Tag Archives: Mystery boat

Looking For A Project – Venture > Regardette

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Looking For A Project – Venture > Regardette

The woody market currently seems to be very crowded with project boats that need finishing / saving, most have a price tag best describe by the somewhat famous line from the 1997 Australian movie The Castle  – “Tell Him He’s Dreaming’. Well todays woody isn’t a dream, its good value at $500 ono.

Now there’s no motor but the tme story (thanks Ian McDonald) says there is one available for $3k but given its a Volvo 130hp to match the stern drive unit in the boat, you would probably be best to ditch both and start again 🙂

The launch is approx. 30’ and currently in the Taupo area and the trailer isn’t included in the price.

It stated that previously it was an icon of Lake Taupo so fingers crossed the Drake brothers can jump in with some more details.:-)

INPUT ex PAUL DRAKE – This is REGARDETTE, formerly VENTURE, understood to be ex-Airforce. She has been at Taupo since the early 50’s I would say, or even earlier – possibly arriving soon after the finish of WW2. She had a Chrysler Crown which now lives in brother Michael’s shed. The Crown gearbox is now firmly bolted to the back of ROMANCE’s Chrysler Ace, where it is doing excellent service. Little else is known.

Lady Colleen + Mystery Tug

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LADY COLLEEN 

Todays woody the 30’ Lady Colleen was launched in December 1933, built for a Mr. W.D> Burns of Devonport, Auckland. The photo angle / compression isn’t helping the look of the boat.

Sadly 5 months late in May 1934 she was destroyed by fire at Bayswater, Auckland. A gogle search comes up with zip on who built her and the cause of the fire.

Any one able to expand the story more.

(photo ex NZ Herald ex fb via K Ricketts)

INPUT EX HAROLD KIDD -LADY COLLEEN was a “bridgedecker” built by the Invincible Boat Co (Sam Ford) in December 1933 for W.D. Burns of Devonport and that’s what she did best, unfortunately.

MYSTERY TUG

I have been contacted by a gent named Phil Doyle who has recently purchased the below painting and would like to know the vessels name and anymore details. Phil commented that the flag may help with the ID.

Marlborough Sounds 30’ Classic Launch

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Marlborough Sounds 30’ Classic Launch

Today woody recently popped up on tme (thanks Ian McDonald), the listing doesn’t tell us anything about who built her and when but what we do know is –

30’ in length, she started life as  a trawler from Greymouth. Then brought up to Picton and at some stage converted to a yacht then filled wth concrete to negate the need for chalking caulking. Later convert to the launch configuration we see today.

Forward motion is via a  30hp Yammer engine that sees her cruising nicely at 7>7.5 knots.

Can we have a crack at the design / builder and a new would be nice. Can’t see her moving from the south so fingers crossed a southern woody is looking for a low entry woody that with a small investment could be a very smart sounds boat.

WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE WANT FROM A CLASSIC WOODEN BOAT GROUP

The answer is very simple – events + know how + friendship Seems that Lake Rotoiti’s Classic & Wooden Boat Association know the answer 🙂 Lets hope ‘others’ take notice 😉

A Sad Ending

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A Sad Ending
WW was sent the above sad photo of a woody that had come to grief in Oamaru Bay, Coromandel earlier in the week. The following day Dennis Maconaghie reported that shewas in little bits on the back of a truck on the way to the tip.  
Anyone able to tell us the name of the boat and what happened to her.

A Request For Help – Stuart Turner P66 Engine

Any woodys out there with a spare ST engine or a cylinder block? Drop an email to waitematawoodys@gmail.comFYI – I’m not that crazy to want one, but a reader doing up a 15’ clinker needs a replacement or parts.

CLASSIC WOODY PUZZLE

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CLASSIC WOODY PUZZLE

Today we have puzzle, who can ID the yacht above. It has appeared on WW before but it’s had a gender realignment. 

