You don't have to be a boat lover to have a wonderful day visiting a summer antique and classic boat show, or one of Canada's numerous marine museums.
A chance to smell the fresh varnish and take in the rich woods and classic designs can make for a memorable day in the sun and there is usually something of interest for every member of the family, from the youngest to the oldest.
The following article is by no means a complete rundown of the summer antique and classic boat shows and marine museums, but these are a few of the shows and museums that we love the best. It's certainly worth planning a trip to the ones that are nearby for you.
The theme for the ACBS Toronto Chapter, Summer Boat Show that will be held in Gravenhurst, Ontario on July 11, 2015 is The Disappearing Propeller Boat, commonly called a “Dippy”. These double-ended skiffs were among the earliest gasoline powered boats. The name Disappearing Propeller Boat is because the propeller is on a jointed shaft so the helmsman can pull a lever and lift it into a housing, allowing the boat to glide over logs and rocks – the propeller disappears when danger looms.
Typically, this is a wonderful show with up to 100 of the very finest boats tied up at the docks in the water, doing demonstration ‘fly-bys’ to delight the crowds. A public address system keeps the visitors informed about the boats that are passing by and other activities. There are far more boats on the land, art and gift kiosks, snacks and children’s activities too.
The Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough, Ontario is an engaging, family-friendly place that offers a fascinating look at Canadian history as seen from a canoe. The museum’s mission is to help you Discover the Heart of Canada.
This summer, make a point of visiting the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes at Kingston.
This interesting facility is the original Kingston drydock and Canada's first prime minister, Sir John A. McDonald laid the cornerstone as his last official act, 200 years ago this year.
George Cuthbertson, one of the founders of C&C Yachts recently donated his personal collection of drawings and information to the museum. In the 1980s C&C Yachts was the world's foremost sailboat builder.
While the Osborne-Killey steam engine is a wonderful thing to see, we especially wanted to let you know that the steam launch Phoebe is on display there too. Built in 1914, the Phoebe is located under a timber frame structure built in 2008 by high school students and their teacher.
The Phoebe is a 48-foot historic steam launch built in Kingston in 1914 by the Davis Dry Dock Company for the world renowned astronomer, inventor and instrument maker, Dr. John Brashear. John named the boat after his wife Phoebe Stewart.
When we stayed at the Gananoque Inn & Spa in Gananoque, Ontario, we could easily walk to the Thousand Islands Cruise Line docks to take the trip through the islands, stopping at Boldt Castle and then taking the side trip to the amazing Boldt Castle Yacht House.
The Yacht House is spectacular and in excellent shape too. It was designed to take a large sailboat right inside, mast and sails up!
Read more: Boldt Castle Yacht House - Gananoque, Ontario,...
The Antique Boat Museum bills itself as North America's premier freshwater nautical museum. It enjoys a spectacular location in the Thousand Islands on the St Lawrence River and the museum has a 4.5 acre campus with 1500 feet of shoreline for their enormous collection of boats. More than 100 boats are on display every day of the year and through the summer, you can go out for a speedboat ride on the St. Lawrence, row a wooden St. Lawrence, skiff, take boatbuilding classes or sailing lessons.
More than just a show, the 2015 Vancouver Wooden Boat Festival on Granville Island, Vancouver will feature a floating exhibition of wooden boats, displays, hands-on boatbuilding and demonstrations, including knot tying and marlinspike seamanship.
Hear some sea shanties (and sing along) or join in the workshops, listen to First Nations maritime storytellers, explore a replica of an 18th century Spanish long boat and far more including on-site wooden boatbuilding.
The Pacific Northwest on both sides of the border is blessed with an enormous number of traditional boats of all descriptions. Then, there are some amazing maritime non-profit organizations including the Maritime Museum of BC, Port Townsend Wooden Boat Foundation, SALTS, Seattle Centre for Wooden Boats, Cowichan Bay Maritime Centre, Victoria Tall Ships Society, Silva Bay Shipyard School and the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding to name a few, who support these traditional craft.
Related Articles
Boat Reviews
CY Virtual Video Boat Tours
We all love boats and nothing can break us up! So, what better way to spend our time than looking at interesting boats and going aboard in a virtual ride or tour. We have asked our friends at various dealers and manufacturers to help us assemble a one-stop online resource to experience some of the most interesting boats on the market today. Where the CY Team has done a review, we connect you to that expert viewpoint. If you can’t go boating, you can almost experience the thrill via your screen. Not quite the same, but we hope you enjoy our fine tour collection.
Read more about the CY Virtual Boat Tours....................
Cruisers Yachts Raises the Bar for Day Boating
By Andy Adams
Once again, Cruisers Yachts is leading the market for day boats with their new 42 GLS model that premiered at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show at the end of October. The concept of a large day boat is now a very well-established trend made possible by the amazing new power and efficiency of the latest four stroke outboards.
Buyers are looking for a different boating experience and we think that the 42 GLS nails it. Fast, handsome and versatile, the 42 GLS is designed for fun and adventure.
Destinations
Bahamas – There and Back Again - Part II
In Part I, Sheryl Shard ended the story at June and the start of Hurricane Season when they were once again joined by friends.
This time it was Noel and Tracey Dinan, whose new shallow-draft Allures 49.5 was in build at the time, we headed north from the Exumas across the expanse of the Great Bahama Bank, dodging coral patches as we sailed to Eleuthera then Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco. Another commercial centre in the islands, we cleared out of the Bahamas here after provisioning for our offshore passage up to the Chesapeake Bay on the US mainland and out of the Hurricane Zone until mid-November...
Plominski tries again
Skipper John “Drew” Plominski is hoping that lightning doesn’t strike twice. Plominski, whose boat was destroyed by lightening two years ago, was first in line to register for the 39th biennial Marblehead-to-Halifax Ocean race to take place this summer.‘We’re thrilled to see Drew back for another try,” said Richard Hinterhoeller, RNSYS co-race director Plominski’s 30-foot vessel, named Perseverance, was just about ready.
Along with his wife and three friends, he planned to compete in the 363-mile biennial race to Nova Scotia.The South Boston resident left his boat moored at the Columbia Yacht Club the night before the big race and was at his house...
Winterization Isn't Like Your Dad Did It: Modern Methods For Modern Boats
By Andrew McDonald, Lakeside Marine Services
“They don’t make ‘em like they used to”, is a phrase that many of us are familiar with. Most of the time it is in reference to a bygone era of better, and it’s used to lament the sorry state of what we have today. It is a phrase that can be applied to many areas of our lives: architecture, art, furniture, tools. Boats? I would argue that they don’t make them like they used to. But, is that lamentable, or is it progress?
Progress, I think. With this concept in mind, as we enter another season of putting boats to bed for the winter, why do we winterize as we always have?
Marine Products
Volvo Penta Launches Integrated Assisted Docking System
On Monday, Volvo Penta announced the availability of their fully integrated assisted docking system at the Consumer Electronics Show, held virtually this year.
The Assisted Docking system integrates a software layer developed in house with the company’s GPS-based Dynamic Positioning System and proprietary Inboard Performance Systems (IPS) for a complete package including HMI (human-machine interface) at the helm, electronics via the engine, propulsion systems and sensors, and advanced navigation processing power for a much easier boating experience, even in rough conditions.
