Tag Archives: Sam Ford

Meander

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MEANDER

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photo & details ex Harold Kidd

A classic Sam Ford bridge decker of the mid-30s, Meander, seen here about to be craned into the Waitemata on 31st August 1937. She was built by Sam Ford at his Ellerslie property for Syd Guest of Whangarei, 32’ x 9’6” x 3′ and powered by a Graymarine 6-91 de luxe.

She was a stock Ford 32 footer of his “streamlined class” and had been on display at the Auckland Winter Show.

She took part in NAPS out of the Bay of Islands and Whangaroa in 1942-4, skippered by Syd Guest with deputy skipper Murdoch McDonald and crewmen Dick Hutchings, Kelvin Lacy, Jack Cumming, Chris Rogers, Bert Young and Will McNaughton. She had patrol number Z33.

Meander spent most of the intervening years in the North but was bought by Aucklander David Vaasen in 2005.

Photo update (2x colour) from Mark McLaughlin (Mapuna) of Meander underway near Westhaven in 2007.

Ken Rickitts commented that she was an example of Sam Ford at his best, particularly the varnished tuck, very rare in those days, Ford only ever did 1 or 2 that Ken knows of. Fantastic to see her again after over 50 years, a beautful boat – Ken R

Harold Kidd Update

Ken is right about MEANDER, she’s a gem.

Sam Ford is sometimes sneered at for lack of build-quality and poor materials. In fact, you got what you were prepared to pay for and his top-quality boats were top-quality boats. Nobody, however, sneers at his designs which were “state of the art” by their contemporary international standards. Most have lasted, as-built, over the many years since their construction and are still stunning examples of motor-launch design.

I have been researching Sam intensely for some months and am continually impressed by the man.

Juliana > Marjorie Rosa

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JULIANA > MARJORIE

photos & details ex Ken Ricketts. Edited by AH

Juliana was built in 1930 by Sam Ford & owned by Ralph & Wyn Ricketts from 1946 to 1956. She went to Whangarei for a few years when sold & then to the Algie family at Algies Bay from about 1972 to 1995. She was sold to a fisherman in New Plymouth for several years & ended up back at Tamaki River about 2006 as a bare hull absolutely nothing in her.

Bought by present owner Fraser Wilson as a bare neglected hull, with no bulkheads, engine, underwater gear, mast or anything else. Wilson has just undertaken a major 3 year restoration /rebuild on her by boatbuilder Tony Mitchell in his shed at Lake Rotoiti where she will now reside. Ken’s comment was ‘while unrecognizable as Juliana, in my view stunning in her own right’.

Propulsion History

1930 (Original) — 4cyl Thornycroft “T” head converted petrol truck engine c1925

1948 — 6 cyl Leyland “Cub” Diesel 90 HP (29.4 B.H.P. RAC rating), installed by owner Ralph Ricketts

1956 — 4 cyl Buda Marine Diesel (ex Arcturas — Built by Mc Geady c1952 for John Warren & replaced by Warren with 6 cyl Ford) installed by owner Ralph Ricketts

c1978 — 6 cyl 100 hp Ford Diesel fitted by owner Brian Algie

2013 (October) 3 cyl  brand new Lombardini Diesel approx 60hp installed for Fraser Wilson by Tony Mitchell boat builder

Photos

1. The black & white photo of her hauled out was taken in Judges Bay by the Parnell Baths in 1947, by Ken Ricketts.

2. The sepia photo shows Ken Ricketts on board Juliana c.1947

3. The ‘all white’ photo is the bare hulk prior to the current rebuild.

4. Colour photos are from her relaunch as Marjorie Rosa

AH comment – she is very stunning & will be the belle of the lake, but if was me I would have followed Sam Fords original design a little more closely. But beauty is, as they say ‘in the eyes of the beholder’ 

Menai & Valsan & her Owners.

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Menai 1947/8
Menai 1947/8
Valsan 1948
Menai 2008

Menai & Valsan & her Owners.

details & b/w photos from Ken Ricketts. edited by Alan H 

In the late 1930s, earlier 1940s, Arnold D. Baldwin, a successful business man involved in the paper & printing industries purchased the 1936 (’37?) Sam Ford launch MENAI & used her regularly until 1948, when he bought VALSAN, off Peter Annan, who had renamed her LADY EDITH, which ADB changed back to VALSAN.

ADB sold MENAI to his factory manager, Horry Whimp who loved her, at least as much as ADB & continued to pour money into MENAI, as ADB had before him. HW owned MENAI well in to the 1950s. During this stage of her life MENAI had a flat head Ford V8.

