Last reviewed: 2026-05-07 The simple version: Harris Boat Works has been at the same dock on Rice Lake, in Gores Landing, Ontario, since 1947. Same family, three generations, 78 years and counting. We've sold Mercury motors since 1965 - most of those years as a Platinum...
Last reviewed: 2026-05-07
The simple version: Harris Boat Works has been at the same dock on Rice Lake, in Gores Landing, Ontario, since 1947. Same family, three generations, 78 years and counting. We've sold Mercury motors since 1965 — most of those years as a Platinum Dealer. The marina sits on land we've worked for almost eight decades.
We don't lead with this often. The day-to-day work — selling Mercurys, doing repowers, storing boats, running the rental fleet — feels too much like just doing the job to merit a lot of "look at us" content. But occasionally a customer asks why they should trust HBW with a $25,000 repower, a season's storage, or a recurring service relationship. The answer is partly the technical work. The other part is that we've been here long enough to know where the bodies are buried.
This is the version of the HBW story we'd tell if you walked in and asked. It's not a sales pitch. It's an explanation.
How a Marina Survives 78 Years
Marinas don't usually last that long. Ontario marina history has more closed locations than open ones — flooded out, divorced out, bankrupted, sold to condos, lost to insurance fights, lost when the original family decided to retire and no one wanted the work.
What gets a marina to 78 years on the same dock:
1. Generational hand-off that actually works. Founder runs it. Sons or daughters come up working the docks at 12 years old. Take over at 35. Their kids do the same. Each generation makes choices that protect the business through their watch. The hand-offs that go badly often go badly because the receiving generation didn't actually want the work.
2. The right partnership. We became a Mercury dealer in 1965. We've been Platinum tier — the top of Mercury's certification — for most of the modern era. Other dealer relationships exist briefly; we've built a long-term, multi-decade alignment with a brand that's still selling well today.
3. Family-business focus over short-term margin. A multi-generational family marina makes different decisions than a corporate-owned one. We don't have a quarterly earnings call. We have a March family conversation about whether we'll have enough boats for spring. The pressure is different; the time horizon is different.
4. Surviving the bad years. 1981 interest rates. 1991 recession. 2008. COVID. Bad weather seasons. New competition opening up the road. Every long-running family business has stories of years where they barely made it. The fact we're here means somebody decided to keep going during the hardest years. That decision happened more than once.
5. Keeping the trust. Customers come back. Generations of customers come back. We have customers who bought their first Mercury from my grandfather in the late 1960s; my father sold them their second motor in the 1990s; I'm now selling their kids' first boats. That's not a sales achievement — that's a trust relationship that takes decades to build and minutes to lose.
The 1947 Beginning
Harris Boat Works was founded in 1947 on the south shore of Rice Lake. The lake had been a boating destination for Toronto-area visitors since the late 1800s. The family had worked the area for generations before going into boats specifically.
In 1947, marina work meant launching wooden boats, fixing inboard engines, building docks, repairing canvas covers, doing whatever the lake needed. Outboards were a smaller part of the business — most boats had inboards or were rowed.
Through the 1950s and early 1960s, outboards started taking over. Light, easier to maintain, easier to swap, easier to upgrade. The marine industry shifted. Harris Boat Works shifted with it.
Becoming a Mercury Dealer — 1965
In 1965, Mercury Marine was the rising power in outboards — Carl Kiekhaefer's company growing fast, building motors that were lighter and more reliable than the competition. Becoming a Mercury dealer in 1965 meant signing on to a relationship that's now in its 60th year.
Why Mercury, then and now:
- Mercury's R&D investment kept producing better motors decade after decade. The 4-stroke revolution. SmartCraft. EFI. DTS. The V12 Verado. Each generation made the previous tier obsolete in performance.
- Mercury's dealer network was — and is — built around long-term partnerships, not quarterly volume metrics. The dealer-tier system rewards consistency over time.
- Mercury's warranty support, parts availability, and service relationship has been reliable across multiple economic cycles.
We've stayed Mercury-only as a deliberate choice. We don't sell Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki, or Tohatsu. We do one thing — Mercury — and we do it well. That focus is part of how we earned Platinum tier and have kept it.
