Last reviewed: 2026-07-02 > Quick answer: Harris Boat Works rents a 9-boat fleet on Rice Lake: 23-ft cruise pontoons, 20-ft and 24-ft fishing pontoons, and 16-ft ProSport fishing boats. Everything books online with live availability, life jackets and safety gear included. You...
Last reviewed: 2026-07-02
Quick answer: Harris Boat Works rents a 9-boat fleet on Rice Lake: 23-ft cruise pontoons, 20-ft and 24-ft fishing pontoons, and 16-ft ProSport fishing boats. Everything books online with live availability, life jackets and safety gear included. You need photo ID and a boat operator's card (the online course takes an evening). Book at harrisboatworks.ca/rentals.
Last season, 346 rentals went out from our dock. Most of them started with the same three questions: what boats do you have, what does it really cost, and do I need a licence?
Here's all of it in one place. No surprises at the dock, because surprises at the dock waste your water time and ours.
One thing up front: we're in Gores Landing, on the south shore of Rice Lake, about 90 minutes east of downtown Toronto and 25 minutes south of Peterborough. You rent here, you boat here. Our boats stay on Rice Lake.
The Fleet: What You Can Actually Rent
Nine boats, three jobs:
| Boat |
Size |
Best for |
| Cruise pontoons |
23 ft |
Families and groups who want to tour the lake, swim, and anchor for lunch |
| Fishing pontoons (Transporter) |
20 and 24 ft |
Groups that fish. Open deck, room for rods and coolers |
| ProSport fishing boats |
16 ft |
Two or three anglers who want to run to the spots and fish all day |
Every pontoon has a Bluetooth stereo. Every boat goes out with legally required safety gear and life jackets fitted to your whole party at check-in, including kid sizes. You don't bring or rent any of that separately.
Capacity is per boat and it's a hard limit. If your group is bigger, book two boats; we do it every weekend all summer.
What a Rental Day Looks Like
Booking. Everything runs through the online system at harrisboatworks.ca/rentals. Live availability, live rates, pay the deposit or the full balance up front. Waivers get signed online the day before, so dock time is short.
Rental hours. Monday to Saturday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Sunday 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Multi-day rentals are the exception: keep the boat at our dock or at your cottage dock and use it whenever you like, with lights required after dark.
Check-in. Show photo ID and a boat operator's card (permanent or temporary) for whoever's driving. We process a $1,000 damage deposit hold on a credit card; it's an authorization, not a charge. Staff fit life jackets for everyone, then the driver gets a boat orientation and a lake map.
Return. Back at the dock, unloaded, by your return time. We refuel the boat, check it over, settle the fuel, and release the deposit hold. Fair warning on timing: late returns run $5 per minute, so plan your last swim accordingly.
What It Costs Beyond the Rental Rate
Rental rates are live in the booking system (they vary by boat and day), so we won't print numbers here that go stale. The costs people don't plan for:
- Fuel: you pay for what you burn, at return. A day of mostly fishing runs about $5 to $35 in a ProSport and $15 to $75 in a pontoon. Cruising the lake all day in a pontoon is more like $60 to $100. Wind, load, and throttle habit all matter.
- Damage deposit: $1,000 hold, released after the boat checks out clean.
- Bait: we sell worms ($5 a dozen, $10 for two). For tackle, BJ Tackle in Bewdley is the spot.
- Cleaning: normal use is expected. Spilled worm dirt and muddy anchors are the two classics that turn into cleaning fees. Rinse the anchor before it comes aboard and you're fine.
There's no damage insurance to buy; the deposit system is the whole arrangement, and you're responsible for damage. Treat the boat like you borrowed it from a friend, because functionally you did.
Licences: The Two Cards That Matter
To drive the boat, the operator needs proof of competency. If you have a Pleasure Craft Operator Card, bring it. If nobody in your group has one, you can complete the boating licence course online in an evening at myboatcard.com/card/harrisboat, and our promo code HARRIS15 takes 15% off. Non-Canadian residents complete a renter's checklist waiver after reserving. Full details in our Ontario rental licence guide.
To fish, anyone 18 to 64 needs an Outdoors Card plus an Ontario fishing licence, sport or conservation. Under 18 or 65 plus, government ID is your licence. We don't sell fishing licences; get them at ontario.ca before you arrive. Canadian residents fish free on Mother's Day weekend, Father's Day weekend, and Family Fishing Week in July.
