A peek at a rather special stunning classic kiwi launch

[snow(Alan H)]

I was lucky the other day to tag along on a photo shot for one of the upcoming CYA New Zealand publications & got to crawl all over this piece of art. These pics are quickies taken with my point & shoot. The ones Chris Millar (the photographer) took are very nice.
Enjoy:)

The boat under way

http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp165/Alanh22/Alanh22A/MahurangiJan2010LaunchraceLadyMargaret0001.jpg;

All wrapped up

http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp165/Alanh22/Alanh22A/P1050756_2.jpg;

Random interior pics

http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp165/Alanh22/Alanh22A/P1050745.jpg;

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[snow(Alan H)]

http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp165/Alanh22/Alanh22A/P1050729.jpg;

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[snow(Alan H)]

More

http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp165/Alanh22/Alanh22A/P1030823.jpg;

http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp165/Alanh22/Alanh22A/P1030804.jpg

[C. Ross]

Very pretty! The "clerestory" roof and windows in the mid-cabin are attractive. What's the standing headroom like?

Terrific galley, too, and the salon sole is spectacular. Kauri? The mast looks a little tall for that boat, and there's no visible boom for launching the dinghy. Is the boom removable, or how do they launch the dinghy?

[htom]

Spectacular!

[snow(Alan H)]

Very pretty! The "clerestory" roof and windows in the mid-cabin are attractive. What's the standing headroom like?

Terrific galley, too, and the salon sole is spectacular. Kauri? The mast looks a little tall for that boat, and there's no visible boom for launching the dinghy. Is the boom removable, or how do they launch the dinghy?

You step down into the mid-cabin so plenty of head room.
Not sure on the floor (sole) looks a little too dark for kauri. The mast looks ok in the 'flesh' & yes remove able boom.

[C. Ross]

Well, she's just gorgeous. Thanks for the extra information. Clean lines, plus the right amount of of details to please the eye. Thanks!

[Chip-skiff]

I wonder whether they lay down an old scrap of carpet on the cabin floor for offshore passages. That bright finish looks grand but also slick: I reckon you'd go arse over teakettle in any sort of sea.

[riverat]

A beauty snow, wanname? and could you give us old pervs a walk thru "Luana" just for the memories??

[snow(Alan H)]

Lady Margaret - I will have to do some file diving to find Luana pics. She is featured on the masthead of the CYA NZ website - link below.

http://classicyacht.org.nz/frontpage

[Lew Barrett]

Nice. The Kiwi boats have a distinct look and features of their own. This one's done to the nines. Great "density."

[snow(Alan H)]

The owner of Luana - lurks on the WBF so he might upload some pics. The boat featured in 'Boating NZ' - one of New Zealand's boating mags a few months ago.

We used her helm on the cover of the 2010 Register book.

http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp165/Alanh22/Alanh22A/Screenshot2011-05-21at10044PM.png;

http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp165/Alanh22/Alanh22A/P1040598.jpg

[snow(Alan H)]

Just spoke (email) with Rick who owns Luana - he will takes some pics over the weekend. Life is simple, you ask , you get|;)

[snow(Alan H)]

Lady Margaret has twin 150hp Fodens (2 stoke)
Luana - has the good old 120hp Ford

[snow(Alan H)]

Twin Fodens , wow !.That would sound very distinctive !.
But NZ seems to be the place for the 2 stroke , there is a fair collection of working TS3's there too.
Have they got the parts situation well sorted ?.
Regards Rob J.
Rob
We do have a few 2/’s. it’s because we are laxed on our emission rules.
Parts are hard to get for the Fodens and TS3’s. Fodens are really nice running engines and not really noisy if set up with good mufflers.
Most popular 2/ is of course Detroit.
Cheers Alan

[snow(Alan H)]

Could you give us old pervs a walk thru "Luana" just for the memories??

Here you go - LUANA - one of my favorite boats - you could hang out on her for weeks with a good supply of rum & books.

http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp165/Alanh22/Alanh22A/IMG_0734.jpg;

http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp165/Alanh22/Alanh22A/IMG_0730.jpg;

http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp165/Alanh22/Alanh22A/IMG_0925.jpg;

http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp165/Alanh22/Alanh22A/IMG_0871_2.jpg;

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[snow(Alan H)]

http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp165/Alanh22/Alanh22A/IMG_0932.jpg;

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http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp165/Alanh22/Alanh22A/IMG_0905.jpg

[snow(Alan H)]

Rob, you could leave your boots on & she is a fishing boat - if memory serves me right she held the NZ record to catching a marlin, a trout & shooting a deer.

[riverat]

Thanks for that Snow, I was associated with her when owned and operated by "Goldie" Hitchins out of Tauranga. He had two engines , one the winter fishing engine,the other the summer game fishing job. It only took a day to do a swap at Jack Costello's yard under the gantry crane. In the winter all fancy trim came out, ply panels fastened and a couple freezers in the cockpit. He fished well wide of East Cape for hapuka with long-lines. After six months of that and the engine driven to the max she was cleaned down, re-varnished all over and the trolling engine went in, this one was de-rated to cope with the days of slow running when after game fish, she was about the fastest boat out of Tauranga. Goldie bought a commercial boat from Gisbourne to do the long lining but was lost along with his mate Jimmy on the delivery. I think Luana lay idle for quite a long time before the estate was wound up. What was her D.O.B. and build history?? Thanks again Snow.

