PDA

View Full Version : Pearl Lugger /Gaff Cutter



spoinky
11th April 2008, 02:30 PM
"Little Dirk" is a pearl lugger built in 1927 that worked in the Shark Bay area.
There are lofting plans including offsets here: http://www.anmm.gov.au/emuseum
Look in the vessel list of search.
Maybe not clear enough online, but maybe ask for a copy.

LOA: 8.89 m (29.17 ft)
LWL: 8.75 m (28.69 ft)
Breadth overall: 2.88 m (9.44 ft)
Draft of Hull: 0.72 m (2.38 ft)

jmk89
11th April 2008, 03:00 PM
Beautiful boat spoinky. But what are you going to do - are you going to build it or are you just trying to tease Shane???

spoinky
12th April 2008, 12:17 AM
what's wrong with teasing?

I am in the middle of making a 15ft clinker whitehall rowing with sail.

Next dream plan is a 32ft Galway Hooker

Wild Dingo
13th April 2008, 12:08 AM
WHAT FREEKIN BOAT??? :~ :~ Bloody no search I did came up with anything for something named "Little Dirk" :~

As to flamin well teasin a bloke... man aint I gots pains an woes enough already without yous mob arcin up on me too??? strewth is there no friggin end to me miserys???? EH??? :doh:

nah just jokin mates... cant find the boat so to quote the old Schultz of Hogans Heros show... "I know nuffink I see nuffink there is nuffink!" :2tsup:

Now as I recall from me luggar dreamin days me ol mate young Tony Hunt or TonyH as he is wont to call himownself from time to time knows about such things as "little fella luggars" so maybes he will wander in an edjoomakate us all on this here matter of "Little Dirk"... as I must say she aint one Ive heard of before this

As to her length... NICE SIZE BABY!!! :; 29ft is just about the ducks knuts in my book

jmk89
13th April 2008, 12:16 AM
WHAT FREEKIN BOAT??? :~ :~ Bloody no search I did came up with anything for something named "Little Dirk" :~

As to flamin well teasin a bloke... man aint I gots pains an woes enough already without yous mob arcin up on me too??? strewth is there no friggin end to me miserys???? EH??? :doh:

nah just jokin mates... cant find the boat so to quote the old Schultz of Hogans Heros show... "I know nuffink I see nuffink there is nuffink!" :2tsup:

Now as I recall from me luggar dreamin days me ol mate young Tony Hunt or TonyH as he is wont to call himownself from time to time knows about such things as "little fella luggars" so maybes he will wander in an edjoomakate us all on this here matter of "Little Dirk"... as I must say she aint one Ive heard of before this

As to her length... NICE SIZE BABY!!! :; 29ft is just about the ducks knuts in my book

Took me a bit of a search too (but it was on the boss's time...)

Click on ARHV and then search and all will be revealed

Happy drooling, mate

Wild Dingo
13th April 2008, 04:18 AM
Well I'll be buggared eh!! That worked! :2tsup: I told you before old son your a bloody legend! :;

So I wonder where in blasted bloody blue blazes it is hiding in Carnarvon?? :~ I was just up there a week or so back and in my wanderings around town and out at the main town jetty or out the back of Pelican Point and Babbage Island I didnt see it anywhere... mmmm I think I can feel a road trip coming on again :doh: :2tsup:

Interesting bum on her eh :;

mmm might have to put that roadtrip back a tad cause Im heading down to Albany next week for a few days tryin to find the old fella that designed and built Crest... gotta try to have a yarn with him before he kicks it (over 90 now and sadly gettin a bit frail) then find her wherever they are restoring her... THEN I can sort the time to run up to Carnarvon to find Dirk!!! :2tsup: Albanys gonna be an interesting trip since first I have to go out to the seatainer where I boxed everything and tossed it all away and try to find his letters to me so I can find him!! damn nuisance... ah well no worries gives me something else to do eh!! Its all good :;

GaryK
13th April 2008, 11:24 AM
Someone mention pearl lugger?
I was in Denham an January and snapped these pics with the phone (sorry about the quality).