Common mistakes
- Booking the boat but not the licence. The temporary operator card takes minutes online, but do it before rental day, not at our counter at 8:05 am.
- Bringing a cooler of beer. Alcohol on our rental boats is prohibited, full stop. Same rules as a car in Ontario, and the OPP patrol Rice Lake seriously.
- Ignoring the buoyed channels. The old Harwood-to-Hiawatha rail causeway left rock just under the surface mid-lake. It's unmarked outside the buoyed passes. Use the map we hand you; it exists because of exactly this.
- Planning a shore party. Your group size is the boat's capacity. Extra people can't hang out on our property while you boat.
- Cutting the return time close. $5 a minute adds up faster than you'd think.
What HBW checks before you leave the dock
Every rental gets the same send-off: full fuel, motor warmed and checked that morning, safety kit counted, life jackets fitted to your actual passengers rather than tossed in a bin, and a driver orientation that covers the boat, the lake map, and where the rocks are. We've been putting people onto this lake since 1947. The orientation takes ten minutes and it's the reason first-timers come back relaxed instead of rattled.
Weather, Cancellations, and the Practical Stuff
Weather: if conditions are genuinely bad (high wind, heavy rain), we cancel or reschedule with a full refund. We'd rather rebook you than send you out white-knuckled.
Cancellations: free with 7 days' notice, deposit refunded. Inside 24 hours or day-of, the full rental amount applies. In between those windows, call us and we'll figure it out.
Dogs: smaller dogs and service dogs are welcome aboard, leashed on land, and their behaviour is on you. No dog life jackets here, so bring one if your dog needs it.
Washrooms: four on site; grab the key at the office.
Why Rent Here Instead of Closer to the City
Rice Lake is the closest serious fishing and cruising lake to the eastern GTA that doesn't come with Muskoka traffic or Muskoka prices. From the 401 at Cobourg you're 20 minutes of county road from our dock. The lake gives you walleye and bass water, 30 km of lake to explore, ice cream stops in Bewdley and Hastings, and a marina at your back if anything comes up while you're out. If a rental day turns into "we should just own one of these," that conversation is 50 feet from the rental dock.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a boating licence to rent a boat on Rice Lake?
The driver needs proof of competency: a Pleasure Craft Operator Card, or a boating licence you can complete online in an evening at myboatcard.com/card/harrisboat (code HARRIS15 saves 15%). Only the person driving needs it, and non-Canadian residents complete a renter's checklist waiver instead. Details: our rental licence guide.
How much does a Rice Lake boat rental cost?
Rates vary by boat and day, and they're live in the booking system at harrisboatworks.ca/rentals. Budget separately for fuel ($5 to $35 for fishing in a small boat, up to $100 for a full pontoon cruising day) and a $1,000 refundable damage deposit hold.
Are life jackets included?
Yes. All legally required safety gear comes with the boat, and staff fit life jackets to everyone in your party at check-in, kids included. Missing gear at return comes out of the damage deposit.
Can we take the rental boat to another lake?
No. Our boats stay on Rice Lake. If you're headed elsewhere in the Kawarthas, rent from a marina on that lake; trailering our fleet around isn't a thing we offer.
Can we drink on the boat?
No. Alcohol on the rental boats is prohibited, and Ontario treats a boat like a car: enforcement on Rice Lake is real and the penalties are severe. Save it for dry land after the boat's back.
What happens if the weather turns bad?
High winds or heavy rain and we'll cancel or reschedule your rental with no penalty, deposits refunded. Standard cancellations are free up to 7 days out; inside 24 hours you're on the hook for the full amount.
Can I keep the boat for a whole week at my cottage?
Yes, multi-day rentals can stay at your cottage dock for the duration, and you can use the boat outside normal rental hours. You're responsible for it while it's in your care, and it needs working lights for any after-dark running.
Ready to Get on the Water?
Pick your boat and date, and the booking system shows you live availability and rates. Waivers happen online the night before, so rental morning is ten minutes from parking lot to throttle.
Book online: harrisboatworks.ca/rentals
Questions? Text: 647-952-2153 or call: 905-342-2153
Address: 5369 Harris Boat Works Rd, Gores Landing, ON
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