Tag Archives: Bailey & Lowe

Romance II

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MAHURANGI 2006
R2 on the left
R2 on the right – March 1925
R2
R2 Rudder Cup Patio Bay Race 2010
R2 Rudder Cup / Passage Rock 2010

ROMANCE II

Romance II was built in 1919 by Bailey & Lowe. She is a rather quick old girl, always has been, as the older photos show. The colour photos were taken by Jason Prew at the 2006 Mahurangi Regatta, prior to her current owner Pauline Kidd purchasing her. Romance II had been on the Kidd’s bucket list for a very long time & has just been transported to Marco Scuderi’s yard (MSN Shipwrights) in Helensville for some extensive work that will see her returned to a style closely matching her ‘as launched’ configuration. It would be hard to find a project manager with a better eye & classic knowledge than Pauline’s husband Harold, so ww will be watching this project with great interest – rest assured there will be no fly bridge, solar panels etc 🙂

Rudder Cup photos (by Chris Miller) added

As always – you can enlarge any photo by clicking on it

28 Nov. 1929 photo added (ex Paperspast) below of Romance II being lowered into the water near Queens Wharf after being reconditioned (their words) at Mt Eden. Now you can see why she is so quick.

R2 relaunch Nov 1929 at Queens Wharf

Zoom Zoom
Walter Bailey designed her for 17 knots which she exceeded with her original 15/21hp (rated) Sterling. That was replaced with the biggest Stearns available, a 35hp (rated), in June 1923. Other, more pedestrian, engines followed including a 4 cylinder Ford diesel post-WW2 and, most recently, a 6 cylinder 150hp Hino marine diesel by Moon Engines, which is a truly superb installation. We can see just under 20 knots on the GPS at 3100 but she’s tricky to handle at that speed because she’s really riding on the prop and “sensitive”, shall I say. We’ve removed most modern junk including the gas bottle and stove and the sink bench but are jibbing at removing the toilet and the deep freeze. Simplicate and add lightness!
Dimensions:
Basically she’s Bailey & Lowe’s standard 35 footer but tweaked in the sections. Beam is 8ft , draught 2ft 6in, displacement 4.2 tons wet.

Update from HDK (24/08/2014) see comments section for previous posts

Progress is good. There have been interesting questions to resolve regarding the new dodger in our efforts to re-create her as she was launched in 1919. When you are dealing with three dimensional and aesthetic issues based on a handful of contemporary images it takes a lot of careful thinking and analysis (not to say compromise). Marco is highly sensitive to these issues, thank goodness, so our weekly brainstorming is fun and productive. We are now down to millimeter issues.
One correction however, the camber of the dodger top IS the same as the camber of the main cabin top. Anything else does look wrong and is not borne out by a careful examination of the early images nor by the fossil evidence in the boat. The shapes of the four forward facing windows gave an illusion of a higher camber, but it is an illusion.
Marco keeps his website up to date with images:
http://www.mcnshipwrights.com/romance-ii.html

 

Shamrock (Shamrock Leaf)

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SHAMROCK

Shamrock (originally Shamrock Leaf) was built by Bailey and Lowe and launched in 1915.   She started life powered by a 25hp Sterling petrol engine and could reach speeds of 10 knots. She was converted to diesel in 1936. Built for Arch McCarthy who ran the ferry service from Waitakaruru to Thames until the Kopu Bridge was opened.

Arch sold her to John Faulkner in 1925 where she worked as a ferry and tug in Tauranga harbour towing barges from Motiti Island and Mayor Island. She was sold in 1980 and went to Kawau Island where she did tug work towing log rafts and barges during the building of many of the wharfs at Kawau. With the tides permitting she would take the locals to Warkworth to do shopping etc. She was then on sold and was charter fishing from Leigh to Great and Little Barrier Islands.

In 2000 she was purchased by Rod Bridge from Shamrock Charters and sailed to the Kaipara Harbour where she would spend the next six years doing charter fishing in the harbour and over the Kaipara bar. It was 2000 when she was deregistered as a passenger ship and dropped the Leaf to become just Shamrock.   She holds the record for being the oldest vessel in continuous commercial survey in NZ.

