Take a trip by boat around any of Muskoka’s great lakes and chances are you’ll eventually catch a glimpse of one of the classic watercraft that once were such a common sight in the region. Sporting names such as Charmalee, Eaglet II and Teaser, these fine craft – survivors all – are shining examples of a craftsmanship that has all but disappeared.

  Fortunately, a handful of companies and individuals have taken it upon themselves to preserve not only these exquisite historic vessels, but also the region’s boat building legacy. One such company is Windsor Boat Works Ltd. Dedicated to the restoration and preservation of antique and classic vessels, Windsor Boat Works also designs and builds one-of-a-kind custom runabouts.

  Founded in 1993, Windsor Boat Works has over the years been responsible for some notable – and challenging – restoration projects.      

  “The search for available boats for restoration has brought vessels through our doors that would have been considered beyond repair not so long ago,” says Mike Windsor, the company’s owner, from his Gravenhurst workshop. “Some of the more challenging boats have been re-constructed from drawings created in this shop. That’s largely how we moved into designing and constructing new boats – they’re tailored to the customers’ own preferences, but based on the classics. After all, anything built by man can be built by man again.”

A passion for boats

Interestingly, Mike was not formally trained in boat building, and instead studied music in university.

  “Boats were always my passion,” he says. “In university, they taught us how to write a Bach fugue by taking one of the originals apart note by note, seeing how it's done and then recreating it in a style of our own. I basically take the same approach to boat building.”

  Visiting the website, www.windsorboatworks.com, reveals – in pictures and in words – the complexity of Mike's work. On the site you’ll see the magnificent Allouette, looking every bit the classic watercraft. In this case, however, looks are certainly deceiving. The 33 ft. Allouette is in fact a modified replica of the Hacker designed watercraft built for a U.S. client

  You’ll also find a blow-by-blow account of the refurbishment of a classic “dispro”, or disappearing propeller boat, a Canadian invention that went through a few incarnations between 1914 and 1958.  To date, Windsor has been responsible for restoring 15 of these unique vessels.

Classic Ditchburn rescued

By far the most compelling of Mike’s stories is that of a 1937 Ditchburn he brought back to life after it came close to becoming landfill. Says Windsor: “I met a fellow back in 1994 who mentioned he had an old shed that had fallen down over the winter, and there was a boat inside. He was going to bulldoze the building into the nearby ravine, boat and all.”

  With the help of a chainsaw, Mike managed to free the vessel and parked it outside his home with a sign offering it for sale for just $1 – all the purchaser had to do was fund the boat’s restoration. A U.S. buyer was eventually found, and that potential landfill fodder has since graced the covers of various boating magazines.  

  “The owner brought the boat back to Gravenhurst for the 2001 Summer boat show,” says Mike. “I'm sure there were a few sorry souls on the docks that day telling their friends about how they could have bought that boat for a dollar five years ago!”

  And the cost of such a restoration project? “Sorry, but if you have to ask, you can't afford it!"

  For further details about Windsor Boat Works Inc., write to them at 280 Caroline St., Gravenhurst, ON P1P 1K6; telephone 705-687-7887; or send an e-mail to windsor@muskoka.com