Last reviewed: 2026-05-10 > Quick answer: A Toronto-to-Rice Lake rental day trip works: 90 minutes up the 401 and 28, launch at Bewdley or Gores Landing, fish or cruise, drive home. Rentals book out fast in summer. When you're ready to own, build a real installed Mercury...
Last reviewed: 2026-05-10
Quick answer: A Toronto-to-Rice Lake rental day trip works: 90 minutes up the 401 and 28, launch at Bewdley or Gores Landing, fish or cruise, drive home. Rentals book out fast in summer. When you're ready to own, build a real installed Mercury quote at mercuryrepower.ca.
You're in Toronto, you don't own a boat, but you'd like to have one for a day. The closest renting on Lake Ontario is logistically painful (parking, no real fishing water, rough chop). The big-water rentals up north (Muskoka) are a 2.5-hour drive on busy weekends.
Rice Lake, Ontario (in the Kawarthas) is the answer most GTA boaters don't know about. 90 minutes from downtown Toronto, gentle calm freshwater, fish, family-friendly, and on a Saturday morning you can be on the water before the people stuck in traffic on the way to Muskoka have made it past Barrie.
Harris Boat Works has rented boats on Rice Lake since long before Airbnb made "shared access" a thing. We've been on this lake since 1947, and the rental fleet grew naturally from generations of GTA visitors asking the same question: can we just borrow one of these for the day?
This is the version of the rental day we'd walk you through if you called and asked.
The Quick Answer
Drive time from central Toronto: 90 minutes (401 east → exit Cobourg → County Rd 18 north).
Drive time from Mississauga / Brampton / western GTA: 75-105 minutes.
Drive time from Markham / Vaughan / Richmond Hill: 75-90 minutes.
Rentals available:
- 2× 23-ft Cruise pontoons (luxury / large groups)
- 2× 24-ft Transporter pontoons + 1× 24-ft backup
- 2× 20-ft Transporter pontoons (mid-size, easier to drive)
- 2× 16-ft ProSport fishing boats (anglers)
Half-day or full-day options. Mercury power on every boat. Life jackets included. Briefing on Rice Lake hazards before you leave.
Booking: harrisboatworks.ca/rentals or call 905-342-2153.
The rest of this post is the detail you'd want before booking.
Why Rice Lake (vs. Other GTA-Accessible Rental Options)
Rice Lake vs. Lake Ontario: Rice Lake is sheltered, calm, freshwater, fish-stocked, family-friendly. Lake Ontario is open big water, often choppy, and rentals are limited to specific zones. Rice Lake is just a better day for most non-boating families.
Rice Lake vs. Muskoka: Muskoka is gorgeous but 2-2.5 hours from the GTA on summer Saturdays (much worse with traffic). Rentals in Muskoka run 30-50% more expensive than Rice Lake equivalents. For a day trip, the math favours Rice Lake meaningfully.
Rice Lake vs. Kawartha Lakes (north): Kawartha Lakes (Bobcaygeon, Buckhorn, Fenelon Falls) are great water but typically 2 hours from the GTA. Rice Lake at 90 minutes is closer; same essential boating experience.
Rice Lake vs. closer Toronto-area lakes: Lake Simcoe is closer (60-75 minutes) but big, exposed, and known for chop. The Toronto Islands are tiny. The Trent-Severn is the same waterway as Rice Lake but renting starting points are limited.
The 90-minute drive to Rice Lake is the sweet spot: far enough from the GTA to feel like a real escape, close enough to be a comfortable day trip.
What You Get When You Rent at HBW
Each rental includes:
- Mercury-powered boat, fueled and ready
- Life jackets for everyone (kids and adults, bring sizes if you have specific kids)
- Pre-departure briefing. Rice Lake hazards (the sunken railway, weed beds, shoals), how to handle the boat, where to fish or cruise
- VHF or cell coverage info. Rice Lake has reasonable cell service on the south shore
- Detailed lake map, depths, hazards, hot spots, shoreline amenities
- Free use of the launch area, you're launching from our marina, not the public ramp
- Free parking on-site for your vehicle while you're on the water
- Restroom + ice / snacks at the marina before you leave
What you bring:
- Valid Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC), required to operate a motorized boat in Canada unless a rental-specific safety checklist applies. If you do not have one, ask before booking so there are no surprises at the dock. A full PCOC is valid for life once earned; course/test pricing varies by approved provider.
