122-YR-OLD CLASSIC WOODY GETS A WELL-DESERVED MAKEOVER
Back in Sept 2024 WW posted a photo of LEXIA, the 26′, 1904 Chas Bailey Jnr built classic wooden yacht berth in the Milford Marina. At the time I commented about her condition. The top photo is from 2024.
Fast forward to Sept 2026 and LEXIA has been hauled out at The Slipway Milford – refer 2nd group on photos, sadly below the water was in a similar condition to the 2024 photo.
BUT – great news, she is getting the full treatment as seen in the 3rd group of photos.
Lucky that no-one tried to sail her, the mast and boom were very suspect in several places.
Dropped into the working end of the Milford Creek / Marina yesterday and caught up on the woodys getting some late winter TLC
MY GIRL – the 1925 Dick Lang built (to a W H Hand design) was out at the Slipway Milford for an application of a new go fast bottom paint. All hush hush trial but I can tell you it wasn’t around in the 1920’s. Note to handicappers – alter MY GIRLS handicap 😉
LOOKING BACK AT CLASSIC WOODEN LAUNCH – EILEEN PATRICIA
Today thanks for Robyn Kellian and Tobias Forsyth we get to have a peek back in time at the classic wooden launch – EILEEN PATRICIA.
Designed and built in 1933 by Arnold Couldrey. She was named EILEEN PATRICIA when launched but as you can see in the b/w photos at some stage she was named LYNDON. Just visible on her bow is a fishing boat rego # AK113 (might be wrong), so possibly a workboat at some stage. It may have been a typo but when current owner Peter and Jenni Mence bought her the spelling was LINDEN.
Approx 6 years ago she underwent an extensive rebuild / restoration at the hands of Marco Scuderi’s yard. Since then the lads at The Slipway Milford have been looking after her needs and she resents in stunning condition.
LinkS below to all the EP storied on WW and the second link is from her re-launching day.
Dropped into the Slipway Milford earlier in the week and the timing was perfect – the Dick Lang built launch NGAHI was being hauled out for some TLC and system improvements.
In previous WW stories there has been a lot of debate re the boats provenance, would be nice to confirm the builder and put a year to launching.
The Slipway Milford had a full quota of woodys on the yard – the JB Brooke designed and built yacht – GLEAM, now back in the Brooke family armada.
Along side NGAHI is the 35’6” Lane Motor Boat Co. 1945 launch – HANI (Wanda II) getting some serious TLC.
Both GLEAM and HANI are on display at next months Auckland Wooden Boat Festival, no doubt the marine chandlers are doing a good trade in varnish at the moment 🙂
SERIOUSLY……………… During a peek down below on NGAHI I spotted some VERY dodgy fittings – refer below. No seacocks and single jubilee clips the only thing between floating and joining the submariners club……………. you’d like to think this wasn’t a ‘professional’ installation.
UPDATE – That was quick, looking more fitting of an ocean going craft 😉
Sadly her owner wasn’t there to see the event, but she will be reading WW today while sipping an Aperol Spritz on the other side of the world 🙂
09-01-2026 UPDATE – It’s the little details that make all the difference. NGAIO’s wheel was just a tad too big, the boys at the Slipway Milford, dived into the treasure chest of old / good boating bits and refurbished a ‘new’ wheel – perfect ✓
It was a very busy morning at the Milford slipway – a total of 4 launches were re launched after getting some pre-xmas cruising TLC
The magnificent 48’ 1965 Lane Motor Boat Co. built – AROHANUI
The L33 (Logan replica) – SEMELE
And even a Pelin sneaks onto WW today – well it is xmas 😉
On Friday MONTEREY slipped back into the water looking the best she has in the last 20 years, a tribute to her new owner and the skills of the craftspeople at the Slipway Milford yard.
Still a few projects to be finished off back on her marina, but today we celebrate the ‘homecoming’ of one of the fleets best looking classic wooden launches.
Lots of dockside chat regarding the grey anti-fouling and how it will look with the normal bits hanging off in a few months – time will tell 😉
We will follow up with an interior story in a few weeks.
(Photos ex owner, Jason Prew and Alan H)
WW MERCHANDISE – IF YOU ARE THINKING OF ORDERING – DO IT NOW B4 STOCK RUNS OUT
The 1946 Lidgard built 32’ classic wooden launch MONTEREY has been a regular member of my boating inner circle over the last 20 years of classic boating.
