Is There Money To Be Made In The Classic Wooden Boat Industry
Short answer yes – if you are good, own a railway slipway and fair in your costs.
The Slipway Milford smoko room wall of honour is a good indication of the woodys that have been for a ride on the Slipway railway 🙂
Would make a good quiz – ID’ing the boats but too busy / lazy doing nothing in a bay at the moment.
SPRAT – Workshop Update
The 28’ David Bedham designed spirit of tradition launch that we featured on WW back in November 2023, link below it nearing completion at the Slipway yard in Milford.
Will be a very smart and fast addition to the Waitemata Harbour, were her intended use is as a fast island commuter.
Looking forward to the sea trial report after the addition of a very smooth and quiet Yamaha 4-stroke o/board. https://waitematawoodys.com/2023/11/18/sprat-spirit-of-tradition-orakei-hardstand-good-news/
MILFORD CREEK FLASH BACK
Wouldn’t it be great if we still had businesses like the above around today. One stop shops.
I was up and down the creek today myself – giving the 95 year old a bottom tickle up – 2023 was such a crap season Raindance didn’t get the normal amount of use. So from entering and exiting the creak the watch said 38 minutes – service with a smile, well almost …… things a tad busy at The Slipway Milford with only 96>hrs till closing the door.
Summer Wine Gets Some TLC
Visitors to {the} Slipway Milford yard last month would have seen the launch – Summer Wine hauled out getting a serious refresh in & out.
Summer Wine was designed and built be Noel May, Buckland Beach, launched in 1993 so slips into the spirit of tradition category .
The weather last Friday when she slipped back into the Milford creek as not very pleasant but she still looked very smart. Launch day photos via cadet WW photographer Jason Prew 😉
In the on the hard photos we also see the 1953 A Couldrey designed, Brin Wilson built launch – Endeavour , hauled out for some cardiac surgery – the engine is being reconditioned.
Read / view more about Summer Wine at 2013 WW sorry – link below https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/07/24/summer-wine/
RSVP TO1 waitematawoodys@gmail.com
Milford Cruising Club – A Peek Back In Time
Following on from Saturdays WW story on the MCC 100th Anniversary weekend, today thanks to the photo gallery the club hosted. We get to see what the area surrounding the MCC looked like in the late 1920’ > early 1930’s. Sadly most of the infrastructure we see in the photos is long gone, but the club and marina have never been in better shape.
We also get a look at a few of the clubs on-the-water outings.
Some of the local businesses in the area took the opportunity to join in on the festivities – well done The Slipway Milford for dressing the yard, special thanks to the ‘gent’ that lent me the navy signal flags and pennants 😉
On the Saturday, despite the weather the MCC held a parade of club craft out of the estuary and along Milford Beach – as always the quicks couldn’t help themselves – video below filmed from Jason Prew’s classic launch – ‘My Girl’, the motorboat attempting to kept up is – ‘Waikiore’,owned by Murray Deeble .
Another view 🙂
STORMBIRD + Boat Boot Sale
The 26′ Roy Paris c.1960 clinker built launch – Stormbird recently popped up on tme , thanks Ian McDonald, and to a brave buyer could be a great gulf cruiser. By brave I mean having the courage to get out the tungsten tipped chainsaw and dropping the cockpit top down some, if you want full headroom and good looks , there is only one solution – buy bigger 🙂
Stormbird is powered by a 60hp Isuzu desel engine that gets her along at 5 knots.
Home is the inner estuary at Sandspit and she comes with a swing mooring, which probably justifies the buy price of $12k alone.
Anyone know more about her past.
