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 A
Lifetime In The Boating Industry
by Cap'n Jack Perdue
This is my
one hundredth Waterfront Watch column for Power Boating Canada.
And my last.
Age, much to my surprise, is gaining on me and the
time has come after four score years to turn off my typewriter and
visit many of those places my wife, Evelyn, and I have enjoyed together
over the years, and I have written about.
It has been a great deal of fun along the way.
There's nothing to beat the friendships that form among skippers,
the good family fun that marinas and boat clubs provide and that
very special feeling, whatever your age, each time you cast off
for an adventure out there on a lake, river or waterway, or wherever
your imagination takes you.
As Canadian recreational boating began to grow from
a small beginning after World War Two, it was like heading out to
open up a new frontier. And it was truly a privilege to be among
those pioneers, headed by C.B. Neal, president of OMC Canada, who
broke the trail of all those who came after. That included Harold
Shield who turned Canadian boat shows into an art form and Bill
Taylor who created a Canadian powerboat magazine that could hold
its own with the best on the continent.
My personal memories mostly involve those I worked
with at OMC where I joined in 1957 and remained for more than twenty
years. There are far too many to name here so I'll just mention
one special friend to represent all of them. Russ Baer, a World
War Two bomber pilot, worked hard to make OMC the success that it
became and then, in retirement, worked equally hard to make the
fledgling Power Boating Canada the great magazine it is today. Too
bad he didn't live to see how it turned out. (Top)
There was also Bob Kelly who ran ABC, our boating
industry association, in its delicate dealings with the federal
and provincial governments; and Stan Davies who, as Toronto Star
boating editor, reported and popularized pleasure boating. Those
were the days when most major newspapers in Canada ran a special
boating section every summer weekend.
Peterborough Canoe, later named Peterborough Boats,
was the first big name in Canadian boat building. Its products were
made of cedar strips, varnished and polished, each boat a thing
of beauty - and one that required a heap of upkeep in return. When
fibreglass arrived in the late 1950s, the company was unable to
adjust. The only part that is left is the name, purchased by a competitor
during the bankruptcy proceedings.
Boating for pleasure has changed dramatically over
the past half-century. Since a 14-foot wooden hull with an 18 hp
knucklebuster on a transom was the standard runabout and a northern
native, in need of an outboard, asked the Hudson Bay factor for
a Johnson, the only name he knew.
The history of most industries is highlighted by
occasional breakthroughs and the boating business is no exception.
The first huge advance was the introduction of fibreglass hulls.
The development of "clean" two-cycle power, which greatly
reduced the oil component in the fuel, was a steady development
that eventually led to the four-cycle outboard. The introduction
of sterndrive (or inboard-outboard) power by Volvo Penta at the
New York Boat Show in 1958 was another historic moment. A later
attempt by OMC to popularize the rotary combustion outboard motor
was an unfortunate failure but their two-cycle outboards continued
to gain in efficiency and power right up to the 200 hp models. (Top)
And then the personal water craft arrived in the
form of the Kawasaki Jet Ski. It was first introduced to Canada
at the CNE Aquarama Water Thrill Show thirty years ago and was an
instant hit as a new and novel way to get wet.
No longer a novelty, PWC and jet-powered sportboats
are currently changing the face of boating, just as Three Buoys
and its fleet of sophisticated houseboats did two decades ago.
There are now many more excellent marinas along
our waterways, more well-marked channels, more well-equipped boat
clubs. The noise and water pollution that dogged the early powerboats
is well under control and modern technology has made boating easier
and safer.
The pleasure boating business is now a major factor
in our economy and has received the appropriate attention of government
agencies. The Canadian Coast Guard, which established a meaningful
test of boating skills, is much more supportive as they oversee
a vast fleet of every type of powered and unpowered craft.
Transport Canada has improved safety, signage and
convenience for boating enthusiasts. It all helps you forget that
Canada is the only country in the world to charge both its taxpayers
and foreign guests to open and close a canal lock gate, raise or
lower a bridge or tie up overnight on a seawall.
But that's not my problem anymore.
I hope all this has somehow reflected what Canada's
boating industry had represented to all of us who were part of those
exciting post-war years. More than an industry, it was an institution
and we all accepted the challenge to establish recreational boating
in Canada as a way of life with minimal restrictions and remarkable
natural resources.
And, by Jove, I think we did it! So I'll be casting
off now. Happy boating. (Top)
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