Felton Atkinson is a lifelong lobster fisherman living in Stoney Island . Although he dabbled in handlining and fine gearing in his early years as a professional fisherman , Felton ultimately pursued a passion for lobstering , purchasing his first lobster license in 1982 .
His original lobster boat was a 34 ’ 11 ” Leo Atkinson hull , built and designed by Felton ’ s father . In 1989 , Felton upgraded to the first ever SeaDuck hull , which his family was given the rights to build by his mother ’ s cousin , Wishy Atwood . Since then , Felton has always been at the helm of a SeaDuck .
In 1991 , Felton upgraded again , this time to a polished and refitted SeaDuck Forty , widened from the original 16-foot mould to 20 feet . Felton ’ s son , Jordy Atkinson , took over the SeaDuck Forty in 2010 , using it alongside his father for a few years before selling it to a fisherman in Grand Manan . Felton then took some time off lobstering and purchased a smaller boat , the Emily Amanda , in 2016 . Shortly after , he got back into lobstering and upgraded to a used rig , the Lucky Duck , which was his last boat before purchasing the Lynette Michelle
The 16-foot-wide Lynette Michelle was smaller than Felton was used to , and he found it difficult to fish productively on such a narrow hull . The boat also became increasingly unstable in lively winter waters , making it a struggle to lobster comfortably during the season . Naturally , Felton began conceiving a better fit for his professional lifestyle .
Felton was led to West Head by a friend of his who was building a boat similar to the size and style he wanted . The price was right , so Felton decided to dive in and build the boat of his dreams .
His new boat , the Ocean Eden , was designed in collaboration with Felton ’ s eldest son , Andre . The Ocean Eden is a 39-foot-long by 23-foot-wide Seaduck hull powered by a 375 HP John Deere engine . It also has a fivefoot-above water extension . Honoring Felton ’ s rich family history , we used the original mould from his first SeaDuck Forty and widened it to accommodate the larger size . At 14.99 tons , the Ocean Eden does not require steamship inspection .
OCEAN EDEN WAS NAMED IN HONOUR OF FELTON ’ S TWO GRANDDAUGHTERS , AVAYA OCEAN AND TENLEY EDEN .
Because they live away from the sea in Kitchener , Ontario , Felton wanted to honour their nautical roots with the naming tribute . Avaya and Tenley were thrilled and had the chance to board their boat for the first time when they visited their grandfather for seven weeks this summer .
Although the season doesn ’ t start until December , Felton has taken the Ocean Eden out to fish herring on a couple of windy days and has been very pleased with the boat ’ s stability on the water . He ’ s also enjoyed having a genset to run the live wells , circulate the water , and keep hauls fresh . And he ’ s looking forward to a much more comfortable and productive lobstering season this winter .
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