Fatty Knees: The Revival of a Beloved Traditional Dinghy

Saved from the scrap heap by a lover of classic design, the Fatty Knees dinghy has made a strong return to the water. The story begins with George Dow, who found exactly the boat he wanted—a 24-foot Bristol Channel cutter named Seraffyn—but was even more taken with the small 7-foot dinghy lashed to its cabin top. That little boat, a Fatty Knees tender, was the type the Pardeys used aboard Seraffyn and Dow insisted it come with the sale.

Dow, now in his seventies, bought Seraffyn in the fall of 2001. He had long admired Lyle Hess’s cutter designs and was thrilled to find the Hess-designed Fatty Knees tied on deck. He learned quickly why the boat is so well regarded: the Fatty Knees rows, tows and sails exceptionally well for a small tender. After some negotiation the dinghy was included with the purchase, and it has since accompanied Dow on cruises from Scituate, Massachusetts, to Maine and back.

Though only 7 feet long, the Fatty Knees is surprisingly capable. The design pairs a lapstrake-style fiberglass hull—hand-laid for strength and stiffness—with a relatively light weight: about 100 pounds for the 8-foot model. A wide beam gives stability even with larger adults aboard, a 7-inch skeg improves directional control, and features such as a teak inner rail, a kick-up rudder and a daggerboard add both utility and visual appeal. The tender is available in several sizes, including 7-, 8- and 9-foot versions, with options for two rowing stations, a sail rig and an offset well for a small outboard.

Fatty Knees tenders were long produced by Edey & Duff Boatbuilders in Mattapoisett, Massachusetts, becoming a New England tradition. The company’s product line also included the Sakonnet 23 daysailer and classic Herreshoff and Stewart designs built under contract. At its peak in the mid-2000s, Edey & Duff produced dozens of Fatty Knees each year alongside higher-end daysailers, which together sustained the business.

Everything changed with the economic downturn. Demand for premium daysailers collapsed after 2008, and by 2010 orders had dried up. The company lost its owner, John Harding, to cancer in 2009 and then its general manager shortly after, leaving the business in a precarious position. By September 2010, production had slowed to a handful of tenders and the company closed.

That closure might have ended the story of the Fatty Knees—if not for David Foynes, a retired sales representative from Sagamore Beach, Massachusetts. A friend of the Harding family, Foynes stepped in when Kathy Harding decided to sell the company’s assets. He acquired the molds and the rights to build and market Fatty Knees tenders, along with one unfinished eight-foot boat. Though he had no manufacturing facilities or boatbuilding experience, he believed in preserving the boats’ legacy and set about restarting production.

Foynes partnered with local suppliers to resurrect the design. Pine Grove Plastics in Freetown, Massachusetts, agreed to produce hulls, while Hejira Woodworks in Duxbury handled finishing work. The first completed boat from that effort sold quickly in October 2010, and subsequent hulls produced that fall led to steady orders. Foynes recognized that having finished inventory on hand was essential—one reason Edey & Duff had struggled in the past was a long lag between order and delivery.

He launched Fatty Knees Boat Co. LLC in late 2010 to continue production. Early marketing efforts, including boat shows and responsive customer service, revived interest in the boats’ storied reputation. In 2011 the company sold 34 tenders and set a goal for higher sales the following year. The eight-foot model has proven the most popular, particularly when offered with a sail rig. Price points remained close to historical levels, reflecting the design’s timeless appeal and practical versatility.

Today the Fatty Knees stands as an example of how thoughtful stewardship and grassroots effort can save a maritime tradition. Owners like George Dow are grateful—the boats that might have disappeared continue to serve as dependable, handsome tenders for cruising sailors. The revival preserved not only molds and materials but also the values of craft, seaworthiness and simplicity embodied in the design.

This article originally appeared in the May 2012 issue.