CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – MATIRA – A Peek Down Below
The 45’ 1956 Collings & Bell built launch MATIRA has made several appearances on WW but we have never had a good gander down below.
Some info: Designed by Alex J Collings, she has a 11’ beam and draws 3’6”. Built from kauri, single skin, carvel planked. In recent years MATIRA was re-powered with twin Yanmar 110hp engines.
MATIRA is one of those classic woodys that looks perfect from all angles and looks fast even when at anchor.
Earlier this week I was chatting online with the owner of MAITAI— the 30’ classic wooden launch built by Collings & Bell back in 1928.
MAITAI has featured on WW several times over the years — master link to past stories here: https://waitematawoodys.com/?s=Maitai&submit=Search
She’s recently been hauled out on Waiheke Island, her new home, for some tidy-up work after a few stern fasteners decided to call it quits. The owner was full of praise for a talented young boatbuilder based on Waiheke who took on the transom rebuild — great to hear skilled hands are still out there keeping these classics alive.
With the heavy lifting underway, the owners rolled up their sleeves and treated her underside to a well-deserved birthday.
As the black-and-white photo below (ex Nathan Herbert) shows, MAITAI has made it close to 100 years without suffering at the hands of the dreaded wood-butchers. Long may that continue.
PAIKEA – ONE OF OUR FASTEST CLASSIC WOODEN MOTORBOATS
Last week during a visit to Gulf Harbour I spotted PAIKEA tucked away on one of the inner berths, looking very smart. This master link will take you to several stories that document her past + lots of photos https://waitematawoodys.com/?s=Paikea&submit=Search
In one of the stories we learnt from Harold Kidd that PAIKEA was built by Collings & Bell for A.H. Court and launched on 26th January 1921. She was fitted with a 120-150hp Model M Van Blerck 6 cylinder petrol engine (not a straight-eight Packard as is often said). PAIKEA had Chas. Collings’ “concave-convex” type of hard chine design which he made famous with his various FLEETWINGS and whale-chasers. Indeed she was a refinement of the FLEETWING whose image appears in the Collings & Bell section of WW.
PAIKEA was good for 20 knots and can still do it with her present big Iveco/Fiat, Harold commented that she goes like hell and stable with it.
I n recent years PAIKEA has been one of launches that line up for the Auckland anniversary day motorboat inner harbour drag race, in fact earlier this year (2025) she was 1st across the line on corrected (handicap) time. Will be interesting to see if she turns up in 2026 to defend her title.
Photo below from the 2025 race where we see PAIKEA unsuccessfully trying to catch the winner – MY GIRIL.
CLASSIC 1928 KAURI LAUNCH – MANAAKI
Todays woody is the 36’ launch – MANAAKI built in 1928 by Collings & Bell. The photo comes to us from Karl Webber via Lew Redwood fb. In the fb story is comments that at the time of the photo (1930) the boat was owned by the Webber family and was built of kauri and used primarily to cross from Kapiti Island to Paraparaumu.
MANAAKI first appeared on WW back in August 2015 – link below, lots of old and newish photos here https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/08/10/manaaki/
Then in May 2021 she was for sale and we got to have a gander down below – link here https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/05/09/manaaki-a-peek-down-below/
Looking for confirmation that todays MANAAKI is the same launch that was build for the Zane Grey fleet – ALMA G, OTEHEI and AVALON were the names of some of her sisters.
INPUT ex KARL WEBBER via Dean Wright
CLASSIC WOODEN TOURIST LAUNCH – MISS PICTON (Mitre Peak / Anita Bay)
MISS PICTON the ex tourist launch was built by Collings & Bell and launched in December 1933. Her first owner was Captain M Steele of Picton, who motored MISS PICTON down the East Coast to Picton.
In 1953 her name was changed to MITRE PEAK and she ‘worked in the excursions & tourist services market.
MISS PICTON first appeared on WW in December 2013 and again in October 2015 – links below to those stories.
Dec 2013https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/12/14/miss-picton/
Oct 2015https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/10/28/mystery-launch-28-10-2015/
Todays photo was sent in by Roger Young who commented that the man standing on the foredeck is Aubrey Forster, NZ Airforce. Aubery was Roger’s partner Suzanne’s father.. The photo is thought to be dated early 1950’sInteresting mix of people aboard, appear to be all well attired, but that was the normal back then.
Any woody able to shed more light on the photo.
Photo below ex Richard Hockey – now named Anita Bay. Location is Riverton. The ’new’ superstructure was added c.1970’s.
(Early intel ex Harold Kidd)
31-10-2025 INPUT ex RICHARD HOCKEY (Brisbane, Aust) – photos below of ANITA BAY in Riverton + also one from 1976 when she was still Mitre Peak but had new superstructure.
CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – MOOSE – RESTORATION UPDATE #2
Last Wednesday we did an story on the TCL work boatbuilder Alan Craig had done on the classic wooden launch – ALPHEUS. During the chat with Alan I nudged him for an update on the 28’, 1938, Collings & Bell built – MOOSE restoration, and today woodys we get to share what’s been happening in the Craig Marine shed.
Links below to the previous stories, including the extraction of MOOSE from her lake front boat shed.
WW May 8th https://waitematawoodys.com/2025/05/08/classic-launch-moose-a-sneak-peek/
WW May 26th https://waitematawoodys.com/2025/05/26/classic-launch-moose-on-the-move/ As seen in the gallery of photos Moose is well under way. Plenty of rib and rot repairs done and as Alan commented ‘undoing the sins from years of repairs’.
