20 Jun 25 - Resident stories
Royale Flush
For most people, if they decide to make a boat it tends to be of the small toy variety. Not so for Summerset down the Lane, Hamilton, resident Roy Woolerton, who, despite no experience, has built a spectacular 14.5-metre (48ft) catamaran, Royle Flush, which is now fully set up for offshore living.
“It took me 15 years,” laughs Roy. “I didn’t think it would take me so long when I started!”
Royle Flush (“’Royle’ is a family name and a ‘royal flush’ is the top hand in cards,” explains Roy) is now berthed at Westhaven Marina, but for most of its life it lived in a customised haybarn on Roy’s farm in the Waikato.
Roy says he is a jack of all trades, master of none, but he can turn his hand to most things. “I built a couple of houses,” Roy says, “so I can follow a plan.” That plan was created by well-regarded catamaran designer Ron Given, who, for those in the know, designed the stupendously popular ‘Paper Tiger’ racing catamarans.
Still farming, Roy began the boat in his limited spare time. “I did have some help,” he says. “A fellow Lions Club member who is a general builder came on board. I hired an electrician for that side of things. Otherwise, I was involved with all of it. I did all the finishing, trim and cabinetry. It is all made from macrocarpa, which is an underrated timber!”
Catamarans have two hulls, and those on Royle Flush are made of a cedar core with triaxial fibreglass on both sides. “It is western red cedar, imported from the USA. Light, strong and expensive!” Fortunately for Roy, a marine builder friend would order all his supplies through his business, taking away the headache that importing could bring.
“I have learned a few new skills,” Roy says. “Fibreglass fabrication is one, painting is another. The drill was the tool I used the most, though, and I used millions upon millions of screws!” What he learned most, though, is patience. “It’s slow. Seeing the hull take shape made it real.” Roy’s efforts impressed Ron Given, who visited during the hull build and the accompanying stress tests. “He said it was pretty good for an amateur!” Roy smiles.
Royle Flush has all the bells and whistles of a luxury craft. It boasts an 8-seater dining table, four double cabins with ensuite bathrooms, as well as a workroom with a bed, and an impressively kitted-out kitchen with microwave, oven, fridge and electrically run freezer. “We have had 30 people on it for Happy Hour before,” says Roy, who has also installed a freshwater maker that turns seawater into 60 litres of drinking water in under an hour. The boat is very popular with Roy’s extended family. “None of them are sailors apart from one of my grandsons, who loves to race boats, sailing from Sydney to Hobart,” says Roy. “He is an engineer and created a full operational guide for the boat so when other family members are on it they know what they are doing. He is always suggesting improvements and how to make it go faster!” Launched in 2017, Royle Flush has enjoyed many voyages around the Bay of Islands and the Coromandel, as well as staying more locally for a close-up view of famous races.
Taking on a project like Royle Flush, you’d be forgiven for expecting Roy to have grown up around boats. Waikato born and raised, Roy’s water experience was limited to the occasional boating on Lake Karapiro. “I was over 40 before I even set foot on a yacht,” said Roy, 88. “I went out with a friend for a week and I was hooked.”
Roy took shared ownership of a keelboat and became a keen member of the Waikato Yacht Squadron, which he is still active in. “We go to Great Barrier Island for a week, before the Aucklanders come to steal all the fish!” he laughs. “We have races and a BBQ on the beaches at the end. It is very sociable.”
Sadly, Roy’s wife, Fay, never saw Royle Flush on the water, as she became ill during the build. Roy paused the project for a year to look after her in her final year. “It’s a shame she never saw it finished, but Fay wasn’t into sailing. She preferred dry land,” Roy says philosophically.
After Fay passed away, Roy’s children encouraged him to move to a retirement village, a move he was not keen on. “I resisted, but then I got a bout of pancreatitis, which meant I couldn’t drive. Living rurally, with no bus service, meant I had a rethink,” he says. Roy moved into Summerset down the Lane in 2019. “I saw a lot of retirement communities, but I really liked this one. I especially liked all the green space.” Roy is active in the village choir, for which he sings tenor. “Village life is good for me. Our Activities Co-ordinator is wonderful. Between choir and heading up to Auckland on the boat, I am kept pretty busy!”
This is an article from the Autumn 2025 edition of Summerset Scene magazine