Dingo, if you want to looking at it, this one lives on a mooring right infront of town.

cheers

Tony Hunt
16th April 2008, 12:58 PM
Nice to see some else starting a pearling lugger thread for a change!

LITTLE DIRK is one of a handful of remaining examples of Shark Bay luggers. These were built specifically for pearling in the shallow and (comparatively) protected waters of Shark Bay, so were much smaller and shallower (often centreboarders) than their Broome-based sisters, and were usually cutter rigged.

LITTLE DIRK is also interesting becasue she is an example of the "cartwheel" stern, an unusual form only built in small numbers around the early 1900s, mostly by a Fremantle-based shipwright named Gourlay. There is another example sitting on blocks in the boatyard of the Cruising Yacht Club at Rockingham, named BRITANNIA. She's in poor shape and someone has stuck a lead fin keel on her, but she is nevertheless restorable and is of considerable historical interest.

The WA Museum has GARBO, the hull is damaged but is being set up as a display.

GALLA GURCI is, I think the lugger at Denham, she has a very unusual stern (I'm told that she was used for carrying sheep to the islands in the off-season and so was shaped as a loading ramp!). There is a web site about her http://www.boatshed.org.au/GallaGurci.htm.

KOORULDHOO was a lugger built in 1910 for use as a research vessel by WA Fisheries, specifically for the Shark Bay pearl and scallop fishery. Lovely little boat, sadly my information is that she was wrecked on a reef in Safety Bay last year and is a total loss.

Great little boats and a nice size, it would be wonderful to see someone build a modern replica.

Shane

Last time I saw CREST she was still sitting at her mooring berth in a creek off Moreton Bay, near Brisbane.

Cheers

Tony

Tony Hunt
28th April 2008, 02:26 PM
Here is Britannia, showing her unusual "cartwheel" stern (and the afterthought fin keel, and her sad state, etc. The cabin is an aftermarket addition too, of course).

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8da06b3127cceb7afe7a6263a00000016108Ict2LlwzbA

Fugley
28th April 2008, 08:34 PM
G'Day! Tony
what do you know
about Abrolhos Pearl she is for sale on boat point
http://www.boatpoint.com.au/boats-for-sale/details.aspx?R=2880351
I hope this link works
cheers Fugley

Tony Hunt
29th April 2008, 09:21 AM
G'day Fugley. The short answer to your question is only a little. I've spoken to her owner but I haven't seen the boat in person. Her history is unclear and at this stage I can't connect her for sure to any known pearling lugger. The name ABROLHOS PEARL has never appeared in any pearling industry records I've seen (and I've seen a lot) so I assume it's a recent thing. The boat itself does resemble a pearling lugger from some angles, but the stern in particular is atypical of luggers - see the picture below. The counter may have been sawn off though (it certainly looks sawn off!), to give the big transom visible in the picture - this kind of surgery has been done to a couple of WA luggers (basically because there was rot in the counter). All sorts of boats were used in the pearling industry in it's later days, not all were purpose-built luggers. She more resembles a fishing boat from southern waters than a lugger, to my eye.

So at the moment she's a bit of a question mark. Nice enough boat, although the owner tells me she needs a bit of work.

Anyway, here's a the picture:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8da09b3127ccea85799b4d87500000016108Ict2LlwzbA

Cheers

Tony

Wild Dingo
29th April 2008, 08:05 PM
Gidday there Tony... how have you been mate? You comin over to visit soon or what? Let me know and we can hook up and have a couple of coldies and yarn for awhile...

Anyways... While I was up in Broome recently we did the toourist thing and walked over the luggars on Roebuck Bay... werent allowed inside either of them just the deck... quite an experience for the nippers me I wanted to set sail NOW... but they wouldnt let me... bastards! :~

But anyways... Crest... I have yet to wander down to Albany to see the old fella who has all the info there is to have on her and her construction... I keep heading north instead of south mate ITS WARMER!!... but the old blokes up over the 90 seasons young so it had better be soon I guess he sounds interesting on the phone though has all his facalities but is getting on physically.

