Tag Archives: Collings & Bell

CLASSIC LAUNCH MOOSE -A Sneak Peek

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CLASSIC LAUNCH MOOSE -A Sneak Peek

Back in April 2023 we ran a story on the 28’ launch – MOOSE, built / launched in early 1939 by Collings & Bell, link below to that story. At the time boat builder Alan Craig (Craig Marine) provided and update us on the vessel, including photos.
WW APRIL 2023https://waitematawoodys.com/2023/04/27/moose/

Fast forward to Tuesday night and I get an email from Craig headed up ’Sneak Peek’ – now Alan’s emails are few and far between but always include gold, so I was keen to open and view.The sneak peek was the above two photos of MOOSE being extracted from her boat house at Moose Lodge, on the shore of Lake Rotoiti.

Alan has promised more photos / detail asap, so fingers crossed.
We will follow this project closely, the launch has wonderful provenance and will be in great woody hands at Craig Marine.

RAIRA – A Peek Down Below – SOLD

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RAIRA – A Peek Down Below – SOLD

Todays classic wooden launch is the 1915 38’ McLeod Brothers Devonport built launch – RAIRA. RAIRA was built to a Collings & Bell design and like most woodys has had a few enhancements (good & bad) over the last 110 years. As she floats today RAIRA is a very handsome craft, but she has a big secret – her interior. Step below deck and you’ll be wowed by her fit out, as seen in the above gallery of photos.

Forward motion is via a Ford Lees 6cyl. 120hp diesel engine that was rebuilt in 2011. At the same time work included replacement of ribs, keel bolts, bulkheads, decks and full refastening and caulking.
Her systems and electrics are as expected for a vessel capable of extended coastal cruising + she sports a diesel cabin heater, so there’s the opportunity for RAIRA to be very comfortable live aboard.

If you haven’t clicked yet – yes RAIRA is for sale and at an asking price of $30k she is very good value for money and her next owner will get a very affordable entry to the classic wooden boating movement.  The asking price is a sad reflection of the boating (wood/glass) market at present. Believe me it will never be cheaper to by your dream boat.

Interested buyers initially to contact owner – Thomas via email at  gosi120@hotmail.com

(note: game poles in top photo, now removed)

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – ALMA G II – THE FINAL CHAPTER

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CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – ALMA G II – THE FINAL CHAPTER

Back in Nov WW covered the relaunching of the classic wooden launch – ALMA G II, after a 19 month rebuild / restoration in the CMC Design shed in Opus, Bay of Island.

Link below to the launch day, unfortunately we couldn’t stay for the second half of the event which saw ALMA G II motoring over to her rightful home in front of the Swordfish Club in Russell, Bay of Islands. https://waitematawoodys.com/2024/11/30/classic-game-boat-alma-g-ii-re-launching-ceremony/

Now thanks to the team at CMC Design we get to see the 1927 Collings & Bell built ALMA G II post launching – In my eyes a wonderful rebuild that has sympathetically brought her up to modern standards, yet retaining most of her original charm, whilst being a very usable vessel that will provide future generations with another 100 years of woody boating.

Check out the 2nd to last photo above – the design / fitting of the new hand rail is a clever idea – there where you need some sureness when scurrying up the side decks. So more tastful than a stainless steel bow rail set up.

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – ARAB

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CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – ARAB

I stumbled across todays woody photo during a search of the the Auckland Libraries Heritage Collection – the photos is ‘credited’ to the McLeod Collection, date and photographer unknown. The location is probably – Kopu Wharf, Thames.

What we do know from previous WW stories on ARAB (links below), that she is 32’ in length and built / launched in 1913 bu boatbuilders Collings & Bell.

Lots more re past owners and photos in the links .

WW Aug 2013 https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/08/23/3911/

WW March 2021 https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/03/30/arab/

VERY COOL MARITIME AUCTION – check out at link below https://auctions.mccormackandmckellar.co.nz/208/catalogue?page=1#0051

CLASSIC 1948 WOODEN LAUNCH – MAKURA

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Ex Sea Spray Magazine

CLASSIC 1948 WOODEN LAUNCH – MAKURA

In late November 2024 WW attended the relaunch of the very salty 24’, 100 year old ex workboat named  – MARISSA at the Te Atatu Boating club. While there her owners, the Monaghan family, very generously shared an old photo album. One the woody craft included in the album was the Collings & Bell built bridge-decker – MAKURA. Seen in the first two photos above.

MAKURA last made a cameo appearance on WW back in 2013 when Harold Kidd and Russell Ward contributed to a WW story titled ’The Collings & Bell Bridge-deckers’ – link below https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/07/09/the-collings-and-bell-bridgedeckers/

In the story we learnt that MAKURA was built in 1949 for W D C  & C H Leighton and fitted with a 6 cylinder Chrysler Crown. They sold her to Phil Seabrook of Seabrook & Fowlds in 1957. He fitted the Nordberg a year or so later. Phil Seabrook had Billy Rogers design and build LADY DIANA for him in 1950 and fitted her with the Austin Skipper from new, replacing it with a 155hp Nordberg sleeve-valve engine in 1956 shortly before he sold LADY DIANA to Monte Winter and bought MAKURA. 

Later owners were V F Adams (1966) and W G Boughtwood (1973). Back in 2013 she was in Picton.The photo of MAKURA above was taken by Russell in 1961. Russell commented at the time that she was a fine looking ship. Also shown is a photo of MAKURA as built from the July 1951 edition of Sea Spray magazine.

