In December 2020, Australian boatbuilders Paroz & Co.—based in the outskirts of Brisbane, Queensland, on the banks of Breakfast Creek, a tributary of the Brisbane River—launched FINCH, an 8′ plywood hard-chined stem dinghy. A few years later, proprietor Simon Paroz, who had designed the boat, decided he would like a sistership for his own use. But before the build was complete, a new client saw it and made Simon an offer he couldn’t refuse. That boat was launched as TENDER TO MALVEENA.

Before embarking on a third build, Simon gave some more thought to the design and what modifications he should make for his own needs, and came up with a list of criteria. Essentially, the boat would be used as a tender to PERCY, Simon’s 37′ retired prawn trawler, built in the 1950s. It would need to have enough volume to carry himself, his wife, their two teenage daughters, and small dog. With just one person on board, it must plane easily with a 3-hp outboard motor (he didn’t want to deal with the weight of a larger outboard). And the dinghy should be easy to hoist aboard PERCY with a pair of simple davits each having a 2:1 purchase.

In order to fulfill this wish list, Simon determined that the new boat would need to be 18″ longer than FINCH and TENDER TO MALVEENA, but that weight must be a major consideration. To improve the aesthetics of his design, he also redrew the transom to give it more tumblehome, and raised the sheer and chine line forward slightly. “With a bit more length you can sweeten the lines,” Paroz said. “I was really happy with the way it looked.”

Small dinghy on saw horses in workshop.Photographs by the author

The floorboards are fabricated to lay flat, even in the deep V of the bow section. They are screwed to the keelson and the slats are of Queensland beech, an oily timber that needs no sealing. With an eye to low maintenance, Simon used a two-part high-gloss polyurethane paint known for its durability in hot climates and abrasion resistance. Four pad-eyes were installed to which lines can be attached when lifting the dinghy onto another boat or dock.

Building the Paroz Tender

The build process began by setting up the 1⁄4″ plywood transom (with its 2″ × 5⁄8″ internal framework already attached) and three temporary molds. The inner stem, laminated from six layers of 1⁄8″ Douglas fir, was then scarfed to the 1 1⁄2″ × 3⁄4″ Douglas-fir keelson, which was let into the transom and molds. The 1 1⁄2″ × 3⁄4″ internal chines and inwales and 5⁄8″ × 5⁄8″ stringers, all in western red cedar, were then also let into the transom and molds and fixed to the stem—none needed steaming.

Next the plywood sides and bottom panels were fitted. On all three of the dinghies, Simon drew distinctive V-shaped entries to minimize slamming in a chop. On his earlier builds this shape was achieved by cold-molding the forward sections of the bottom panels, but to save time on this later boat he used 3⁄16″ plywood, which could be “tortured” into shape in the forward 3′ of the bottom and scarfed it into the 1⁄4″ plywood that was used for the rest of the bottom. Simon designed the boat to ensure the most economical use of 8′ × 4′ sheets of marine plywood: the maximum width of each of the bottom panels—one on either side of the centerline—is just over 21″ so that both can be cut from a single sheet of plywood. The topside panels are 3⁄16″ plywood with a scarf joint near the stern to accommodate the length; their maximum width is only 15″ so, again, Simon was able to cut both sides from one sheet.

Man rowing the Paroz Tender.

The dinghy is easily driven with 6′ 4″ oars. It is quick to accelerate and, thanks to the skeg-like keel aft, tracks well.

Once the plywood shell of the boat was assembled, it was time to fit the solid wood pieces to the outside of the hull. The centerline components were made from Douglas fir: the outer stem is 10 laminations of 1⁄8″ fir, while the keel is 3⁄4″ × 3″ and runs almost the length of the hull, providing an ample skeg but ending 3″ short of the transom “to allow the water to come through to the propeller,” Simon explains. The gunwales (1 1⁄2″ × 3⁄4″), external chines (1 3⁄8″ × 5⁄8″), and transom frame (1 3⁄8″ × 1⁄2″) are all in western red cedar.

The 9 1⁄2″-wide thwarts are of 3⁄4″ western red cedar, as are the 9⁄16″ stiffeners attached to their underside, and the stem and stern knees are all of 3⁄4″ western red cedar laminated between two layers of 3⁄16″ plywood. Simon appreciates western red cedar for its light weight, strength, and stability, especially, he says, when it’s glued to other materials. He used epoxy as an adhesive throughout the build.