Gail my sisters life partner is mad keen on Crest from the photos Ive sent her and keeps going off her lid at me for not coming to visit so we can knock on the old blokes door and irritate his earholes with our endless questions... so Im guessing I will head down there in a week or so gotta see a bloke about a camper down there anyways and I really dont need an excuse at present for a roadtrip... but need to sort a couple of things here before I buggar off again

Anyway thanks for all the info

HEY!! I had a gander at that book you told me about... redbill... not bad eh! She did a fair job writing it... and of course your wee lines of redbill are worth having a gander at!! :2tsup:

Cheers mate

Tony Hunt
1st May 2008, 02:48 PM
Hi Shane

Nice to hear from you too mate. I hope to get over to WA in the not-too-distant future, it would be good to catch up.

In the meantime, and speaking of CREST, if you do get down to Albany to talk to Mr Austin, feel free to ask him about the chainplates on CREST. They now have modern bottle-screws attaching the shrouds, connected to the original bronse chainplates with shackles (see pic below) but I was wondering how the original set-up was worked? I assume the shrouds were set up using dead-eyes and lanyards, so how were they connected to the chainplates? A sketch would be good...:2tsup:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8da11b3127ccea84c610375de00000015108Ict2LlwzbA

Cheers

Tony

Wild Dingo
1st May 2008, 11:59 PM
No worries mate will copy that pic and take it with me when I get there

Let me know when you lob up... nice short road trip to Perth would be better than my usual road trips of late! :doh:
Shane

raisey j
9th May 2008, 12:46 PM
Hi fellas
there are still a couple left here in Qld. The DAHLIA at Hamilton island and the CENTURION was up at Maryborough a couple years ago having a big refit. Some godbotherers had her and were going to convert the natives further north. She was in excellent condition too and still had her original 5LW Gardner. I was in Darwin after cyclone Tracy and saw a heap of them, maybe 5-6 pushed up and burnt on the beach. I am sure there is one or two still at T.I. regards Ray

Tony Hunt
9th May 2008, 02:36 PM
Hi Ray, nice to hear from you. Sad to tell, DAHLIA sank in Brisbane some years ago and is no more, as far as I know. There's a few luggers still in and around the Whitsundays though - RUBY CHARLOTTE and ISE PEARL are probably the best known ones.

CENTURIAN is now owned in Melbourne but still located in the Whitsundays (see her website http://www.pearlseekers.net.au/history.html).

Sadly, there weren't any luggers left at TI last time I was there. The main concentration of surviving TI luggers is in Cairns and nearby ports.

Interesting story about cyclone Tracy - I wonder if there are any pics of this?

Cheers

Tony

raisey j
10th May 2008, 10:53 AM
Hi Tony, my how time flies, I recall seeing several vessels sunk at T.I early 60's outside the Fed Hotel. The engines laying on the deck of another at anchor nearby. They would do this every couple years to clear the cockroaches and rats out. As you will be aware there was nothing in a lugger, just a bench around the hold to stack belongings on, crew lived on deck. cooker a 20 gallon grease drum on a sheet of flat iron on deck. Most had a pair of bronze screw bungs in each garboard, lay the ship in a quiet spot and unscrew the bungs, after a few days dive down, replace bungs, jamb 44 gallon drums under the decks and float her in. Pity about "Dahlia" I thought she was well maintained.There was several luggers built in NZ around the turn of the century and sailed up to T.I. mostly by Lane & Brown at Whangaroa( I think) Regards Ray

Tony Hunt
15th May 2008, 03:47 PM
Here's a couple of pics of a very nice TI lugger I recently took the lines off, the SONGTON. She was built in 1956 in Cairns, so is one of the last in a long line that started in the 1870s.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8db35b3127ccea82fd75a6bbc00000016108Ict2LlwzbA

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8db35b3127ccea82fd759ea8f00000015118Ict2LlwzbA

bitingmidge
15th May 2008, 04:00 PM
I have no record of their names, but I'm slowly scanning my father's slides from our time on TI in the late 50's.

