Tag Archives: Roy Parris

Cherokee – 4sale

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Cherokee  4sale
photos ex trademe
Today’s boat is a nice example of Roy Parris’s work. It’s what I would call a transitional classic. She measures 31′ 6″ & was built in kauri & launched in 1965. Powered by 120hp Ford diesel she has a good turn of speed for an old girl – cruises at 8 knots with a max of 14 knots. From the photos she looks to be very well cared for.
Home port is Blenheim, Marlborough so she is fitted with a diesel heater so a very comfortable cruiser. I understand she is for sale at $39k so in my eyes is a very good buy. The broker obviously doesn’t want to sell it, he has done the usual trick & tried to hide  the name of the boat. Must be sad to be that insecure in your job 🙂
Anyone know her name & anymore details about her past?

12-05-2019 Update ex Robin Smith (current owner)

Robin was the slip master at Bay of Island Boat club and owned and restored the 100 year old log tow launch Huia prior to moving south Marlbourough (boat moored at Moetapu Bay – Mahau Sound), and purchasing Cherokee 3 years ago.
In the photo below of Cherokee, getting a beach for a scrub (seems they can still do it without the greenies catching them). Robin was given the ‘old’ mast and stays by the previous owner and the deck head of the cabin still has the wiring and strong base for the mast. Also the mast stay dead eyes are still on the deck. Robin commented that the mast just doesn’t look right on the boat with the flybridge now so it is fitted to his house with a red duster flying. He also has the original dorade ventilators that the previous owner changed to the plastic ones 😦
Fingers crossed that maybe one day the chainsaw will come out and Cherokee will return to a sedan top.
Robin also commented that there seems to be some evidence of another set of engine mounting holes in the engine bearers. 
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11-07-2020 Input from Kelly Ellis – Photo below of the Roy Parris 1957 Cherokee owned by Robin and Lesley Smith spotted in the outer Pelorous. Rob brought her down the East Coast from Northland
Cherokee 2020

Arohanui

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AROHANUI
photo & details ex Ross Farrant

Arohanui was built by Roy Parris in 1974 & is 30′ long. Owner Ross purchased her a couple of years ago from a gent by the name of Doug Wood. Ross understands Doug runs (perhaps ‘ran’ now) a diesel servicing business out of Westhaven.

Milford boatbuilder Geoff Bagnall was an apprentice under Roy Parris at the time Arohanui was built, Ross spoke to Geoff recently and he told Ross that he remembers there were 4 of these 30′ launches built, he also recalls that Arohanui was built for a Dick Milburn who is now deceased. Geoff knows nothing of her history after that.

You will notice in the above photo a small cabin top on the foredeck. Geoff Bagnall did that job for previous owner Doug wood at his Milford shed a few years ago, it appears that most of Roy’s boats had a flush foredeck but Doug wanted headroom, and it does work, brings more light into the boat and doesn’t detract from the overall look of the boat.

Arohanui is powered by a Lees Marine conversion, six cylinder Ford truck engine, Ross was amazed at how much oil the sump took when he did my first oil change.

Anything anybody can tell ww about her history would be great as Ross & Sue Farrant are a bit light on details relating to her past.

(sorry about the photo quality, as supplied)

Jolly Roger

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JOLLY ROGER
photos ex Jason Prew

Back in August 2015 Jason was in Whangarei & snapped a collection of photos at the town basin. Today’s launch is the Jolly Rogers & she shows all the hallmarks of being a Roy Parris boat. I seem to recall she was berthed at Auckland’s Milford Marina for many years, not that long ago.
Can anyone supply more details on her?

21-10-2015 Update from Bruce & Margaret Hunt

We have been the proud owners of Jolly Roger for nearly 30 years. Very much a family boat cruising extensively in the Hauraki Gulf with our son & daughter from carry cot stage!
Launched in September 1956  Jolly Roger was built for Mr Brown of the Smith & Brown furniture store in Auckland. We visited Roy Parris soon after purchase & discovered that he had also owned her for a few years, Jolly Roger being one of his favourites.
We had her berthed at Westhaven until our shift to Whangarei  in 2014.

