More than 100 Duffy boat owners cruised the perimeter of Newport Harbor on Sept. 20, to celebrate Duffy boat inventor Marshall “Duffy” Duffield’s 45th anniversary of his electric boat and show their support for his city council race.
“Forty-five years ago, as a teenager, I invented the Duffy Boat,” Duffy said. ”It has been a great adventure for Terry and I. We’ve sold over 14,000 Duffys around the world, and we are the largest manufacturers of electric boats in the world. I owe much of my success to our spectacular Harbor and the Newporters who have supported me.”
The parade of Duffy boats was followed by a post-Flight VIP BBQ at the Duffy Boat Rental facility on Coast Highway.
Duffield, known universally as Duffy, is the inventor of the Duffy electric boat and founder and owner of the company that makes them. He is the largest manufacturer of electric boats in the world, with 14,000 Duffys on the lakes and harbors of all continents. He served on the Newport Beach Harbor Commission for 10 years. A frequent visitor to Newport Beach as a young child, he and his family moved here permanently in 1958. He is a graduate of Newport Harbor High School and a member of the Newport Harbor Yacht Club.