[riverat]

Rob, Auckland Water Police had a new launch "Deodar" built and fitted with twin FD6 engines and in the whole of her working life never caught one crim. Along with the ferrific howl that could be heard from miles away she had a huge searchlight that flashed allover the place giving crims ample warning that the fuzz was around. Those same engines are now marketed by R-R, still as F-D6 models 50 some thing years later. There is a genuine Commer TS4 engine in a truck down in Nelson.They were another thing that made more noise than a new born baby.

[luana 1920]

Hi Riverat,
My wife Roz and I bought Luana 17 years ago off John Ennis who tendered for her laid up at Tauranga from the Public Trust Office after Goldie was lost at sea. Over the years we have had countless people row up to us around the Gulf with anecdotes and details that became the legend of Goldie. Nothing much happened apparently until he'd drunk a bottle of whiskey and while a man of gruff demeanour well respected. Only a week ago a nephew of his caught up with me and gave me a couple of photos showing Luana when he first bought her in the 50's. I'll scan them and put them up if you are interested. Other photos I have show him with a 700lb plus bluefin caught off Mayor Island so he was a serious fisherman. In his last years Luana went downhill and ended up as a part time scallop dredge but his long period of ownership assured the retention of many period fixtures and fittings. The engine swap detail is interesting. Luana...built 1920...T.M.Lane, Kings Drive, Mechanics Bay, Auckland. 47ft loa 11ft 6in. beam. Single six cylinder Ford diesel...8-9 knots. Original engine 150 hp. van Blerk, six cylinder american petrol engine which would have been sensational in its day. Deodar was crushed by a ship at a wharf in Auckland maybe 20 years ago and sank but was recovered and rebuilt in private ownership. Rick.

[riverat]

Hello Rick, thanks for the reply, yes Goldie was a genuine character. I would like to see some more pics of him and her.When he first arrived at Tga. after his navy days he rafted timber in the upper harbour with a towing launch always refered to as "that green bitch". A relative of mine owned and lived in Major Lane's house in Whangaroa, it was destroyed in a landslide that nearly took out the "Blue Marlin" hotel alongside.The summer trolling engine was a special "Lees Marine fitted with a heavy industrial flywheel along with a de-rated fuel pump for extended slow running periods. In those days the boats did not have to go very far from Mayor island. Bob Grey's "Rarangi" only had a pair of piddly little "Coventry Climax" 23hp diesels,Ces Jack's boat a 27hp 2/71 GM. Power was not a big deal then. When "Deodar" was built in Dunedin by Miller & Tunnage there was a big stink by the Auck. boat builders, same when the M.O.W. had "Meola" built down there. I was also involved with the early scallop dredging in Rangungu Bay and Maunganui Bay with the Dept. Fish. with a boat "Princess Yolande" owned by a bloke Ryan, she was from the Paremata fleet and of unusual build. This was trawling on a grid pattern with two skin divers riding on the beam trawl observing the behaviour of the fish. regards ray

[luana 1920]

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2707/5759802799_7e908a0736.jpg

[luana 1920]

Hi Riverat,
The photo above was taken in the early 1950's in what is now part of viaduct harbour. Goldie had just bought Luana and was starting to set her up for gamefishing. Rear mast is way forward of where it is now.

[luana 1920]

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5222/5759803485_3b5b4b21a5.jpg

[luana 1920]

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2162/5760345540_c854e86126.jpg

[Gerarddm]

Love that plumb stem...

[luana 1920]

The year is 1979 and the fisherman JK [Johnny] Boyle is rowing to a waiting float plane. He has just caught a marlin that is tied to Luana's stern and is about to be flown from off Mayor Island to Lake Rotorua to catch a trout. Once he had done that he raced into nearby bush and shot a deer as you do. Total elapsed time from landing the marlin 3 hours 45 minutes still a NZ record. Johnny Boyle later became President of the Tauranga Gamefishing Club. I was long intrigued by the stainless transom strips but an old fisho told me that without them http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2310/5760897337_db02087232_z.jpgon carvel planked boats the line would cut into the planking gaps and shear.

[luana 1920]

In the above photo Goldie Hitchins is on the stern of Luana cracking out orders. I still have two of the original kauri game chairs one of which is shown.

[luana 1920]

Goldie Hitchins is the guy on the right and this bluefin gained the NZ record in http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5263/5761432550_c9e9c051bb_z.jpg 1970 by 139 lbs according to the backside of this photo. That is a serious tuna and would be worth big money in Japan today.

[snow(Alan H)]

Wow - Tokyo Fish Market. if that thing was airfreight on ice - $100,000+

[luana 1920]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3534/5760895993_a8cdec077c_z.jpg

Luana in Southeast bay unloading in the Mayor Island style nosed into the shore with a small ladder off the bow. The year is 1964.

[luana 1920]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3316/5760894487_11b8eff8aa_z.jpg

Finally...how did I know the previous photo was from 1964...the lady in the centre of this magazine gave me the copy that featured the photo. I only included this shot because the date is in the lower left corner!

[riverat]

Thanks for those pics Rick, brings back fond memories, also more unpleasant ones of crawling around under her wirebrushing and scraping before anti-fouling. She was a big boat out of the water (no pressure cleaners then) and always hauled out at my F.I.L.'s Sulpher Point Slipway using the special long cradle built for "Eva" and she was hauled every 6 months too. Dr. Harry Gilbert's "Achenar" was another very nice boat in the Tga. fleet. Thanks again, Ray.