Tag Archives: Maude T

CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH WINSOME II (MAUDE T > LATEX) 4SALE

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CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH WINSOME II (MAUDE T > LATEX) 4SALE

Todays feature classic wooden craft is WINSOME II, the 36’ William Hand designed launch was built in 1924 by the Lane Co., Freemans Bay, Auckland.

WINSOME II has appeared on WW numerous times over the years as we have followed her movements around New Zealand.

Today thanks to her current owners we get an extensive deep dive into her past. I have included below a brief overview but encourage you to open / download the PDF file attached to todays story to experience her amazing visual and written history.

Built 1924 – LOA 36’, beam 9’6”, draught 2’9”, kauri chine hull.

Launched as MAUDE T for David Teed, the then mayor of Newmarket, Auckland. Purchased by a Capt. A.E. Emanuel, a ships’ pilot who came to NZ from Shanghai. Re-named LATEX. Commandeered 1940 by the RNZAF, served in Auckland and Tauranga harbours ferrying trainee pilots to and from airports. Acquired by Andy Donovan 1945, used as a charter boat, big game fishing, etc Re-powered with Gray V8 gasoline engine, Cruised at 20 knots. Wheelhouse added 1952. Repowered with Nissan SD 33 diesel 1991. Bequeathed to grandson Andrew Lusty c.1995. Then an unknown owner took her to the Bay of Islands. Found in 2002 by Mike Allan (Marlborough) and trucked and sailed down to Havelock, Marlborough. Refurbishment is ongoing, continued by Chris and Julia Knowles from 2002. 

Maintained with significant assistance from Richard Browning (mechanic/electrical engineer) who also refurbished hull, and installed new galley, conversion to all-round LED lighting, installation 40 V solar panel and associated control panel. WINSOME II is powered by a Nissan diesel  SD 42 T 120 HP straight 6 cylinder that had a marinised cooling system installed 1995. Refurbished motor installed 2016. Her comfortable speed range (cruise > max) is 8 > 10 knots. 

Todays photo gallery are a mix of dates, used to give an overview of her adventures.

Today’s story has two objectives.

To record and share the remarkable history of this beautiful 100-year-old classic so that her story is preserved for future generations.

And to help find her next owner – not simply a buyer, but a custodian who recognises they are acquiring one of New Zealand’s maritime treasures… a vessel that also happens to stop people in their tracks wherever she goes.

Interested parties to initially contact waitematawoodys@gmail.com for more details.

Brochure 2026Download

14-07-2026 INPUT ex ELLEN ANDERSON – Daughter of the “unknown owner” (mentioned above) that took WINSOME II to B.O.I. – the old photo below is Ellen at the helm as a little girl.

Rosemary M – A peek down below

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Rosemary M – A peak down below

Rosemary M has appeared numerous times on ww in various ‘states’, in todays photos she is looking very smart, possibly the best she has in her 102 year life.
She was built in 1915 by Lanes & named Rothesay, which became Maude T, that became Speedwell, that became Jean, that became Rosemary M. No wonder we get confused on the provenance of these classic motor boats 🙂

As a result of her trademe listing we get to have a peek down below, again very impressive.  Enjoy the tour 🙂

If the weekend has gone to plan, tomorrow there will be coverage from the Mahurangi Regatta – the biggest on-the-water classic boating event in NZ.
I promise lots & lots of photos.

If anyone has photos from either Mahurangi or yesterdays Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta – email in to waitematawoodys@gmail.com.

New photos added 16-11-2017

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Winsome II

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WINSOME II

details / words from Harold Kidd. photos ex Ken Ricketts ex Brian Worthington
Winsome II was built by Lane Motor Boat Co in 1924 for David Teed, the Mayor of Newmarket (after whom Teed Street is named) with a 100hp Stearns engine and named Maude T (about the 4th of that name). Teed died in 1925, prematurely, and his estate sold her to Captain Emanuel who renamed her Latex (a very long story there). Emanuel sold her to W S Pratt, the manager of the Northern Roller Mills in 1931 and she was bought for the RNZAF in 1941 for service at Tauranga, a secondary seaplane base. She was sold by the Crown in 1946 to Andrew Donovan who removed the, by now clapped out, Stearns and replaced it with a brand new 1946 Chrysler 8 cylinder marine engine, renaming her Winsome after his daughter but added the “II” when he realised that the Pickmeres still had Winsome in Whangarei.
Andrew kept her for many years. He died in 1989. She went to Whangarei where she was kept in the Town Basin. Then she was sold to Havelock where I saw her recently, still in splendid order.

When Andrew registered her on Lloyds Yacht Register in 1964 he put down that her designer was W. Hand, the famous American yacht and powerboat designer of the twenties and thirties. No mention had ever been made of that before but there is likely to be more than a germ of truth in the claim in that US yachting mags like Rudder and Motorboat and Yachting were avidly followed by New Zealanders, providing more relevant models for our waters than, say, the English mags. Certainly, it is likely that the design for Maude T/Latex/Winsome II was lifted from a Hand design published in such a US mag and that US “look” was faithfully reproduced.

Despite what the Register of British Ships says, Pratt did not own her through to 1941. She was owned in Tauranga by D Cambie from about 1935 onwards and used for gamefishing which is why she was taken over by the RNZAF for Tauranga work in 1941 as a local launch in good nick, I imagine.

Note – Winsome II has been featured before on ww but with poor photos – the above photos warranted an updated post. Alan H

12/03/2015– a recent photo below of her in Picton marina wearing her WW II livery.

22-10-2015 Update
The photo below from the Northern Advocate, Monday, February 12, 1973 was sent in by Judy Donovan, Andrew Donovan’s daughter, it shows Winsome II starting in the first Bay of Islands international billfish tournament. The start was a ‘Grand Prix’ style e.g. a drag race 🙂

27-01-2021 photo below added