See why boaters across Ontario choose Harris Boat Works for the full breakdown of our approach. --- Why Markham boaters drive to Harris Boat Works: about 70 minutes to Gores Landing on Rice Lake for Mercury repower and service # Why Markham Customers Make the Drive to Rice...
Quick answer: Harris Boat Works is a Mercury Marine Premier Dealer in Gores Landing on Rice Lake, approximately 70 minutes north of Markham via Highway 404 and Highway 115. We handle Mercury outboard sales, repowers, parts, and service. Installed pricing is available in minutes at mercuryrepower.ca. For engine repairs, we only service Mercury and MerCruiser.
See why boaters across Ontario choose Harris Boat Works for the full breakdown of our approach.
Markham has Mercury dealers closer to home. We know that. We're not pretending distance doesn't exist.
So the honest question is: what would make a 70-minute drive worth it for you?
Here's what Markham customers actually tell us when they show up.
The Call-For-Quote Game Is Exhausting
You've been there. You find a motor online, you like what you see, and then there's no price, just a form or a phone number. You call. You leave your number. Someone calls back, asks what boat you have, what you're using it for, and eventually offers to "work something up." Three calls later, you still don't have a number.
That's not an accident. The call-for-quote system exists to put a salesperson in the conversation before you've decided what you want. Once you're talking, they can shape what you're considering.
We don't do that. Our quote builder at mercuryrepower.ca shows you real installed pricing in Canadian dollars in about three minutes. No account required, no callback, no negotiation opener. You see the motor, the installation, the rigging, what it actually costs to have a Mercury running on your boat. If you would rather skim current Mercury prices in CAD before building anything, the full motor price list is published too.
If you build a quote and decide to buy somewhere else, that's fine. The point is that you made an informed decision, not one that was managed by a sales process.
What Mercury Premier Actually Means
Mercury has a dealer tier program. Premier is the top level. It's not a marketing badge, it reflects depth of inventory, technical training, warranty authorization, and parts access.
In practical terms: if you have a warranty issue or a complex repower with an unusual rigging setup, a Premier dealer has faster resolution paths than a lower-tier dealer. There aren't many Premier dealers in Ontario. That matters more after the sale than it does at the time of purchase.
Why the Reputation Matters
This shop runs on repeat customers and referrals. The recommendation has to make sense after the invoice is paid and the boat is back on the water.
We're not running a sales floor with monthly quotas. We're running a family marina where the next customer is often the neighbour of the last one. The conversation is different.
Markham Has a Large Boating Community, You Probably Know the Lake
Markham sits at the edge of cottage country. A lot of Markham residents have connections to Rice Lake, Lake Scugog, or the Trent-Severn system. If you're already boating up here, we might already be your closest real dealer. And if you're buying a motor for a boat that lives near us, having a dealer nearby is a practical advantage, not just a preference.
What Harris Boat Works Handles for Markham Customers
Mercury outboard sales
Full Mercury lineup: 2.5 HP kickers through 600 HP Verado. FourStroke, Pro XS, Verado, SeaPro. Verado models are special order rather than stocked inventory; we quote them with current factory lead times. We'll talk through what actually makes sense for your hull and how you use it, not push you toward the highest margin option.
Repower service
Most of what we do is repower, replacing an older motor on a hull you want to keep. We handle the full job: motor, rigging, controls, throttle and shift cables, prop selection, and lake test. A repower done right means the new motor performs the way Mercury designed it to, not just "runs."
Mercury parts and service
Premier-tier parts depth and warranty authorization. For engine repairs, we only service Mercury and MerCruiser.
Winter storage
Outdoor with shrinkwrap. We don't run indoor storage. If you need climate-controlled indoor, that's not us.
Installed pricing online
Build your quote at mercuryrepower.ca, real CAD pricing, no games.
Getting to Harris Boat Works from Markham
Route: Highway 407 east to Highway 115 north, then County Road 28 south and County Road 18 east into Gores Landing.
Approximate drive time: Around 70 minutes in normal traffic. The last 30 minutes is rural, county roads through farmland and then cottage country. Most Markham customers say the shift from 404 to cottage roads is part of the appeal.
Address: 5369 Harris Boat Works Rd, Gores Landing, ON K0K 2E0
Phone: 905-342-2153
Service requests: hbw.wiki/service
Motor pricing: mercuryrepower.ca
How to Make the Drive Worth It
Do the work before you leave Markham. You can settle 90% of the decision from your kitchen:
- Build your quote at mercuryrepower.ca. Takes about three minutes. You'll see real installed pricing for the motor and rigging options you're considering.
- Think about the rigging conversation. Single motor vs. twin, tiller vs. remote, what throttle and shift setup you want. These are things we can talk through before you arrive.
- Text or call us with specific questions: 905-342-2153. If you've already built a quote, reference it, we can pull it up.
- Drive up when you're decided, not before. We'd rather have an informed customer than a browsing visit that doesn't go anywhere for either of us.
A Note for Chinese-Canadian Customers in Markham
Markham has one of the largest Chinese-Canadian communities in the country, and we have many customers from that community. If you'd prefer to start in Mandarin or Traditional Chinese, reach out directly, we can accommodate. Some of our supporting materials are available in Chinese as well.
The HBW Promise
No quote fog machine. No "call us and we'll work something up." No bait pricing.
You see the installed price. We talk through the rigging. We do the job properly. You get back on the water.
That's the model. It still works.
Build your quote: mercuryrepower.ca
Request service: hbw.wiki/service
Call or text: 905-342-2153
Harris Boat Works, Gores Landing on Rice Lake. Mercury Marine Premier dealer.
Where Markham Boaters Launch and Why HBW Serves the GTA Chinese-Canadian Community
Markham is inland with no nearby public launch, local boaters trailer either north to Lake Simcoe (about 40 minutes via Highway 404) or east to Rice Lake (about 70 minutes via 404 → 407 east → 115 north). Lake Simcoe is the natural default for fishing and recreation; Rice Lake offers quieter water and an easier launch scene.
The drive to Rice Lake is 70 minutes via Highway 404 → 407 east → Highway 115 north. Skipping the 407 to avoid tolls adds 15-20 minutes via the 401. Midweek mornings are calmest.
Markham repower customers often:
- Read our Mandarin-language guides for technical detail before deciding. We have a growing 中文 collection covering pricing, winterization, and repower decisions for GTA Chinese-Canadian boaters.
- Justify the drive for Mercury Premier-level service. Closer dealers often lack the rigging depth for a clean repower install.
- Trust transparent CAD pricing. Our online quote builder at mercuryrepower.ca works without a phone call, you can build the quote in any language, in your own time, before deciding to make the trip.
Markham customers often combine their trip with a service drop, see our drive-in service walkthrough.
