Tag Archives: Mystery Launch

Mystery Launch 25-06

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Mystery Launch ex Gavin Bedggood

MYSTERY LAUNCH 25-06-2017

Today’s photo was sent to me last year by Gavin Bedggood. While she could be one many ‘HQ Holdens’ i.e. general transport for the gulf, her size might make ID’ing her possible.

The photo below ex Baden Pascoe puts a new twist on the term ‘from tree to sea’ – in this case the opposite 🙂

APOLOGIES for the missing photos on the right hand side of ww at the moment – Photobucket the host, have decided to charge people $400p.a. for ‘3rd Party Hosting’ of photos, I’ll work something out, hopefully later today 😉

Back to its roots

Mystery Launch 16-03-2017

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te Papa Boat coming into dry dock, July 1958, New Zealand, by Eric Lee-Johnson

Mystery Launch 16-03-2013

Today’s launch in the above photo (by Eric Lee-Johnson) is ex Te Papa & shows a boat coming into a dry dock. Nathan Herbert sent it in to ww & all we know is the photo is dated July 1958.

So woodys – any one recognize the boat or any of the people? There some distinctive features on shown so hopefully we can put a name to the ‘face’ 🙂

Mystery Launches at Thames

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Mystery Thames Boats

Mystery Launches at Thames

The above photo shows a group of ‘settler’ style launches berthed  at the Shortland Wharf in Thames.
Are we able to ID any of them & put a date on the photo? Are the bow numbers fishing registration numbers ? photo ex trademe via Peter Thorpy

Laughing Lady Update

James Dreyer has the foot to the floor on the final stages of the restoration of Laughing Lady & has master craftsman Paul Tingy roped in to help with the final details – the photos below show Paul’s reproduction of the original swim ladder & ‘new’ helm.

Mystery Launch 03-03-2017

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Mystery Launch 03-03-2017

Anyone able to help ID the above launch?, her trademe listing says she was built in the 1960”s by ‘Lange’.
36′, kauri planked & powered by a 130hp 6 cylinder Perkins that pushes her along at a comfortable 8 knots. She is Westhaven based, so someone must be able to shed some light.

And woody launch owners – remember the CYA classic launch parade & Riverhead Hotel lunch cruise this Sunday at 10.00am – details below, click to enlarge. All woody classic launches welcome  🙂

A Big Woody Weekend – A message for all classic woody owners.

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A Big Woody Weekend – A message for all classic woody owners.

Next weekend has the potential to be one of those moments when come Monday when you read ww, you go bugger – I should have made the effort to do that 🙂 So don’t make that mistake – go down to the boat this weekend – fuel up, run the hose over her, a little bit of TLC – then ring a few friends & invite them to have a woody experience next Sunday.
This coming Friday > Saturday > Sunday the Classic Yacht Association NZ is hosting its annual Classic Yacht Regatta & its a great opportunity for all woodys to rub shoulders & celebrate your shared passion.
If you have not experienced the regatta before or if you have been AWOL for a few years, things have kicked up a level – Regatta HQ is now the RNZYS so plenty of parking & opportunities to get up close to the race fleet – pre & post sailing.
In 2017 the Regatta Committee have included a launch event & introduced a parade for the  classic launches (you do not need to be a CYA member to take part) on Sunday morning & as a bonus the gods have smiled & given us an early afternoon high tide (1:42pm + a biggie @ 3.3m) – the significance of that is we can slide up to the Riverhead Hotel for lunch while the yachts race. Details are below in the event flyer. I will post a reminder on ww with the meet times etc later next week, but for now – there are just 2 things you need to do:-
1. Put a circle in the diary for Sunday 5th March.
2. Email CYA Launch Captain Angus Rogers (link below) with a quick heads re your attendance (include your boat name & approx. crew numbers)
RSVP EMAIL LINK
As a bonus for registering early & if you attend the Sunday prize giving (no charge for attendance) to will participate in the amazing spot prize draw – includes a Emirates Airline Holiday Package, Takacat Inflatable, Explore Group ‘Bay of Islands Package’, Steiner Binoculars, Yamaha Outboard, Kiwi Feather Props, Coast NZ product, Mt Gay Rum and more……but you need to be there. And the CYA Launch Trophy is being put up as a prize for the best presented Launch on the day – I’m the judge 😉 I’m a fan of Amisfield Pinot Noir 2014 😉

