Tag Archives: Collings & Bell

RAIRA – A Peek Down Below

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RAIRA – A Peek Down Below

Raira was launched in Devonport in February 1915. Built by the McLeod Brothers to a Collings and Bell design.  She has appeared on ww before but now thanks to her trademe listing we get to have a look inside 🙂
The great looking interior is the result of a full restoration completed in 2011. This included: new steamed ribs with copper fastenings, new bulkheads, new keel fastenings, all paint removed back to timber and her hull re-caulked + just about everything else on board was replaced or upgraded.

In late 2016 Raira was repowered with a 120hp Ford on an zero hour rebuild, that pushes her along at between 7.5>9 knots. At  the same time she was treated to exterior paint job.

Woody Ian McDonald commented that when he used to slip his boats at Omokoroa in the early 1980’s, Raira was on a swing mooring there & unless mistaken, the game poles are just as they were back then.

She is a pretty boat, but I’m not sure about the ‘poop’ deck 🙂

ps sorry about yesterdays story & the link not working, technology let me down 😦

Kawhiti – A Peek Down Below

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Kawhiti – A Peek Down Below

Kawhiti, the 42′, 1952 Collings & Bell bridgedecker has appeared on ww before – check out the link below for details on her past. Today’s post, thanks to her trademe listing, gives us a look down below.

Kawhiti

Lake Taupo Woody Quiz

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Lake Taupo Woodys

LAKE TAUPO WOODYS QUIZ
Woody Paul Drake sent in the above never before published photo, showing lots of woodys, before the arrival of the fibreglass brigade, at Taupo. The boat sheds have recently been removed, and the Drake family is preparing to put to ‘sea’ in their launch – Sir Francis (Collings & Bell 1916).
Of the 5 launches in the background 4 have appeared on ww before, so ID’ing them should be do able. The first woody to name the launches – left > right in the photo wins a ww t-shirt.

Entries via the ww Comments section. If no one gets all 5 in the right order, I’ll work down e.g. 1st with 4 etc.

Otehei

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OTEHEI

The note below (edited) was sent to me by Gavin Bradley  &Maggie Mouat, they are the new owners of Otehei & have asked for help from the ww readers. The top 3 photos above show Otehei in Otehei Bay, December 2016. The bottom two above are by Dean Wright (ex K Ricketts). More details here https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/08/28/otehei/

“I recently became aware of the Waitemata Woody’s site which I have to say is an amazing resource and I am loving the daily posts.

I found the site while searching for old images of the Otehei which my wife and I have recently purchased from the El Dorado Foundation. We have had a reasonably long association with the boat, having largely funded it’s restoration in 1996 and therefore have good knowledge of its history.

We are however on the hunt for any surviving design drawings for Otehei and/or her sister ships – Manaaki, Lorna Doone and Zane Grey as we plan to have Otehei surveyed and without design drawings she will need to be surveyed as a novel craft. I was hoping you might be able to put out the question through your daily posts or you may even know of people with connections to the other boats or Collings & Bell.

I have a lot of information and photographs of Otehei, historical, contemporary and during restoration. I also have some interesting memorabilia including the original 1927 Statement of Accounts and Balance Sheet of the Zane Grey Sporting Club showing the build cost of the 4 boats at 500 pounds each! I will share all of this with you in due course.

Incidentally, when Otehei was found on Lake Taupo in 1976 by John Chibnall, she was the M.V. Rangatira not Grace Darling, although she possibly could have been called that earlier. Would be interesting to know…The skipper at the time was Bob Colville.

Any information and images would be gratefully received!”

Updated with photos below ex Gavin Bradley that show some relevant parts of the Otehei story

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Flier for Rangatira charter business

 

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As M.V. Rangatira on Taupo as found by John Chibnall in 1976

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Relaunch day off Russell 1977

UPDATE from Paul Drake – below are some pics of her at Taupo.

“The first shows her under the crane about to leave Taupo. The second shows her in Boat Harbour (Taupo), skipper Ivan Vickery. In the third, she is on the beach at Whakaiapo Bay, before she was altered by the addition of a wheelhouse. The fourth shows her alongside the “House Boat” (formerly R S S TONGARIRO, BAILEY AND LOWE 1899), again in Boat Harbour, This would have been late 1930’s. She was laid up on the hard during WW2, and the wheelhouse added when she was returned to service.
 