Her current owners, Trish & Martin Beeby purchased her in 2006 from Rod Bridge and sailed her back to Auckland where she now resides at Te Atatu. She has competed in 3 Auckland Anniversary day Tug Boat Races and has not disgraced herself. Now powered by a 150hp Ford Dover her 4th engine after she had a Isuzu and a GM 4 /71.   2014 is her 99th year & she just passed another survey for insurance purposes and she is still doing well.

Trish has done a lot of work tracing her past but if anyone has any information or photos email them to waitematawoodies@gmail.com

Photo below ex Zach Matich of Shamrock while she was chartering on the Kaipara out of Helensvillle

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Photo below ex classicboatsnz showing Shamrock Leaf out at  Bailey & Lowe

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Update 09-10-2020 Unshore of the date but looking a tad more ‘pleasure’ craft.

Winsome

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WINSOME

photos ex Dean Wright

Winsome was built by Bailey & Lowe in 1918. More details can be viewed by searching her name in the ww search box.
The other launch in the photo is Arethusa, built in 1927 by Bob Brown & now owned by Dean Wright , again view more via the ww search box.

Photo below ex Harold Kidd of Arethusa under sail – rather fine looking

Jessica

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Jessica

Jessica

JESSICA

photos ex Baden Pascoe

The name plaque says built by Bailey & Lowe in 1912, I’m sure if this is correct, Harold will be able to shed some light on Jessica. HDK has rather a soft spot for B&L craft. Jessica was photographed at Thames over the xmas/ny period.

Harold Kidd Update

1. “JESSICA” is a re-name. I know she’s been that since at least 2006.
2. Although foliate scrollwork on the bow was a feature of Bailey & Lowe work up until say 1920 (by when it was considered “old hat”), their scrollwork was much more free-form than this symmetrical work. Maybe the first owner wanted a symmetrical job, but I’ve not seen another and therefore have mild doubts about the “Bailey & Lowe” tag.
3. She was obviously built as a raised foredeck flushdecker.
4. It would be nice to know her previous name(s) so that we can establish some real provenance for her.
5. I do wish launch owners didn’t so readily change their boats’ names, seemingly often to butter up the female members of the family who had dark thoughts about hubby buying a boat. My father did exactly that in 1934.

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‘The’ Rothesay’s

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ROTHESAY

photos & details from Paul Drake 

Paul Drake has suppled the above photos of the ‘old’ & the ‘new’ Rothesay. The ‘new’ photos are as Paul knew her as a child in Taupo when she was owned by Don McLeod. Paul thinks she was about 40 feet. She is fairly distinctive forward and to his eyes the wheelhouse is perfection. The dodger sides were canvas in those days and she had a mast. Don McLead owned two Rothesays. The first was a  32 foot Bailey and Lowe, ex “Government” boat which Don bought as a near wreck when he returned from WW2 and ran commercially before upgrading to the larger Rothesay. Paul thinks the ‘new’ has survived as Tamure. Enter Tamure in the ww search box to see more on her & possible links to Rothesay.

The ‘old’ Rothesay was last seen c.1960 on the hard up the Tamaki River looking very sad & unlikely to be still going.

Photo A – New Rothesay, Western Bay, Lake Tauto, probably late 1950’s > early 1960’s

Photo B – ‘Old’ Rothesay with a full load sporting additions to her cabin and a sponson

Photo C – ‘Old’ Rothesay with Don McLeod at the helm, operating as a commercial boat at Taupo, post WW2

Photo D – ‘Old’ Rothesay on the hard at Taupo in the 1940’s, probably whilst still the ‘Government Boat’& most likely not named Rothesay. Probably a Bailey & Lowe, 32 feet

Harold Kidd Update

H.D. Heather had 5 ROTHESAYS. That doesn’t of course mean that there may have been other launches named ROTHESAY. His attachment to the name was that it was the name of his mansion in Mt. Eden Road Auckland.

