CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH MONTEREY RE-LAUNCHED

MONTEREY ex MY GIRL post launching

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH MONTEREY RE-LAUNCHED

A couple of weeks ago we reported on the work underway on the classic Lidgard built wooden launch MONTEREY at the Slipway Milford yard – link below https://waitematawoodys.com/2025/11/14/classic-lidgard-launch-monterey-gets-a-birthday/

On Friday MONTEREY slipped back into the water looking the best she has in the last 20 years, a tribute to her new owner and the skills of the craftspeople at the Slipway Milford yard.

Still a few projects to be finished off back on her marina, but today we celebrate the ‘homecoming’ of one of the fleets best looking classic wooden launches.

Lots of dockside chat regarding the grey anti-fouling and how it will look with the normal bits hanging off in a few months – time will tell 😉

We will follow up with an interior story in a few weeks.

(Photos ex owner, Jason Prew and Alan H)

WW MERCHANDISE – IF YOU ARE THINKING OF ORDERING – DO IT NOW B4 STOCK RUNS OUT

CLASSIC LIDGARD LAUNCH MONTEREY GETS A BIRTHDAY

2013

CLASSIC LIDGARD LAUNCH MONTEREY GETS A BIRTHDAY

The 1946 Lidgard built 32’ classic wooden launch MONTEREY has been a regular member of my boating inner circle over the last 20 years of classic boating. 

MONTEREY changed hands last year and over winter has been getting a refresh down below. Relax the above photos may appear a tad ‘refrigerator’ in colour but most of the timber trim and furnishing have been removed so the next photos we share she will look smarter.

Monterey is currently hauled out at the Slipway Milford for a Jason Prew Paint Job (JPPJ) and removing the decades of built up antifoam from her bottom. While out some of the systems and thru-hulls will be upgraded.

Very happy to see MONTEREY getting the TLC she deserves and hopefully more photos soon.

Two of my favourite MONTERY photos from the past below ❤️ (The stern signage was ex me having a quiet day in the studio)

UPDATE – Final coats of the Jase Prew Pint Job

CLASSIC LAUNCH FEATHER GETS SOME TLC

Happy Owner

CLASSIC LAUNCH FEATHER GETS SOME TLC

Todays story is stepping over the self imposed Berlin Wall of classic craft – you see FEATHER has DNA dating back to 1912 when the Arch Logan designed 33’ DOREEN and then fast forwarding to the early 2000’s when Eric Knight started making the L33 fibre-glass replicas off a mould of DOREEN.

The concept appealed to FEATHER’s owner but he commissioned some tweaks – like forward motion from a 4-stroke outboard and an awful lot of at the time wonder material – think carbon fibre. End result was the very special craft we see today.

In the USA there is a new word appearing at some of the classic regattas – its ‘GLASSIC’, and is used to describe craft that appear to be old, wooden, classic craft but are made from f/glass. In my eyes a classic is wooden and always will be.

 I’m sure the fisheads that sit on the classic yacht association steering group will one day soon, in their hunger for dollars to fund their yacht races, tweak the membership criteria and allow GLASSICS to join up. Rest assured WW will stay pure 🙂

Back to FEATHER – after several weeks hauled out at the Slipway Milford getting some serious TLC that included a JPPJ* – she slipped down the railway slipway back into the Milford Creek on Thursday looking better than new. (*Jason Prew Paint Job) Photos & videos – Cam Malcolm, Jason Prew and Alan H)

WAIKARO – Exceptional Classic Wooden Boat – 4sale

WAIKARO – Exceptional Classic Wooden Boat – 4sale

Todays woody story features the 33’ Roy Parris designed and built (1978) classic launch – WAIKARO. Some history, I brokered the sale of WAIKARO to her current owners back in 2021. At the time she was a very practical classic sedan cruiser , that had been lucky to have good past owners and Geoff Bagnall as their boatbuilder. 

Her new owners were newish to classic craft and over the next 4 years undertook a rolling restoration / refit – lots of system upgrades and corrected some deferred maintenance. Work included removal and full service of anchor windlass, replacement of 7 windows, with 8mm toughened, new engine mounts, exhaust, hull repaint, replacement of nav lights and wiring, fitting of bow thruster, new anchor chain & anchor and new Lawrence plotter/sounder.

But it didn’t stop there – with a lot of lobbying from myself and Jason Prew (Slipway Milford) WAIKARO’s coamings were taken back to bare wood and she got the Awlwood (Uroxsys) treatment + the additional of some shiny bronze bits. And that transformed WAIKARO into the striking craft we see today. See below photo of WAIKARO as purchased with painted coamings.

As per most of Roy Paris’s builds forward motion is via a 120hp Ford 2715, non-turbo. With her semi displacement hull, the 120hp sees her comfortably cruising at 9 knots, with a top speed of approx. 14 knots. Construction is carvel planked kauri. Her beam is just short of 10’ and she draws 3’3”. (Fits a 10.5m marina berth).

And woodys it is pretty obvious this is a 4sale story – WAIKARO is a family partnership boat and the crew are saying – ‘bigger, faster boat please’.

It Is easy for me to say this, but its true – rarely do boats of this standard and looks, come on the market. It is currently a buyers market, her owners have invested more than their purchase price on her, so someone will get a good buy. In summary WAIKARO is a timeless blend of elegance, craftsmanship and performance.

Interested parties to initial connect waitematawoodys@gmail to arrange an inspection.

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH MARINUS RE-LAUNCHED

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH MARINUS RE-LAUNCHED

Back in May we started following the haul out of the 1946 classic woody – MARINUS, at the Slipway Milford. Link here to that story https://waitematawoodys.com/2025/05/16/classic-wooden-launch-marinus-gets-a-birthday/

The brief was for a Jason Prew Paint Job and to overhaul her running gear (driveshaft, props etc), well as is almost always the case the shopping list grows and approx. 9 weeks later MARINUS was re-launched yesterday.

The most visible highlights being her new colour and the removal of the 2 lower portholes.

MARINUS has a rather nice interior which we featured back in April 2023- link below https://waitematawoodys.com/2023/04/17/marinus-a-peek-down-below/

Quick overview – Designed by A. Deeming, built by Barr Brown, 46’x12’4”x4’ , and powered by twin Cummins 85hp diesel engines.

(photo below showing the ‘old’ porthole placement)

MILFORD MARINA MOOCHING

MILFORD MARINA MOOCHING

Given all the recent upgrades in the marina it seems wrong to refer to it as Milford Creek. Maybe the areas now fitting of the name that some of the mud berth dwellers use – ‘Wairau Cove’.

I spent some time there yesterday helping with the relaunch of Angus Rogers 1968 Bailey & Son built launch – CENTAURUS that had been out at the Slipway Milford railway slip for some TLC and a JPPJ (Jason Prew Paint Job) – a minor opps – flat batteries………. meant a delayed start, so plenty of time to pull the camera (phone) out. A 3.5m tide equalled a lot of activity at the Slipway and the adjacent Milford Cruising Club hard stand.

The standard of the woodys in the marina seems to be improving in the last few years , probably a combination of the new bridge , upgraded MCC yard and the big crew working at the Slipway Milford. 

Nice to see that the small berths along the roadside have almost exclusively been taken over by the Pied Piper fleet. The MCC yard was home to some out for early winter TLC.

I won’t disclose how many berthing attempts we had back at CENTAURUS’s marina but while Angus blamed the out going tide and wind – me thinks the new JPPJ was the reason i.e. skipper was a tad gun shy and didn’t want to mark the boat on the first outing 😉