I was not the only person who was sad to see Edey and Duff the venerable Mattapoisett yard close some time back. The smallest of the boats that they produced was the Fatty Knees dinghy. This popular boat was designed by Lyle Hess is 8 feet in length with a beam of over 4 feet and can be sailed, rowed and motored with a little 2 hp gas or electric outboard.
After my last post I had an e mail from David Foynes, who before Edey and Duff closed their doors was sales manager at the yard to say that he had bought the rights to the dinghy and was now producing them. Apparently he has already built three of them, the last of which is headed all the way to New Zealand.
I hope that someone takes up the mantle for the other boats that Edey and Duff were producing, in particular the Stone Horse which although have not been made for some years still have an almost cult following. Originally designed by Sam Croker back in the 1930's it was adapted for fiberglass construction in the sixties. I have sailed on several of them and each of them seemed to have a slightly different layout below. As far as I am aware some 150 of them were built in fiberglass and despite being only 23 feet in length were a solid and seaworthy cuiser.
This shows the basic layout as drawn by Edey and Duff but many differed from this reflecting each owners individual style.
Incidentally if you are interested in ordering your own Fatty Knees dinghy from Dave Foynes you can contact him at P.O. Box 1549 Sagamore Beach, MA 02562
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