Quick Answer Harris Boat Works is a Mercury Marine Premier Dealer in Gores Landing on Rice Lake, about 35 minutes south of Peterborough via Highway 28. We handle Mercury outboard sales, repowers, parts, and service. Installed pricing is published online at mercuryrepower.ca,...
Quick Answer
Harris Boat Works is a Mercury Marine Premier Dealer in Gores Landing on Rice Lake, about 35 minutes south of Peterborough via Highway 28. We handle Mercury outboard sales, repowers, parts, and service. Installed pricing is published online at mercuryrepower.ca, so you can build a quote before you make the drive. Family-owned since 1947, Mercury dealer since 1965.
See why boaters across Ontario choose Harris Boat Works for the full breakdown of our approach.
The short answer for Peterborough boaters
If you're searching for the best Mercury dealer near Peterborough, here's the honest version: there are several dealers in the area, and "best" depends on what you need. What Harris Boat Works offers that's hard to find elsewhere: Mercury Premier Dealer status, real prices published online in our quote configurator (no "call for price"), water testing on Rice Lake before you take delivery, and a family that has run the place since 1947 and sold Mercury since 1965. We're about 35 minutes south of Peterborough via Highway 28 in Gores Landing, on Rice Lake's south shore. Plenty of Peterborough boaters drive past closer options for those four things.
Peterborough boaters don't need to commute to the GTA for a Mercury dealer
Most Peterborough boating questions get answered with a drive south through Lakefield or a drive west into the Kawarthas. The Mercury dealer math is a third option that a lot of Peterborough customers don't think about until they need a real conversation about a repower: HBW is 35 minutes south on Highway 28, and the route avoids any of the GTA congestion that makes a Mississauga or Burlington dealer a four-hour round trip.
For Peterborough customers, the conversation we have most often is "I've been driving to Toronto for warranty work and it's becoming impractical." Same warranty network. Closer dealer. Easier scheduling.
What Peterborough boaters typically use HBW for
The pattern we see from Peterborough regulars looks like this:
- Spring commissioning, they drop off in April, pick up in May with the motor commissioned, tested, and ready for the Otonabee
- Mid-season service, an impeller, a fuel issue, a SmartCraft fault that needs a Mercury Premier diagnostic
- Repower decisions, when the old motor is past mid-life and the math starts looking ugly, we walk through repower vs new boat vs sell with real numbers
- Fall winterization + storage, boat stays with us through the off-season, gets full winterization, picks back up at spring launch
- Trade-in conversations, the Trade-In Value Guide at mercuryrepower.ca gives a starting number; we close the actual valuation in person
The Peterborough boaters who use us most don't come for the sale. They come because once you have a service relationship with a Mercury Premier shop on Rice Lake, the rest of the year gets simpler.
Why Peterborough customers drive past closer shops
Peterborough has marinas. Peterborough has general boat shops. What it has less of is Mercury Premier dealer depth with full repower capacity.
Premier is Mercury's top dealer tier, it reflects parts inventory depth, technical training hours, warranty authorization, and SmartCraft diagnostic equipment. For routine work (oil changes, props, basic seasonal service) any qualified Mercury dealer is fine. For a full repower or a hard warranty case, Premier-tier resolution paths matter.
The other reason: live online pricing. Most Mercury dealers, including most in the Peterborough area, require a phone call to get a quote. Our quote builder at mercuryrepower.ca shows real installed CAD pricing, motor, rigging, controls, prop, install labour, HST, in about three minutes. You see the number before you make the call. That alone is worth a 35-minute drive for most informed buyers. For Mercury prices from 2.5 to 300 HP on one page, see our published price reference.
Getting to Harris Boat Works from Peterborough
Route: Highway 28 South through Lakefield, then County Road 9 east toward Gores Landing, then County Road 18 into the marina. Mostly highway and rural county road. Last 10 minutes is scenic Rice Lake country.
Approximate drive time: 35 minutes outside rush hour. From east Peterborough (around Trent University), shave 5 minutes. From west Peterborough (toward Lakefield), the drive is slightly longer but still under 40 minutes.
