Quick answer Harris Boat Works has been selling and servicing Mercury outboards since 1965, three generations of one family on the same dock in Gores Landing, Ontario. We are a Mercury Platinum dealer today, the highest dealer tier Mercury awards. We sell Mercury exclusively,...
Quick answer
Harris Boat Works has been selling and servicing Mercury outboards since 1965, three generations of one family on the same dock in Gores Landing, Ontario. We are a Mercury Platinum dealer today, the highest dealer tier Mercury awards. We sell Mercury exclusively, post real installed pricing at mercuryrepower.ca, and do the kind of honest boat-to-motor matching that takes local lake knowledge. If you want straight answers and a dealer who will still be here when you need service five years from now, that is the short case for us.
Why this question comes up
Most Ontario boaters have had at least one bad dealer experience. You call for a price, get a runaround, get transferred, get told someone will call you back, and eventually piece together a number through Google that is probably out of date.
We get it. We built the quote configurator at mercuryrepower.ca specifically because that experience is frustrating and it does not need to be that way. But beyond the pricing transparency, people ask why HBW specifically, and that is a fair question worth a real answer.
What "Mercury Platinum dealer" actually means
Mercury does not hand out Platinum status as a marketing favour. It is the highest tier in their dealer rating system, awarded based on sales volume, service quality, technician certification levels, customer satisfaction, and operational standards.
What it means in practice for you:
| Platinum benefit |
What it does for you |
| Priority parts allocation |
Faster repair turnaround during the busy season |
| Earlier access to new model inventory |
You get first pick before allocation tightens |
| Factory-direct technical support |
Complex issues escalate to Mercury engineers, not a general helpline |
| Higher-level technician certification |
Our techs train at the top Mercury tier |
| Faster warranty claim processing |
Less waiting when something needs to be made right under warranty |
Most multi-brand dealers do not reach Platinum because it is hard to maintain the standards across multiple product lines at once. Exclusive Mercury focus is a big part of why we hold it.
Three generations. One brand.
My grandfather George founded Harris Boat Works in 1947. He added the Mercury dealership in 1965. My father Jim ran the business from 1978 until his passing in 2015. I took over in 2015 and run it now.
That is not a sales line. It means our technicians have been learning Mercury, and only Mercury, for decades. The institutional knowledge does not reset with staff turnover the way it does at bigger, busier shops. Some of our service customers have brought their boats to three generations of Harrises. We know their motors the way a family doctor knows a patient history.
Why we only sell Mercury
We do not carry Yamaha, Honda, or Suzuki. Not because those are bad motors, they are not, but because the depth-versus-breadth tradeoff is clear for our customer base.
Most boats on Rice Lake and the Kawarthas came Mercury-rigged from the factory. The boaters who find us have usually already decided on Mercury; they are deciding on a dealer. Splitting our parts inventory, tooling, and training across multiple brands would dilute the thing that makes us useful to them: a shop that knows Mercury inside and out.
The expertise compounds over decades. Deep parts inventory. Mercury-specific tooling. Technicians who have seen every Mercury problem worth knowing about on Ontario freshwater.
“I shopped two other Mercury dealers before HBW. The other quotes were three days to a callback. Jay had a real number in 90 seconds and answered my follow-up the same afternoon. Easy decision.
–Brian K.–Peterborough
Local knowledge that transfers to your boat
You can build a live CAD quote for your repower online at Mercury Repower Centre.
We are not a generic marine dealer. We are an Ontario freshwater Mercury dealer. That distinction matters more than it sounds.
Boat-to-motor matching
Recommending a motor is not just reading a spec sheet. It is knowing what a 20-foot aluminum boat actually does at full load on Rice Lake in a chop, and what HP class makes that boat plane properly without slugging down in a turn. We have done enough of those sea trials on local water to have real opinions, not theoretical ones.
Prop selection
Prop selection on paper is guesswork. Prop selection after a sea trial is data. We size the prop for your hull, your load, and how you actually use the boat.
Seasonal and service pattern knowledge
Ontario freshwater has its own rhythm: ice-out, spring prep, the long summer on the hook, fall winterization. We have structured our service operation around that cycle for decades.
What we do for repower customers
- Honest hull walk-around. If the boat is not worth repowering, we tell you that.
- Use-case driven motor selection. What you do with the boat matters as much as the hull rating.
- Transparent installed pricing. Live pricing is at mercuryrepower.ca. Motor, rigging, prop, install, all of it.
- Sea trial and prop confirmation. We do not hand you the keys in the parking lot.
- PCL update. If the HP class changes, your Pleasure Craft Licence needs to be updated. We handle that as part of the project.
- Warranty registration and service log. Documented from day one, which matters if you ever sell the boat.
We also evaluate trade-ins on old motors, working or not. Even a dead motor has value in aluminum and parts.
What we do for service customers
You do not have to have bought from us to get service from us. We service Mercury outboards regardless of where you bought them.
For engine repairs, we only service Mercury and Mercruiser. That is our depth, and we do not dilute it.
Standard service we offer: spring commissioning, mid-season service, fall winterization, warranty work, annual diagnostics, computer diagnostics for modern Mercury fault codes, and parts for common Mercury service items.
To request service: hbw.wiki/service
What we do not do
- Saltwater servicing. We are a freshwater shop.
- Personal watercraft. Mercury makes outboards. We do not sell or service PWCs.
- Jet boats or jet drives. Outboard-specific shop.
- Non-Mercury engine repair. Our engine repair service is Mercury and Mercruiser only. We do not repair Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki, Evinrude, Johnson, Tohatsu, or other non-Mercury engines. We will still take other brands as trade-ins and we sell boats with mixed-brand history; engine repair work is what is Mercury/Mercruiser only.
- Sailboat outfitting beyond the motor.
If the work falls outside our core, we will tell you that and point you toward a shop that is better set up for it.
Financing
Mercury Repower Financing is available through HBW. Rates are set by DealerPlan and change with market conditions, treat any rate you see online as a planning-level figure and confirm the current rate at mercuryrepower.ca before committing to anything. Mercury also runs seasonal promotional rate offers that can be meaningfully below the standard rate.
Ready to talk through a repower or service?
Build a complete installed quote at mercuryrepower.ca, real pricing, no phone call required. When you are ready to move forward or want to talk through your specific boat, call us at 905-342-2153 or request service at hbw.wiki/service.
Ready to price it out? Build a live CAD quote for your repower online at the Mercury Repower Centre.
Last reviewed: 2026-05-11.
Related guides:
Related guides
