Steam Ferry Toroa

Steam Ferry Toroa Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Steam Ferry Toroa, Nonprofit Organization, 2 Selwood Road, Henderson, Te Atatu.

Welcome to the official page for the Toroa Preservation Society - dedicated to restoring the steam ferry Toroa to the Waitematā as an excursion steamer.

19/08/2026

Today the second sheer-strake was machined to nearly the correct thickness. At 9 metres long we are having to develop the best way to handle these large timbers. Two or three more passes and this one will be ready for lifting into position on the hull. The recently purchased roller conveyors are good but a level concrete base and easy adjustment of the roller height is needed.

Stringer Plate Replacement Part 3 - The final part of the process. Once all the stringer plates were in place and welded...
11/08/2026

Stringer Plate Replacement Part 3 - The final part of the process.
Once all the stringer plates were in place and welded into one continuous line of steel along the starboard and port sides, the temporary bolts were replaced with permanent galvanised bolts. These need to be flush with the steel upper surface so that the deck planking can be laid over in due course. An innovative technique was developed in which the M20 8.8 hex-bolt heads were turned down to a countersink head to fit into a countersunk hole in the stringer plate, but leaving just enough hex head to be gripped by a socket while the nut below was tightened. A countersink drill was used to prepare the countersink holes in the stringer plate to match the turned bolt heads. Each countersunk bolt head was coated in Rustbond epoxy before being tightened down flush. (See photos).
Now the team is able to start making and fitting the sheer strake timbers to bolt in place outside the completed stringer plates. A huge job completed successfully.

Stringer Plate Replacement Part 2.The stringer plates are long continuous plates almost the full length of the hull, por...
02/08/2026

Stringer Plate Replacement Part 2.
The stringer plates are long continuous plates almost the full length of the hull, port and starboard, 610 wide x 12 mm thick (24" x 1/2") mild steel, fastened over the deck beams at each gunwale. (See the deck framing plan of the Toroa)
These were formed by welding nine plates together along each side of the hull, plus a short filler plate each side to make up the length. We needed a total of eighteen 3600-long plates of mild steel, each weighing 207 kg.
At $860 per plate you can see that this part of the project was a significant cost — approx $15,500 for the supply of the steel plate alone.
The plates were delivered to the friendly team across the road at Selwood Coatings Ltd. They sandblasted, primed and double-topcoated the plates with two-pot epoxies, after which we trimmed them to the exact sizes and shapes needed.
Once all the original rusted stringer plates had been removed,our team thoroughly cleaned the beams and painted them with several coats of two-pot epoxy paint. Those beams had been fitted in place much earlier in the restoration process underneath the old rusty stringer plates, so naturally there had been some surface rust.
After careful measurement along the deck, and with the aid of plywood patterns, each 3600-long plate was skew-cut to meet the adjacent plates, following the curve of the gunwale. Each end was also bevelled to suit the full-tension butt weld joining plate to plate.
One of our team developed a new technique for cutting the 1/2"-thick steel plates using a cermet-carbide blade in an ordinary skilsaw. In the hands of a skilled volunteer the skewed and bevelled cuts necessary for the welding can be very accurately made with an almost polished finish.
When our ticketed welder came to do the full permanent welding he commented that the skew cuts and bevels at the joins were extremely well done. Top marks to those volunteers involved.
The plates were lifted up to the gunwale by forklift and carefully winched and levered into position. Once the team had the plates perfectly positioned and aligned they were clamped into place, then small vertical tags were temporarily tack-welded across the top surface of the joints to maintain alignment pending the full butt-welding to follow. The plates were then temporarily bolted to the beams below.
Next, in the last Part 3, watch the final parts of the process to finish off the new stringer plates. And remember, if you would like to donate to help the restoration of Toroa please see our website. https://www.steamferrytoroa.com.

Stringer plate replacement: Part 1.As part of the almost total renewal of the steel skeleton of Toroa, about 2 years ago...
26/07/2026

Stringer plate replacement: Part 1.
As part of the almost total renewal of the steel skeleton of Toroa, about 2 years ago the team arrived at the point where the stringer plates needed replacing. The ribs, the beams, the joining gusset plates had all been renewed. Now it was the turn of the stringer plates sitting on the new beams.
What is a stringer plate?
A stringer plate is the heavy steel plate running along the outermost edge of a ship's strength deck (the main or weather deck), directly adjoining the side of the ship.
Positioned right at the structural corner where the deck meets the hull side (the gunwale), it serves as one of the most critical structural components for withstanding the extreme longitudinal bending forces experienced by a vessel at sea.
First it was necessary to remove the old deck planking running over the original and now badly rusted, stringer plates. Then the team needed to cut the continuous run of steel into manageable lengths approx 4m long so they could be swung over the side to head to the scrap yard. (Anything we can’t reuse or don’t need for information or as artefact is sold if possible to aid our funds)
Photos show the old plate being cut up and lowered to the ground.
NEXT In Part 2 watch the lengthy and complicated replacement process.