I upload them from time to time on my Flickr pages as I get through the scanning, but it'll be a while till it's all finished.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bitingmidge/collections/72157603668260915/

Here are a few from the collection so far:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2084/2177268983_89458099ea.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2146/2178188348_b29b35c49e.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2071/2177304979_2c1e0840e6.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2008/2177304107_93d1f24f5c.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2398/2177304429_0a9264c66b.jpg?v=0

If you want bigger, grab them from the Flickr link.

Cheers,

P
:D:D

Tony Hunt
15th May 2008, 06:37 PM
WOW! Biting Midge, that's a treasure trove! I especially love the colour picture of the stern, great detail. Here's what I can tell you about some of the boats in the pictures.

A23 is a boat named RELSIE NONA, one of the fleet operated by the Nona family of Badu Island (recognisable by the red dot on the bow). She was previously named GONAH and operated by Saibai Island. I don't know much about her because the Department of Native Affairs (which owned the boats on behalf of the Torres Strait Islanders) didn't have to register their boats in the British register of ships.

In the picture above, the boat in the centre is A35 VERA. She was built at TI by a Japanese shipwright named Furuta in 1901 for the well-known pearler Herbert Bowden, who owned her up to WW2. She was operated by the Army during the war, after which she was returned to Bowden. She only carried the registration number A35 from 1958 to 1960, so that dates the photo fairly closely.

The boat on the right in the same picture is A37 DAHLIA. I assume this is the boat built by Fred Bowie at TI in 1950 for Bowden. Again, she only carried this number from 1958 to 1960. Bowdens went bankrupt early in the early 1960s and DAHLIA was sold to owners in Tasmania. I believe she subsequently turned up in the Whitsundays where she was one of the boats that initiated the Fun Race. As mentioned above, she was eventually sunk in the Brisbane River.

There is also a picture in the file on Flickr showing A63 CANDIA. She was built at TI in 1909 by Furuta for a pearler named Hodels, but was soon sold to the Wyben Pearling Co (owned by Burns Philp). During WW2 she was operated by the RAAF at Port Moresby. After the war she was operated by the Hockings family, who have a long history of pearling at TI. I don't know what her eventual fate was.

Thanks for sharing these, I can't wait to see more!

Regards

Tony Hunt

luggerite
2nd June 2008, 12:11 AM
Biting Midge, LOVE it! That's the sort of material that makes nutters like me go weak at the knees and start salivating...

Really, really useful stuff for documenting the way pearling, or "pearl shelling" was done - and the beautiful boats developed to do it from.

Thanks!

luggerite
2nd June 2008, 12:30 AM
Well I'll be buggared eh!! That worked! :2tsup: I told you before old son your a bloody legend! :;

So I wonder where in blasted bloody blue blazes it is hiding in Carnarvon?? :~ I was just up there a week or so back and in my wanderings around town and out at the main town jetty or out the back of Pelican Point and Babbage Island I didnt see it anywhere... mmmm I think I can feel a road trip coming on again :doh: :2tsup:

Interesting bum on her eh : :;

Last time I saw her, she was lying across the tramway from Wilson Tuckey MP's horse racing stables... but help has come to hand, and she's no longer neglected. Have a look either inside the Carnarvon Heritage group museum grounds, or inside the railway mob's sheds, both at the foot of the jetty. BTW, those plans were drawn by the members of the Maritime Heritage Assoc of WA who documented her - worth joining that mob!

Just to help you salivate, Tony H has mentioned her sister BRITANNIA, but there's another, MAFALDA, which is still about on the Swan somewhere...

Cheers!

