Tag Archives: Jack Taylor

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – TANTALUS – A Peek Down Below

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CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – TANTALUS – A Peek Down Below

THE 36’ Classic Wooden Launch- TANTALUS made a cameo appearance on WW back in late Dec 2021. The top photo above I took then, now today thanks to a recent tme appearance and Ian McDonald’s hawk eyes, we get to have a gander down below.

What we know about her is that she was designed by Tim Windsor and built c.1963 by Tim Wilson and Jack Taylor at the Shipbuilders yard. Construction is kauri plank, her beam is 9’ and she draws 3’3”.

These days her forward motion is from a Ford 120hp diesel engine.

Anyone able to tell us more about her past.

How Cool Is This Bed

https://waitematawoodys.com/2020/10/16/buying-or-selling-a-classic-boat/

CLASSIC LAUNCH MOANAROA GETS A BIRTHDAY

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CLASSIC LAUNCH MOANAROA GETS A BIRTHDAY

During the week we were contacted by Rob Griffin regarding his classic wooden launch – MOANAROA. She previously appeared on WW back in Sept 2021, link below to that story. Rob advised they have just completed some maintenance work – I’ll hand over to Rob to tell the story –  
“Work included sand and repaint, a bit of re-caulking, Primocon and anti-foul, new engine mounts, servicing and retiming diesel injector pump and injectors, plus lots of other sundry items. Moanaroa was designed by Jack Taylor and built in Taupo by McLeod Brothers in 1949. She is carvel Totora planked construction, there has not been glassed. Powered by a 90hp Fordson Major diesel, 34.5ft long and these days calls Waiheke Island home.”

WW Sept 2021 https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/09/22/moanaroa/

INPUT ex PAUL DRAKE – MOANAROA ( more correctly MOANA ROA) was launched at Lake Taupo at the end of December 1949, on the day the Lake Hotel was destroyed by fire. Her ribs are spotted gum and everything else is heart totora, milled at Oruanui (near Taupo). Her build took two years, at the Tamamutu Street home of Don McLeod. She operated commercially for many years, skippered by Don McLeod’s father – known locally as Braces McLeod because he always wore braces in lieu of a belt.

In 1978 the Pointon family got hold of MOANA ROA in a very run down condition. Over a period of a few years they built a new wheelhouse with door and raised a forward cabin, which vastly improved her use-ability. She is a very lucky boat, having had loving owners for a long time. It is very heartening to see that her newish owners are continuing to love her

CLICK IMAGE FOR DETAILS

Jo Marli – A Peek Down Below

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JO MARLI – A Peek Down Below

A couple of weeks ago (Sept 1st) we ran a story on the launch – Jo Marli, link below, at the time we uncovered some intel on her, short story –  built in 1959 by Jack Taylor. 

Today thanks to a tme listing from May 2023 we get to have a gander below decks. Photos sent in by K Ricketts. The listing must have resulted in the relocation from a swing mooring in Mahurangi to Auckland. Always nice to see the classics going onto a marina berth – they get better looked after and more people see them, and we like that 🙂

https://waitematawoodys.com/2023/09/01/jo-marli/

JOMARLI – A Peek Down Below

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JOMARLI – A Peek Down Below

Todays woody is the 32’ launch – Jomarli, designed and built in 1959 by Jack Taylor. She has a beam of 10’6” and draws 3’. A 120hp Ford Lehman Diesel engine gives Jomarli a comfortable cruising speed of 7>9 knots.

From the above photos ex a recent tme listing (thanks Ian McDonald) we can see she is well appointed . I believe she has since sold.

ORDER VIA EMAIL HERE waitematawoodys@gmail.com

Luyvon

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LUYVON 

 A few weeks ago Glenn Martin sent in the above photos of woody speed boat hibernating in Taupo. Do not want to give the location away but – near the marina.