In 2026, we're celebrating 60 years as a Mercury dealer. That's a multi-generational relationship most other industries can't match.
Third Generation — Why Family Matters Here
The current generation running HBW is the third in family hands. Each generation has overlapped with the next: my grandfather worked alongside my father; my father worked alongside me. The institutional knowledge transfers in ways that contracts and training documents can't capture.
Specific things a multi-generational family marina knows:
- Where the underwater hazards are. The sunken railway across Rice Lake — we know exactly where it sits, which boats run aground there in which conditions, which hulls handle the channel. We've seen 78 years of grounding stories.
- Which mistakes new boaters make. First-time pontoon owners typically over-trim or under-trim depending on conditions. We see it every season. We can teach the corrections in 30 seconds.
- What the lake does in different weather. Ice-out timing varies. Wind builds chop differently in spring vs. fall. Spring weed growth peaks at certain weeks. We know when to launch, when to wait, when to call ahead.
- What customers want. Not just what they say they want, but what they'll actually use. A family thinking they need a 22-ft pontoon often discovers a 20-ft fits their use better. Selling the right boat over the wrong, more-expensive boat is what builds 60-year customer relationships.
These aren't things a new dealer can fake. They take time. We have time on Rice Lake.
The Rice Lake Lens — Why Location Matters
A dealer in Toronto sells Mercurys. We sell Mercurys to people who'll use them on Rice Lake, the Kawarthas, and the Trent-Severn. Different application.
Specific reasons our advice diverges from urban-dealer advice:
- Freshwater boating. Rice Lake has no salt, but it has weeds, algae blooms in late summer, weed-mat issues. Different motor wear pattern.
- Shallow-water boating. Rice Lake's average depth is 6-10 feet; the channel is shallower. Prop selection matters.
- The sunken railway hazard. Specific to this lake. Specific to our local knowledge. Most marina operators in southern Ontario don't deal with it; we've worked around it for nearly 80 years.
- The seasonal launch math. Specific to this lake — when ice goes out, when bass season opens, when walleye opens, when winter storage starts.
- The Trent-Severn context. Rice Lake is part of the Trent-Severn navigation system. Our customers often boat the wider system. Our advice reflects that.
For a customer in Toronto who'll boat Lake Ontario, much of this is irrelevant. For a customer in the Kawarthas, the GTA, or anywhere from Cobourg to Peterborough, a marina that's known this water for 78 years has perspective that newer entrants can't match.
What "Trust" Means in a Marine Dealer Relationship
Customers say "I trust HBW" in different ways:
- "I trust the diagnosis." When we say a motor needs major work, the customer believes us. Decades of accurate diagnostics earn that trust.
- "I trust the price." Our pricing is published in the configurator. Customers can verify the math. There are no shell-game add-ons at delivery.
- "I trust the post-sale service." When something fails after the sale, we handle it. Mercury warranty work, MPP claims, out-of-warranty diagnoses — they all happen at the same shop where you bought the motor.
- "I trust the recommendation." When we say "actually, you don't need the upgrade," we mean it. We've sold smaller motors than customers were planning to buy because the smaller motor was right.
- "I trust the heritage." When a marina has been at the same dock for 78 years, customers feel the implied "we'll be here for the next 10 years too." That confidence has real economic value.
The 1947 date isn't a marketing claim. It's a calibration on every other claim we make.
What We've Seen Change (and What's Stayed the Same)
Things that have changed since 1947:
- Motors have changed completely — from 2-strokes through to V12 Verado
- Boats have changed completely — from wooden launches to aluminum and fibreglass and pontoons
- The customer base has changed — from local cottagers to GTA day-trippers
- The cottage real estate market has changed — from accessible to nearly luxury
- Technology has transformed every aspect — diagnostic tools, GPS, fish finders, configurator pricing
Things that have stayed the same:
- Boating is still a relaxing escape that families want
- Customers still want a real person to talk to about a real motor
- Trust is still the most important thing a marina can offer
- The lake still freezes in November and thaws in March
- Walleye still bite in May; bass still bite in June
The technology side has changed dramatically; the human side has not. Our job is to bridge the two — keep current on every Mercury innovation, but apply it through the same trust relationships we've held for three generations.
