You're in Toronto, you don't own a boat, but you'd like to have one for a day. Harris Boat Works operates a current online rental lineup from its Gores Landing dock on Rice Lake. HBW has served boaters here since 1947; current rentals and their availability are listed online....
Quick answer: A Toronto-to-Rice Lake rental day trip works: plan roughly 1 hour 45 minutes from central Toronto in light traffic to Harris Boat Works in Gores Landing, and allow more time during GTA or summer-weekend traffic. Check the live listings, rates, and availability at harrisboatworks.ca/rentals before planning the rest of the day.
You're in Toronto, you don't own a boat, but you'd like to have one for a day. Harris Boat Works operates a current online rental lineup from its Gores Landing dock on Rice Lake. HBW has served boaters here since 1947; current rentals and their availability are listed online.
This guide covers the route, the verified rental process, what to bring, and the Rice Lake safety briefing.
The Quick Answer
Drive time from central Toronto: roughly 1 hour 45 minutes in light traffic (401 east, exit Cobourg, County Rd 18 north).
Drive time from elsewhere in the GTA: varies by origin and traffic; check the live route before choosing a rental start time and allow two hours or more when conditions warrant.
Current rental lineup:
- 23 Cruise and Halo pontoons
- 20-ft and 24-ft Transporter pontoons
- 16-ft ProSport fishing boats
The booking system shows the live boat, capacity, equipment, rental period, rate, and availability for each date. Life jackets and legally required safety gear are included, and the driver receives a Rice Lake orientation before departure.
Booking: harrisboatworks.ca/rentals.
The rest of this post is the detail you'd want before booking.
Why Rice Lake Works for a GTA Day Trip
Rice Lake is freshwater on the Trent-Severn Waterway, and HBW's dock is in Gores Landing on the south shore. The drive from central Toronto is roughly 1 hour 45 minutes in light traffic, but traffic varies; check your route before choosing a rental start time. On the water, follow the map and orientation because the old railway causeway remains a serious navigation hazard.
What You Get When You Rent at HBW
Each rental includes:
- 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
- Lake map showing the Rice Lake railway hazard and buoyed crossings
- Public washrooms during rental hours; the office provides the key
What you bring:
- Valid PCOC and photo ID for every person who may drive. HBW accepts a valid temporary or permanent Pleasure Craft Operator Card at check-in. The rental safety checklist is still part of the briefing but does not replace HBW's driver-card requirement. Passengers do not need a PCOC. See the current rental policy before booking.
- 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 used, which staff calculate when the boat returns
- Damage terms. HBW processes a $1,000 credit-card authorization, and the current rental agreement governs responsibility for damage, including amounts above the hold
- Fishing licence, get yours from ontario.ca or any HBW staff can help
Boat Type Selection. Match the Boat to the Day
You want a relaxed cruising or swimming day.
→ Start with the 23 Cruise or Halo pontoon listings and verify capacity and equipment for your group.
You want to mix fishing and cruising.
→ Compare the 20-ft and 24-ft Transporter listings; both are presented as fishing pontoons in the live booking system.
You're a small fishing group.
→ Review the 16-ft ProSport listing and its posted capacity and equipment.
You're a couple on a date / scouting visit / first-time-on-water.
→ Compare the currently available pontoons and choose one whose posted capacity and equipment fit your group. Staff review the selected boat's controls during orientation.
You're considering buying a boat someday and want to test the waters.
→ Rent the closest available style to the boat you are considering and use the day to test layout, passenger space, and how you actually spend time on the water.
Check the Current Rental Period
The live booking system shows the rental period offered for each boat and date. Confirm the selected period and any multi-day terms in the current listing and rental agreement before booking.
You can build a live CAD quote for your repower online at Mercury Repower Centre.
A Sample GTA Day-Trip Itinerary
7:45 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.
Use the live rental rate and add the fuel you actually use. Include your travel, food, fishing-licence, and bait costs rather than relying on a generic family-day estimate.
Things to Know About Rice Lake (the Hazards)
Rice Lake is 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.
Outside the mapped hazards, continue to follow Ontario speed, wake, shoreline-distance, and safe-operation rules.
Booking. When and How
Use harrisboatworks.ca/rentals for the current fleet calendar and online booking. Availability changes by boat and date.
Cancellation: HBW's current policy allows cancellation at least 7 days before the rental date with the deposit refunded. Cancellations within 24 hours or on the rental date are charged the full rental amount. Harsh-weather cancellations or rescheduling carry no penalty and applied deposits and payments are refunded. Review the current agreement before booking.
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
A rental can be a useful gut-check on what kind of boat owner you'd be. Use the day to evaluate passenger space, fishing room, storage, and cruising comfort before you choose a boat to buy.
What the Whole Day Actually Costs
The itinerary above is the fun math. Here's the money math, all in, so nobody's surprised at the dock:
| Line item |
What to budget |
Notes |
| Boat rental |
Live rates at harrisboatworks.ca/rentals |
Varies by boat and day; check the current calendar |
| Fuel (paid at return) |
Varies with use |
You pay for what you burn; boat, load, wind, distance, and throttle all matter |
| Damage deposit |
$1,000 hold, refunded |
Credit card authorization, not a charge |
| Boating licence |
Complete an accredited course before rental day |
HBW links to myboatcard.com/card/harrisboat; the PCOC itself does not expire |
| Bait |
Check current availability |
Bring tackle and any bait you need if it is not available on site |
| Lunch and treats |
Your call |
Gores Landing and Bewdley both have options; ice cream stops are mandatory with kids aboard |
Use the live boat rate plus your own fuel, travel, food, and fishing costs. The Pleasure Craft Operator Card is a one-time credential that does not expire.
Fuel use varies with the selected boat, load, wind, distance, and throttle. Plan a route that fits the time and conditions rather than relying on a fixed fuel estimate.
