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Power and Handling
Altair is the 1933 Minett-Shields sport runabout built for Edson Peck, John Peck’s father when he was 18. She had to travel many twists and turns to finally handle as she was meant to. Her engine is...
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Airplanes vs Boats
Airplanes and boats both float, in a sense. Both depend on the medium they travel through for buoyancy. Airplanes have to be light and aerodynamic and fast boats need to be able to rise more on the...
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Smaller Boating Treasures
Who wouldn’t like to have a glorious wooden launch or sailboat? The wind in your face, the feel of the wood under your hands, the rush of power are all very alluring. This sense of craftsmanship can be...
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Aging Finish
Have you ever wondered how long a varnish job should last on a wooden boat? Of course a lot depends on sun exposure and general use. Jeremy Brackley, at Brackley Boats where the first Clarion is in...
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Variety of Dispros
In late summer, upwards of 20 Dispros or more descend on Severn Lodge, near Gloucester Trail, Port Severn. While the number of boats and members attending can be surprising, when everyone gets...
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The Glastron Carlson Scimitar
The use of fibreglass in boats has a history that is pushing 80 years, but it took companies like Glastron with its Carlson-designed Scimitar to reach the heights of design. Early small boats in the...
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Dispro Lights Up Your Eye
One of the first things that catches your eye, when you see a boat, is the boat light. On a Dispro, this is especially true, since the deck is a rather simple and small space of the boat. With its...
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The Art of Driving a Launch
For many a young man, there is nothing like owning your first car and then showing how well you can make it do all kinds of silly tricks. We hear about those “unsanctioned” meets where the...
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Boating Can Be Ducky
Farley Mowat dreamed of sailing the seven seas in a sturdy boat that would serve him well in his quest. While his craft wasn’t very seaworthy, it did make for a good story. Owners of Disappearing...
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Fall Canoe Destinations in Muskoka: Mary Lake
The great thing about a canoe is that it doesn’t take much to transport one or to winterize. A roof rack and some muscle effort will get it ready for transport. The only other requirement is a calm...
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Liberty Engine: the V-12
At one time, the Liberty V-12 engine was the engine to install for power and speed. The development of this engine is well documented and played a critical role in powering First World War air craft....
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Steamships in Many Forms P1
The Steamships played a critical role in the development of Muskoka and their likeness has been captured in many forms. Countless photographs, paintings, sketches depict the boats in action or at...
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Allbon’s New Challenges
Despite countless books, magazines and documents published on the history of Muskoka, there always seems to be something new to learn in the process. Through maintaining archives, reviewing old...
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Building The Wanda
This headline might provoke first thoughts that this is a story about the construction of the steamship Wanda III. In some respects that is true, except this is the new scale model that Chuck Allbon...
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Lake Rosseau’s Four Mile Point Park
There aren’t many public places from where you can launch a canoe on Lake Rosseau and be near pleasant shoreline for paddling. The towns around the lake have public docks and the Village of Rosseau...
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Water in the Winter
I was scanning through some of the old family movies my grandfather took of the Windermere area from the late 1940’s through to about the mid 1950’s and one strip documented a visit in the winter....
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New Year’s Resolutions
When New Year’s rolls around, it is a marker in time that causes us to pause and reflect on the past year and ways to make the coming year more rewarding. There are so many aspects to consider....
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What Makes a Canoe Special?
With seemingly endless streams and rivers to explore, the canoe remains a perfect means of transportation for navigating our waterways. The timeless links to history also connects paddlers to the...
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Hidden Mechanicals of a Wooden Boat
You see the 36’ long hull, the steering wheel and some levers attached to it, but what are they attached to and how does it work? In an outboard, such as a little Peterborough that has a forward...
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Previewing Summer Fun at the TIBS
It’s the middle of winter and snow is our immediate world. That doesn’t mean we can’t catch ond imagine a piece of summer fun. Each winter, near the end of January, North America’s largest indoor...
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