Tag Archives: McGeady

Services Convalescent Hospital & Its Boats

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The Services Convalescent Hospital & Its Boats
photos ex Queen Elizabeth Hospital Community Trust – Kay Taylor Collection

Karen McGeady-Moren sent in a few photos of the hospital motor launch El Alamein (now renamed Ranui) & when I checked the web I discovered an amazing collection of boating images related to the hospital & surrounding area, most dated from the mid 1940’s.

The Services Convalescent Hospital, Rotorua was opened in 1942 under the command of Wilfred Stanley (Stan) Wallis, providing rehabilitation to soldiers returning from World War II. It was renamed the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in 1948 and began to specialize in the treatment of rheumatic disease.
Boating was obviously an enjoyable pastime for the patients.

Remember you can elarge the photos by clicking on them 😉

More recent photo on Ranui can be viewed at the link below

El Alamein / Ranui

FYI – Yesterdays ‘Woodys Weekend’ post was a record day for the number of individual people visiting the ww site & the views were the highest in over 3 months.

Koala (Amaryllis)

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Koala (Amaryllis) NOTE- HAVE SINCE LEARNED THAT THE BOAT FEATURED IN THE BOAT IS PROBABLY NOT KOALA  photo ex Sandy Richards (wife of the late John Richards, refer below) details ex Ken Rickets, edited by Alan H She was built by “Mac” McGeady at 1A Summer St. Ponsonby c.1955 for H T Morton a prominent businessman on Auckland’s North Shore. As an aside, a number of streets are named after him & his family on the North Shore e.g Dianna Drive (after Dr. Dianna Morton), Rosalind Ave., (after Dr. Rosalind Morton), his daughters, Morton Ave., & Varlene Tce. He was also a pioneer private aviator, who owned his own aircraft right back in the 1920s. She started life named Amaryllis (later changed to Koala) & followed on from Morton’s last boat, the McGeady built c.1938 bridgedecker Varlene, which was originally named  Lady Sunshine (bought off Com Hardley c.1949) which in turn had followed her predecessor, Spindrift. Dam launches & names changes – makes life hard 🙂 Originally powered by 2 x 4 cyl. Lees converted 80 HP Ford Diesels, installed by Tracey Nelson & was used by Morton for extensive coastal cruising right up to North Cape, one of his favorite spots was Mangonui & he spent much time there through many summer months. Ken recalls that in her earlier days Morton had a habit on running her on 1 engine at a time, at slow speeds, for longish periods, as a slightly embarrassing result of this, he completely wore out 2 gearboxes, as the shaft would spin on the engine not in use (he never locked the gearbox in forward gear, or fitted shaft clutches) & in due course this was the result. She was sold in the 1960s by Morton to a friend of Kens, John Richards, who was the owner that changed the name to Koala. Can anyone update ww on what became of her post John Richards ownership?

Sceptre

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SCEPTRE
photo & details from Karen Moren

Karen is the grand daughter of Mac McGeady & is attempting to track down / record as many of the the McGeady / Supreme Craft boats as she can. All she knows about Sceptre is that she was 36′ & built for a Mr. Stuart Dalton in the Archers Road factory off Wairau Road, Takapuna. Possibly c.1965.

Does anyone have any more info on her ?

29-10-2016 Photo added – is the photo above & below the same boat ? I took the photo during the Launch Parade at the 2016 Mahurangi Regatta.

sceptre

Tempest

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TEMPEST – #3 Fairlie Launch in a series of 4
photos & details ex Ken Ricketts, edited by Alan H

Tempest is approximately 30 feet long & is the 3rd of 4 boats that Norm Fairlie had built for him in the 1950s -1970s period.

She was the second by McGeady & built in his Summer Street Ponsonby premises  & purpose built for him in early 1964, specifically to fish for Tuna in the World Game Fishing Competition held in NZ in March of that year.

Tempest’s hull had been started by McGeady to be a boat he had intended to build for himself but he was persuaded by Norm F. to sell her to him &  finish her to Norm’s requirements i.e. for the sole purpose of Tuna fishing as above, which he won in her.

He owned her simultaneously with his other larger McGeady boat the 38 foot Challenger which McGeady built for him in c.1962. He fished for tuna in the contest off the Tempest, & bill fish off Challenger & came second in the overall contest, for his combined efforts in the 2 boats.