The third and fourth pic require an explanation. Recently, Taupo Museum ran an exhibition called “Times Past”. An hours worth of historic photos were screened, for 5 seconds each, on a large screen consisting of two parts. Thus the black line down the middle. I clicked away as they scrolled through. I am sure OTEHEI’s new owners will be interested, as the photos may be new to them, as they were to me. Fabulous boat.”

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This Is Actually A Very Cool Idea
Russell Ward sent me the photo below & commented that zimer-frame added a new category to the boating progression – P Class > Starling > Young 88 > Farr biggie > Bridge-decker > Motor Home and now a boaty trundler!
I know a few woodys that need one 😉

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12-01-2017 – Update ex Gavin Bradley

“I just bought the photo postcard below of Otehei Bay on TradeMe. That boat definitely has the right bow line and 3 portholes…”

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Fleetwing

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FLEETWING

Today’s story has come about by 4 people digging me in the ribs – started off with Chris Manning letting me know that he had purchased Fleetwing, but not really for future ownership – more to protect her from future neglect & to secure a new owner that has the vision & passion to bring her back to the condition a vessel with her provenance deserves.
Next Nathan Herbert gives we a nudge, then Ian McDonald, then Cameron Pollard emails me, now if you know Cameron he is a man of few words (in emails) his message was “some woody needs to buy this”. And someone does.
Fleetwing is a 32′ kauri carvel planked hull, built at St Mary’s Bay, Auckland at the Collings & Bell yard, launched September 1920. She has spent the majority of her life in the Marlborough Sounds as a commuter and work launch.

No engine, no propeller, other running gear in place. No ancillaries/tanks. Hull appears sound and appears to have had significant refastening work done in the recent past. The deckhouse would benefit from the use of a chainsaw.

Currently lying on a mooring in Paremata. Can be shifted to Mana Marina Travel-lift if required.

Above are a couple of historic photos . The photos of her with the Aramoana green hull are as current.

So woodys if you are seriously seeking a historic New Zealand launch for refit or restoration then Fleetwing could be for you.

You can read more about her at the ww link below. You’ll find her list on trademe at $900 ono – yeap – $900.

Charles (Chas) Collings – Designer / Boat Builder

12-11-2016 update ex Gavin Pascoe – In the colour photos the launch in the background is  another Collings and Bell, named Surprise. Built for Cook Strait whaling again on the concave convex principle.

28-08-2018 Update

I’m very pleased to advise the after a 91 year absence the 1920 Collings & Bell launch – Fleetwing, has returned to her original waters… Auckland.
She joins the Pollard Bros fleet. Photo below ex Andrew Pollard.
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More photos below of her at West Park Marina – ex John Wicks 
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Update 30-08-2018 Photo below supplied by Andrew Pollard – looking very quick 🙂
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20-09-2018 Update – my spies sent in the photo below – rather a zoom zoom prop has been added – maybe the bros are doing the 2018 Rudder Cup race ????
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29-09-2018 Another yard photo from Jason Prew, the guy should be working on his own boat 🙂
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08-10-2018 Updated photo ex Andrew Pollard – looking very smart 😉
Fletwing Oct2018

Crusader

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CRUSADER

Next wet weekend when you have little to do, have a peak at the Auckland Libraries, Sir George Grey photo collection, its a gold mine of old Auckland photos. Nathan Herbert pointed me to the collection & while you have to troll thru a lot of average material, every so often you click on a nugget like the above photo of Crusader under full throttle at Great Barrier Island, photo taken December 1929. Given she was built in the winter of that year by Collings & Bell for the Rev. Jasper Calder and Charlie Goldsboro, the above photo could have been her maiden cruise.

To read more on the boat & view a selection of photos old & present day – click the link below

Crusader & Something Cool To Do This Weekend

Manana

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MANANA

Now Manana has appeared before on ww but we have never seen ‘down-below’.

First some background – Manana is a Colin Wild sport fisher built in Auckland in 1953 by Collings and Bell. She spent many years serving as the Durville Island water taxi based in French Pass. She was then rebuilt and faithfully modernised into the vessel that you see above.
Construction: double diagonal kauri – LOA: 40’; beam: 13’; draft: 6’

She is powered by twin 120hp 6 Cyl Fords that allow her to cruise at 8 knts & top out at 11 knts

You can read more on her past & view as launched photos at this link https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/09/20/friday-quiz-can-id-this-launch/

UPDATE 13-04-2021 – now residing in Bayswater Marina

Huge interest yesterday in the Lucinda re-launch story – over 7,500 views in the first 24 hours. But interestingly ww still can not crack the UK scene, see below a list of the top 14 countries viewing ww yesterday, ranked by viewing numbers. Peru rated better than the UK 😦  Now if you are wondering about some of the countries, I have a theory – ww enjoys high readership among the super yacht crews, who have a high % of kiwis aboard, thence the ‘unusual’ countries popping up 😉

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Nautilus

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NAUTILUS

Now I might be having another ‘blonde’ moment but I have no recall on the history of the above launch. Baden Pascoe sent me the photo & said she was a Collings & Bell & named Nautilus & currently being restored at the Maritime Museum.

