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Spring in the Shops
There is nothing like a warm spring breeze to put a kick in the step of a boat builder. With the water opening up and summer boating approaching, a new urgency looms over their heads! If the calendar...
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100th Anniversary of the Bluenose
March 26th marked the 100th anniversary of the launching of the Bluenose. The story of this famous boat should roll of the tongues of every Canadian. This vessel combined will, technical mastery and...
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Family Movies and Cottage Life
Who are those people anyway? I recently had some old, old family movies converted to digital. They showed my grandparents at their cottage in 1943. Hard to believe that is nearly 80 years ago. It’s...
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Boat Building Discoveries
In the world of boat building, there must be some boats that are like regular customers to a dentist. You see how the wear and tear and years of natural degeneration progresses through a boat....
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The Johnston Special
The Johnston Special is often mistaken for a deluxe Dispro. With its characteristic deck and wide gunwales with laminations of cedar and mahogany giving a striking two tone appearance. The hull shape...
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Monte Cristo Renewed
It was just 33 years ago that I first encountered this rare boat, which is now owned by Geoff Browne. She is currently in for restoration at Rob Gerig’s shop in Port Carling, The Boat Builder shop....
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Human Powered Craft
I covered a small taste of my passion for rowboats in a series of blogs a few months ago. The world of canoes and kayaks is another one all together. How many of you have TWO canoes in your living...
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Preparing For Summer
There is nothing more exciting or depressing than firing up a wooden boat after a long winter’s nap. An antique boat with a period engine requires a bit more attention than a modern fiberglass boat...
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Clean-up After the Winter
In a recent blog, I mentioned some of the mechanical areas to check that I have experienced, when getting my Dispro ready for summer. We ran a similar checklist with our SeaBird. Rob Gerig, owner of...
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Summer’s Fun
This summer, unlike any summer before, is full of unknowns. So many events are waiting to hear whether it will be feasible or even possible to open. July is most likely a write-off for big events...
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Summer’s Quieter Pleasures
There are so many ways to enjoy summer in Muskoka for wooden boaters, beyond the social gathering of the boat show. As every Dispro owner will tell you, it isn’t about speed or the destination, it...
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Boating Friends Lost
As boating events cycle from one season to the next, their starring attractions, the wooden boats, will come out again and again. Cycling through periods of decline and then restoration, they will...
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Memories of Skilled and Creative Men
The glossy varnish finish of a wooden boat is the final statement of perfection and a lot of hard work. Beneath that reflection, many trades participated in the process of restoration or...
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Creating a Wake
There is a long history of the race winning speed on the water in Muskoka. The sport boats and all-out race boats are among the most exciting vintage craft ever created in Muskoka. From ultra light...
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Discovering So Much About Muskoka
I just received the latest copy of Muskoka Reflections, the magazine/newsletter put out by the Muskoka Steamships/Discovery Centre in Gravenhurst. It is truly a wonderful overview of exciting things...
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CHIMO on Display
The Muskoka Discovery Centre in Gravenhurst has confirmed three of the boats that will be on temporary display through the summer. They are all connected with Minett. Chimo is the long deck launch....
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There is Always a Story
MAB, one of the boats on display at the Muskoka Discovery Centre this summer is one of four sisters built at the same time by Minett-Sheilds of Bracebridge in the early 1930’s. It was a difficult...
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Summer Boat Cruises Continue
We wait many months to enjoy the waters of Muskoka. A network of summer Sunday boating enthusiasts who plan to strike out each week for their weekly cruise is growing quickly. There are three big...
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New Boats Can Become Classics
Who is to say that only a “old” wooden boat is a classic? At some point in time, every boat was new. From another perspective, it is possible that so much of an “old” wooden boat has been replaced in...
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Wooden Modern Classics
Since the great builders who blossomed in the teens and lasted until just after the Depression, many other builders have tried their hand at building “Classics”. The game plan has always been fairly...
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