CLASSIC GAME LAUNCH – ALMA G

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CLASSIC GAME LAUNCH – ALMA G

Todays woody story features the Bay of Islands big game launch – ALMA G. In the above photo we see her at Russell departing on what appears to be a day trip. Interesting observation – the majority of the passengers appear to be female .

The photo comes to us from the ’New Zealand Vintage Postcards’ via a Garry Law fb post.

ALMA G has made numerous appearances on WWRefer link below. She was designed / built by Collings & Bell and launched in late 1922. https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/11/19/what-price-provenance-100-year-old-game-fishing-wooden-launch/ https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/11/05/alma-g-alma-g-ii/

IF YOU HAVE SPOTTED ANY WOODYS OUT AND ABOUT OVER THE XMAS/NY PERIOD – EMAIL ANY PHOTOS TO waitematawoodys@gmail.com

CLASSIC GAME BOAT – ALMA G II – RE-LAUNCHING CEREMONY 

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CLASSIC GAME BOAT – ALMA G II – RE-LAUNCHING CEREMONY 

Yesterday we covered the relaunching of the 1927, Collings & Bell built game boat – ALMA G II.

Co owners (brother & sister) Shelly and Brett Arlidge, grand children of the original owner – E C Arlidge, hosted a very proper ceremony, with a welcome, a history of the boat, a Waiata and formal blessing. With the restarts of a working boat yard in the background and large crowd I have attempted to record the ‘formal’ parts of the ceremony – TURN YOUR VOLUME UP.

One of the missions of waitematawoodys is to archive this content for future review and reference. I encourage you to spend a few minutes and take in the wisdom being shared. 

THE WELCOME

HISTORY OF ALMA G II

WAIATA

BLESSING

CAN ME PUT A NAME TO THIS CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – WENNA

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CAN ME PUT A NAME TO THIS CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – WENNA

Trolling thru the WW archives recently I came across a folder from back in 2017, from memory one of the WW readers found an old photo album (below) that had been discarded and sent in a collection of random scans taken from the album. Sorry but I have not recorded the senders name.

A lot of the photos were damaged but several were in good shape. 
Todays woody story features a launch hauled out near Sam Ford’s yard. 

Can we ID the boat

INPUT ex NATHAN HERBERT – boats is WENNA – see WW link below https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/09/17/8768/

INPUT ex HAROLD KIDD – She was built as WENNA for Eric O’Neill of Ponsonby in 1925, probably by Collings & Bell in whose yard she is shown hauled out. In 2014 she was RANGATIRA, owned by George Emtage and Pam Cundy at Whangateau. They reverted to the name WENNA.

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – ALMA G II Restoration Updates #3 & #4

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CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – ALMA G II Restoration Updates #3 & #4

We have been following the refit / rebuild of the1927 Collings & Bell classic wooden launch – ALMA G II for a while now, the last WW story was back in December 2023 Dec 2023 and I have a confession to make – Update #3 slipped between the WW cracks so today you get a two-4- one 🙂

UPDATE #3 from Sian Steward at CMC Design below – 

“So much has been going on in the last few months, the team have been working very hard and things are looking great.

After the long long months of initial work of bringing all the bones of the Alma G II back together and many coats of white paint in the hull interior we moved onto the next phase.

The hull has been double skinned with kauri planks, filled, fared and prepped for fiberglass. It was a shame to say goodbye to seeing all the beautiful original timber underneath, but a boat that floats is the ultimate goal.

It’s good to have all hands available for this aspect of the build, working together makes the tough job of glassing much more streamlined and quicker. No one wants to draw out glassing for too long and we are grateful it isn’t a regular part of our day-to-day job..

More full suited days in the hot hot heat bogging and readying for paint. This is where the restoration really looks like it is getting somewhere. We have been going since last April and these milestones are meaningful to both the workers and the boat owners.

The Alma G II has been carefully rolled once more and the whole process starts again on the port side.

From there, back to upright and some more detailed discussions on the interior finishes and fixtures. The owners are keen to honor the traditional elements of the boat and have been sourcing some really lovely items from navigation lights to the bench top surfaces.

Top coat paint colour choices are being made and we keep moving on…”

UPDATE #4

“Further updates on the Alma G II. We have layers of paint going on!   More hard work has been done in these last few months with the Lees engine going in, fiberglassing, long board sanding and bogging and fairing.  Real backbreaking stuff. Onward we go with paintwork and then the interior fit out. “   

LINKs TO PREVIOUS STORIES FOLLOWING THE PROJECT

WW May 2023 Story https://waitematawoodys.com/2023/05/01/restoration-of-alma-g-ii-begins/

WW Dec 2023 Story  https://waitematawoodys.com/2023/12/06/alma-g-ii-restoration-update-2/

CLASSIC LAUNCH RAIRA – BEFORE THE WOOD BUTCHERS GOT HOLD OF HER 

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CLASSIC LAUNCH RAIRA – BEFORE THE WOOD BUTCHERS GOT HOLD OF HER 

The top photo is the 1915 launch – RAIRA, moored in the Waihou River, Te Aroha.  RAIRA was built by the McLeod brothers, Ted and Ray + J. Verran at Bayswater,  Auckland.  – to a  Collings & Bell design.

The photo comes to us from the Auckland Library Heritage Collection – McLeod collection via a Nathan Herbert link.

The 2nd photo is from late 2015. Location is Woolshed Bay, Coromandel.

Last heard she was calling Waiheke Island home.

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