“You had to know your builder…. did he use brass screws above the water line where you can see them and raw iron screws below the water line? That’s the kiss of death for a boat. Raw iron rots the wood around the fastenings, and the Gilberts had a long-established record of using the right materials.”

— Fred Gilbert, grandson of Nelson Gilbert, July 15, 2013

Nelson Gilbert was born in Lansdowne, Ontario in 1855, and apprenticed to a local carriage maker when he finished primary school at just 12 years old.

As noted on his marriage certificate, Gilbert was an independent carriage maker by the time he was 21, working in local barns and sheds as he had no shop of his own. He also designed and built various types of small boats and fine furniture, and in 1876 he founded the N. Gilbert Boat Company.

By 1890 he was working for the Gananoque Carriage Company, (located where the Gananoque Inn sits today), and moved his family from Lansdowne to Gananoque.

Meanwhile, his boat building was picking up steam, and two of his boats were entered at the prestigious Chicago World’s Fair (an event held in Chicago in May, 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the New World in 1492). The two elegant paddling canoes the Miss Canada and the Gananoque were loaded on a train and transported to Chicago where they earned an honorable mention.

In December 1893, the Gananoque Carriage Company moved operations to Brockville, Ontario and Nelson followed. In 1904 he bought property on the waterfront, set-up shop and began building boats full-time.

After Nelson’s death in 1921 and a fire that destroyed the factory in 1923, his son Fred Sr. took over the business. The company built long, sleek, solid mahogany boats that were famous for reaching speeds of 60 kilometers per hour (37 miles per hour), with the last boat being built in 1949.

In 1960 the company was taken over by Fred’s son, (Fred Jr.), and the focus changed to the service, repair and repowering of boats. Gilbert Marine is still running today, located on the original waterfront site and operated by the fourth generation. Nelson would be proud; his descendants have kept the boat building tradition alive and are once again building boats using his original designs.

Boats built by the Gilbert Motor Boat Company Limited in the Museum collection:

Built by Gilbert Motor Company of Brockville, the Museum’s 26-foot elegant long deck launch has a long foredeck, steering and seating in the rear, and a beautiful smooth mahogany hull with no visible nails or screws. Best known for rowing skiffs, motorized launches, and runabouts, Gilbert boats are prized today by Canadian collectors and enthusiasts.