The obvious gurus are excluded – HDK, Robin E and the current custodian 😉

Answers via email only to Waitematawoodys@gmail.com

All correct entries received before 6pm 29/03/23, go in the draw for a copy of the magnificent book – ‘Des Townson – A Sailing Legacy’ by Brian Peet. The book chronicles the life and design work of one of New Zealand’s most successful boating legends. Over 400 photographs.

Copies available for purchase at peetfamily@orcon.net.nz

MYSTERY SPEEDBOAT – Russell, Bay of Islands

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MYSTERY SPEEDBOAT – Russell, Bay of Islands

The photos above were sent in by Steve Taylor who spotted the framed photo on the wall in the Duke of Marlborough waterfront hotel in Russell, Bay of Islands. The location is obviously in front of the Duke in Russell.

Steve commented that with those canards on the bow she looked like a c.1930’s racing / record attempt craft. 

Can we shed some light on the craft?

Anyone Know This Woody And Skipper

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Jim Brown

Anyone Know This Woody And Skipper

On Monday we ran a great tale on the yacht Imatra and her passage to New Zealand from Barbados back in 1949 – link below to that story.

https://waitematawoodys.com/2022/07/18/imatra-barbados-auckland-1949/

During the week we have been refreshing the story as more content on the vessel, her crew and the passage have been uncovered. Most of the ’spade work’ was done by Deidre Brown, the daughter of Albert (Jim) Brown who was one of the crew on the delivery voyage. In conversations with Deidre she mentioned that her father in and around the 1960’s owned a yacht and whilst the family had photos, they have no record of the boats name, design / builder etc – so today woodys we are asking if the name Jim Brown and the above photos ring any bells with you. 

The woody that supplies the best intel will receive a WW t-shirt and cap – I’m feeling extra generous today 🙂 

Replies either via the WW Comments section or to waitematawoodys@gmail.com

Bel Air

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BEL AIR

Today we have another mystery launch from the Tauranga City library collection, coming to us via Nathan Herbert.Total blank on the vessel , so very keen to learn anything about her and where she is today.

INPUT FROM KEITH NICHOLSON AND HEATHER REEVE – the photos below show Bel Air back in 2010 – before and after a refurbishment (prior to sale) N&H are previous owners of ML Paea and have advised that the vessel alongside Bel Air in the top photo is not a ML.

22-07-2022 INPUT ex Ray Morey – The unknown boat alongside “Bel Aire” is “Hamutana” built in Hamilton by the electric fence inventor, Bill Gallagher, 90 ft steel with a pair of cummins engines.The cabin and other works came from an HDML (404???) which he took around to Raglan and scrapped for the parts. She later grew a pair of masts and was mother-ship on a trans-Tasman race, sold up to Tonga and wrecked up there shortly after. His first boat built in Hamilton was “Seddon Park”. Twin screw, 1 cummins and 1 5LW Gardner.

Looking to give your woody that old salty game boat look?

A WW reader has alerted me to the teak game poles below – most likely from the 1940>50’s period. Note: photo of boat is an example only – not the actual poles. Drop us an email if you are interested.

Milford Sound – Mystery Boat

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Milford Sound – Mystery Boat

The above photo is rather stunning, and comes to us from Lew Redwood’s fb. Its date c.1940’s – and woodys is all we know.Hopefully we can ID what appears to be a commercial boat, given that she is boarding passengers attired for tramping.The poster below were used to promote the area in the 1940’s.

Seeing we didn’t have a winner to the WW t-shirt quiz last week, the most accurate (you’ll need to explain e.g. it could be XXXXXXX that was contracted to the NZ Tourist and Health Resorts Dept etc) answer wins a WW t-shirt – entries via email only to – waitematawoodys@gmail.com

Two Ends Of The Ownership Cycle

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Two Ends Of The Ownership Cycle

Back in December 2020, B.O.I. woody Dean Wright, sent in a few photos taken when he was mooching around the Te Puna and Kerikeri Inlet area.The top photo is a very salty looking and well cared for yawl rigged yacht, no name. The black cat looks fake – seagull detergent?

The yacht in bottom photo – possibly named – Sinope and shows her home port as Mangonui, has her hand up for some serious TLC. Lets hope her owner used lock-down to bringer back.