Miss Canada IV Restored and Going Home

Serious News · May 27, 2013

May 10, 2013 - 5:31 PM
Miss Canada IV on the water

Miss Canada IV took to the water for the first time after undergoing 18 months of restoration at Tom Adams Boatbuilder in Port Carling.

The test run took place in Lake Muskoka on Thursday, May 9.

Adams was on hand at the Muskoka Wharf with other members of the Miss Canada IV restoration team, including crane operator Al Crisp, driver Norm Woods and Rolls Royce/Griffon engine mechanic Peter Grieve from England as the iconic race boat was lowered for its post-restoration inaugural dip into the water.

In-water testing is expected to take at least four days, before the boat goes back to the shop for the final adjustments.
“The purpose of that first run will be to run the boat, bring it back, take it out of the water, check all the fittings, make sure that everything is nice and tight, and then be prepared to put it back in the water and go a little faster,” said Jamie Smith, restoration project manager. “It’s going to be a delicate balance of not rushing and being careful.”

The testing was paused midway for some engine adjustments, as is to be expected, but overall the first in-water test run of the Miss Canada IV was a success.

After returning to Adams’ shop for some further adjustments, the Miss Canada IV is expected back in the water for more testing before she’s ready for top speeds.

In 1950, Miss Canada IV shattered the world water speed record with speeds over 200 miles per hour. Since the boat’s in-shop debut as part of the Antique and Classic Boat Society’s Spring Boat Tour on April 27, the goal is now to have the iconic race boat ready and on the water as the feature boat at the ACBS Toronto Boat Show at the Muskoka Wharf on July 6.

Alongside the Miss Canada IV at the show will be other famous Canadian race boats, including Miss Dinomites and Miss Canadiana. The race boats are expected to participate in speed demonstrations from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday morning and then again from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon.

CottageCountryNow Article: Miss Canada IV on the water

Serious News · May 27, 2013

MISS CANADA III SET TO RETURN TO HER BIRTHPLACE

CLAYTON, New York (April 5, 2013) – The Antique Boat Museum, North America’s premier freshwater nautical museum based in Clayton, New York, has announced today its intentions to loan Miss Canada III, a former World Champion raceboat, to the Muskoka Boat & Heritage Centre located in Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada.

Miss Canada III will be the centerpiece of the Centre’s “Race Boat Glory, Muskoka Legends Live On,” this summer’s leading commemorative exhibit.

Designed by Douglas van Patten and built in 1938 by Greavette Boatworks, Miss Canada III will be placed on special loan from the Antique Boat Museum (ABM) for the summer of 2013. Described by Motor Boating Magazine in the 1938 Detroit Gold Cup Race as being “beautifully handled and the most perfect running boat”, Miss Canada III was widely regarded to be in an elite class of hydroplanes.

“This is really a special exhibit for the Muskoka Boat & Heritage Centre and we are grateful to the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, NY for making it available to us”, noted Rick Terry, President of the Muskoka Steamship & Historical Society. “Miss Canada III was built right here in Gravenhurst by local craftsmen. She won many racing awards all over North America and will certainly be the highlight of our Race Boat Glory exhibit this summer.”

Miss Canada III has been on display alongside iconic raceboats such as Dixie II and Chrysler Queen as part of the "Quest for Speed" exhibit in the William J. Morgan building on the Clayton campus of the ABM. After spending decades in obscurity following the end of her racing career, Miss Canada III was restored by racer Bill Morgan at his shop on Lake George, NY. He later donated the boat to the ABM in 1991, along with a foundational collection of other raceboats and the vision for the raceboat exhibit in the building that now bears his name.

"We are so pleased to be able to send Miss Canada III to Gravenhurst,” commented Emmett V. Smith, curator of the Antique Boat Museum. “Being the boat that brought a major trophy to Canada in 1939, she holds an important place in Canadian racing history. She has been a cornerstone of our raceboat exhibits here in Clayton since she was donated in 1991 by restorer Bill Morgan. But she came from Gravenhurst, and it is important that she be displayed there as well.”

“The growth of the Muskoka Steamship and Historical Society and the excitement around the restoration of Miss Canada IV provides the perfect venue for this important boat to visit her birthplace, where the story of Harold and Lorna Wilson can be appreciated like nowhere else.”

In 1939, Miss Canada III was declared the 7 Litre Class World Champion as she won the President’s Cup, which was presented to drivers Harold and Lorna Wilson in the Oval Office. In 1947, Miss Canada III set the 7 Litre Class World Speed Record at 119 mph. Then in 1948, using a new Rolls Royce Merlin engine, she would go on to win Detroit’s Silver Cup Regatta.

Miss Canada III will return to Canada where it will be united with another Canadian racing masterpiece, Miss Canada IV, which will be the feature boat at this year’s Antique & Classic Boat Show, July 4 to 7 at Muskoka Wharf. Miss Canada IV was built in the late 1940’s and she would accelerate to speeds of over 200 mph.

These two historic “Miss Canada” champions proudly represented the country in races throughout North America. It will be a rare and special opportunity to view these grand ladies together this summer at Muskoka Wharf.