He only owned Tempest for a few months & then sold her to his then business partner Mr Bert Grimshaw-Jones, who lived on the banks of the Tamaki River, where he kept her at the bottom of his garden, for a number of years, at least in to the later 1960s.

Now fast forward –  she was bought in the later 1980s  by Des Finlay of Whitianga, who along with his partner Christine Johnson, had bought her in a derelict state at Gt. Barrier, taken her to their home in Whitianga & worked on her for a couple of years on their lawn, then relaunched her & sold her a year or two later to the Bennett brothers of Panmure.

The Bennetts have owned her for approximately 14 years, they love her to death & keep her in the Tamaki River, in great condition, by what we can see in the photos.

Norm F. told Ken that the original engine installation, was done by Bert G-J., assisted by Tracey Nelson, the usual marine engineer, used by McGeady for the majority of his boats. She was originally  & still is powered by a 6 cyl. naturally aspirated Ford diesel & the Bennetts believe she almost certainly still has the original engine.

Challenger

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CHALLENGER     #2 Fairlie Launch in a series of 4

photos & detail ex Ken Ricketts, edited by Alan H.

Challenger, 38′ long, was built c.1962 by McGeady & originally powered by a 6 cyl Ford Diesel. She was built  for Mr Norm Fairlie, an Auckland businessman, who was a hugely dedicated & enthusiastic game fisherman, &  who mostly  fished at Mayor Island.

Challenger was the first of 2 boats built by McGeady for him in his Summer St Ponsonby premises,  the second being the 30 foot Tempest, a purpose built boat, he had McGeady build specifically for him, to fish for tuna, in the World Game Fishing Competition held in NZ in the 1960s. He won this competition with Tempest & sold he shortly afterwards. Sadly he never had any pics of her.

However Fairlie retained Challenger which he used, to fish in the “big game” section of the above event, in which he came second.

Fairlie kept Challenger until she was replaced by the 42 foot Commander One, which he had built by Alan Williams in 1967.

The story of her ownership is rather unusual.

Norm F. sold Challenger to a Mr Brown of Whangarei c1967 when Commander One was built, who later sold her to the Bradshaw family, of Rotorua.

Bradshaws later wanted to buy Commander One off Norm F. & he agreed to buy back Challenger off Bradshaws, as part payment for Commander One. Just after the deal was done, some people known to Bradshaws, heard about the Bradshaw’s deal & said they had always wanted to own Challenger, so rushed up to Auckland & bought her straight off Norm F., almost immediately after he had re-inherited her.

Ken lost contact with Challenger around this time, anyone able to shed some light on what happened to her & where she is now? In the photo above she is an impressive sight on her launch day in the early 1960’s, a launch that size does not disappear behind someones shed, so fingers crossed on more info.

Ken & ww appreciate the input from Norm Fairlie & John Bradshaw which has helped make this post possible.

WORLD GAME FISHING CONTEST 1964  OFFICIAL CLUB RECORDS

Photo (c.1960’s) added 15-06-2015 ex Ken Ricketts ex B Worthington

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17-04-2016 I added the photos (ex Hylton Edmonds via Ken R) below only for the record – I will not comment on whats happened to her. If you must, click to enlarge.

31-05-2016 photos below ex Noel Kelly via Ken Ricketts (c.2000) No comment on the plywood dummy block of flats other than how could you get a peek at what it will look like & still do it?

 

Erinor (Lady Allyson)

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ERINOR (formerly Lady Allyson)
Snapped this rather fine sedan top launch moored off the the wharf at Sand Spit this morning.
Anyone able to help with more details on Erinor?

Lots of activity happening up there with the new marina construction well underway.

Saw more dolphins today than I have in the last 2 years.

04-07-2017 Update from Dean Wright

Dean snapped the photo below of Erinor on a swing mooring in Opito Bay, B.O.I.. She had just appeared there & Dean was wondering if she had migrated north?

Erinor-_DW85822

 

 

Lady Dianna

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Lady Dianna

LADY DIANNA

photos & details ex Ken Ricketts

Lady Dianna, 36ft., was built by McGeady in his premises at 1A Summer St Ponsonby for Colin Lannam, a furniture manufacturer of Pakuranga c.1949.

Mr Lannam finished the interior himself at his business premises & did a superb job.

Ken & his parents were friends of the Lannams & Ken was on L.D. several times. He took the above photo in Mansion House Bay, Christmas 1949.

LD more recently belonged to a lawyer, who Ken thinks kept her in Thames, post 2000 & she was powered with a Ford Diesel.