MONTEREY changed hands last year and over winter has been getting a refresh down below. Relax the above photos may appear a tad ‘refrigerator’ in colour but most of the timber trim and furnishing have been removed so the next photos we share she will look smarter.
Monterey is currently hauled out at the Slipway Milford for a Jason Prew Paint Job (JPPJ) and removing the decades of built up antifoam from her bottom. While out some of the systems and thru-hulls will be upgraded.
Very happy to see MONTEREY getting the TLC she deserves and hopefully more photos soon.
Two of my favourite MONTERY photos from the past below ❤️ (The stern signage was ex me having a quiet day in the studio)
GETTING SHIPSHAPE FOR THE WOODYS CLEVEDON CRUISE THS WEEKEND Guests aboard the 55’ spirit of tradition classic woody motorsailer – ALLERGY , often marvel at the seemingly bottomless supply of rum, well woodys a recent visit to the Slipway Milford revealed the secret – Captain Dave has the boating equivalent of a wine cellar.
Joking aside its not too late to join in this weekends Classic Woody Cruise to the CLEVEDON CRUISING CLUB for an overnight dockside BBQ – RSVP NOW to waitematawoodys@gmail.com for details.
LOOKING FOR A GOOD READ / GIFT
If you’re like me and find most fishing websites and magazine articles a little to fisher bloke talking to fisher bloke, Al Brown’s new book HOOKED is a great guide and reference tool + some easy recipes. To quote the back cover ‘Learn how to tie knots, bait hooks, cast lures, and fillet and cook your catch’. No glossy photos , its all illustrations and line drawings – primary audience is children and adults like me. At $35 its a bargain and if you are an expert – its the perfect gift for a grandchild or someone new to the sport. FYI – my local bookshop sold out in 24 hrs.
Todays story is stepping over the self imposed Berlin Wall of classic craft – you see FEATHER has DNA dating back to 1912 when the Arch Logan designed 33’ DOREEN and then fast forwarding to the early 2000’s when Eric Knight started making the L33 fibre-glass replicas off a mould of DOREEN.
The concept appealed to FEATHER’s owner but he commissioned some tweaks – like forward motion from a 4-stroke outboard and an awful lot of at the time wonder material – think carbon fibre. End result was the very special craft we see today.
In the USA there is a new word appearing at some of the classic regattas – its ‘GLASSIC’, and is used to describe craft that appear to be old, wooden, classic craft but are made from f/glass. In my eyes a classic is wooden and always will be.
I’m sure the fisheads that sit on the classic yacht association steering group will one day soon, in their hunger for dollars to fund their yacht races, tweak the membership criteria and allow GLASSICS to join up. Rest assured WW will stay pure 🙂
Back to FEATHER – after several weeks hauled out at the Slipway Milford getting some serious TLC that included a JPPJ* – she slipped down the railway slipway back into the Milford Creek on Thursday looking better than new. (*Jason Prew Paint Job) Photos & videos – Cam Malcolm, Jason Prew and Alan H)
Todays woody story features the 33’ Roy Parris designed and built (1978) classic launch – WAIKARO. Some history, I brokered the sale of WAIKARO to her current owners back in 2021. At the time she was a very practical classic sedan cruiser , that had been lucky to have good past owners and Geoff Bagnall as their boatbuilder.
Her new owners were newish to classic craft and over the next 4 years undertook a rolling restoration / refit – lots of system upgrades and corrected some deferred maintenance. Work included removal and full service of anchor windlass, replacement of 7 windows, with 8mm toughened, new engine mounts, exhaust, hull repaint, replacement of nav lights and wiring, fitting of bow thruster, new anchor chain & anchor and new Lawrence plotter/sounder.
But it didn’t stop there – with a lot of lobbying from myself and Jason Prew (Slipway Milford) WAIKARO’s coamings were taken back to bare wood and she got the Awlwood (Uroxsys) treatment + the additional of some shiny bronze bits. And that transformed WAIKARO into the striking craft we see today. See below photo of WAIKARO as purchased with painted coamings.
As per most of Roy Paris’s builds forward motion is via a 120hp Ford 2715, non-turbo. With her semi displacement hull, the 120hp sees her comfortably cruising at 9 knots, with a top speed of approx. 14 knots. Construction is carvel planked kauri. Her beam is just short of 10’ and she draws 3’3”. (Fits a 10.5m marina berth).