Ken Ricketts met HW’s son, Barry Whimp, as a 3rd former at Auckland Grammar in 1950, they were in the same year & became good friends, & had many happy moments together whilst away on their parents boats, especially at Kawau, at Christmas.

(b/w photos taken by Ken Ricketts show Menai over Christmas 1948 /1949  just after the Whimps had bought her, & taken at Issy Bay & Kawau. The photo of Valsan in Schoolhouse Bay was taken during Christmas 1948 just after ADB had purchased her)

Menai Specs ex Alan H

Sam Ford, Ellerslie, designed and built Menai for Mr W T Reynolds of Whangarei and she was launched at Panmure Basin on 24th of December 1937.She immediately left Auckland on launching and arrived at Whangareri 25.12.1937.

She has a most interesting history, during WWII as a Navy patrol vessel she towed lifeboats from SS Niagara to safety.  She spent many years big game fishing both off Tutukaha and Tauranga and she is fine sea boat. In 1985 new owners did major renovations including the superb varnished interior. In 2007 she was purchased by the late Peter Smith who spent 3 years bringing her back to the wonderful condition she is today.

She is characteristic of the Ford design, a bridgedeck displacement launch, 10.97m (38 ft) length, beam 3.05m and draft 0.97m. Although there have been some substantial upgrades both the exterior lines and interior layout are original.

Construction: Single kauri skin (full length planking) over bolted and riveted frames and floors. The original upper works were built of kauri. In a 1985 major upgrade they were overlaid with 5/8 in teak and varnished.

Power: Lees-Marine 60hp Fordson diesel with 2:1 Lees-Marine hydraulic gearbox.

Harold Kidd Update

A few minor things about the above. MENAI was originally fitted with an 8 cylinder Lycoming engine which was changed to an Osco Ford V8 marine conversion, possibly during her NAPS service. Arnold Baldwin bought MENAI in 1942 when he was skippering her with NAPS and registered her as a British Registered Ship in 1948. According to those records and to the contemporary APYMBA records, Whimp did not own her at all, but that may well have been because he didn’t want to carry on the BR. Certainly, however, the BR records and the RNZYS records show that MENAI was 100% owned by C.B. Menzies from 1950 onwards. How Whimp and Menzies fit together, I have no idea.

Rehutai (Wellington)

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Rehutai (Wellington)

REHUTAI (Wellington)

story & photo ex Russell Ward

Rehutai (this one) was (according to Harold) built in 1926 by Sam Ford at St. Mary’s Bay for C.C. Ross of Wellington and had a 50/75 Stearns engine.
Ross owned her at least until 1933. In 1957 she was owned by R.N. Barton of Featherston.
I would have sworn she was a Lanes boat. Just shows you.

Harold Kidd Update:

ALL ROADS LEAD TO LANES! Actually Garth Lane personally built every launch constructed in Auckland from 1905 onwards and licensed/franchised boatbuilders to put their nameplates on them. But seriously, you can tell an Auckland-built launch at a mile; there was an Auckland “look”. Compare images of contemporary Dunedin/Australian/ US/British/French/Italian/wherever launches and there are strong family resemblances within Auckland launches. It’s not hard to figure out; it’s a cultural and fashion thing. So, when Logan Bros went out of business in 1911, lots of builders started building Logan-style double-enders of class. They all built what their owners wanted them to build. I defy anyone to get the provenance of an Auckland launch right just by looking at an image of it, particularly when, like this Sam Ford REHUTAI it has been changed time and time again over the years.

PS Recently I did a count of the “Oliver & Gilpin” launches then currently on TradeMe. There were 9 of which only 4 were built by Oliver & Gilpin, the rest were knock-offs. With the other 5, that distinctive O&G style had been copied so well that their owners were convinced and had no hesitation in claiming O&G provenance (with potentially dire commercial consequences for misrepresentation).

