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 🙂
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 🙂
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)
In the photo above the launch on the left is Leilani, she first appeared on WW back in March 2016, link here https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/08/13/leilani-floray/ At the time she was high and dry in a paddock in Thames, second photo.
Thanks to Harold Kidd and Ken Rickets we learnt a lot about her – probably designed and built (hull only) by Lidgards and Major George Bailey finished her off. Named Florae / Floray when launched, her original owner was Percy Coutts, more details on her owners in the link.
In her day she was a very fine looking woody, will be sad if she dies a slow death – anyone able to update us on the status of the Leilani.
In the photo the launch in the background is Jolly Roger, built in 1956 by Roy Parris in the mid to late 1960’s this boat was owned by Clive & Bernice Irvine. The Irvines eventually purchased the house besides the Panmure Bridge and berthed the Jolly Roger on the jetty at the bottom of their property. This was probably around late 1960/1970. She made an appearance on WW back in Oct 2015 link here https://waitematawoodys.com/2015/10/15/jolly-roger-2/
I spotted her berthed in the Whangarei Town Basin in March 2020, photo below
One of our most passionate and talented woodys – Olaf Wiig is currently based in the UK but still owns back in NZ the stunning 48’ 1953 Lidgard built launch – Ngaro (photo below) which the family cruises on in the NZ summer (when we have one).
After returning this time to the UK Olaf quickly found a woody project to keep his hand in.
The photos above are of Olaf’s 1930’s Andrews slipper launch named – Vega. This is a style of launch which is unique to the upper Thames. The first of its type was a boat called “merc” it is part of the national Maritime museum’s collection https://nmmc.co.uk/object/boats/slipper-launch-merk-from-1912/
Olaf commented that the boat had been out of the water for some time so the main job was to address the dried out bottom planks and re caulk her seams. The more enjoyable bit was to re-varnish her. Some 14 odd coats of traditional yacht varnish and some 24ct gold leaf she was ready for the water. Just in time for the Thames traditional boat festival, and that will be tomorrows story 😉
Woody Olaf Wiig resides off shore these days but as the owner of the rather imposing 1953,Lidgard built 48′ woody – Ngaro as often as he can he hops on the big silver bird and returns home. Then slips the lines and heads out to enjoy the Hauraki Gulf and beyond.
Over winter Ngaro spent a couple of months in the shed at Robertsons yard having her cabin tops and varnish redone. It wasn’t all lipstick – a new water tank was installed + a major engine service and a full new suit of canvas.As I have commented before Bgaio is one of th few woodys that no matter what angel you approach her from, she looks perfect. Well done Olaf and Emma for the custodianship of Ngaro.
Have had a request from Jackson Lidgard for intel on the 38’ 1955 Lidgard built motor-sailer he and his father are currently doing a major refit/restoration on.
Jackson commented that she was originally named Lazy Days but renamed to Amokura sometime in the 1970’s or 80’s by the second owner. The story goes that the second owner was a Safe Air pilot from Picton who sailed her down from Auckland.
Jackson’s family bought her 2 years ago after she had deteriorated living on a swing mooring in Havelock Sound for the last 20 years or so. When purchased they were told it was a John Alden design but have been unable to confirm this.
Currently 4 months or so into her restoration in a shrink wrap shed on the Waikawa handstand. The top photo above was before the current project commenced.
Any information on the yacht would be greatly appreciated. For those woodys using Instagram there are regularly updates under the blog handle of @todothingsblog A random selection of photos from the blog below.
And for those wondering around the surnames of the builder and the restorer – yes there is a link but very distant.
Down at the Milford Slipway Milford during the week and spotted a woodys that we do not see much of these days.
The 46’ 1948 Lidgard built launch – Valsan, in for some TLC, including a Jason Prew Paint Job. Valsan has been a regular woody on the site but in recent years with her owner, Ian Nicholson being based off shore we haven’t seen a lot of her.
To my eyes the keel > shaft > prop > rudder set up is a tab unusual – interested in others thoughts.
