All set to go

Crofts delivered Moki a couple of weeks ago while I was at work and put her on the footpath in front of the house. I love Crofts : They're consistently on time and under quote.

In exchange for dinner and some beers, I got Mike, Sean and Belgian Ben over to get her in the garage. The trailer wouldn't get in! It was a matter of about 2 inches. Everyone went home fed and watered, but all we had managed to achieve was to turn her around.

Wandering around Clyde Quay that weekend I ran into Steve (owner of the lovely Woollacott "Reremai"), who said he had some old poles we could use for rollers. He got a couple of lads to drop them off that week so back again came the fellas (minus Ben but plus Milan) for more food, drink and heaving the beastie around. In the meantime I'd stripped the rest of the cabin off.

In the pictures here are Sean and Milan in the shed, and me and Mike levering her off the trailer. She's a heavy thing!

I was happily surprised to find that despite sitting in a tight iron groove along the keel for something like the last 15 years in the outdoors there is no softness or rot in the keel at all.

It seems I already have a ship's cat.

Overall cost so far: $550, 36 bottles of Becks, 1 pasta dinner, 2 home-made pizzas.

The lid's off

In February this year for 50 bucks I bought Moki, a launch built (at a guess) some time in the 1920s. The NZ kauri hull is in perfect condition, though the rest is shot. She's been kept at Phillipa's house since then (see here).


On Friday, along with Sean and the sponsor, we cut top of the cabin off, which, along with a lot of the rest of the superstructure, is rotten through. Phillipa is using the timber to pit fire some of her pottery next weekend in her back yard.


Here are some pics of the operation, along with some on Saturday in the light of day.


Crofts are bringing her up to the house on Friday, where the rest of the deconstruction and restoration will happen.