What HBW Is Today
In 2026, HBW operates:
- Mercury Marine Platinum Dealer — selling and servicing the full Mercury lineup (FourStroke, Pro XS, Verado, SeaPro, Avator)
- Mercury Certified Repower Centre — full-service repower facility for boat owners across Ontario
- Legend Boats Dealer — selling Canadian-designed aluminum and pontoon boats (designed in Whitefish, Ontario)
- Marina Slips — 49 seasonal slip rentals on Rice Lake
- Boat Rentals — 9-boat fleet (Mercury-powered) for day rentals to GTA visitors and locals
- Winter Storage — 311+ stored boats per year
- Service & Repair — diagnostic, warranty, repair, and pre-purchase inspections
- Boat Launch — public-paid launch ramp ($20/day, $200/season) used by hundreds of boaters annually
- Ethanol-Free 89 Marine Gas — at the dock for transient and resident boaters
A working family marina, peak season fully staffed for the May-October rush. Most customers are repeat customers; many are second- or third-generation — families whose grandparents bought from ours in the 1960s or 1970s.
What HBW Will Be Tomorrow
The fourth generation is in early-career. Our kids work the docks summers; we'll see if any choose to take over. We're not pressuring anyone — the family-business hand-off should happen because someone wants it, not out of obligation.
If the fourth generation takes over, HBW continues. If they don't, we'll find a path that keeps the relationship with our customers intact. Either way, we're not going anywhere soon. A dealer choice today is a 10-15 year commitment to a service relationship; we want to be the dealer worth choosing for that long.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long has Harris Boat Works been in business?
Founded in 1947 on Rice Lake, currently in our 78th year. Third generation in family hands. Mercury dealer since 1965 — 60 years as a Mercury Marine dealer in 2026.
Is HBW family-owned?
Yes — three generations of the Harris family. The current ownership is third-generation; the fourth generation is in early-career and may eventually transition into the business.
Is HBW a Mercury Platinum dealer?
Yes. Platinum is the top tier of Mercury's certification system, requiring factory-trained techs on every Mercury family, full G3 diagnostic capability, stocked parts inventory, demonstrated annual volumes, and top-tier Customer Satisfaction Index scores.
Where is HBW located?
5369 Harris Boat Works Rd, Gores Landing, Ontario K0K 2E0 — on the south shore of Rice Lake. About 90 minutes east of central Toronto.
What does HBW sell and service?
Mercury Marine outboards (full lineup), Legend Boats, marine accessories. Services include sales, repower, annual maintenance, diagnostic, warranty work, winter storage, and rentals. We don't sell Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki, Tohatsu, Evinrude — Mercury-only.
How big is HBW?
A family marina with a peak-season team. Verifiable scale: 49 seasonal slip rentals, 9-boat rental fleet, 311+ winter storage contracts annually.
Why has HBW been in business so long?
Multi-generational family ownership, focused Mercury dealership relationship since 1965, sustained Platinum-tier service quality, transparent pricing, and customer relationships that last decades. The boring answer: doing the work well, year after year.
Is HBW still growing?
Yes — our online repower business via mercuryrepower.ca has grown significantly in recent years. The configurator-based selling model has reached customers across Ontario and beyond. The family marina has expanded its reach without diluting its character.
Do you have CSI awards or other certifications?
HBW currently holds Mercury Marine Platinum-tier dealer status, which itself requires sustained top-tier Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) scores year over year. Active certifications include Mercury Platinum, Mercury Certified Repower Center, and Legend Boats authorized dealer.
Can I visit HBW even if I don't need to buy anything?
Yes — we're a working family marina. Walking through the slips, watching the rental fleet come and go, fueling up at the dock, seeing the Mercury showroom, having a coffee in Bewdley after — it's a complete day on Rice Lake without a sales requirement.
[CUSTOMER STORY OPPORTUNITY — Jay: a third-generation customer (whose grandfather bought from your grandfather), OR a long-time customer reflecting on what HBW means to them, would land here as the strongest possible trust signal.]
Phone: 905-342-2153
Address: 5369 Harris Boat Works Rd, Gores Landing, ON K0K 2E0
Marina + Rentals: harrisboatworks.ca
Repower Quotes: mercuryrepower.ca
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