Tag Archives: Lidgard

MOOCHING AROUND WEST-PARK HAUL OUT 

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RANUI
MANAPOURI
STERLING

MOOCHING AROUND WEST-PARK HAUL OUT 

Earlier in the week I had a good excuse to visit the West-park Marina, so I took the opportunity to do a lap of the hardstand area. Very few boats out, but given we are in the height of summer, there shouldn’t be many there.

It was great to see the 48’ classic cruiser – RANUI – built in 1948 by Lidgard out for some TLC. Read more about her here https://waitematawoodys.com/2019/07/08/ranui-a-peek-down-below/

The second woody in the line was the 43’ – MANAPOURI, built by Hector Parks. She is on the down hill run of a 2+ year restoration – read more on the project at the link below. https://waitematawoodys.com/2022/11/28/manapouri-refit/

Update ex the Mahurangi Regatta – MANAPOURI did a sneaky launching and made it to the regatta – photo below

Lastly the 1909 Bailey & Lowe built woody – STERLING, out it appeared for a shave in anticipation of her appearance in Mondays anniversary regatta tug & work boat race. This old girls is very quick, I suspect the handicappers will have a good memory and she might struggle to win on handicap, but always a contender for line honours 😉

IF YOU ARE AT A LOOSE END TOMORROW MORNING (MONDAY) GET DOWN TO WESTHAVEN / WATERFRONT – there will be some spectacular motorboat action on the water

10am The Tug & Workboats start their race from off Westhaven / RNZYS

11am The Jason Prew celebratory classic launch race starts also off Westnhaven / RNZYS

WOODEN LAUNCH – AMANDA LEE – A Peek Down Below

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WOODEN LAUNCH – AMANDA LEE – A Peek Down Below

Todays wooden launch – AMANDA LEE fits into the spirit of tradition category by way of her 1978 launch date. Built at Greg Lees Boatbuilder, Sandspit to a Lidgard design.

30’ in length, carvel planked and powered by a 120hp Perkins diesel engine.

And that woodys is all we have learnt from her tme story (thanks Ian McDonald)

The marine canopy company that did her canopies and solar tower didn’t do the boat any favours or maybe her owner is 7’ tall ………… 🙂

Can we learn more about her past

RSVP TODAY TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT ON THE BEST WOODY DAY OUT OF THE SEASON – just need – your name, boat name & approx # crew – email to waitematawoodys@gmail.com

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – MONTEREY Gets some TLC + Updated Labour Weekend Woody Activity At Kawau Island

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CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – MONTEREY Gets some TLC + Updated Labour Weekend Woody Activity At Kawau Island

Last week I did the right thing and helped a wounded friend deliver his classic woody – MONTEREY to the Slipway Milford for some TLC, while there a quick inspection showed up some dodgy previous work that needed sorting out.  Worm damage to the stem/keelson that had been ‘bogged up’ and when the cabin sides were fibreglassed the f/g was taken over the beading, right up to the glass – perfect trap for moisture > rot.  Was impressed with the low level of growth on the hull after 2+ years in OBC. If that was Bayswater you would have needed a spade. 

Also out or waiting their turn was EILEEN PATRICIA, IONA II, and the Salthouse Southern Star 37 – CAPTAIN TOM.

UPDATE INFO ON THE LABOUR WEEKEND KAWAU SPRING SLASH REGATTA

MYSTERY LIDGARD WOODEN LAUNCH – LE ANNE > SALACIA TOO > EMMZEE

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MYSTERY LIDGARD WOODEN LAUNCH – LE ANNE > SALACIA TOO > EMMZEE

John Dawson wrote in earlier in the week that while sniffing around fb he came across the above photos. In them we see a c.1960’s launch built by John Lidgard at this West Auckland yard on a Winstone Ltd transporter on route to launching.

Can we ID the boat and learn more about what became of her.. Update – was originally named LE ANNE and now named EMMZEE.

INPUT ex KEN RICKETTS – The boat is the SALACIA TOO. She lied at the Sandspit for many years & was named as she is, (or was originally), by the early owners as their first boat was called SALACIA. Photos of SALACIA TOO below (last three relate to – SALACIA)

Now named EMMZEE – photo below

Woodys Postcard From London

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Woodys Postcard From London

Olaf Wiig Has owned several woody in NZ, all of which have been enhanced  by Olaf’s talents as a gifted boatbuilder / wooden craftsman. For a period he was also a trustee at the NZ Traditional Boatbuilding School.These Olaf and family resided in the UK but summer in NZ on board their 45’ launch – NGARO , built in 1953 by Lidgards, photo below. During the week Olaf dropped me a note on his recent boating adventures – I’ll let Olaf tell the story. Have to love the flying of the WW burgee 🙂

“For many years we had a beautiful river cruiser in London. She was all varnished mahogany from the waterline up.  When we were thinking of returning to NZ full time she had to be sold as I wouldn’t be here to look after her. She had a mooring in West London which is a really special place but only fits a boat which is narrow boat shaped so a steel narrow boat has lived on this mooring ever since. This year I decided we would take the narrow boat closer to our home in Henley-on-Thames for the summer. Now there are two ways to do that. Come out of her berth in Notting Hill and turn right. This will take you west on the Grand Union Canal (Paddington branch) through West London and eventually down to the Thames at Brentford.  Or you can turn left… this takes you east through Paddington, Little Venice, Regent’s Park, Camden Town and East London, eventually all the way down to Limehouse basin next to the Thames. You can then lock out onto the tidal Thames just below Tower Bridge, ride the flood tide all the way up the river to Teddington where you lock up onto the non tidal Thames. 

