Brackleys deliver classic boat just in time for ACBS

Thanks, boys. Paul Brackley delivered this 1927 Nevins Coupe Yacht Tender just in time for the show Saturday morning.

GRAVENHURST — Boat builder Paul Brackley was scrambling this week to get ready for Saturday’s Antique & Classic Boat Show at the Muskoka Wharf.

With dozens of beautiful boats to be showcased at the annual Toronto chapter’s show, he was still re-installing the engine on one of the better boats he’s been working to restore.

And he didn’t finish the 1927 Nevins Coupe Yacht Tender until Friday.

But there it was in the water Saturday morning, after he towed it down from his Brackley Boats shop in the industrial mall at the north end of town.

In fact, while it sat admiringly in the water drawing all kinds of looks and attention, the owners hadn’t even had a chance to take ’er for a run yet.

That came after the show, following other boat owners who took turns around the Muskoka Bay in impressive passes by the busy docks.

Meanwhile, Brackley and his apprentice son, Jeremy, who were proudly walking the docks admiring their own handiwork and that of other boatbuilders, beamed with pride.

Brackley Boats is star in its own right, continuing on the Gravenhurst tradition begun by the Greavettes and Ditchburns.

They had another black beauty of theirs from 2007 parked beside the Nevins, dubbed the Jolly Roger, with pirates flag blowing off the stern.

They were just two of the boats that drew big crowds again, along the new boardwalk from where the Segwun was docked  at the northend to a kilometre away around the bay to Muskoka Discovery Centre, where new boats were on display.

In between there was a busy marketplace offering all things nautical and more Muskoka.

In other words, it was typical Muskoka summer day on Lake Muskoka.

Paul Brackley gives the thumbs up as his son Jeremy kneels close to the Jolly Roger they finished 11 years ago.
Enjoying an ice cap on a hot day wasn’t always possible, but it was worth the wait for these ladies.
Grace and speed were the order of the day out in the waters.
Boats big and small plied the water of the Gravenhurst Bay Saturday afternoon.
Alex Hogg, 4, and his grandma Lois Cooper enjoy one of the newer Canada Day-coloured boats.
More than 100 old and new boats ringed the Gravenhurst Bay for the viewing pleasure of good-sized crowds this year.
Wandering ACBS emcee Norah Fountain got to give play-by-play on the boat show from the docks. Nice touch Norah.
Want a place on the lake? Rebecca Penwill and Doug Hogarth, of Forest Hill Real Estate were there to help you find the perfect cottage.