Tag Archives: Ranoni

Ranoni Revisited

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Ranoni Revisited

The 1911 35’ classic launch Ranoni (Z38) has just popped up on trademe (thanks Ian McDonald) – you have to wonder about how serious some people are in selling their classic woody – other than telling us she is powered by a Ford Sabre 82hp engine you won’t learn anymore about the craft.

Ranoni has appeared on WW in the past and the story covered a lot more on her history, including photos. You can read it here.   https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/05/12/ranoni/
But in a nut shell she was built in 1911 by Charlie Gouk at Beaumont Street, and measured 35’
x 8’6” x 2’6”.
In 2014 she underwent repairs in Opua by local boatbuilder Graham Ridge, who had bought her after a mooring mishap with a another vessel.
As presented she looks a very smart woody. I’m keen to learn what the two additions as to her hull under the belting strip – that’s a newbie to me ?

Ranoni

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Ranoni 2013
Valencia, Aumoe, Ranoni 1948

RANONI

colour photo ex Dean Wright
b/w photo ex Andrew Pollard (opening day of the 1948 Whangarei Deep Sea Anglers Club)
details ex Harold Kidd

Ranoni hails from the Far North so I personally know little about her but Harold Kidd told me she was built by Charlie Gouk at Beaumont Street in the winter of 1911 for the Rushbrook brothers. In 1948 she was owned by O. Mann.

Anyone able to spread some more light on her?

Harold Kidd Update

RANONI was built by Charlie Gouk in August 1911 for the Rushbrook brothers of Onehunga for use on the Waitemata and cruising our east coast.There have been erroneous reports that she was built by Harvey & Lang who were next door to Gouk in Beaumont St. Her first engine was a 20hp Herald. She was 35’x35’x8’6″x2’6″.
The Rushbrooks cruised with her very extensively, up North and to the Bay of Plenty. She became well known in Whangarei and was eventually bought by J. Main of Whangarei in early April 1920. He replaced her engine with a 25-30hp Buffalo in 1924.
In 1941 was taken into NAPS with the number Z38. Her owner was then Alex Matthews and skipper Vere Harrison. She spent most of 1942-4 stationed at Great Barrier.
Postwar she remained in Whangarei. In 1948 she was owned by O. Mann and her callsign was ZLAY 7.

PS During NAPS service she seems to have had a Ford V8.

15/11/2014 – Update on RANONI ex Ken Ricketts

Ranoni was  bought Aug/Sept 2014 by Graham Rigden of Opua, subsequent to her being damaged on her moorings at Opua by another vessel which had dragged or broken its moorings.

She was substantially damaged at the rear end side & stern areas & was taking water. She was regarded as a write off (insurance company?)

Graham a boatbuilder, who works at Opua & you can see in the photos Ken took she is already well on the road to recovery.
She is powered by a 4 cyl Ford Sabre Diesel.

Graham has provided a substantial dossier on her history (click blue link below to read)

RANONi- HISTORY AS AT 3.10.14

Aumoe in the 1930’s & ’40’s

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Aumoe in the 1930’s & ’40’s

Seems in the ‘old’ days the opening of a jetty was an event to celebrate. Here we see Aumoe anchored off the new Waldron jetty in Parua Bay on the northern side of Whangarei Harbour in 1948. Other boats – RONGOTAI along side the jetty MOERANGI in the middle, and i think BLUE FIN. Probably RANONI outside AUMOE (info ex Ian Mason)

The other photo of Aumoe is I suspect taken from Devonport c.1936
Harold Kidd Update:
RONGOTAI was built by Cox & Filmer in 1940 for Les Waldron but went straight into NAPS with Les as skipper. The Waldron family owned her well into recent times. I went up to view her in her shed at Whangarei c1980 with John Gladden but didn’t buy her. She was originally fitted with twin kerosene-burning engines. MOERANGI was built by Logan Bros in 1906 and was owned in 1948 by Hughie Cox-Smith. She is still on Lake Taupo I think. BLUE FIN was owned by S J Guest in 1948 and was probably brand new and built by Lanes(?).

Valencia, Aumoe & Ranoni 1948

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Valencia, Aumoe & Ranoni 1943

Valencia, Aumoe & Ranoni 1948

I really like this image sent to me by Andrew Pollard the current guardian of Aumoe. Its such a great photo & if you look closely you will notice that the crews are a really mixed bag of men, young boys & women, I doubt you would get that in the 2013 event.  The photo is of the opening day of the 1948 Whangarei Deep Sea Anglers Club. I wonder what the catch was like.
A understand that at the time of the photo Aumoe was owned by the Wilkinson family of Whangarei.

Harold Kidd Update 

VALENCIA was then owned by E S Ralls. I’m not sure who built her and where. There were several Valencias around the coast as it was the name of a very popular song of the time. It would be good to get feedback on her (I suspect a c1928 name change). RANONI is easier, she was built by Charlie Gouk at Beaumont Street in the winter of 1911 for the Rushbrook brothers. In 1948 she was owned by O. Mann. The lovely AUMOE of course was built by Tom Le Huquet for F M P Brookfield of Brookfield Engineering in February 1913 and initially fitted with an Advance 30hp 4 stroke sleeve valve engine built by Brookfield Engineering which was still in use when replaced by A J Wilkinson of Whangarei when he bought her in the late 30s.