Floorboards were next on Simon’s wish list: water inevitably collects in the bilge of a small boat, and Simon wanted to keep passengers’ feet dry. He was also keen that the boards should follow the internal shape of the hull and not stand up too high. To achieve this, each of the two floorboard panels has three 1 1⁄4″ × 1″ athwartships beams laminated in four layers, with 2 3⁄8″ × 1⁄2″ fore-and-aft slats glued to them. On the forward panel, all but the center two slats are laminated in two layers to achieve the necessary curve of the boat’s V-section. The slats are of Queensland beech, a naturally oily timber that needs no sealing, and each panel is screwed to the keelson.

Man operating outboard motor in Paroz Tender.

With only one person on board, it’s hard to bring the boat onto a level plane without a tiller extension. However, it can still achieve 9 knots with just a 3-hp motor.

Simon finished the boat with International Perfection Pro two-part paint, chosen both for its durability in the hot Queensland climate and for its abrasion resistance (Perfection Pro is no longer available in the U.S. but has been replaced by Interlux Toplac Plus, a one-part silicone alkyd yacht enamel). To minimize damage when coming alongside PERCY, the dinghy has a 3⁄4″-diameter Hempex polypropylene fender rope around the sheer—it sits in a cove routed in the gunwales and is fixed in place with adhesive sealant and boat nails at 14″ centers.

The Paroz Dingy Performance

The new boat was finished and launched in December 2024, and named SUNNY SIDE UP (a name chosen by Simon’s 13-year-old daughter). The final all-up weight (including the floorboards) is 105 lbs—rather more than the 77 lbs of the smaller FINCH, which Simon says he can carry by himself on his shoulder, but still light enough that he and I could carry it through his workshop to the water’s edge with little difficulty.

Man standing up operating outboard in fast-moving dinghy.

With a tiller extension a single operator can move their weight forward and help the boat to level-out on plane. Thus balanced, the boat can be driven at 12 knots. The bow line fitting is mounted low on the stem for optimum pull when being towed.

On the day we tested SUNNY SIDE UP, conditions were calm in the sheltered river. Thanks to her hard chine sections, the boat felt very stable at all times, including when getting in and out.

Rowing SUNNY SIDE UP with Simon’s 6′ 4″-long spoon-bladed oars was a delight. The boat’s light weight gives quick acceleration and a lively feel, and the skeg is deep enough to provide good directional stability. The aft thwart can be used effectively as a foot brace.

While Simon reports that the boat is well balanced rowing from the central thwart with just one passenger in the stern, there is no reason why oarlock sockets shouldn’t be fitted to allow the use of the forward thwart as a second rowing position. He also reports that with all the family on board (typically with him rowing, his daughters in the stern, his wife in the bow, and the dog on either of the sole boards) the boat is “very comfortable” and has “room for more.”

Man in Paroz Tender with outboard and varnished transom heading towards reed bank.

Despite being only 9′ 9″ long, the dinghy has plenty of volume and can carry Simon’s family of four plus dog. When he lengthened the hull from the original design on which it was based, Simon also raised the sheer and introduced some tumblehome in the stern.

Under power with the two of us on board, the 3-hp outboard gave us a maximum speed of 5 1⁄2 knots. We then each tried the boat singlehanded with no tiller extension and were able to reach up to 9 knots, planing, but because it was only possible to perch on the aft part of the central thwart, the bow was raised a little too much. It was clear that it would be advantageous to sit farther forward. Sure enough, after Simon managed to find a tiller extension he could shift his weight farther forward, which leveled the boat nicely and the speed ticked up to 12 knots. Simon has found that SUNNY SIDE UP “tows easily and is well behaved” behind PERCY.

SUNNY SIDE UP is a delightful, good-looking stem dinghy that clearly satisfies all of the requirements that Simon identified at the design stage. It should be within the capabilities of most amateur builders, although Simon thinks that “moderate skill levels” will be needed to cope with the scarf joints in the plywood, and the laminated stem.

Nigel Sharp is a lifelong sailor and a freelance marine writer and photographer. He spent 35 years in managerial roles in the boatbuilding and repair industry, and has logged thousands of miles in boats big and small, from schooners to dinghies.

Paroz Tender Particulars

LOA:   9′ 9″
Beam:   4′
Depth of hull:   1′ 6″

Line drawing for a Paroz Tender.

Plans and custom builds are available from Paroz & Co., Tripcony Slipway, 32 Argyle St., Breakfast Creek, Queensland 4010, Australia; [email protected].

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