Harold Kidd Update

LADY DIANNA and LADY DIANA got thoroughly confused in yacht registers, club lists and so on.
Colin Lannam was a cabinetmaker and lived in Lemington Road, Westmere. He finished the interior after McGeady built her. Lannam didn’t keep her long as she was owned by S.L. Wallath of Okahu St, Orakei by 1953. Later owners include H.C. Thomas of Inga Rd, Milford in 1973 when her dimensions were given as 36’x35’x11’x3’6″, her engine as a 100hp Ford diesel.and her build year as 1948 in her APYMBA record card.
According to Capt. Barry Thompson’s book “Deeds Not Words” on the Coastguard service, Trevor Kelly owned LADY DIANNA around 1985, but that’s probably a typo for LADY DIANA.

27/02/2015 – ex Karen Moren

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Antares

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ANTARES 1954 CYRIL PARKER Builder Mc Geady

ANTARES

photos & details from Ken Ricketts & Harold Kidd

Built by Supreme Craft, – (McGeady), – on the corner of Summer St & Ponsonby Rd., Ponsonby, in the 1950s, she is a great example of the McGeady craftsmanship. She originally had a 4 cyl Ford diesel, later replaced with a 100 HP 6 cyl Ford. Her engine installation was done by the late Tracey Nelson, an outstanding marine & automotive engineer of Bell Rd Remuera, as were almost all of the McGeady boats, certainly from the 1940s onwards.

She was originally owned by Cyril Parker a self employed motor engineer, who’s business premises were in Kohimaramara Rd., Kohimaramara.

Apologizes for the quality of the photos, if anyone has better please email the to waitematawoodys@ gmail.com

15-07-2015 Photo below c1986 ex Laurie Webb, when owned by Ron & Shirley Phillips, who owned > c2006

Antares

Arohanui (McGeady)

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Arohanui

Screen Shot 2014-01-08 at 9.11.41 AMArohanui fishing off WaihekeArohanui @ Pah Farm Jetty Kawau 1998

AROHANUI

photo & details ex Ken Ricketts

In Kens eyes, she was one of the best sedan top examples that McGeady ever built, having the forward section & forward deck longer than usual & giving a further aft helm position, which means a smoother ride for the helmsman & crew in rough weather being further aft than usual & a sort of more sleek laid back concept to her & excellent balance of line.

She was built for Tucker Brothers food product manufacturers (Sunshine Jellies etc) in Khyber Pass Aucland., circa 1952, in McGeady’s Summer St Ponsonby premises & had the usual Ford 6 cyl Diesel fitted by Tracey Nelson. She was the second boat built by McGeady for Tuckers, the first being a bridgedecker built circa 1939 called Lady Sunshine, which was owned just after WWII by Com Hardley, M.D. of Hardleys Plumbing Merchants, of Morrow St Newmarket, who renamed her Varlene, the name as far as Ken knows she still has today.

Varlene was sold to H.T. Morton, a lawyer of Cliff Ave Belmont & Auck Hospital board Member in the later 1940’s. If anyone has a photo of Varlene, Ken can do a post on her, as he knows quite a bit about her early days.

WANT TO SEE MORE?

To view more WW stories & photos on any subject, just key in the ‘subject name*’ in the search box, click your computers enter key & related posts will appear. Scroll down to view & click on each post to view details.

*designer,builder,type of vessel e.g. launch or yacht,CYA only vessel,period launched e.g. 1920 etc

05/03/2105 – New photo ex Karen Moren – sent in by Ken Ricketts

Photo ex Ken Rickett’s – Tauranga Harbour

09/04/2015 more photos ex trademe

13-07-2015 Update sent in by Paul Newell ex Sea Spray ex NZ Classic Game Boat

White Cloud

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WHITE CLOUD

A 1968 McGeady bridgedecker, the current owner knows little about her past other than she is believed to have been a charter vessel at one time.

Can anyone provide some more details?

Harold Kidd Update

According to APYMBA’s yacht and launch records WHITE CLOUD was built by Supreme Craft (McGeady) in 1966 for J.S. Menzies of Hill Road, Manurewa and was fitted with an 80hp Foden diesel. Her dimensions were 36’10” x 34′ x 12′ x 4’3″. Menzies still owned her in 1973.

26/01/2015 Photos below (ex Ken Rickett) show White Cloud leaving the Supreme Craft shed/yard.