Lady Karita

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LADY KARITA
story & photos ex Russell Ward
Lady Karita. One of Sam Fords finest.Used to be on the marina off AMYC and Menai was nearby. Both fine ships.
The b/w photo was at a AMYC picnic. Off to the left you can see Monterey. Astern is Lady Faye or her sister ship  (is it –the one without the turtle deck?) Nearby, I think it is Apache before the aft dodger changed her svelte lines. Would have been when Harold Parkinson had her and she was petrol.
Not sure of the boat astern of Karita, but Barney Soljacks Southern Belle is astern of her. Can’t make out who it is astern of her.
The colour photos are at Havelock Marina  and Lady Karita is looking pretty chipper.
Alan H comment –  I was once told that the Slipmaster at Westhaven said that Lady Karita was the best boat Sam Ford made – because the man who commissioned her stood over him while he built her. Those that know about Sam Ford boats will know that this is probably true 🙂
Updated again: Someone also said that having a Sam Ford boat in your marina was ecologically very good as they filtered the water thru their hull everyday – I’m bad, I know 🙂

Peerless

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Peerless, Panmure Basin
Milford Creek1
Pierless & Maryanna, Tiri, 1930’s
Peerless
Milford Creek2
Peerless, Westhaven
Peerless, North Shore Times 1982
Devonport News
History of Peerless

PEERLESS

Designed & built by Andrew Petersen in 1913, Andrew was assisted Sam Ford, who at the time was a young boatbuilding apprentice. Peerless has a wonderful history that has been well documented, thanks to previous owners, one of whom, Bert Tansley, owned her for 50 years. Today she is berthed in the Milford Creek Marina & has had a for sale sign on her for several years. A very pretty original boat that desires a new custodian.
Update from Russell Ward:
Peerless is a delightful little boat. I used to see her moored at Devonport when I took the ferry to work. 
I was speaking to an elderly lady from Bayswater. She regaled me with tales of how her father (I guess Ber Tansley) used to pull her ashore for the winter at Landsdown Road Bayswater. It was a whole day affair –the old boys used to do it by muscle power alone.
She went to Kawau at some stage and was offered for sale. That is when I took the pix.
The 1982 article was by Paul Tichener.
05-05-2020 Update – photo taken by Ken Ricketts at Kawau Island, 2002
Peerless 2002 Kawau Island

Maka Maile

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Maka Maile
Maka Maile 2013 Riverhead Hotel

MAKA MAILE
Not sure of builder, originally had 1 engine of unknown make replaced with 2 x Ford V8 flat head petrol engines in about 1948 at Westhaven & Ken Ricketts remembers viewing the work in progress. Owned c.1947 by a very quiet reserved couple named Lennox-King.

Harold Kidd Update

MAKA MAILE (correct spelling) was built by Sam Ford at Ellerslie in 1937 for R.E. Farrell of Titirangi and named after his father Percy’s one rater centreboarder built by James Clare in 1898 with which Farrell had dominated racing on the Manukau. She originally had a Chrysler Crown plus an Adams but they were replaced by twin Scripps Ford V8s. Later gain she had a BMC Commodore and a Ford. She is now back in the Farrell family.

CHAPTER 2
Update from Ken Ricketts post meeting the current owner on 19/05/13
She is now owned by a Mr & Mrs Nick & Raeleen Prentis, & kept at the moment, at West Harbour Marina. They bought her in April 2004 off Mr Ken Farrell, who had stored her for over 25 years in dry storage, initially in the Glendene area, & then he moved her to McLeod Rd Te Atatu, where she was, when bought by the Prentises. They bought her more or less as an empty shell with no engines or interior, & he believes she may have had two unmatched engines, he thought perhaps a Fordson diesel & maybe a petrol engine.
He has now fitted 2 x 4 cyl Nissan Diesels. & has spent since April 2004 working on her, & making her ready for the water again, having amongst other things recalked the bottom, & resurfaced the topsides, & has been rebuilding in the interior, which is still not quite finished. She has only been back in the water for a month, after all those years, (as at 19.5.2013), & I think it’s really great that she’s back with us again — a lovely boat restored, & saved for posterity, and an important part of the Sam Ford history, & our boating heritage as a whole. Long may she be with us.

Menai

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Menai

Menai
When I was recently out at the NZ Traditional Boat Building School I spied this old (ish) photo on the wall of Menai, the 1936 Sam Ford designed launch, taken prior to the wonderful restoration by the late Peter Smith. While she looks very smart in this photo she was very sick down below. Another one thats on my bucket list.

Matatahi

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Matatahi

Matatahi Waikawa Marina c.1991

Matatahi Waikawa Marina c.1991.

Maristella

Maristella

MATATAHI

A typical example of Sam Fords work built c.1938. In the1940s & 50s she had 2 x 4 cyl Ford diesels with a single side exhaust on the starboard side with both engines going in to a single outlet. Photo taken c.1954 in Mansion House Bay, Kawau Island by Ken Ricketts. Photo quality poor as taken from a 8mm movie but had to include her as she is a lovely looking launch.
Another one that seems to have disappeared off the radar so if anyone can bring us up to date that would be great.