WAITEMATAWOODYS GEAR

WAITEMATAWOODYS GEAR – LIMITED SUMMER OFFERING

Historically we have ordered bulk stock and had it printed / embroidered with the WW logo, this results in a significant upfront outlay of $$ and also we end up with a collection of odd sizes that do not sell.

So for the 2024/25 Season we have turned the process upside down. You tell us what you want and we will order and deliver. You don’t have to pay until we despatch the item/s. This new process also allows for all sizes from XS > 5XL

CAPS – Cotton, embroidered logo – 3 colours – black / camel / mushroom – $42

BUCKET – Wide brim, embroidered logo, lightweight, quick dry, recycled nylon + chin strap  – colour = Storm –  $48

BUCKET – Wide brim, embroidered logo, light/mid weight cotton + chin strap  – colour = Dark blue –  $45

BURGEE – cotton, screen printed 2 sides $45

T-SHIRTS s/s – DARK BLUE – $39

NOTE: In the last 12>18mths everything has increased in cost – printing and embroidery has almost doubled and post/courier charges are up 50%+ – We do our best to keep prices down but there are some small increases. 

ORDERING IS SIMPLE

1. Send in an email with item/s – quantity – size – colour   waitematawoodys@gmail.com 

And there’s always a boat story – ROMANCE II out recently for some overdue TLC – looking very smart 🙂 And its for sale  https://waitematawoodys.com/2023/11/20/quick-classic-launch-4sale-romance-ii/

WHAT BECAME OF THE WOODEN WORKBOAT – LADY EVA

WHAT BECAME OF THE WOODEN WORKBOAT – LADY EVA

The 60’ workboat LADY EVA was built in 1913 by Bailey & Lowe. The last we heard about her was back in a 2018 WW story where Ron Shugg commented that LADY EVA had been at one stage berthed at Helensville on the Kaipara Harbour. She was later hauled out and her two Gardner engines were removed and the hull sold. So the question woodys is – sold to who and where is she now.

There is lots of chat around Lady Eva in the comments section in this WW story  https://waitematawoodys.com/2017/03/30/lady-eva/

The second photo above, dated 1917,  is from a previous WW story on the overloading of craft – the PC police would have a field day if this was repeated today 🙂 

15-03-2025 – UPDATE ex Lew Redwood and Richard Joseph – photos below are dated Jan 2009, so she has probably gone down hill even more since then. (great photo of the river)

RSVP TODAY TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT ON THE BEST WOODY DAY OUT OF THE SEASON – just need – your name, boat name & approx # crew – email to waitematawoodys@gmail.com

CLASSIC WOODEN WORK BOAT – ARAHINA

 Arriving from Auckland on 31 October 1925
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.

MYSTERY WOODEN BOAT – 09-08-2024 – REO

MYSTERY WOODEN BOAT – 09-08-2024 – REO

Todays photo comes to us from the Tauranga City Library collection and is tagged ’the-rio’. Doing a WW search on the word rio doesn’t show any vessels that look like todays woody.

Can we learn more, the stern set-up says workboat, so maybe converted to pleasure use at some stage and a name change.

INPUT ex RAY MOREY – Its “REO” built as line boat for the Reotahi Freezing works in Whangarei harbour. This view after a massive rebuild and re-power by Tauranga H.B. engine was a Detroit 4-53 and the gantry frame for servicing moorings

INPUT ex HAROLD KIDD  – Ray is right, it’s REO run by the Tauranga Harbour Board for many years from 1923 as a pilot boat. Built by Bailey & Lowe 1903. Was in Whangarei until 1923. More recently in Tutukaka.

WOODYS CLEVEDON OVERNIGHT BBQ CRUISE – DOCK SPACE FILLING UP – ASVP TO SECURE YOUR SPACE waitematawoodys@gmail.com

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – IMANOTA > MARION D > JOAN

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH IMANOTA > MARION D > JOAN

Todays 45’ woody comes to us via a James Donald fb post. 

The launch was built in 1918 (launched Dec, thank you Harold Kidd for the intel) by Bailey& Lowe, named IMANOTA.

James grandfather, J Donald bought the launch in May 1921 and changed her name to MARION D. 

When launched she was powered by a 3 cyl. Twigg engine. James commented on the stern on photo that illustrated how beamy the vessel was.

Some time later her name changed again to JOAN, as she is known today. These days JOAn is powered by a Gardner engine.

The colour photo of JOAN I took in Nov 2014 at anchor in Isslington Bay, Rangitoto Island.

The link below is to a June 2018 WW story that as well as an amazing gallery of photos from her past, there is produced a 10 page diary/log from a 1932 Bay of Islands big game fishing trip – its a great read.

The photo below of the angler is most likely to be James grandfather.

WW June 2018 Story https://waitematawoodys.com/2018/06/29/marion-d-joan/

04-11-2024 Input ex Steve – I have that rod and reel, A Hardy Bros 7 inch Sea Silex and the Tanekaha rod my Grandfather said his father made himself. I am searching for history on James Donald OBE, My Great grandfather.
I have found out this reel was made from 1925 to 1927 and it was his first reel. That photo has to be post 1925 at least

SYBIL II

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

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

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.

Can We Put A Name To This Launch – KIA KOA

Can We Put A Name To This LaunchKIA KOA

Todays woody photo via Lew Redwood’s fb and its thought that its anchored in either One Tree Point or Marsden Bay, with Mt Manaia, Whangarei Heads in the background. If you look carefully there is actually two craft in the photo, the second is just visible over the cabin top of the ‘hero’ launch.

Others commented that it was actually Urquhart’s Bay with Calliope Island in the mid background. Also a suggestion that the boat was named Moerangi, an ex Mail Boat owned by Leonard Harnetts.

Would be nice to confirm her ID.

UPDATE 20-08-2024 ex HAROLD KIDD – The launch in front is KIA KOA, built by Bailey & Lowe in 1906 for A.R. Pickmere. Still thinking about the tuck stern launch behind.

Reply

1da day ago

If there is no WW story tomorrow it will be because the latest book ex the library wasn’t well received by the recipient………….

Alecia

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 🙂