CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – ALBERTA – 4sale

LAKE ROTOITI CLASSIC & WOODEN BOAT PARADE

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – ALBERTA 4sale

The classic 1913 wooden launch – ALBERTA was designed and built by H N Burgess, in Parnell, Auckland.

Alberta is a woody that I have always admired when visiting Lake Rotoiti, she has a rather prominent waterfront berth and is one of those lucky craft that looks dam near perfect from any angle. 

Her specs are 28’ in length and has a beam that would make her a trailerable classic – given the cost of a marina berth in most NZ cities thats a serious bonus.

Powered by a 30hp Lombardini, new in the boat approx. 5 years ago, with 138 hours on the clock – not a lot of places to go to on the lake 😉

Configured currently as a day / picnic boat she is all good for overnight / weekend cruising.

Fresh from a visit to one our best classic boat yards (Craig Marine) where she had a refresh to paint and varnish work.

Starting to sound like a woody 4sale advertisement – well she is. And probably the buy of 2024, even allowing for transporting her back to the Waitemata and setting her free again 🙂

Link here to a 2022 WW story – lots more photos and links to previous ALBERTA stories https://waitematawoodys.com/2022/09/15/alberta-a-peek-down-below/

Interested parties contact her owner Jon Dustin for more details – honedustin@gmail.com

INPUT ex PAUL DRAKE  – I came across the photo below of ALBERTA which I took in 2006 at North Harbour Marina. Pre Rotoiti days and without a dodger.

Clinker Boat

CLINKER BOAT

The headline above was all the seller just on tme (thanks Ian McDonald) to described this 12’ 1960 built clinker day boat. There is a builders plate which states she was built and engined by – H.N. Burgess & Co., Judges Bay, Parnell, Auckland. 

There is an inboard Yammer diesel to propel her and home is the Waikato.

Not a bad woody to do some gunk-holing over the Christmas / NY holidays with the kids > grandkids. 

Anyone able to tell us more about the ‘boat’ 

Alberta – A Peek Down Below

ALBERTA – A Peek Down Below

During my annual jaunt to the Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Parade one of the woodys that always catches my eye is the 28’6” classic launch – Alberta, designed and built in 1913 by HN Burgess in Parnell, Auckland.

I have featured her on WW twice, WW links below, there is lots of older photos and details there.

Now thanks to Ian McDonald and a tme listing we get to see down below.

WW 2014 Story https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/05/30/alberta/

WW 2016 Story https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/08/28/kiakoa-alberta-1923-summer-cruise/

Joyce

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JOYCE

The launch Joyce was built by H N Burgess in 1912 (thank you HDK for that), the photo above was captioned “1920-1929 The launch Joyce left behind by the tide”, could have been a long wait for the two lads in the cockpit 🙂
Would love to know what became of her, no doubt she gained a tram-top and dog-house along the way.
(Photo ex Lew Redwood fb) 
Harold Kidd Input – I think that this JOYCE went to Raglan in 1915, sold through the agency of Bailey & Lowe who had big connections in Raglan. An owner in Raglan shortly after and for many years was a Mr Tombs. Her original owners were Cornes and Davis. She had a 6hp Automatic engine for which Burgess was the agent.I wonder if this pic was taken in Raglan?

PIKO – A peek down below

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PIKO – A peek down below
Piko was built in 1924 by Collings & Bell and is 28’ in length, with a 6’ beam and she draws 2’.
Power is from a 2002, 18hp Volvo diesel.
Her current home is on Lake Rotoiti (Nth Is.) She has made numerous appearances on WW before as part of the annual Lake Rotoiti Classic and Wooden Boat Parade.
She has just popped up on trademe with a very realistic price of $15k, needs some TLC to the interior but nothing most of us couldn’t do.
Interested in hearing more about her past life i.e. has she always been on the lake and if not where has she been over the years.
Harold Kidd Input – PIKO was built in Parnell in September 1927, designed by and built under the supervision of H.N. Burgess, formerly boatbuilding in Judges Bay. Her first owner was J Bates. She had a Briscoe heavy duty engine. Bates kept her at Judges Bay. Not Collings & Bell.

Murray Deeble Input – She was on a mooring off Akarana prior to being transported to Tauranga/Rotoiti in the early 90’s

Alberta

ALBERTA

I know very little known about Alberta other than she is kauri, 28’6″ & built in 1913. She now resides on Lake Rotoiti. In the back of my mind I recall someone saying she was kept at Milford Marina for a long time, prior to getting a new lease of life on the lake. If anyone knows the owner – Jon Dustin?, maybe we could find out more.

Harold Kidd Update

ALBERTA was built as a flushdecker by H.N. Burgess at Judges Bay in December 1913 and fitted with a 6/8 hp Automatic engine for which Burgess was the Auckland agent. A. Parsons of Ponsonby was her first owner. In 1914 she was repowered with a Model M Scripps from Lanes. From 1918 she was in Whangarei owned by the Palmer family. Maurice Reynolds bought her in 1959 and rebuilt her, then sold her in 1961. M C Williams of Northboro Road, Takapuna bought her and kept her at Milford. Artie Perkin owned her in 1969 and had a 36hp Perkins diesel in her. Andrew Campbell owned her in 2002, still in Milford and still a flushdecker, probably the very last of the pre-WW1 flushdeckers to survive in original state. The dodger put on her now is tastefully done and typical of the dodgers most flushdeckers had gained by 1918.

Florence

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FLORENCE
Designed & built by H.N. Burgess in 1910, she has survived almost ‘un-touched’ by the wood butchers hands & today is as graceful as the day she was launched at Judges Bay. Florence, 33′ carvel planked kauri, has been lucky with her recent owners, Mike Hunter & now Adam Wild who is undertaking some wonderful work to present her in the condition she deserves. AH
Harold Kidd Update
Additional photo of Florence on her trials in March 1910, no tramtop, no dodger, just a flushdecker with a raised foredeck, terribly advanced and chic for 1910.
29/07 – The tramtop and dodger were put on in August-September 1919 at the Victoria Cruising Club’s haulout yard. F Price, her then owner, was Vice-Commodore of the VCC. The pic of her with two masts is probably taken in early 1920 and she’s flying his VCC V-C flag.