"The name Ditchburn probably does not mean much to most Canadians or Americans."

The name Ditchburn probably does not mean much to most Canadians or Americans. Perhaps, if you were a pleasure boat enthusiast, you would have associated the name with varnished mahogany - runabout boats built during the first three decades of the twentieth century by the legendary Ditchburn Boat Co. of Muskoka, Ontario.

Where is Muskoka? Located 90 minutes from Toronto, it is bounded to the west by the beautiful shores of Georgian Bay and to the east by Algonquin Park. Known as a land of lakes, it comprises about 1600 small lakes, all studded with rocky shores covered with pine trees. Although today the area is known as a vacation paradise, at the time the company had been in operation, settlers had constantly faced an up hill battle to survive.

Harold Shield and Bev McMullen, authors of Ditchburn A Muskoka Boats Legacy, have written and illustrated an informative, as well as picturesque coffee table book, recounting the story of a legendary Canadian, Herbert Ditchburn, who had bought into his family's boat business in 1904, and went on to establish a pleasure boat company in Muskoka, Ontario, that gained a world wide reputation.

Under Herbert Ditchburn's stewardship the company had grown by leaps and bounds, and in 1907 the H. Ditchburn Boat Manufacturing Co. Ltd was incorporated. Unfortunately, a disastrous fire in 1915 totally destroyed the company's first wooden factory building. However, undeterred, Ditchburn built within a very short delay a new brick building.

Shortly thereafter the company received its first important commission from Sir John Eaton, the department-store magnate, when it built a 73-by-15 foot day cruiser, Kawandag II.

No doubt, this probably attracted the eye of many of the rich and famous, as it introduced Herb Ditchburn to the sophistication of professional yacht design. It was not very long until the company's growing reputation for quality construction and finish, soon made the company the dominant pleasure-craft builders.

Unfortunately, the depression of 1929 took its toll, and eventually the company succumbed to bankruptcy in 1938, when it was forced to close its doors.

As mentioned in the book, the Ditchburn "products are still recognized as some of the best and most beautiful boats ever built in Canada. His important innovations in construction, mechanical systems, and design produced higher standards of customer satisfaction, safety and utility. His vessels possessed a singular beauty-a sculptural quality that set them apart."

Anyone with an appreciation of Canada's past will find the easy- going tone of the narrative together with photographer Bev McMullen's stunning photos delightful reading. It truly reminds us of the impact beauty, function, design, integrity, and craftsmanship had on the daily lives of a bygone era, as well as the influence it still exerts today.

Reviewed by Norman Goldman
Courtesy Bookpleasures
Posted August 1, 2003