Address: 5369 Harris Boat Works Rd, Gores Landing, ON K0K 2E0
Phone: 905-342-2153
Service requests: hbw.wiki/service
Motor pricing: mercuryrepower.ca
What HBW handles for Peterborough customers
Mercury outboard sales
Full Mercury lineup: 2.5 HP portables through 600 HP Verado (Verado is special-order, most Peterborough/Kawartha boats need FourStroke or Pro XS). Honest conversation about what fits your boat and your use case on the Otonabee, Trent system, or Kawartha lakes.
Repower service
Full job: motor, rigging, controls, throttle and shift cables, prop selection, installation, sea trial on Rice Lake before pickup. We don't deliver motors on trailers and hope they run right, every install gets water-tested before it leaves the shop.
Mercury parts and service
Premier-tier parts depth and warranty authorization. SmartCraft diagnostics, full service for current and recent Mercury outboards. For engine repairs, we only service Mercury and Mercruiser.
Winter storage
Outdoor with shrinkwrap. No indoor storage. For Peterborough customers who boat on Rice Lake, the Otonabee, or anywhere in the Trent-Severn system, year-round storage at HBW means the boat is already close to launch in spring.
Live installed pricing online
mercuryrepower.ca, real Canadian dollars, full configuration. Build a quote before you leave Peterborough.
The Peterborough customer profile we see most often
Peterborough boaters tend to know boats. The city has a deep boating culture, Trent University boaters, Otonabee day-cruisers, Kawartha cottagers, and a strong fishing community on the Kawartha chain. The call-for-quote runaround frustrates Peterborough buyers more than most because they've usually already done their research before they make the call.
Our quote builder skips that step. The price you see is the price you pay. Three generations of HBW have built this business on returning customers and referrals, not on quota-driven sales tactics.
What we see at HBW
The most common Peterborough question we get isn't about a specific motor, it's "is repower worth it on my hull?" The honest answer depends on three things: the age of the hull, the cost of the motor proposed, and how many seasons you want out of the package. Our Repower vs Buy New decision guide covers the math; the short answer is that for hulls under 15 years old in good structural shape, repower beats new-boat economics in most cases.
For Peterborough customers specifically: the closer service relationship is the under-rated benefit. A repower done at HBW means the dealer who installed the motor is also the one doing your annual maintenance. That's how warranty issues get resolved fast.
How to make the drive worth it
Build your quote at mercuryrepower.ca first. Takes about three minutes. You'll see real installed pricing for the motor and rigging options you're considering.
If you have a specific service issue, submit a request at hbw.wiki/service. That's how 90% of our service intake starts, faster than a phone call, and it routes directly to the right person.
For a motor purchase conversation, call ahead: 905-342-2153. We'll have someone ready when you arrive.
Start from home: build your itemized Mercury quote at mercuryrepower.ca/quote/motor-selection, then pick up at Gores Landing.
Frequently Asked Questions, Peterborough
Can I use HBW as my regular Mercury service shop, not just for a repower?
Yes. A 35-minute drive each way works for spring commissioning, mid-season service, and fall winterization. Many of our Peterborough regulars have made this their annual routine.
Do you service the Trent-Severn or just Rice Lake boats?
We service Mercury and Mercruiser outboards regardless of where the boat lives. Trent-Severn, Kawarthas, Lake Ontario, Otonabee, same shop, same diagnostics. For engine repairs, we only service Mercury and Mercruiser.
Is HBW closer than a Toronto dealer?
For most Peterborough addresses, yes, Toronto is roughly 90-120 minutes through GTA traffic; HBW is 35 minutes via Highway 28. The drive is also more pleasant.
What do you charge for a Mercury repower?
Depends on horsepower and existing rigging. The quote builder at mercuryrepower.ca gives a real CAD installed number based on your boat and the motor you're considering. Most repowers in our area land in the $13,000-$25,000 range including HST.
Can I store my boat with you year-round?
Yes. Outdoor storage with shrinkwrap. For Peterborough customers who launch on Rice Lake or the Trent system, year-round storage at HBW makes the launch logistics simpler.
Do you sell new boats too?
Yes. We're also a Legend Boats dealer. Aluminum fishing boats and pontoons primarily, all Mercury-rigged. Worth a conversation if you're in the new-boat market.
Harris Boat Works · Mercury Marine Premier Dealer · Mercury dealer since 1965 · Family-owned on Rice Lake since 1947 · 5369 Harris Boat Works Rd, Gores Landing, ON · (905) 342-2153
Last reviewed: 2026-05-17.