- Sunscreen, hats, water, snacks
- Fishing gear and licence if fishing. Ontario fishing licence fees depend on residency, licence type, and duration. As a planning reference, Ontario lists a 1-day resident sport fishing licence at $12.21 + HST and a 1-year resident sport fishing licence at $26.57 + HST. Check ontario.ca before your trip because licence rules and fees can change.
- Cooler and refreshments for the day
What's NOT included:
- Fuel beyond what's prefilled, most full-day rentals come back with about 1/4 tank used; if you run dry, refuel costs apply
- Damage insurance / waiver, typical rental damage waiver applies; details on the booking form
- Fishing licence, get yours from ontario.ca or any HBW staff can help
Boat Type Selection. Match the Boat to the Day
You're a family of 4-6 wanting a relaxed cruising / swimming day.
→ 20-ft or 24-ft Transporter pontoon. Plenty of seating, swim ladder, easy to pilot, comfortable for kids. Half-day is usually enough.
You're a group of 6-10 wanting a longer day with food + drinks + multiple swim stops.
→ 23-ft or 24-ft Cruise pontoon. Larger fleet, more seating, better for entertaining, full-day rental is the move.
You're 1-4 anglers wanting to actually fish (walleye, bass, perch).
→ 16-ft ProSport fishing boat. Right tool for the job: manageable size, fishfinder included, and it gets you to the structure on the lake. Half-day or full-day.
You're a couple on a date / scouting visit / first-time-on-water.
→ Smaller is usually better. 20-ft pontoon is forgiving, easy to handle, comfortable for two.
You're considering buying a boat someday and want to test the waters.
→ Try the 20-ft pontoon first to see if pontoon ownership is your style; or the 16-ft ProSport to see if you'd be a fishing-boat owner. The rental experience is genuinely useful market research before a $40K+ purchase.
“We rent a pontoon two weekends a year for the family at the in-laws' cottage. The HBW booking process is the easiest part of the trip. Show up, sign, go. Hand the keys back, drive home.
–Priya N.–Markham
The Half-Day vs. Full-Day Math
Half-day rental (4 hours):
- 9 AM-1 PM or 1 PM-5 PM typical windows
- Right size for: cruising, light fishing, swim trip with picnic
- Doesn't include lunch on the water (usually)
- Best for: GTA day-trippers driving up + back same day
Full-day rental (8 hours):
- 9 AM-5 PM typical
- Right size for: serious fishing, long swim/cruise day, anchored picnics, sunset run
- Includes time to explore Bewdley + Roseneath shores by water
- Best for: groups who arrive early and want maximum on-water time
For a GTA family driving up at 8 AM and leaving at 4-5 PM: half-day morning is the most-popular pattern. Gets you on the water by 10 AM, off by 2 PM, lunch stop at Lakeview Restaurant in Bewdley, drive home before rush hour.
You can build a live CAD quote for your repower online at Mercury Repower Centre.
A Sample GTA Day-Trip Itinerary
8:00 AM. Leave central Toronto. Stop for coffee on the 401 east.
9:30 AM. Arrive at HBW (5369 Harris Boat Works Rd, Gores Landing). Park, bathroom, snacks at the office.
9:45 AM. Boat briefing + safety walkthrough.
10:00 AM. On the water. Run east toward Hiawatha or west toward Bewdley.
11:30 AM. First swim stop or fishing session.
12:30 PM. Cruise to Bewdley shoreline. Lunch on board or anchor in a bay.
1:30 PM. More fishing, swimming, or cruising.
2:30 PM. Head back toward the marina.
3:00 PM. Dock back at HBW.
3:30 PM. Quick lunch at Lakeview Restaurant in Bewdley (5 min drive, on the lake).
4:30 PM. Drive home.
6:00 PM. Back in Toronto.
That's a comfortable, full-feeling, water-focused day with no rush. Total cost (rental + fuel + lunch + gas to get there): typically $300-$500 for a family of 4 depending on rental size and length.
For comparison: a Muskoka rental day for a family of 4 is typically $500-$800 by the time you add up rental, longer drive fuel, lunch at lakeside resort. Rice Lake genuinely competes well on cost-per-hour-of-fun.