As Glenn commented there appears to be a cool hull shape hiding under that tarp. Well thanks to a WW story back in Oct 2017 by Paul Drake we know that the hull was very quick – back in c.1935/36 she narrowly missed out on being the fasted boat on Lake Taupo – just beaten by Piri Pono. Read the story at the WW link below, make sure you also read the Comments Section – good chat there. https://waitematawoodys.com/2017/10/31/three-taupo-boats/

Thanks to Paul and Harold Kidd we know that Luyvon was designed and built by Jack Taylor and launched in November 1934. She was two skin kauri and supposedly 23ft x 7ft. On her trials she attained 25mph.

I love that its tied onto the fence post – just in case it floats away 🙂

Moanaroa

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MOANAROA

Today’s woody – Moanaroa was designed by Jack Taylor and built c.1949 by McLeon Brothers. Unusual hull construction being carvel Totara planked (and sadly glassed) She measures  approx. 34’4” and is powered by a 67hp Fordson Major diesel engine.

Based on the design and construction of the stern davits, someone has had access to a metal shop, you could left the QEII with those 🙂

Victory – A Peek Down Below

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VICTORY – A Peek Down Below

Back in June 2016 we ran a story on the 1939, 40’ bridge decker – Victory (link below) now thanks Ian McDonald and tme we get to have look below decks. In the WW link there is some great history on the launch from Paul Drake.

https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/06/13/victory/

We know that she was designed and built by Jack Taylor in Nukuhau, Taupo. Victory is powered by a 80hp Ford Diesel engine that gives her a cruising speed of 8 knots. As per a lot of lake boats, Victory has a 12hp Yanmar auxiliary engine for trolling .

From 1939 to c.1973, Victory was used as a commercial charter boat by Jack and his two sons. She remained within the family until 1982 when she was sold another Taupo resident.

Leda A26

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LEDA A26
I was recently tipped off by the new CYA chairperson – James Mortimer, about a great tale that was unfolding on the CYA forum. It involves a gent by the name of Russ Senkovich, who owns the 54’ kiwi built, 1949, yacht Leda. Russ & his wife are thinking of bringing Leda back to NZ & ultimately selling her here. Leda left NZ in 1953 & has been off shore ever since – there is an amazing weblog on her travels & maintenance over the years, check it out here   svleda.com
You can also follow the story on the CYAF – link here    https://classicyacht.org.nz/cyaforum/topic/leda-a26/ 
But let me set the scene for you on Leda, it starts with a Christopher Gordon Wilson, better known as Dooley and his brother Alexander, better known as Sandy who were both home from WWII and had a dream of racing the Fastnet.  However, the war had left the NZ dollar devalued and buying a yacht was out of the question.  So, of course, they decided to build one.  They had in their possession a book by Uffa Fox of noteworthy yacht designs.  One of the boats featured in that book was Ragna R.
Ragna R, launched in 1938, was built by Gustav Plym in Stockholm for a British client.  She is a Knud Reimers a design. The Wilson brothers admired the yacht and showed the book to a fellow named Jack Taylor, whom its believed worked for Lidgards.  Jack Taylor developed a full set of construction plans, including the dimensions of all the timbers needed for the project.

So, Dooley and Sandy, had their plan.  Now they just needed to build their boat. The line drawings below are dated June, of 1947.  Sandy would have been 25 and Dooley, 27-years old.  Remarkably Leda would be sailing 29 months later. She is double-planked kauri over mangeao frames with pohutakawa knees and copper rivets.  Leda’s deck is double planked kauri, her cabin is Douglas fir (Oregon pine) and pine.

Thats all you’ll get here today on WW – use the link above to read / view the full story – its a great read.
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22-10-2018 Input from Neil Chalmers – Neil commented to me that the Leda post reminded Neil of a story Con Morley told him about his admiration of Knud Reimers yacht designs . 

