Identify this Stillwater boat please....

[John B 106]

Ah yes , yesterday I got my tropics passport stamped and headed up to sunny Whangaparoa . As a side trip I managed to look at some boats and this old timer caught my eye. As one involved with the classics for 30 odd years I have to say ... I don't know what it is.

 

Does anyone know its name or any history?

 

 

 

[Atom Ant 0]

Uhm I should know but I don't sorry. The bottom old timer classic is a Davidson 28

[Guest]

Herreshof Mobjack?

[wheels 543]

Hmmmm.... No.... I don't think so.

The stern of a Mobjack is a little more abrubt than that. That has the J class type stern. And the cabin is very different to a Mobjack. Plus Mobjack was a 45ft design and even bigger.

[Fish 0]

Wash your mouth out man

 

Stillwater is further up the river, where KM goes to start his races...

That old classic is at the legendary Weiti Boating Club

 

No idea on the type of boat though, sorry.

[Guest]

Is it a Roberts Spray design?

[wheels 543]

No the Spray is more like the Mobjack

[wheels 543]

I reckon it's got the lines of an Arch Logan design. Anyone got a pic of an early Logan??

[wheels 543]

No wait, wrong bow shape for a Logan

[John B 106]

Wash your mouth out man

 

Stillwater is further up the river, where KM goes to start his races...

That old classic is at the legendary Weiti Boating Club

 

No idea on the type of boat though, sorry.

 

I just knew I was going to get that wrong. I'll take your advice Fish and wash my mouth out but since its AM and mid week , I'll leave that till sat afternoon when the fishing show is on.

or maybe friday night.

[John B 106]

Just as you can look at most IOR boats from a period and see similarities across different designers or different cars from a design year for that matter, you can look at 'old 'boats and roughly nail down a period they were designed and built. Just like today , the defining characteristics might well be because of a rule, or just like today they might be designed to look like the rule boats because the feature is perceived as fast. eg, the little faux chines we see on some of the new cruisers.

And then you get retro designs which are intended to look like the 'old' boats. Those could just be boats built 5 or 10 years after the 'fashion', or 50.

 

So when I see a hull like the one I've shown I look past the cabin and the rig, even the rig position. I look at the hull and the counter , the boats beam and the bow profile. It may well be a 'retro' designed in the 50's or 60's maybe ,but to my eye I see yacht design aspects from the 1890's. IE clipper bow and the counter stern. Spoon bow really arrived here circa late 1890's with boats like Rainbow following the Britannia model. The hull has a little more beam I think and is more rounded than most Logan or Bailey racing yachts of that period so I'd say it was more of a cruiser.

 

Harold Kidd has a very interesting idea and that is that it may be a clipper bow launch from the circa 1905 period , when it was a fashion to give them the old time clipper bow. Converted to sail.

 

This is the yacht that the Weiti bow most reminds me of.

 

 

I forget its build date.. somewhere around the early/ mid 1890's though.

 

edit.. looked it up. 1892.

[Guest]

Stillwater is further up the river, where KM goes to start his races...

That old classic is at the legendary Weiti Boating Club

I hope the 'Old Classic' is in reference to the yacht rather than me. I'm heading that way fast but like to think I'm a while away as yet

 

No idea what yacht that is but she has nice lines.

[John B 106]

I have an old Jag.

at the gas station a month or so ago an MG pulled in to gas up as well. I said ' A good day to take the old girls for a run'

the passenger in the MG said ' I hope you're talking about the cars'.

[Atom Ant 0]

The yacht in question is called Vagabond and apparently is over 100 years old. I don't know the design heritage yet as I haven't spoken to the owner but it was bought in a bad state of repair and he's been doing it up bit by bit.

 

As a matter of interest the white boat with the black stripe next to Vagabond is a Woollacott (I think) & was built in 1985. Gorgeous boat too!

[John B 106]

Excellent AA.. thanks for that. If you ever get any more data I'd love to hear it.

The Woolacott is Ronaki rua, I did know it was a 'new ' one but didn't know the date . Thanks for that too.

 

Ronaki in 2006 when she was black.

 

[Fish 0]

There are 3 'Vagabond's' listed on the YNZ website.

One is a Vindex by Jim Young i.e. a launch?

One is an Owen Wooley - T2044

One is an R Hartley - T684

I think the T's indicate a trailer yacht though?

[John B 106]

I have a thread going on our Classic yacht assn site as well. Harold Kidd is looking into it now that we have a name to start with.

Often names get changed so its not a given that it has its original. There is a ' second class yacht' from the south island called Vagabond from the correct period .Harold is looking into that.

I know most of the turn of the century NZ yachts and where there are ( with a few exceptions), so its pretty interesting to come across one I haven't heard of or seen before.

[John B 106]

The Otago boat didn't check out so its still a bit of a mystery. If anyone knows any more or has the owners name or contacts I'd love to give him a call and ask.

Thanks again for the info so far.

[Atom Ant 0]

I do have the owners details but before I give them out I'll need to ask his permission first. Perhaps SJB we can talk via pm and then I can put you tow in contact?

[John B 106]

Good call AA, pm sent.

ps SJB is a different guy from JB , he's smarter and probably a lot better looking than moi.