Things to Know About Rice Lake (the Hazards)
The lake is forgiving but not flat-empty water. Two specific things to know:
1. The sunken railway. A 19th-century railway line is submerged about 4 feet below surface across the middle of the lake (between Hiawatha and Harwood). It's claimed many propellers over the decades. The pre-departure briefing covers this, we'll show you exactly where on the chartplotter and how to navigate around it. Newer boaters: stay on the south shore until you've crossed it once with us briefing.
2. Weed beds. Mid-summer, weed beds get thick in the bays. Avoid running through them at speed, they'll wrap your prop. Easy to navigate around once you see them; the briefing covers this.
3. Wind from the west. Rice Lake's east-west orientation means a stiff west wind builds chop quickly across the open water. Check the morning forecast; if it's blowing 15+ knots from the west, plan a sheltered cove day rather than open-lake cruising.
For everything else, Rice Lake is a forgiving lake. Speed limits, wake rules, and shoreline distance regulations are standard Ontario.
Booking. When and How
Best to book 2-3 weeks ahead for summer weekends (May long weekend through Labour Day).
1-week ahead is fine for shoulder-season weekends (May early/late, September).
Day-of bookings sometimes available in shoulder season; not in peak summer.
harrisboatworks.ca/rentals, online booking with the rental fleet calendar. Phone 905-342-2153 for questions.
Cancellation: typical 48-hour notice for a refund. Weather-cancellation policy: severe-weather cancellations refunded; "drizzle" usually not, boats are still safe in light rain.
Beyond the Day-Rental. What Comes Next
If you have a great rental day and start thinking about ownership, talk to us before searching used Mercurys on Marketplace:
- We sell new Mercury motors + Legend Boats (Canadian-designed aluminum and pontoon, sold exclusively in Canada)
- We do pre-purchase inspections on used boats and motors
- We offer a trade quote through our configurator that's based on actual Ontario service-data, not Florida blue-book guesswork
The rental experience is a useful gut-check on what kind of boat owner you'd be. Pontoon families often realize they want pontoons. Fishing families realize they want fishing boats. The rental day saves you from buying the wrong boat at the wrong price.
Related guides
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to drive from Toronto to Rice Lake?
Roughly 90 minutes to Gores Landing in light traffic. From central Toronto: 401 east, exit at Cobourg, follow County Rd 18 north. From the western GTA (Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville): plan 75-105 minutes.
Do I need a boating licence to rent at HBW?
Yes, a Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC) is required to operate any motorized boat in Ontario. If you don't have one, the marina can sometimes issue a temporary "rental boat safety checklist", but most full-day rentals require the PCOC. Easier to get the actual card before you come (3-hour online course, $50, lifetime good).
What does a half-day rental cost?
Pricing varies by boat type and season. As of 2026: small fishing boat half-day from $200, mid-size pontoon half-day from $350, large pontoon half-day from $450. Full-day roughly 1.7-2× half-day. Check harrisboatworks.ca/rentals for current pricing.
Can we fish from rental boats?
Yes. The 16-ft ProSport boats are designed for fishing and include a fishfinder. Pontoons can fish too, but they are set up more for cruising and comfort. You need a valid Ontario fishing licence if you are fishing. Fees depend on licence type and residency, so check ontario.ca before you come. As a planning reference, Ontario lists a 1-day resident sport fishing licence at $12.21 + HST and a 1-year resident sport fishing licence at $26.57 + HST.
What if it rains the day of our rental?
Light rain, boats still go out, you're fine. Severe weather (lightning, sustained high winds, severe weather warning), we'll cancel and refund or rebook. Drizzle is not a refund condition; sustained downpour might be.
Are kids and pets allowed on rentals?
Kids absolutely yes, pontoons are kid-magnets, life jackets provided, the lake is shallow and forgiving. Pets case-by-case; ask when booking. Most pontoons accommodate well-behaved dogs.
Where do we eat during a rental day?
On the boat (bring a picnic) or at lakeshore restaurants. Lakeview Restaurant in Bewdley (west end of Rice Lake, 5 min from HBW) is the local pick. Many anchorages near restaurants.
Can we swim from the rental boats?
Yes. Pontoons typically have swim ladders. The 16-ft fishing boats don't, but you can swim alongside if you anchor in calm water.
Do you offer multi-day rentals?
Yes. Multi-day discounts available; ask when booking. Typical scenario: 2-3 day rentals for cottagers staying in the area without their own boat.
Booking: harrisboatworks.ca/rentals
Phone: 905-342-2153
Address: 5369 Harris Boat Works Rd, Gores Landing, ON
Related guides:
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