William C Daldy Preservation Society Inc

The William C Daldy is a twin screw, coal-fired steam tug, built at Renfrew on the Clyde in Scotland for the Auckland Harbour Board in 1935. After an 82 day delivery voyage to New Zealand, she entered service in February 1936, handling shipping in the port of Auckland. She served the Harbour Board well for 41 years and by the time she was retired in 1977 was one of the last working coal fired tugs in the world.

On retirement, the tug did not find her way to a ship-breaking yard, but passed into the hands of a preservation society for the princely sum of $1. The Auckland Harbour Board then donated $1 back to the newly formed society. As a result, she is still active on Auckland Harbour in the North Island of New Zealand, after a career of more than 80 years.

The Daldy is not a small vessel, she has a length of 126 feet (38.4 metres), a beam of 32 feet (9.75 metres) and a draft of 15 feet (4.5 metres). She is not slow either – she did 13.4 knots on trials and if her bottom is clean, she can still do over 13 knots. A tug’s towing power is measured in bollard pull and the William C Daldy was conservatively measured at 17 tons on trials in 1935. Even the new motor tugs in Auckland in the 1960s were less than this, but her replacement, the 1977-built Daldy came in at 24 tons bollard pull.

We are Auckland’s most stable. fun and affordable charter boat for our size. W C Daldy is the largest boat offering BYO in Auckland! Talk to us now about your requirements on 021 118 0838 or 021 400 258 .

The Waitemata Harbour takes on a more gentle character when enjoyed on the traditional steam tug, William C Daldy.

She is a multilevel all weather vessel, 126FT long by 32FT in the beam & 750 tonnes displacement. Extremely quiet and stable with a very high passenger to space ratio, our guests are encouraged to visit all operational areas of the vessel, including the engine room, boiler room and bridge etc while in action. Be part of a bygone era. A minimum of 15 helpful crew are available to assist with all your needs. The Daldy can accommodate up to 126 passengers! We are based at viaduct harbour in downtown Auckland close to Britomart Transport Terminus and Public Parking. Cruise in style aboard the beautiful & historic William C Daldy. No other charter boat in Auckland can offer an experience or price to match!

Take a step back to the golden age of steam and make your next function that much more memorable.