⛵ Sailboat

Fairey Marine Ltd

Active: 1946

Fairey Marine Ltd was founded in the late 1940's by Sir Richard Fairey and Mr. Chichester-Smith, at that time, Managing Director of Fairy Aviation. The company was originally located in Hamble and built Motor Torpedo Boats during WW II.

After the war, Olympic Yachtsman Charles Currey was recruited to help run the company. Among the famous dinghies produced by Fairey Marine are the Firefly, Albacore, Falcon, Swordfish, Jollyboat, Flying Fifteen, 505 and International 14's along with the much smaller Dinky and Duckling. Later on in the 1950's they produced a series of larger sailing cruisers, the Atalanta, Titania, and Fulmar. These boats, though strange looking today, were extremely innovative craft, and were built using Fairey's 'hot molding' process that had been perfected during the war.

It is said that a fair number of these craft were exported to the US.

The company also produced the 27' Fisherman motor sailer (based on the Fairey Lifeboat hull) along with the 15 Cinderella (outboard runabout) and the 16'6" Faun (outboard powered family cruiser).

US builder George O'Day began as an importer of dinghies and other yachts built by Fairey Marine.

No longer in business as a boat building entity.

Boats (16)

Name LOA (ft) First Built Last Built Rig
505 16.5 1954 — Fractional Sloop
ALBACORE 15 1954 — Fractional Sloop
ATALANTA 26 26 1955 — Fractional Sloop
ATALANTA 31 (UK) 31 1956 — Masthead Sloop
DUCKLING 9 1952 — Cat (Marconi)
FAIREY FALCON 16 1957 — Fractional Sloop
FAIREY FISHERMAN 27 27.42 1962 1970 Masthead Sloop
FIREFLY 12 1946 — Fractional Sloop
FLATFISH 20.25 1960 — Fractional Sloop
FLYING FIFTEEN 20 1948 — Fractional Sloop
FULMAR 20 (FAIREY MARINE) 20 1958 — Masthead Sloop
GANNET 14 14 1959 1964 Fractional Sloop
JOLLYBOAT 18 1950 — Fractional Sloop
SHEARWATER III 16.5 1956 — Frac. Sloop (Rotating Spar)
SWORDFISH 15 1946 1963 Fractional Sloop
TITANIA 26 26 1959 — Fractional Sloop