I found this lady in Essence valley in Picton 1984 covered in black berry. I was working with the sea scouts scrub cutting a large area of gorse and black berry no one new she was there.
The owner of the property sold her to me for $50 We have since found out that No Catchem was her name when she arrived at lake Rotoiti nelson lakes on Charlie Haggits truck in the 1920s.
In 1927 she won the Rotoiti power boat clubs round the lake race (The Raglan sheald) in a time of 1hr 22m 35s, at the time she was owened by Jock Ingram of Nelson. and was
stored in a boat shed on the beach front. The Ingram family believe she was built around 1910.
She is18’x 5’4 and draws 2ft at the stern and had 12 inches of freeboard from the top of the combings amidships. She is full amidships and would need 700-1000kg
to get her down to her original water line. She has 11inches of shear and looks good.
She is carvel built with kauri planking all but the shear planks are one peace.
Grown Pohutakawa stern knees and stem and breast hook. Keel bolts were steel and the ribs were copper fastened. Planked decks were canvassed over the combings sat 3 inches above the decks and are curved at the bow she has a 1 inch bronze shaft and a 18×23 ½ steam prop. And 2x 1 inch copper condensing tubes one either side of the keel no engine or boiler the fire box was there but was so rusty it got dumped.
I re-ribbed and re-caulked her and fitted simplex 5 hp motor into her there was only one seat forward of the motor. I used her with the local sea scouts for 3 years and had many camping trips down the sounds.
I sold her in 1987 and moved back to Wellington.
In 1998 I started to look for her. I found her again in Koromiko just south of Picton in a worse state than the first time she had been striped out the shaft and prop were there the motor and rig had gone the decks had been striped and left to weather and were rotting . she had been left full of water and the planking had expanded to the stage that all the ribs from the stern to the foredeck had snapped at the waterline the transom and stem were rotten and she looked very sad. ( photo Found)
Looking good new transom and stem all new floors and some extras. New deadwood on the keel and some ribs removed ready for the new ones. She had a bad case of middle age spread hence the spanish windlases to pull her back to shape and close the stem to keel joint up. She had a chine on the starbid side were the ribs had snaped the threaded rods and blocks can be seen to pull her back in. I spliced some new peaces into the shear plank to repaire some damage and rot. All re-ribed and new decks seats and baulkhead. How many peaces can you have in one keel.
(Caulked ready to paint) 
(New transom and stem)
I found another simplex to install and have fully restored it. I will fit a fresh water cooling system in to her using the old condensing tube holes in the hull to fit new pipes and a header tank under the center seat.
Interior 
Interior
I used mahogany for the seats and teak for capings and origin floor boards all other timber used was kauri the mast is of a 27ft Navy whaler. we have called her No Catchem and she looks good but not quite right she needs her steam engine back in her If any one can help please contact me as I want to put her back to steam. I am looking for a single or twin cylinder double acting steam engine some thing like the bolten or stuart and was used around the 1900s any condition as I can get them restored and small boiler or plans .
NoCatchems Boiler 4hp Roberts type water tube boiler 36 tubes 20 square feet or 2.27 sqm of heating surface working presser 125psi test presser 400psi boiler will be gas fired. The Boiler was made out of 6mm seamless steam tube and standard steam caps every thing was triple welded by a retired boiler maker end inspection caps are fitted through end caps and welded full thickness all end caps are welded full thickness the copper pipes are 15mm x 1.2mm and are attached with flared fittings for ease of replacement and fitting there is a total of 50m of copper pipe in the boiler ruffly 25m of weld
| NoCatchem,s new steam engine A Hasbrouck # 5 twin cylinder double Acting with a 2″ bore 21/2″ stroke rated at 21/2 HP and has Stephenson reverse gear it was biult by Ross Miller in Ashburton at the moment the reversing gear is wheel operated we are going to change it to a lever action.to make it more user frendly when aproching other boats and jettys.we still have to finish the valve gear off D valves are not made yet and the glans on the valve push rod. then make the boiler feed pumps engine driven. and manual |
