1919 -1922 Yachts

Not much is known about the Watson Street yachts other than they were all hand carved by Franz-Marie and the sails stitched by his wife Marie-Valerie. He made them from pieces of pinewood, from basic plans, hand whittled into shape and when finished, sold in the family cooked meat shop. A local department store called "Durbans", it's manager was walking past the shop one day and noticed the yachts in the window, after entering the shop and liking what he saw, he placed an order for one gross (144) of the yachts for his store. This got Franz-Marie thinking that there could be money to be made in model yachts and so aimed to expand his fledgling yacht making business. As he got established Franz took on the services of two people who helped him in the basement of the shop to make and assemble the yachts. With little more than an electric saw and hand tools he managed to put aside enough money to purchase in 1922 the factory in Marion Street.