ROTHESAY (1) was built by Bailey & Lowe for W.J. Jaggs as MAVIS in 1909. She had a Holliday engine. Heather bought MAVIS in July 1911 and renamed her ROTHESAY. I have no dimensions and no image. Heather sold her to E.D. Holt of Cape Runaway in September 1912.

ROTHESAY (2) was built for Heather by Bailey &  Lowe in December 1912 as ROTHESAY MINOR. She was 32’/32’/7’8″/2’6″ and had a Sterling 18-25hp Model B. There is a launching pic of her in the MM”s Bailey & Lowe collection which I’ll have to go and see. No trace after this.

ROTHESAY (3) was built by Bailey & Lowe at Sulphur Beach for Heather and launched in early December 1914. Heather used her as a dayboat for fishing in the inner Gulf. She was 26’/26’/’6’6″/1’6″ and had a 6-10hp Sterling Kid engine. Image is attached. This was a typical 1914 launch with a raised foredeck and flush-decked but with a steering position in a neat house amidships, ultra-modern at the time. My eldest son Simon rescued her from the boneyard in front of Dave Jackson’s yard at Sulphur Beach about 1993 when she rejoiced in the name AFRICAN QUEEN. We stored her at a friend’s farm but she was destroyed by a Transpower bulldozer along with another treasure that I don’t want to think about.

ROTHESAY (4) was built by Lanes in 1915 but didn’t do much during WW1. She was a bigger boat at 35′ oa and had a 6 cylinder Wisconsin engine. Heather sold her top David Teed in March 1921. Teed renamed her MAUD T but sold her to W A Wilkinson in July 1923 and he renamed her SPEEDWELL. She’s pictured at p.93 of Deacon and my book “Vintage NZ Launches” and is now in Auckland as ROSEMARY M.

ROTHESAY (5) was built for Heather by Bailey & Lowe in early 1922. He died in April after only one trip in her. She was a big launch at 40’/40’/9’6″ and had a Sterling Model FH 4 cylinder engine. She was put up for sale immediately and disappears, obviously after a name change.

I have a pic somewhere………..

To summarise in relation to the 2 Taupo ROTHESAYS; assuming they were ex-Heather ROTHESAYS

1. The “old” ROTHESAY is an early configuration with a dee-front cabin-top typical of 1910, so is possibly MAVIS/ROTHESAY(1). I will look at ROTHESAY (2)/ ROTHESAY MINOR’s pic at the MM but I think she’s likely to be a flushdecker.

2. The “new” ROTHESAY on Taupo, now Stephen Ford’s TAMURE can’t be ROTHESAY (3) (brutally dead) nor ROTHESAY (4) and seems too small for ROTHESAY (5), so she could be ROTHESAY (2). The pic at MM will settle that. I’ll try and get there this week.

13-07-2018 Update from Paul Drake

After reading on WW that (old) Rothesay was now located on the Awanui River, Paul did a google search & boom – here she is, crying out for some time on the end of a water blaster.
P1160558 (2)

Arethusa & Winsome

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The Boats of H Pickmere

photos ex Dean Wright. details by Alan H

Arethusa was used extensively by Hereward Pickmere during WWII when he was employed by the Lands & Survey Dept. to survey Northland’s coastline. Arethusa started off life as a gaff rigged cutter (see b/w photo with a 30’ long boom), she was built in 1917 by Bob Brown at Sulphur Beach, Northcote. Carvel planked kauri – 33′ 4″ with a 11′ 7″ beam.  She was converted to a launch in approx. 1955 after being wrecked & salvaged post a grounding on Farewell Spit on a passage from New Plymouth to Nelson. You can view some wonderful old images of her & the Pickmere family cruises on Dean’s website:

http://deanwright.co.nz/arethusa-log-sub/123-pickmeres-my-arethusa.html

Arethusa was sold in 1943 & the Winsome acquired. She is described as a 34′ flush-decked launch built by Bailey & Lowe (that will please HDK) in 1918 with a draft of 2′ 7″ & had previously been owned by Hereward’s father since 1923.