Con owned and raced ‘Freya’, a 32 foot double ender built in the 1950’s. ‘Freya’ was very similar to  Reimers ‘Stor Tumlaren’ design made famous by the well known British yachtsman / author K Adlard Coles and his yacht ‘Cohoe’.
During a visit to Stockholm, Con called at  the Reimers design office and met the great man himself. Reimers was very polite and formal . He mentioned to Con that he was aware several of his designs had been built in NZ , however he had never sold any plans to NZ !

Old Timer

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OLD TIMER 1

OLD TIMER 2

OLD TIMER

The above before & after photos of the Kinloch, Lake Taupo, launch Old Timer were sent to me by Larry Grigg. I’m not sure if its Larry’s boat, maybe if he reads this story he can let us know & a few more details on the restoration.
I understand was built at Taupo by local boat builder and charter boat skipper Jack Taylor.
I’m sure the Drake brothers will be able to help us out 🙂

03-07-2017 Input from Paul Drake

OLD TIMER is one of four sisters built at Taupo by Godfrey Taylor, son of Jack Taylor, in the late 1950’s/early 1960’s. They measure 18 feet, are round bilged and built of totara. OLD TIMER (not her name in those days) was bought by the boatyard when Don Norton owned it, and re configured as the yard work boat. They re-named her DULCIE TAYLOR. Her engine at that time was a Universal Utility Four (now in our SIR FRANCIS, where it has been for many years). One of the sisters, TAURUS, lives in Wellington (photos below). Another was named LADY GRACE (photo below). One was twin screw and quite fast. As kids, we knew these four sisters as “The Godfrey Taylor Boats”.

Lady Grace

 

Victory

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VICTORY
photos & details ex Paul & Roger Drake

Saturdays  post on the Kinloch Woodys prompted Paul & Roger to dig out at their collections of old  Taupo postcards. The brothers uncovered some great photos of Victory from the 1940>1950 era. Also read below Paul’s comments on Victory.
The first photo above shows Victory on the beach at Waihaha with her skipper on foredeck – Ernie Taylor, son of builder Jack Taylor.

The second photo shows her hauled out at Nukuhau, where she was built. Probably in the 1940’s, when she was quite new. Now she has a larger wheelhouse, but is not much changed apart from that.
Boat in foreground is Ahuriri – an ex surf boat from Napier.
On the other side of Victory is Romance, then Lady Pat – well documented and discussed on WW.

The photo below is dated 1959  shows Victory on the other side of the Waikato river sporting her original wheelhouse. It was altered some time later.
Behind her with bow showing only is the Logan Ponui also owned by the Taylor’s at the time.
This side of the river at the breastwork is Rangatira (Otehei) on the left  and El Alamein (Ranui) 4th from left.
Boat Harbour Taupo

Details on Victory ex Paul Drakes comments on last Saturdays ww post

“VICTORY is very much a lake boat. As Colin says, she was built at Taupo by local boat builder and charter boat skipper Jack Taylor.  She was launched, I believe, in 1942 or 1943. It is said that no power tools were used during her construction. Kauri planks on jarrah ribs with totara  floors. She was built to replace ROMANCE (Bailey and Lowe 1914), who was sold by Jack in 1943. VICTORY became a very busy and popular charter boat. The Taylors sold her in 1982. Although it is said that Jack often wished he had never started building such a large launch (40 feet), assisted by his wife, – his two sons were away at the war – he must have enjoyed her immensely once finished. She was a big step up from the 26 foot 6 inch ROMANCE. VICTORY was perfect for the four or five day charters which were very common in the day. VICTORY is a Jack Taylor design, built from a model which Jack towed behind ROMANCE as he refined the shape. She is of shallow draft – a useful attribute on Taupo  (no tidal rise and fall) – as it allows access to beaches where the drill is to put the bow on the beach and disembark via a ladder (in VICTORY’s case a rather long ladder). She did spend a few years in Auckland (Pine Harbour) during the 1990’s, but for 90% of her 70 plus years she has been at Taupo. She is well looked after and nicely appointed internally.”

Victory June 2016 at Kinloch

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