Escape to Ngatira - avoiding the outlaws

[Larks]

Having made the ultimate sacrifice to spend Christmas with the outlaws in New Zealand, I managed to gain a reprieve and pinch the mother in laws Jag' for a jaunt 14 minutes down the track to visit Steve on Ngatira.

Ngatira is looking terrific and Steve is doing a lovely job on her and I must express my sincere thanks to him for allowing me to hide out in the shed on Ngatira and rescue my sanity for a day.

Some may have been following Steve's own thread of progress on the NZ Classic Yacht Forum - http://www.classicyacht.org.nz/forum/viewthread.php?forum_id=7&thread_id=11 but here are a few pic's from yesterday;

BTW, I finally managed to buy a new camera on the way over here after many months of procrastination - thanks to the kind advice of the forum on a much earlier post. An Olympus 1030SW shock/water/crush/dog/Greg proof 10megapixel. Still learning how to use it so these pics are pretty amateurish but should get better:

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii11/Larks_01/PC210058.jpg

Steve and the mast that he built, showing evidence of a vey handy mast/belt sanding technique pinched from the forum:

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii11/Larks_01/PC210072.jpg

Interior, Steve nutting out some panelling detail:
http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii11/Larks_01/PC210041.jpg

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii11/Larks_01/PC210037.jpg

Although I probably held him up talking more than anything, I did help with a bit of sanding:
http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii11/Larks_01/PC210056.jpg

[Larks]

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii11/Larks_01/PC210070.jpg


Other interesting stuff around the shed:
http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii11/Larks_01/PC210042.jpg

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii11/Larks_01/PC210043.jpg

This Fife was donated to the school for restoration:

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii11/Larks_01/PC210045.jpg

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii11/Larks_01/PC210044.jpg

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii11/Larks_01/PC210048.jpg

[paladin]

I'd like to move a bunk in there and play.....

[Larks]

I'd like to move a bunk in there and play.....

Steve bunks down on a mattress in the classroom when he's up working on Ngatira (he lives three hours or more drive south in Auckland) so you'd be in good company.

[Chip-skiff]

Beautiful (and unusual) carved lettering on the transom— will it be filled with gold or a contrasting colour?

Hats off to Steve and his mates— what a job!

[NYCKiwi]

Fantastic!

[Larks]

Beautiful (and unusual) carved lettering on the transom— will it be filled with gold or a contrasting colour?

Hats off to Steve and his mates— what a job!

Steve may be along later with more info' but I believe the lettering will be filled with gold colouring.

I understand the carving was a fortunate circumstance: a wood carver visited the school looking for Jay, who runs the school, and seeing as Jay wasn't about Steve managed to charm the guy into carving the name. The photo doesn't do it justice though as it was quite close to the back wall so I couldn't get behind to line it up, it really is a lovely job.

[dhic001]

I was wondering how Ngatira was coming along, looks great! Am suprised how few stringers there are in her, I would have expected to have seen at least another one or two. Makes it easier for painting though.
Daniel

[Steveh]

What a Christmas break that was!!!

Larks, true to your word you did turn up and the look on your face was utter relief and amazement I must admit :-). A big thanks for helping out you really did make a difference.

Sorry for the vast silence. Got back home from up north to a final panic days work on the 24th and my computer decides it needs a break too and won't start up! Gotta love macs. whipped out the secondary hard drive and plonked it in the old G5 my son inherited. That sorted and all the while Jo is packing for the much needed summer vacation up at the family Bach. Think you Aussie blokes call it a shack. There's no internet there, so am out of touch. Forced relaxation if you like. It was straight back up to Ngatira after 9 days at Kawau Island and a sail round the island on Iorangi. An 1898? flush decked 50 foot Logan. Spent some lazy days sitting round on these old boats and reminded me the reasons I'm doing all this work.

Returned yesterday and computer is sorted and it's back to work. That's 'earning' work and not 'real work' on old boats.
Would have had updated pics Larks but I left the camera somewhere in the workshop. Near the rudder I suspect.

One of the jobs I ticked off the list was pouring melted tallow down the rudder shaft. Now I know why it's called dripping! I knew I was in trouble when I heard it splattering on the workshop floor. (Sorry Jay, it's cleaned up). Thought I had blocked the bottom end good n proper but hot tallow has it's way. Messy job but now gunked up. Finished off the capping at the bow and was ready to fix the forehatch lid but it has bent in the heat. Unfortunately the workshop gets really hot, as you've experienced Larks, and she's really drying out. More the reason to get it outside at least and into the elements where she belongs.

Mad cockpit seats, companion way doors, still to do the louvers, If anyone has an easy way of fitting let me know. And not the slotted battens down the side type either.

Clacker for the gaff slide and some cheek blocks for the runners. Still the list seems to lengthen.

Oh yeah the other reason to get out to Kawau Island was to get lessons from Larry Pardey on Liverpool eye splicing.

Larks, thanks again for turning up and will post pics as soon as I get them.

I'll get back to the other questions tonight.

[JimD]

Escapism at its finest. Thanks.

[Larks]

Nice to see you back at it Steve and also nice to hear you've got some work on for the new year, looking forward to some pics - any of Iorangi?

[PeterSibley]

Thanks Greg ,thanks Steve .:)

[Steveh]

Here's a couple of pics Greg. John Gorter, owner of Iorangi, put a cat among the pigeons when he relaunched her after a 5 year restoration. His argument was he needed to be able to sail her single handed because of family reasons and young children. I must say after sailing on her it was a real pleasure, regardless if it has a 'hot rod' rig, and has upset some of the authentic stalwarts. He has mad it possible for whoever buys her (she's on the market) and can pull out the flash rig and plonk in a gaff rig.

John often has a New Zealand yachting legend sailing her during racing, Roy Dickson, Chris Dicksons' father, Roy was one of the crew on Rainbow II that won New Zealands first major Yachting Trophy, The One Ton Cup in Helgoland 1969. Rainbow II was named after Rainbow one of the other Logan big four. Rainbow 1898, Iorangi 1901(correction on earlier stated date of 1898), Ariki 1904, Rawhiti 1905.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3079/3174932265_07ea83c482.jpg
Iorangi A4 and Ariki A3. pic taken from Rainbow A7 (I think the first time these 3 had sailed against each other.)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3131/3175766822_ef19b75075.jpg

Chip, yes I will be painting the lettering and cove line with gold. At this point an acrylic gold which looks realistic but nothing like gold leaf. Budget constraints ruled that out and the plan is to be repainting after a year back in the water once she has taken up and squeezed a bit of that putty out. There is a gold leaf tape from England I've seen that looks very good but can't locate it. Any clues?

Daniel, haven't found any reason yet to as why Ngatira only has one stringer. Hardly a weight saving thought in the grand scheme of things. We were hoping to make the Mahurangi Regatta this year, just stooge round with no rig but lokks like a no go with all this work now.

[Steveh]

Hey Greg, whats happened to your photos?

Things are a tad mental at the moment, finding it tough to get things done on the forums.

[Larks]

Hi Steve, I stuffed up my photbucket but have restored it, they are showing up again at the moment as I look at it, canyou not see them? If not I'll have another go.

[Steveh]

Hey Greg, seems to be a Safari thing. Working on my wifes' laptop and am using Safari which doesn't want to show the pics. Works ok on Firefox.

Will post pics soon, still flat out with work projects (paying kind)

[TimH]

Beautiful lines on that Fife.