Both boats still live in the Bay of Islands & you can view further details on Arethusa here: http://deanwright.co.nz/arethusa.html

photos – the 2 colour photos of Arethusa and Winsome together were taken by Dean earlier this year in the Bay. The b/w sketch below of Winsome is ‘borrowed’ from Pickmere’s Atlas of the Northland coast.

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Update 25-07-2018 ex Arethusa owner, Dean Wright. The cutting below show Arethusa leaving Auckland on-route to Suva.

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Lady Joan

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Mystery Launch 15/10

LADY JOAN

photo ex Dave Jackson

Having a few blokes in the photo should help with ID’ing this launch. Given the wooden cask (water??) on deck it most likely is during an extended summer cruise. The wharf certainly is not OHS compliant.

Harold Kidd Update

I don’t know what she is but guess that she’s Collings & Bell c1914-22, maybe even Leon Warne of the same period.

Input from Dave Jackson – 16/11/13

1958c

Nagles Cove

Lady Joan

Built for Joe Lobley

Built by Bailey’s

Next owned by Taylor Family

Sterling Girl

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Sterling Girl

STERLING GIRL
Built by Bailey & Lowe in 1913. Being a B&L Harold K will know doubt be able to shed some more light on her.

photo ex classicgameboatnz

Harold Kidd Update

Bailey & Lowe were agents for the very fine US-built Sterling marine engine and so were keen to promote the brand by incorporating the name in names of boats they built for themselves and even others eg the launches STERLING (2 of them), STERLING GIRL and the motorsailer LADY STERLING. STERLING GIRL was built for K.R. Taylor of Birkenhead and launched in November 1913. She had a 20-35hp Sterling engine and was built on their 35ftx 8ft 6in launch moulds that had produced a long line of fine boats including STERLING, PRINCESS, COUNTESS etc and which in modified form, produced the later MANU and ROMANCE II. Taylor sold her to Capt. G. H. White during the winter of 1920 when he had commissioned the 48ft schooner-rigged motorsailer LADY STERLING from Bailey & Lowe. Roy Henderson owned her in 1925 and then she was sold to the South Island. I saw her in Nelson in 1999 when she was owned by Ross Power of Christchurch and I think she’s still there.

10-12-2015 Update from John Burland

Photos below in Nelson Marina & she is still owned by Ross Power. Love the Ford Model T wheel.

Sterling Girl

Sterling Girl - wheelhouse

 

 

Atatu

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An update on Atatu
words & photo from Frank Stoks
Here are a couple of fresh pictures of Atatu (1919, Bailey and Lowe) mentioned on this site about a month ago.
The new hardwood aerofoil rudder (installed 3 years ago) replaced the flat steel plate in order to eliminate all zincs and stop delignification of hard to repair timbers.
Moreover the rudder still works drifting into the berth at 1 or 2 knots whereas the flat steel rudder didn’t work at low speed.
She was a luxury launch for Holloway, then Nathan family, war service in Wellington, converted to fishing vessel in 1947, has had several wheelhouses the last of which (shown) by us about 15 years old now. Present engine is a Caterpillar D330B installed new in 1968 still going strong [touch kauri].
I have an extremely detailed history of her, concerning owners, incidents, activities, conversions, and engines – with photos starting from before she was launched to the present day. Unfortunately the Atatu embossed Royal Dalton China, cutlery, carpets and etched glass have long disappeared.
And yes the funnel is a folly – but I’m proud of it!

Want to be a waitematawoody?

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Easy – buy Rotomahana, the 1923 Bailey & Lowe launch. Harold Kidd referred to her as a ‘baby Romanace II’, owned long-term by Humphrey Duder of Devonport.
33ft, kauri hull, 45hp dsl, 4 berths, toilet with holding tank, gas cooker, fridge, gps chartplotter, depth sounder, 2 x batteries, shorepower, electric capstan, aft boarding platform. A well presented classic. Call Gavin in Picton on 0272 757 716 Reduced to $32,500
 
 More photos & details here