NEXT SATURDAYS BOAT BOOT SALE AT THE SLIPWAY MILFORD – so we can ensure there are enough bangers on the BBQ, if you are intending coming – seller or buyer – can you give us a heads up email waitematawoodys@gmail.com
AND I WILL BRING ALONG SOME WW CAPS AND BURGEES FOR SALE – SAVE ON POSTAGE. If you are an out-of-towner – shop on line https://waitematawoodys.com/2021/11/11/58095/
JO MARIL
The launch – Jo Marli made an appearance on WW back in Feb 2019, thanks to some photos taken by Nathan Herbert, of Jo Marli moored at/in Mahurangi, during the 2019 regatta. Link here to that story.https://waitematawoodys.com/2019/02/05/jo-marli-robert-brooke-mnzm/ She was looking a little un-loved at the time. Harold Kidd told us at that time, that the launch first appears in his records back in 1962 owned by R.R. Miller of 346 Dominion Road and he continues as owner for many years after that. She’s been on the Mahurangi for 10 years or so (in 2019).
Fast forward to mid week and I was at OBC and spotted Jo Marli on a marina berth looking very smart, maybe a change of owner? Snapped a photo thru the glass of her interior – equally smart. Well done to her current custodians. Do we know anymore about her?
Earlier in the week I was watching Centaurus slide back into the water at Te Atatu Boating Club after her extensive refit and owner Angus Rogers mentioned he was on the hunt for a small winch for the dinghy davit. I dropped into The Slipway Milford* shed the next day and jackpot – hiding in a pile of sawdust were a few ‘old’ boat bits – thanks to the guys generosity I left with the winch below in my bag. A quick clean with WD40 and some steel wool and it was perfect. Mr Rogers was very happy. Beer can below for size comparison 🙂
*Now if any of you are wondering why I dropped into The Slipway Milford……….. I was driving down the northern motorway at 11.55am and the nostrils picked up a whiff of BBQ bacon, a quick exit at Northcote off ramp and bingo – Mr Prew was preparing his lunch – in the interests of healthy eating, I had to help out and lighten the load 🙂
MARORO
If you searched the name – Maroro on WW you would uncover a lot of content, it was a popular name once. Todays Maroro is not one of the boats previously featured.
Her story has her as a Bailey design / build, year unknown, approx. 28’ in length and powered by a 50hp Isuzu diesel engine.
In the last 20+ years Maroro has been a resident of both Milford Marina and a swing mooring at Paremoremo Inlet / Creek.
Top photo shows her in her ‘prime’ – following photos taken last week at the Milford Slipway, her new adopted home. Plans are to return her closer to as launched – refer b/w photo below. Note the mast / sail is a yacht alongside, being rescued. The # 511 on her side was her Coastguard number at the time.
Are we able to confirm / add to what we know about Maroro.
ENDEAVOUR GETS A BIRTHDAY
Todays woody – the 1953 A. Couldrey designed, Brin Wilson built launch – Endeavour is currently out at the Slipway Milford for some serious TLC. The launch as been owned by the Beachman family for many years, originally by Borrie Beachman, then sold to Jack Matich and converted to a motorsailer (photo below) for commercial fishing on the Kaipara Harbour. Borries nephew, Paul Beachman bought the vessel back and returned her to a sedan launch. These days Paul and son Brin look after Endeavour. I’m very happy to see the mast is down, I have been nudging Paul about revarnishing it for years 🙂
Endeavour has made several appearances at woody events and its always cool to see the whole family enjoying the boat.
Link to a previous WW story https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/05/31/a-friday-quiz/
03-02-2023 UPDATE ex Harold Kidd – ENDEAVOUR was designed by Bill Couldrey but NOT built by him. Brin Wilson built her for Borrie Beachman.
Classic Launch Linda – A Birds Eye View
The 1927 Colin Wild built launch – Linda, being one of the finest on the Waitemata has made numerous appearances on the WW site. One of the most engaging is at this link – https://waitematawoodys.com/2014/11/24/linda-3/
Today we get to see a view of Linda not often seen unless you are a seagull. Recently relaunch after a pre summer spruce up at The Slipway Milford prior to heading to the Bay of Islands for summer.
UPDATE – photo below ex Russell Brooke taken in Jan 2021 showing the two Colin Wild launches – Linda and Wirihana at anchor in the Bay of Islands
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