Tag Archives: New Zealand Traditional Boat Building School

A Woody Christmas – A Time For Giving

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A Woody Christmas – A Time For Giving

I have an ask today – one of wooden boatings coolest and most deserving organisations urgently needs help – relax, you don’t need to do anything other than put your hand in your pocket – more on that later. But first let me tell you about the New Zealand Traditional Boatbuilding School – it was started back into 2005 by a group of visionary wooden boat enthusiasts. I have rubbed up against it a lot over the years – during the re-birth of the classic wooden launch movement we used their facilities for social gatherings and seminars. I have even done boat maintenance workshops and built a woody tool box (under close supervision)If ever there was something that deserved its place in our maritime community – it’s the NZTBS, more so than a lot of other questionable entities that live off rate payer handouts.I won’t bore you today with the day to day challenges the current trustees have keeping the doors open – just trust me when I say – to survive the short term they need help, mid term hopefully they will be able to secure sponsorship.


Today’s WW story is an example of the amazing work the school does – last week, trustees Olaf Wiig (classic launch – Lady Margaret and Alan Hooper (spirit of tradition launch – Katherine) ran a pilot course for one they are hoping to offer in the future. In a joint venture with Taikata Sailing Club, Drowning Prevention Auckland and Coastguard Education, NZTBS ran a week long course for a group of 9 year olds, building a pair of John Welsford Scraps dinghies. The whole week was a great success, resulting in two cool little boats being launched on Saturday. Just check out the looks on the kids faces – you don’t get that from playing on an electric device. The kids all made a name board for their boat and then voted for the best names and then Moonlight and Rose Gold were christened and launched – so cool.

Special thanks to James Hutchinson and Olaf Wiig for the photos
HOW CAN YOU HELP

The NZTBS is a charitable trust – donations are eligible for a tax credit and its so easy – click on this link and invest in the future of wooden boating in New Zealand. And do you know what?, you’ll feel good about it 🙂

https://givealittle.co.nz/org/nztbs
Merry Christmas & Thank You. alan houghton – waitematawoodys founder

A Woody Trip Out West

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Steve Cranch

A Woody Trip Out West – NZ Traditional Boat Building School Re-opens

I received an invite the other day in the mail (nice for once to not be via email) to the re-opening of New Zealand Traditional Boat Building School. Getting it made me very happy – firstly, because we all need the school to be a success & secondly because I personally have fond memories of the original school (read more below), I attended numerous CYA meetings there & also participated in two events – the Robert Brooke – Caulking / carvel planking workshop & a basic boat building techniques course that ran one night a week over winter. Learnt so much & meet some great people.

Today’s function was to share the vision for the future of the school & to meet some of the past & present stakeholders.

I’ll let Steve Cranch tell you the story:

“After nearly four years in recess the New Zealand Traditional Boat Building School has just re-opened its doors in new premises on the Te Atatu peninsula.

The school was founded in 2005 by trustees Robert Brooke, Harold Kidd, Bruce Tantrum and Ron Jamieson and successfully ran wooden boat building courses at Hobsonville for seven years before being forced to move to make way for the new housing development.

During that time hundreds of students attended classes on everything from traditional boat building to apprenticeship training and small boat building in which students built their own small boats to take home, often involving a son or daughter in the process.

Our new premises are much smaller than previous so we have been forced to restructure how we run our courses and a new program is being developed. It will kick off with a full day seminar on winter maintenance. Six specialist speakers will present on topics ranging from Diesel engine maintenance, Batteries and Electrical, Sails and Covers, Marine sealants, Paint systems and common splicing all common winter maintenance issues for the larger boat owner. Following on from this will be a course on re-ribbing clinker built boats and a laminated stand up paddleboard paddle course plus many more to come”.

In a few days when the dates are finalized, I’ll publish them on ww. I would encourage you to support the school; it’s a big step forward in bringing increased visibility & sureness to the wooden boating movement. There is a website, currently getting the final finishing touches, so I’ll let you know the link to that later as well.

Today was also a wee bit of a reunion with a lot of woodys catching up. The best chat was in the car park, where I got to view a very cool RC model of the Bailey designed ex Waitemata Fisheries trawler – ‘Waiwera’ (photos below). Built by Murray White. Stunning attention to detail.

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