See why boaters across Ontario choose Harris Boat Works for the full breakdown of our approach. --- Why Richmond Hill boaters drive to Harris Boat Works: about 75 minutes to Gores Landing on Rice Lake for Mercury repower and service # Why Richmond Hill Customers Drive to Rice...
Quick answer: Harris Boat Works is a Mercury Marine Premier Dealer in Gores Landing on Rice Lake, approximately 75 minutes north of Richmond Hill via Highway 404 and Highway 115. We handle Mercury outboard sales, repowers, parts, and service. See installed pricing 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.
There are Mercury dealers closer to Richmond Hill. We know the map. We're not trying to pretend otherwise.
What we're offering is a different kind of buying experience, and whether it's worth a 75-minute drive depends on what's been frustrating you about the closer options.
The Problem With "Call For a Quote"
If you've tried to price a Mercury outboard lately, you've likely hit the wall: a dealer website that lists motors without prices, a form that promises a callback, or a phone number that leads to a conversation where someone asks a dozen questions before telling you what anything costs.
This isn't incompetence. It's a sales strategy. Getting you on the phone before you have a price lets the dealer control the comparison. Once you're talking, the assumption is that personal rapport and anchoring will do the work that transparency would short-circuit.
We just put the price online. Our quote builder at mercuryrepower.ca shows real installed pricing in Canadian dollars, motor, rigging, and installation, before you've talked to anyone. You can compare, think it over, and call us when you've decided what you want. For Mercury outboard pricing, every model on one page, see our price reference.
If you use that and then buy from a closer dealer, fine. You'll buy with your eyes open.
Why Premier Status Matters More Than Location
Richmond Hill has Mercury dealers. Not all of them are Premier. Mercury's Premier tier is the top level of their dealer program, it reflects parts depth, technical training, and warranty authorization. Lower-tier dealers can sell Mercury motors. They can't always support the harder jobs as quickly.
On a straightforward motor purchase, tier may not matter much. On a complex repower, unusual hull, twin-engine setup, non-standard rigging, or warranty diagnosis on a new motor, technical depth starts to matter. Premier status does not change the warranty terms or guarantee priority approval; HBW's practical advantage is Mercury-specific training, tooling, parts depth, and familiarity with complex installations.
Third-Generation Means Something Different
We've been at this since 1947. Jay Harris's grandfather started the business. Jay's father ran it. Jay runs it now.
When you've been on the same lake for three generations, your reputation isn't something you manage, it's something you inherited. The neighbours of your customers are your potential customers. That changes what it means to cut a corner or oversell someone.
We're a small shop. We're not anonymous. We'd rather do right by someone and have them come back in five years than close a sale and never hear from them again.
Richmond Hill Buyers Tend to Know What They Want
Richmond Hill has a sophisticated boating community, a lot of buyers who've done the research, know the motor families, and are price-sensitive enough to know when they're being managed. Our transparent pricing model tends to appeal to exactly that buyer. You've already decided roughly what you want. You just want a shop that'll give you a straight number and do the job properly.
What Harris Boat Works Handles for Richmond Hill Customers
Mercury outboard sales
Full lineup from 2.5 HP through 600 HP. Our standard repower lineup is FourStroke and Pro XS. Verado is available on special order, and SeaPro is a commercial-duty option we bring in to order. We'll have an honest conversation about what makes sense for your specific hull, how you use it, and what you're willing to spend, not just push the highest-margin option.
Repower service
We replace old motors on hulls you want to keep. Full job: motor, rigging, controls, throttle and shift, prop selection, installation, lake test. The rigging conversation matters as much as the motor choice, a motor improperly rigged to a hull will underperform and can shorten the motor's life.
Mercury parts and service
Premier-tier warranty authorization and parts access. For engine repairs, we only service Mercury and MerCruiser.
Winter storage
Outdoor with shrinkwrap. No indoor option. If climate-controlled indoor storage is essential, that's not us.
Transparent installed pricing
mercuryrepower.ca, real CAD pricing before you make any commitments.
Getting to Harris Boat Works from Richmond Hill
Route: Highway 407 east to Highway 115 north, then exit to County Road 28 south and follow County Road 18 east into Gores Landing.
Approximate drive time: Around 75 minutes in normal traffic. The route on 404 north is familiar to any Richmond Hill resident who's driven to cottage country. The last 30 minutes is rural, county roads, farmland, and then Rice Lake in the distance.
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 Efficient
Most Richmond Hill customers who drive up have done the homework first:
- Build your quote at mercuryrepower.ca. Three minutes. Real numbers.
- Think through the rigging. Tiller or remote? What controls? Any unusual hull considerations? The more specific you can be, the more useful the conversation when you arrive.
- Call or text ahead: 905-342-2153. Mention you've built a quote and are planning to drive up, we'll make sure someone has time for you.
- Drive up when you're decided. 75 minutes each way is a real investment. Come when you're ready to close the conversation, not to browse.
The HBW Promise
Straight pricing. Proper rigging conversation. No fog machine.
You see the number before you leave Richmond Hill. You come up when you're decided. We do the job right. You get back on the water knowing the motor was installed the way Mercury intended it to be installed.
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. Mercury dealer since 1965, family marina on Rice Lake since 1947.
Where Richmond Hill Boaters Launch and Why HBW Competes on Mercury Premier Depth
Richmond Hill is inland, with no major public launch in the city, Lake Wilcox is small and urban with limited recreational boating. Serious Richmond Hill boaters trailer either north to Lake Simcoe (about 50 minutes via Highway 404) or east to Rice Lake (about 75 minutes via 404/407/115). Lake Simcoe is the default for most local boaters; many have cottage relationships there.
The drive to Rice Lake is 75 minutes via Highway 404 → 407 east → Highway 115 north. Avoiding the 407 tolls via the 401 adds 15-20 minutes but saves money, most customers run the toll route for service trips and skip it for casual visits.
Why Richmond Hill boaters drive to HBW vs Simcoe-area dealers:
- Mercury Premier-level expertise. For repower work, dealer depth matters more than 20 minutes of drive time. HBW competes on rigging quality, not proximity.
- Transparent CAD pricing. Build the quote at mercuryrepower.ca before deciding, no phone calls, no negotiation games, real dealer pricing.
- One-stop service + storage. Many Richmond Hill customers store at HBW over winter, get spring commissioning, and trailer back to Simcoe or Rice Lake for the season.
