEEKEND CLASSIC BOATING MUST DOs 

While sliding down the harbour the last week, I was passed by a very grand old lady – the 42’ Joan, built in 1919 by Baily & Lowe. She just slices thru the water with ease – no doubt helped by the very rare Gardner 612 engine. I have reproduced Harold Kidd’s notes below from a 2014 WW story – link to that and another story at the end.

“JOAN was built by Bailey & Lowe in December 1918 as IMANOTA for William Lang Casey of Hamilton Road, Herne Bay, the then President of the Victoria Cruising Club. She was 42ft x 11ft and was fitted with a Millar engine. Casey sold her to James Donald in early 1922 and he renamed her MARION D, although the name didn’t stick very well and she was often referred to as IMANOTA for years afterwards. During the winter of 1922 Donald re-powered her with a 30hp (rated) 3 cylinder Twigg and had the dodger built on. Donald owned her until just before WW2 when Athol Umfrey Wells of King Street, Panmure bought her and renamed her JOAN, probably after a daughter because his wife was Gladys. During WW2 she was with NAPS as Z19 under Wells’ command and the Twigg was replaced by a Gardner in 1944. Athol Wells owned her for many years, I think until he died in 1975. A chap called Walker owned her in the mid eighties when her provenance had transmogrified into her being built by Chas. Bailey in 1914 and being used by Zane Grey for game-fishing, all myths.” LINKS TO WW JOAN STORIES – more insights here https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/11/20/joan-2/ https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/03/17/joan/

Classic Launch Waitangi (Karamana)

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Classic Launch Waitangi (Karamana)
In the top three photos above we see Waitangi being relaunched at Hobsonville Marina. The photos came to us via my Hobby eyes and ears – John Wicks, as John commented that’s a very impressive trailer for an old girl.

Waitangi was built as Karamana for F.B. Cadman in 1923 by Bailey & Lowe to a design by Hacker. As Harold Kidd commented on a previous WW story Karamana = Cadman in pig Maori. She was later bought by Auckland Grammar School teacher P A S Stein who rebuilt her and fitted a war surplus 6 cyl Green sohc aero engine producing 120-140bhp, bore 5.5 ins, stroke 6 ins. HDK commented that she was pretty radical (see photo above), and a far cry from her current configuration.

In recent years Waitangi was restored at Ian Cooke’s Yachting Developments Ltd (YDL) and blitzed the fleet in the 2018 Rudder Cup race – photos below
Lots of back stories on the launch here
https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/05/03/karamana-waitangi/
https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/04/26/waitangi/
https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/04/26/great-1930s-movie-featuring-the-launch-waitangi/
https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/04/28/3-girls-on-a-1930s-boating-picnic-filmed-on-waiheke-island-auckland-featuring-the-classic-launch-waitangi/


WTF – Next time you go to church you may have to stand up – a nameless boatyard acquired 4 magnificent kauri church pews, for the timber. I assume when the recipient of the wood is launched there won’t need to be a blessing 🙂

Irini

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IRINI

Today’s launch photo comes to us via Peter Smith’s fb and shows the launch Irini on Lake Tarawera.

Back in August 2013 Harold Kidd commented in a post that Irini was built in 1904 by Bailey & Lowe for the Government Tourist Department. She was built at the same time as her sister ship – Patiti, both launches were railed to Rotorua in mid July and taken to the Rotorua lakes by bullock wagons. The exact locations are a little cloudy as the boats may have swapped lakes at some stage e.g  Irini was intended for Lake Rotomahana but is tagged as being on Lake Tarawera in the photo. 

Lake Manapouri – Manurere

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LAKE MANAPOURI  – MANURERE

Today’s woody is seen in the Western Arm of Safe Cove, Lake Manapouri, Southland. Photos ex Lew Redwood fb (Hocken).
On fb Daniel Hickes commented that the vessel maybe the Govt. steamer – Manurere., powered by a 1901 quadruple expansion steam engine, built by Simpson Strickland and Co. of Dartmouth, England.
Rather a smart clinker alongside 😉
Harold Kidd Input – MANURERE was only 40ft long. Built by Bailey & Lowe in Auckland in 1905, shipped to Bluff, railed to Mossburn and taken over to Manapouri by wagon drawn by a steam traction engine. She had a Thornycroft high-pressure boiler and Simpson Strickland “patent quadruple engines”. She was in service by February 1906. A neat little steamer.
Some Trivia
Ever wondered where the term ‘hang-over’ came from.
Seems its origin is related to woody boating – back in Victorian England, the cheapest (lowest) form of accommodation was access to bend over a rope for the night at the price of a penny. Usually used by drunken sailors who had spent all their money drinking.
I have always wondered how all the crew on the CYA’s A-Class gaffers managed to sleep 🙂
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Duchess

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DUCHESS
Another story ex the CV-19 lock-down. This time Kerry Alexander was having a cleaning out of old photos and came across the above ones of Duchess, the 1920 Bailey & Lowe built launch.
Location of the top two photos is Browns Bay beach and we see Duchess being hauled out. Kerry commented that he recalls that the photos are from the late 1960’s, when you were allowed to launch and haul out from the beach. Can you imagine the fuss if you tried doing that these days.
At the time Duchess was owned by Kerry’s boss, boatbuilder Keith Atikinson, Kerry can not recall how Keith ‘acquired’ her.
The haulage was being done by Alan Reid but the Atikinson yard used to use Ron Hogan and sometimes Winstones.
In the bottom photo Duchess is sitting outside the Atikinson shed at 25 Bute Road, Browns Bay, Auckland – she later moved into the shed.
In the photo below from a WW post back in June 2016 (link below), we see Duchess when owned by Graham (Snow) Steven – the photo was sent in by Graham’s nephew – Geoff Steven, who took the photo.
So woodys – is Geoff Steven’s photo pre or post Kerry’s?
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