Tony Hunt
2nd June 2008, 10:25 AM
Hi Luggerite

Great to hear from you. Drop me a PM some time, I'd love to chat.

And I'd love to see a picture of MAFALDA if you have on to post, too! :)

Cheers

Tony

bitingmidge
2nd June 2008, 05:17 PM
Thanks Tony and Luggerite for the feedback. I'm sorry it's taken a while to respond, I overlooked this thread for a bit!

I'm hoping to find some more gems as I work my way through the collection, and I'll post them if I do!

Cheers,

P
:D

Sibbo
13th September 2008, 09:41 AM
Great photos Biting Midge ! Really marvelous !

Hi Tony ! Hi Shane !:)

Here a photo of Crest ,as Tony said still for sale last I heard .

http://pic40.picturetrail.com/VOL282/9443996/17245530/282711205.jpg

Wild Dingo
29th September 2008, 11:16 PM
Anyone know where the site for the sale of Crest is? I would like to have a bit more of a looksee and see what theyre asking for her.

Worth asking but if shes still available are you up for a bit of a survey journey Tony? Just to get a feel first then I'll wander over and get a proper survey done if we are looking good.

Cheers
Shane

Sibbo
30th September 2008, 08:57 AM
Mate ,I'd email Tony .Last time I saw him he said the price was down from the $20k , but how much I don't know. She not a live aboard by any stretch though ,quite small really .A great boat for Moreton Bay .

Wild Dingo
4th October 2008, 03:05 AM
Cheers mate
Shes around 29ft if I remember rightly... so unless Im missing something surely enough to at least be converted to live aboard at least for 1?

Will get more info and see whats what with her

Cheers
Shane

Sibbo
4th October 2008, 09:01 AM
A few pics Shane .You could live aboard , but you would need to be a hardy type ...and very short .:D She's a lovely little boat but does need some work .Mainly a pile of ribs aft,port .

http://pic40.picturetrail.com/VOL282/9443996/17245530/337156322.jpg

http://pic40.picturetrail.com/VOL282/9443996/17245530/337156321.jpg

http://pic40.picturetrail.com/VOL282/9443996/17245530/337156320.jpg

Wild Dingo
5th October 2008, 09:44 PM
:U:U Well I make it as the shortwheeled based type... hardy? mmm okay ive done rough and ready but may have to treat her to a bit of lovin an tenderness give her a few pressies and such along with the workout

Tony must be busy with other things... mmmm since you have the pics maybe you know where she be hiding? and price would be good to know :doh:

Cheers
Shane

Tony Hunt
7th October 2008, 04:15 PM
Shane

Check your PMs mate.

Tony Hunt
4th March 2009, 04:22 PM
Hey, I finally dug up my a picture of KOORULDHOO, which I referred to earlier in this thread. A lovely little boat, about 30 feet long, built as a research boat for WA Fisheries in Shark Bay. I took this at a wooden boat festival in Perth, some time in the 1990s IIRC.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dc05b3127ccec625736ef13700000040O08Ict2LlwzbA9vPho/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/

Sibbo
4th March 2009, 08:57 PM
A good looking hull Tony .:) They seemed to do things well in the West .

bigfella68
4th March 2009, 10:15 PM
My bid for Crest is 20bux and I will chuck in the wife 3 kids a cat and few ankle biting hairy dogs. Truly bueatiful craft thanks for the pics, used to see the odd lugger around Darwin in the old days before and after Tracy.

Tony Hunt
5th March 2009, 09:37 AM
LOL! I think your bid would be stronger if you left out the extras and just offered the cash!:D

Unfortunately though, it looks like she has been sold, I swung by there a coupla months ago and she's no longer in the berth she used to occupy. If anyone sees her or knows where she's gone I'd be keen to keep tabs on her.

Tony Hunt
5th March 2009, 09:38 AM
A good looking hull Tony .:) They seemed to do things well in the West .

Yes, a lovely little boat, quite similar to CREST (same heritage). A damn shame she was wrecked.:(