With the likelihood of a new Yanmar engine, the old unit has come out. The plan is to try and use the existing V drive.
As MOOSE will end up out on a Jetty most of the time, the cabin roof will be getting a protective layer of f/glass. Alan remarked that while it seems a shame to cover the nice tongue & groove roof, they want MOOSE to live on many more years yet.
Now that she is in a cradle the boatyard team can attack the underside and are starting work on an interior layout.
DAVEY JONES NEW BOOK QUIZ WINNER – JAMES HUTCHINSON. Congratulations to James, for all those that missed out – copies available at daveyjonesofwakatahuri@gmail.com
CLASSIC LAUNCH RUAMANO – A JOURNEY GONE WRONG
Over the years there have been several mentions on WW of the loss of the 43’ Collings & Bell built launch – RUAMANO launched in 1925 at Freemans Bay, Auckland.
Let us not pussy foot around – loss is the wrong word. At the time maritime authorities used stronger words e.g. ‘crew abandoned it’ / ‘questioned the need to abandon’ / ‘vessel was not in a life-threatening situation’ / ‘crew appeared to have simply had enough’ / ‘lack of experience may have been a factor’ / they bit off more than they could chew’.
On New Years Day 2001 the NZ classic boating community lost one of its finest craft, and reading the reports it appears it did not need to have happened.
Recently WW was contacted by Denis O’Callahan, past co-owner of the wonderful Colin Wild built woody – TASMAN. Denis commented that he had been working on preparing a summary of the logbooks from the TASMAN. Nine volumes from 26 December 1971 to 12 December 2020.
In the back of Volume 6, 24 October 1998 to 27 July 2002 Denis found taped in the clippings from the NZ Herald, dated 2 January 2001, the front page and an internal page telling the story of the loss of the RUAMANO.
In the TASMAN log, dated Tuesday 02-01-2001 while the launch was cruising the Mahurangi area a note was added to the log book that read “Newspaper from Warkworth reported loss of RUAMANO on fool hardy attempt to repeat 1925 circumnavigation of NZ (see clipping at end of log)” . The photos above are scans of the original NZ Herald press clippings ex the TASMAN log, given to Alan H at WW.
I encourage WW follower / readers to take the time to read the NZ Herald news stories and make your own decision on the sad event. As always you can enlarge the photos by clicking on them.
Masthead from the NZ Herald below (page too large for the scanner).
CLASSIC WOODEN 1927 EX WORKBOAT – OWAKA
Todays photos come to us from John Dawson. We learnt more from an online search that popped up an old fb comment by Ray Morey where Ray told us OWAKA was built in 1927 by Collings & Bell in Auckland for service at Lyttelton.
Ray also said that in the mid 1930’s she was re-powered with a Kelvin K9 engine. Then in the mid 1960’s she was re-powered agin with a D-Series Ford.
In another fb post Lew Redwood tagged the top photo above as being c.1950>69 and the location being Honeymoon Bay, Moturua, Bay of Islands (photographer – Ron Clark).
A July 2014 WW story featured a search by the son of an ex owner to learn more about his fathers boat. We uncovered an amazing amount of history and photos. Read/see at this link https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/07/13/owaka-find-a-classic/
The last mention of her in the above post was in Jan 2019 when Nathan Herbert took the below photo from onboard his launch Pacific.
So woodys the question of the day is – what became of OWAKA post 2019.
CLASSIC LAUNCH MOOSE ON THE MOVE – Update #1
Earlier in the month woody boat builder Alan Craig gave us a peek at his team extracting the Collings & Bell, 1939 built, 28’ launch – MOOSE, link below to that story. https://waitematawoodys.com/2025/05/08/classic-launch-moose-a-sneak-peek/
As previously promised, last week Alan sent in the gallery of photos above starting with MOOSE in her Lake Rotoiti boathouse at Moose Lodge and finishing up in Alan’s yard with the restoration already underway.
Alan commented that the process went very smoothly, a few of the crew were a little apprehensive that a planked wooden boat will still float after an extended period out of the water. Alan said that MOOSE was all good, with a bit of help from the modern technology of temporary urethane sealant 😉
As with all wooden boat projects things start with unveiling the surprises that lie beneath the layers of paint, but for the experienced team at Craig Marine there are no real surprises these days.
We look forward to following this restoration. (photo below dated 1954)
CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – DONALD SUTHERLAND (MV USSCO / SEA HAWK) – On The Move
The 46’ classic wooden launch – DONALD SUTHERLAND, once named MV USSCO and also SEA HAWK, was spotted by Angus Rogers at Half Moon Bay Marina, Auckland on Tuesday on the back of a Boat Haulage rig.
We last saw her back in May 2023 when she had had an oops in a storm and ended up on the Tamaki Drive breakwater, as shown in the second group of photos. She has made several appearance on WW, links below.
WW Aug 2019 https://waitematawoodys.com/2019/08/30/donald-sutherland/
WW April 2023 https://waitematawoodys.com/2023/04/14/mv-ussco-4sale/
In the previous WW stories we learnt she was built by Collings & Bell in 1936 and commissioned by the NZ Government as a tourist / passenger vessel, also worked as a light house tender.
Not sure from the photos she is coming or going, I suspect leaving HMB as you dont need a transporter to launch + the ‘Kaiapoi’ name on the stern suggests she’s heading to the Christchurch region.
Anyone able to confirm the plans for her.
(Photo below – lunch day Jan 1936)
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