Can any woodys confirm, supply more details etc.

ps Baden is the worlds worst speller so maybe he has the name wrong 😉

Harold Kidd Input

The facts are that NAUTILUS was one of two local launches on the Hospital Ship MARAMA which arrived in the Med AFTER the evacuation from Gallipoli was over. MARAMA never got anywhere near Gallipoli. MAHENO had been at Gallipoli and had two other launches aboard, one of which had a stray Turkish Mauser 7.92 x 57 bullet through her hull while on davits, the only actual war damage ever suffered by any of them despite the yarns.
Taking these 4 launches on the two Hospital Ships was a great idea but they were hardly ever used because they had deteriorated badly on the long sea voyages and were a liability in the end.
I wrote an article on these four launches in Boating NZ for April 1915 but obviously it wasn’t read at the Maritime Museum, nor did they read Gavin McLean’s “White Ships, an excellent history of MARAMA  and MAHENO by one of our greatest historians with whom I collaborated for my article.
No further comment.

01-09-2016 – photo (ex Colin Brown) below on relaunch day (2016) – emailed in by Ken Ricketts

NAUTILUS relaunched 2016

22-11-2016 Photo below sent in by Chris Leech – taken during the NZ Navy 75th Review (Nov 2016)

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2018 Photo below

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2026 INPUT ex COLIN BROWN  Photos below of plank ends that Josh (Kauri Classic) and I fitted back in 2013 2014 along with a complete re-rib. The museum should have all the photos of the restoration. I also found a porcelain  cuff link when I lifted out the toilet plintail of which they have. I don’t know the date of that. Also photo of cutting a new stern post.

Lady Ngaio

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LADY NGAIO
photos & details ex Brenda Chappell

Today’s story features the 1928 Collings & Bell launch Lady Ngaio.  Brenda & her late husband, Dan, have owned the 28′ Lady Ngaio for the last 24 years. Prior to this she  was kept at anchor in Jacks Bay in the Bay of Islands & owned by Pete Drummond who was the local Jacks Bay plumber. Pete had the late Wayne Roberts, the Chappell’s neighbour and boat builder from the West Coast, totally strip the boat down at which time he extended the cabin and built new berths and a small new galley. This work was carried out at Te Uenga in Parekura Bay in a boat shed two properties along from the Chappell’s.
Dan Chappell had became very interested in Ngaio’s refit and when Pete Drummond decided to sell Ngaio not long after its relaunch, he asked Dan if he would be interested.  Amazingly the engine still went well after its long sojourn in Jacks Bay, but a few years later it became apparent a new one was required.
In c.2000 Chris Moon at Moon Engines supplied a new engine, a Ford diesel 85hp and the work was done at Opua, possibly at the Deemings yard.
For the last 24 years the boat’s home has been in Parekura Bay in the Bay of Islands.

Sadly with Dan’s passing last year, Brenda feels it is time that Lady Ngaio was passed onto another classic launch enthusiast who can care for her as much as Dan did.

So woodys if you or someone you know is looking to buy a very smart classic launch, add Lady Ngaio to your shopping list. In the first instance contact Brenda at haumoana@xtra.co.nz

Also interested in any details on LN’s life before 1990.

Paikea

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PAIKEA - 1970s

PAIKEA
photo ex Fraser Chapman

While Paikea has appeared on ww a couple of times (nearly 2 years ago), the above 1970’s photo emailed to me by Ken Ricketts was just too good to just add to one of the existing posts, so here she is looking very voom voom. Harold Kidd has advised that in her day she was good for 20 knots, read below.
Harold Kidd Input

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, as I experienced not long ago at Sandspit. She goes like hell and stable with it.

Alf Court sold her to Hec Marler in 1925 and he sold her to R B & S S Wilson just prior WW2. She was in NAPS during WW2 as Z17.

Hec Marler had great taste in boats – having once owned the 1905 Arch Logan yacht Rawhiti, one of NZ’s most stunning classic yachts.

You can view a gallery of historical Paikea photos here   https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/09/16/paikea-2/