14/07/2026

WATERTIGHT DOORS.
A VIDEO FOR THE PREVIOUS POST.

WATERTIGHT DOORS — AND A SPECIAL RESTORATION JOB This story illustrates the lengths our volunteers have to go to while c...
14/07/2026

WATERTIGHT DOORS — AND A SPECIAL RESTORATION JOB
This story illustrates the lengths our volunteers have to go to while carrying out the careful restoration of Toroa.
�The Toroa was built with four transverse bulkheads below deck with open access from bow to stern. The midships space housed the triple-expansion engine and the boiler. In the aftervoid space there was the steam-powered electricity-generation plant, the hot well and the make-water tank for boiler water. One of the auxiliary steam engines driving a dynamo has been beautifully restored to full working order and repositioned on a rebuilt plinth. The fore void was empty of machinery but needed regular access to the propeller-shaft bearings.
The current Maritime Rules require the bulkheads between these spaces to be watertight, thus needing watertight doors for access by the engineer. Two doors have been acquired, ex HMNZS Wellington and HMNZS Canterbury, both now dive ships, and have been installed in the rebuilt and strengthened bulkheads in preparation for this new era. The present large open 'doorways' between the machinery room and the fore and after voids will be closed off with new bulkhead plating when machinery installation has been completed.
Recently Rod, one of our dedicated volunteers, restored all the handles of these doors to gleaming condition. However one of the sockets for their threaded bushes had warped and required restoration itself.
Our long-serving expert machinist volunteer Barry Fullerton provided an innovative solution and, with Peter Henley’s help, carried it out. Here is Barry's report on the watertight door bushing repair:
The threaded mounting socket for a locking handle on a watertight door had been distorted by welding close to the frame. It needed the thread chasing to restore it to round so the bronze bush could be threaded in to mount the handle. The first job was to determine the thread type and size by measuring the bush— it turned out to be 17/16" – 12 UN, a very uncommon thread in New Zealand. From an old truckaxle shaft (very tough hardenable steel) I made a tap by carefully machining the thread to "maximum metal" thread dimensions, tapered the lead-in, and with a hand-held angle grinder ground six deep flutes into it to form the cutting edges and the square end. Using a good amount of cutting oil, a large adjustable spanner and a cheater bar, this tap was slowly wound into the existing socket thread, a little at a time, and backed off. It started off fairly easily but as it reached the distorted part it became more and more difficult to turn. Checking the cutting edges showed they were holding up well and a little swarf was being generated. Onwards! After a fair amount of effort, the tap went fully through, and the bronze bush screwed in snugly afterwards. The handle was installed and tested. Job done.

For more information on Toroa and her restoration visit www.steamferrytoroa.com or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Z4vR...
11/07/2026

For more information on Toroa and her restoration visit www.steamferrytoroa.com or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Z4vRn7qlJk&t=58s There are several videos on Youtube covering the hauling out at Selwood Road and aspects of the restoration.
This QR code links to the donate and volunteer section of the website. There is also a givealittle site. More information to follow.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS CAN BE MISLEADING. This post explains that the old hull timbers have made it seem to many casual obser...
11/07/2026

FIRST IMPRESSIONS CAN BE MISLEADING.
This post explains that the old hull timbers have made it seem to many casual observers of Toroa, over the years of the restoration, that little has changed—when in fact significant progress has been made.
When Toroa was originally built in 1923-25, the first job was to build the steel skeleton. Straight forward as there was nothing in the way. Rather like putting up the framing of a house before putting on the cladding, walls and inside finishing.
During the restoration, as the steel ribs, beams, bulkheads etc had all corroded badly, they had to be replaced. But to do this meant they had to be replaced INSIDE the hull while the hull planks were kept to hold the shape of the boat.
So each old rib had to be unbolted from the hull timbers, remade and then TEMPORARILY re-bolted to the timbers. All the main steel ribs have been replaced. Also the bulkheads and beams. Now that the sheer strake timber is being replaced, soon the hull planks below that will be replaced, one by one. Then it will really start to be obvious to everyone that massive progress has been made.

A HUGE milestone in the restoration process of the historic steam ferry Toroa. The first sheer strake hull plank is now...
09/07/2026

A HUGE milestone in the restoration process of the historic steam ferry Toroa. The first sheer strake hull plank is now attached to the boat. This has been a big job, adjusting the steel skeleton to the exact positions and angles needed, also preparing the timber itself. Now that the team have worked through and learnt the steps required to get this in place, things will speed up as they work their way around the boat. Once all the sheer strakes are in place hull timbers below that line will be worked on.

First sheer strake on and scaffold moved to stern for use while fitting last six ribs here.
09/07/2026

First sheer strake on and scaffold moved to stern for use while fitting last six ribs here.

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2 Selwood Road, Henderson
Te Atatu
0610

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