Cherokee

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CHEROKEE
photo ex Ken Ricketts. Details ex Harold Kidd

Today’s post is of the sedan top launch Cherokee. The photo above was taken by KR c.1972.

CHEROKEE was built for J. W. Farrell in 1958 and, according to Bo Farrell, was a 34 footer. She had a 100hp Gray engine.

Interested in more info on her past & whereabouts today.

A lot of chat on Cherokee & possible sister ships in the ww Comments section.

Beverly Anne

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BEVERLY ANNE

photos & details ex Stuart Johnston

Beverly Anne was owned by Stuarts family in the early- mid sixties. She was built by Roy Parris for the late Bill Doherty who owned Christopher Bede Photography and was moored in Stanmore Bay over several summers. She was either 21 or 23 ft in length (depending on who was talking) and was powered by a flat 6  Gray Marine of 120hp and in Stuart’s opinion a very pretty little boat although at flat out pushed a heck of a lot of water. She was sold to Ron Neil when Bill Doherty had  a larger version built a ‘Chris Bede’ of 26/28 ft, also Gray powered. Later she was sold to Alex Gemmell who refurbished her adding the fixed dodger and bilge keels (work done by Hart Bros Marine). The bilge keels worked a treat and enabled her to plane and was capable of close to 20mph, fast enough to ski behind.

Stuart’s father Gilbert Johnston, was the last Stanmore Bay owner who sold her about 1969, Stuart believes to an owner based in Helensville and was trucked to the Kaipara. Last time Stuart heard of her she was reputably moored at Waitangi and sported a superstructure unbecoming such a pretty vessel.
(the photos above are a mix of as originally built & balance post modifications)

It would be interesting to know if she is still afloat and what she now looks like.

Serene

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SERENE

photos & details ex Ken Ricketts, edited by Alan H

Serene was built by Roy Parris in the late 1950’s early 1960’s. She is approx. 36′ long & powered by a 6-354 Perkins diesel. She has had the same owners, Helen & Craig Brown of Whangarei for over 20 years & is kept at Opua & before that in front of their waterfront home in Whangarei.
The Browns bought her approx. 20years ago off an Italian living at Snells Beach who only owned her for 3 or 4 months & he had bought her of Garry Nordstrand who had owned her for a long time. To the best of the Browns knowledge Serene is the boats original name & she has spent all or almost all of her life in Northland from Algies Bay upwards. Her coamings were varnished until fairly recently as the surface had deteriorated so much they reluctantly made the hard call to paint them, with a thin new layer of timber like a veneer, beneath the new paint to improve the surface.

Scamp Sailing on the Manukau – April 1946

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Scamp Sailing on the Manukau - April 1946

Scamp Sailing on the Manukau – April 1946, when owned by Jim Jenkin.

photo & words ex Robin Elliott

Built by Roy Parris while working at Shipbuilders during the war from off-cuts from the Fairmiles c.1943/44

The yacht registrations were a bit of a shambles during the War and no record has yet shown up stating that Scamp was ever issued with V-28, but I have no doubt that she was. In 1945 with the Auckland register in a shambles, a serious attempt was made to clean it up but no official list was published until the winter of 1946, by which time Scamp was on the Manukau (carrying sail V-28).
V-28 was issued to Stormbird in 1927, Memutu in 1932, Witch in 1944. Macushla in 1946, Coronet in 1950 and Raven in 1958.

The Manukau yachting administration kept its own register, so the sail number of an Auckland yacht sold over there (or further outside Auckland) became vacant and was available for re-issue. The smaller fleets on the Manukau usually meant that an ex-Auckland boat could keep its existing sail number, e.g. V-28 for Scamp, V-90 for Jeanette rather that be given a totally new number. Later on, if the boat returned to the Waitemata, it was re-registered with Auckland, and if its original number had since been re-issued, then it was issued with a new number e.g. Scamp to V-45 in 1947.