And woodys everyone is welcome at Race HQ at anytime over the weekend – grab a coffee in the morning & check out the boats or later in the day grab a beer/wine & catch up with old/new friends. Each day there are meals available. And let me kill off one of the oldest fallacies on the Kiwi boating scene – the RNZYS is one of the coolest, friendliest boating scenes in NZ – you can wear almost anything, maybe not a singlet & jandals 🙂 & prices are on par with most venues around town. Come down & have a look, you will not be disappointed 😉

Time to get back to today’s photo* – who can ID the launch that high & dry?

*ex Paperspasr via Nathan Herbert

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Mystery Launch 26-01

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Mystery Launch

This one could be a little harder than some of the recent mystery boats I have posted on ww 🙂 The photo was sent in by Nathan Herbert & all we know is the location is Mechanics Bay in the late 1930’s. Nathan’s only comment was that the hull has a Coulthard look.

So woodys anyone able to ID the launch closest the camera?

UPDATE 13-01-2019 Nathan Herbert believes he has tracked this launch down, see photo below from Motuoapa Marina, name on side is possibly ‘Lady Val’?

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Mystery Launch 05-01-2017

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Mystery Launch 05-01-2017
Today’s launch is a total unknown to ww but the photo does show some very distinctive features so I’m confident someone will be able to ID her. I love the canvas bucket on the starboard side, I have two identical ones on Raindance & they get used for everything from carrying tools, beer & as intended – water 😉
(photo ex the Tudor Collins collection via Ken Ricketts)

ps I’ll give away a Lake Rotoiti Wooden & Classic Boat Parade 2017 calendar to the 1st woody that can ID the boat. Entries via the comments section on ww.

Gold Bell

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GOLD BELL  Mystery Launch Quiz

The above 1936 photo from the Tudor Collins (Auckland Museum) collection shows a dark hulled launch in the foreground, the first woody that can correctly name her, wins a copy of the 2017 Lake Rotoiti Classic & Wooden Boat Calendar (still available to purchase via Rachel at  zea.rachel@gmail.com ). Entries via the ww comments section. Also keen to ID the other vessels in the bay. photo emailed to me by Ken Ricketts.

Harold Kidd Input

GOLD BELL. She was built by Alf Bell (ex Collings & Bell) at St. Mary’s Bay in September 1929. She had a hard chine and was painted gold.
Funny story about that; Dick Coughlan and I helped clear out Alf’s basement in St. Mary’s Bay after his widow (Dick’s great aunt) died. It was a treasure trove of automotive parts going back the early 1900s including an incredibly early single cylinder Cadillac engine which we gave to John Stewart of St. Heliers, a bandsaw using two 1905ish De Dion Bouton car wheels, the major components of a 1914 Wolseley and yards of launch gear patterns, mostly borer ridden.
On Alf’s workbench was a very large wax vesta tin which was extraordinarily heavy, weighing at least 25lbs (11kg). I opened it and found it full of glittering metal grains.We knew Alf had done some panning at Coromandel (as did most early yachtsmen). The Estate Duty had been paid on the estate, so there was an ethical problem.
Anyway, eventually it was analysed and found to be just bronze filings that Alf had used to mix into the paint for the hull of GOLD BELL!

Mystery Launch at Nelson

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Mystery Launch at Nelson

My woody spy in Nelson, John Burland sent me the above photo with a note saying the vessel could named Kaituna – any woodys able to ID the vessel &/or supply more details on her.
To confuse us there appears to be a few additions added over the years 🙂

FREE TO GOOD HOME
No not a box of kittens – this gift is both useful & valuable.
ww woody Jason Prew who is currently restoring (aka rebuilding) the 1925 Dick Land launch My Girl ( https://waitematawoodys.com/2016/08/08/the-restoration-of-my-girl/ ) contacted me with the offer below.
” I have a heap of leftover wood cut down to size to use for ribs, it’s red beech and takes to steaming well, a very durable NZ hardwood.  32mm x 16mm x 2.5m is the cut size, but i also have a heap of 8mm x 32mm, free to a good home, also use of a steamer that fits if you wish”