Alan H (snow)
New Member
Ok lets kick this off – I ‘borrowed’ the story below from the New Zealand Traditional Boatbuilding School newsletter.
One of the biggest projects underway at the New Zealand Traditional Boatbuilding School is the restoration of Corona. She was built by Charles Collings who had served his time with Robert Logan Sr and joined the Clare brothers in their boatbuilding business in St Mary’s Bay around 1903 as designer. He soon took over the business, which became Collings & Bell in 1909, and specialised in mullet boats, building boats which were amongst the best of their time. However, the firm soon concentrated on motor launches, particularly Collings’ square-bilge planing hulls for racing, whale chasing and game fishing.
In 1934 Collings went back to his roots to produce the crack 22ft L Class mullet boat Tamariki, following up with the crack 26-footer, the H Class Corona, in 1936. Both yachts dominated their classes for years. Eventually Corona was sold to the fishing industry, de-rigged and motorised. A group of mullet boat enthusiasts headed by Ron Copeland rescued her in the 1980s and started her restoration at the National Maritime Museum.
Now the New Zealand Traditional Boatbuilding School has taken over and accelerated Corona’s restoration at its Hobsonville facility. With voluntary labour and various grants, it is progressing rapidly. Careful research by Robert Brooke and Ian McRobie has ensured that Corona will take to the water again in a few months as a faithful recreation of her original self.
Some people call it karma, some call it luck, personally I think you make your own luck. What ever it is, all I can say is that all the planets must have been lined up last week because I received an email from my new friend John Calder who I meet via the restoration project on the motor launch ‘Maroro’. (click below for details)
http://www.classicyacht.org.nz/forum/viewthread.php?forum_id=16&thread_id=555
John is a shipwright / fisherman & a past owner (1975>79) of Maroro, now based in Whitianga.
He restored Maroro after buying her in 1975 from George Booth in Leigh.
She was run down and he converted her to a successful long liner working out of Auckland's waterfront Viaduct Basin, then Whitianga. (She had a BMC Commodore diesel then)
He sold her to his cousin-in-law, Barry West in 1979 – side story, I think about this time I sold drugs with Barry in another life (for a pharmaceutical company not Mr Asia).
Barry got Maroro into difficulty at Opito Bay and beached her in an easterly gale, they all rallied around and refloated her and she was rebuilt again in Auckland (new keel and other structural repairs)
Any way enough about Maroro, this thread is all about Corona.
The email from John, who has joined up with the CYA & had just read the NZTBS newsletter on the restoration of Corona, said that one of his mates had the original rig from Corona under his house. Possibly removed in the late 1960’s when she was converted to fishing boat.
When I told Harold Kidd this news he nearly kissed me, when Ian McRobie called me the conversation started in typical McRobie fashion – “F…,F…,F… that the best news I have had in years. Wait till I tell that bloody Robert Brooke, I told him the rig must be out there somewhere & he said that it had been cut up years ago. F… 40 F…ing years, thats bloody amazing”
Another email arrived today with these photos of the rig & this note from John.
“Hi Alan heres a few pics of the mast off Corona.
Its approx 21 ft. Was probably gaff rigged.
He also has the boom which is broken but still has some hardware including the gooseneck.”
;
;
;
The NZTBS old boys will wet themselves when they see / read this.
I’m going to head out to the school on Thursday & take a few photos of Corona which I will post here.
Cheers Alan (snow)
One of the biggest projects underway at the New Zealand Traditional Boatbuilding School is the restoration of Corona. She was built by Charles Collings who had served his time with Robert Logan Sr and joined the Clare brothers in their boatbuilding business in St Mary’s Bay around 1903 as designer. He soon took over the business, which became Collings & Bell in 1909, and specialised in mullet boats, building boats which were amongst the best of their time. However, the firm soon concentrated on motor launches, particularly Collings’ square-bilge planing hulls for racing, whale chasing and game fishing.
In 1934 Collings went back to his roots to produce the crack 22ft L Class mullet boat Tamariki, following up with the crack 26-footer, the H Class Corona, in 1936. Both yachts dominated their classes for years. Eventually Corona was sold to the fishing industry, de-rigged and motorised. A group of mullet boat enthusiasts headed by Ron Copeland rescued her in the 1980s and started her restoration at the National Maritime Museum.
Now the New Zealand Traditional Boatbuilding School has taken over and accelerated Corona’s restoration at its Hobsonville facility. With voluntary labour and various grants, it is progressing rapidly. Careful research by Robert Brooke and Ian McRobie has ensured that Corona will take to the water again in a few months as a faithful recreation of her original self.
Some people call it karma, some call it luck, personally I think you make your own luck. What ever it is, all I can say is that all the planets must have been lined up last week because I received an email from my new friend John Calder who I meet via the restoration project on the motor launch ‘Maroro’. (click below for details)
http://www.classicyacht.org.nz/forum/viewthread.php?forum_id=16&thread_id=555
John is a shipwright / fisherman & a past owner (1975>79) of Maroro, now based in Whitianga.
He restored Maroro after buying her in 1975 from George Booth in Leigh.
She was run down and he converted her to a successful long liner working out of Auckland's waterfront Viaduct Basin, then Whitianga. (She had a BMC Commodore diesel then)
He sold her to his cousin-in-law, Barry West in 1979 – side story, I think about this time I sold drugs with Barry in another life (for a pharmaceutical company not Mr Asia).
Barry got Maroro into difficulty at Opito Bay and beached her in an easterly gale, they all rallied around and refloated her and she was rebuilt again in Auckland (new keel and other structural repairs)
Any way enough about Maroro, this thread is all about Corona.
The email from John, who has joined up with the CYA & had just read the NZTBS newsletter on the restoration of Corona, said that one of his mates had the original rig from Corona under his house. Possibly removed in the late 1960’s when she was converted to fishing boat.
When I told Harold Kidd this news he nearly kissed me, when Ian McRobie called me the conversation started in typical McRobie fashion – “F…,F…,F… that the best news I have had in years. Wait till I tell that bloody Robert Brooke, I told him the rig must be out there somewhere & he said that it had been cut up years ago. F… 40 F…ing years, thats bloody amazing”
Another email arrived today with these photos of the rig & this note from John.
“Hi Alan heres a few pics of the mast off Corona.
Its approx 21 ft. Was probably gaff rigged.
He also has the boom which is broken but still has some hardware including the gooseneck.”
The NZTBS old boys will wet themselves when they see / read this.
I’m going to head out to the school on Thursday & take a few photos of Corona which I will post here.
Cheers Alan (snow)