Links below to WW past stories – the 1st (2013) has a lot of photos and intel.
The 1946 38’ Lidgard built launch – Hirawanu has appeared several times on WW and generated chat around the hot-house ‘up top’. I have included below a photo of her as launched to show her on a good day 🙂
Forward motion is via a Ford 120hp diesel, giving her a stated cruising speed of 8>10 knots.
Now thanks to tme & Ian McDonald we get to have a look down below.
Kawau Island 1950’s1954 ex K RickettsEarly 1980’sPost 1989
Maire – What Became Of Her
Woody Greg Philpott is on the hunt for the ex work-boat Maire, Greg has pulled together the below intel on the vessel but the trial drys up late 1998 >> on wards. Greg would also like more inset into when she was operating in Auckland in the 1960’s/1970’s. Have a read and let us know if your are able to close the story off.
Maire was built by Roy Lidgard, in his boatbuilding shed in Smelting House Bay on Kawau Island around 1949. She was approximately 42 feet long and originally powered by a 4 cylinder, 88hp Kelvin diesel.
Maire was used by the Lidgards for their own use, towing and workboat activity mainly to tow logs from the Coromandel and barges of ships dunnage that had been milled by the Lidgards on Kawau Island for supply to Union Steam Ship Company ships in Auckland.
She was acquired in the mid 1950’s by Alwyn (mostly called Allan) Horsfall who was then the owner of the Mansion House property on Kawau Island.
It looks like she ended up in Auckland for much of the 1960’s and 1970’s and ownership possibly rested with a Theo Brian Thomas who was based around Panmure. From there Marie was sold to Andrew Paterson who converted her for charter fishing use in the 1980s and operated her firstly out of Sandspit and later out of Whitianga. During his time of ownership of Maire, in July 1981, Paterson removed the Gardner engine and gear box to install a GM motor and also changed the wheel house windows giving them a forward rake.
Marie was sold in 1985 to Neil Hopkins who also operated her out of Whitianga along with his son Grant. Next owner was Ross Packer who owned her from 1996 until 1998.
It is at this point that the trail goes cold; she was sold and believed to have been relocated up north to either Mangawhai or Mangonui. And her name was changed. At one point, one of the previous owners was contacted by the Marine Department questioning why all identifying pieces from the boat (life rings, name board etc.) had been found on a beach at Great Barrier. She was also later apparently seen up on the hard at Te Atatu as an unfinished project.
INPUT from Grant Thomas
I had also been wondering what had happened to Maire. My Dad was Brian Thomas and he bought her off Horsfall approx. 1962.
I never realised she was originally used for towing etc but that would explain the extra lower belting etc. We owned her for 10 years and used her as a snapper fishing charter boat in the weekends plus went cruising on her in the early years. I was told that Horsfall sold her as she drew too much for the Sandspit run. Lidgards then built the Kawau Isle which looked just like the Maire but less draft.
Maire was 40 foot and drew 5 foot 6″ but 6 foot steaming. She was very slack bilged and use to roll badly. We kept her up the Tamaki River at Waipuna Rd on the jetty Dad built. We used to slip her at Owen Woolleys yard but she was 20 tons and really too heavy for that slipway. So Dad built his own slipway which is still operating today. I have a great photo of her on the slip.
We did all sorts of commercial work with her, she was a very capable vessel and she was always kept well painted.At the same time we owned the HDML Alert and so there was always a huge amount to do. I spent most of my younger years working very hard trying to maintain these two boats. We also ate a hell of a lot of fish as my Dad was a top fisherman and Maire was a popular boat to charter.
INPUT from Colin Silby
Maire was sitting awaiting repairs shall we say at the Te Atatu boating club when sold. The new owner renamed her Lola May after his mother and sailed her down to Christchurch. On her return back up she settled on a sand bank off Waihi. As the tide dropped she lay over and flooded. I was involved in her salvage and brought her to Westpark where she was on sold.
27-02-2024 UPDATE – sadly she seems destined for life as a tiny-home or as materials.
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