I took the second option.  Now the Thames is a very busy commercial port and has a wild reputation for big waves crazy tides and very fast ferries. Narrow boats are slow bathtubs! It wasn’t without a degree of trepidation that we locked out of the huge lock at Limehouse.  We were really lucky, it was the perfect day still and calm and being early on a Saturday the clipper ferries hadn’t started for the day.  What a ride. Under tower bridge past HMS Belfast, London Bridge. HMS Wellington (built for the New Zealand station and based in Auckland to patrol the Pacific Islands, arrived on station in 1934, and recalled for war service in 1939, went on to be a Dunkirk ship in operation Dynamo) the Houses of Parliament…. We arrived at the half tide barrier in Richmond just in time to see it open and Teddington lock right on high water.  From there the Thames passes Hampton Court Palace, Eton, Windsor royal estate and castle and then slowly out into the Buckinghamshire countryside,  the boat is now on her summer mooring at Temple Island,  the start point of the Henley Royal Regatta (rowing). 

Now just to bring this back to woodys.. The last photo above shows one of my favourite London based woodys Wairakei 2 (always thought there must be an NZ connection) another Dunkirk little ship. Her history can be seen here. https://www.adls.org.uk/wairakei-ii  “

CICELY II

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Melody

CICELY II

Todays woody photo popped up on Lew Redwood’s fb earlier in the week and Harold Kidd commented that she was correctly named CICELY II and was built / launched in 1949 for the Methodist Mission in the Solomon Islands. 

We can assume she never made it back to NZ, hopefully still afloat but most craft that headed to the islands came to a sticky end. Do we known her status.

What caught my eye was the hull profile so close to the 1/2 model built by Graeme Lidgard and his son Andrew that featured in Thursdays WW story on the Lidgard launch – MELODY.

MELODY 

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MELODY 

Todays photo above is most likely the launch MELODY,  it popped up on Lew Redwood’s fb – with the boats name and possible date for the photo being 1940>1949.  

The photo was captioned ’The motorboat MELODY at a jetty’.

Back in June 2021 WW was contacted by Donna Lewis, a kiwi living in Australia who had purchased a collection of 1/2 models from a garage sale on KAWAU ISLAND , the models made their way to Australia when the buyer immigrated. Fast forward they were getting on in life and wanting to down scale so they contacted WW and the models were sent back to NZ.

At the time of the 2021 story (link below – lots of chat in the comments section) we learnt that one of the 1/2 models was most likely MELODY (see below) and K Ricketts commented that the builder was Roy Lidgard and sent in a screen grab (refer below) of MELODY taken from a old home movie shot by KR c.1954 https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/06/29/lidgard-1-2-models-help-needed/

Are we able to learn more about the launch and what became of her.

Poor quality – ex 8mm movie footage

INPUT ex K Ricketts – magazine article below + 2017 photos

WOODY BAY LIVING UP TO ITS REPUTATION AS A WOODYS MAGNET

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Centaurus
Rehia
Waimiga
Waiari

WOODY BAY LIVING UP TO ITS REPUTATION AS A WOODYS MAGNET

Todays photos came to us ex Angus Rogers, aboard Centaurus while anchored in Woody Bay, RAKINO ISLAND.                                  Its a stunning location and no doubt the world famous on WW wood fired pizza at the Woody Bay Pizzeria help attract such an impressive collection of classic wooden launches.

Above from top to bottom we have  Centaurus (1967/8 Bailey & Sons) > Rehia (1939 Colin Wild) > Waimiga (1968 Chris Robertson)  > and Waiari (1962 Owen Woolley).

Input From Joe Telford aboard – Rehia – the rather large, majestic Lidard – Ngaro underway and the ex whale chaser Primadonna at anchor in Woody Bay.

Primadonna

YESTERDAYS MYSTERY LAUNCH QUIZ WINNER IS – Darrin Kennedy. In fact the only one that got both the launch name and location correct. Launch is the 1949 Lidgard built – Kiwitea. Seen in the photo being relaunched at Stillwater Boating Club, after her recent re-power. Well done Darrin 🙂

EMAIL – jasep@me.com

MYSTERY LAUNCH QUIZ – Win A WW Cap – Its Kiwitea

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MYSTERY LAUNCH QUIZ – Win A WW Cap – Kiwitea

After the mammoth stories the last two days, probably time for a hopefully straight forward quiz.

All correct answers via email only to waitematawoodys@gmail.com go into the draw for a WW cap.

Quiz closes at 7pm 10-01-2024.

THE QUESTION – name the launch and the location of the photo.

email – jasep@me.com

Creme Brûlée – Classic Lidgard Day Boat

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Creme Brûlée – Classic Lidgard Day Boat

Todays 19’ woody run-about just popped up on tme but isn’t for sale there, the craft is going to auction at Webbs auction house later this month. The price indication is $25>$35k and then on top of that there is 15% buyers premium + 15% gst to pay so it will be interesting to see what price it sells for, if it sells.

Interested in the WW brains trusts thoughts on the Arch Logan design and 1933 Lidgard build claim. Has to have been a name change at some stage, Creme Brûlée doesn’t sit well with the build date 🙂

She made an appearance on WW back iin April 2019 as a project boat – well spotted by Angus Rogers – link https://waitematawoodys.com/2019/04/10/woody-lake-boat-project/

The sales blurb says kauri carvel construction, pohutukawa trim and carbon fibre reinforced hull, again interesting.

The boat spent most of its early life on Lake Tawawera with one family, then she passed thru several owners before being uncovered in Rotorua. Her original engine, a 7hp marinised Austin 7 Thetis, was found near Okere Falls, Lake Rotoiti and then fully reconditioned.

From Rotorua she was taken to Kawhia for restoration which was completed in Whangarei by the current owner.

Can we confirm / add to any of the above. She is a honey and would fit what I’ll be looking for in a few years, with a heart transplant (the boat not me)