About Us
It was in the late 50's, and at that time, Lake Joseph was a much quieter place. Bruce Hatherley had always loved being on, in or around the water. From the edge of the family property he began docking boats, storing cars, and performing cottage maintenance. He did everything he could think of to help people out. His reputation for a cheerful and helpful attitude, along with good knowledge of marine service issues soon grew with the lake traffic.
In May of 1960, Bruce aquired the Mercury Outboard Motor line; a relationship that remains
very strong to this day. By adding Mercury's training to his mechanical knowledge, he was soon busy with the selling, maintaining and repairing of motors. This, along with a growing demand for storage and maintenance, time soon came for his small enterprise to grow from a one man operation to a fledging business. A small staff was hired, which gave Bruce time to help more and more people. Through the rest of the 60's, while cottage country started to grow, so did Gordon Bay. By the 70's, a few more motor lines had been aquired, a second repair shop was erected and Bruce started selling boats. Some of the first lines included McCullough and Ross Boats.
Whatever customers asked for, Bruce tried to supply. In 1971 with the addition of Cutter Boats, the first stage of what is now the Main Building was constructed. This new building served as headquarters to a marina that was growing as fast as the list of customers. It had just enough room to display a boat or two inside as well as a parts desk. This was also the first time that Gordon Bay started selling other marine gear and accessories. A fabulous staff grew with the business and so did the list of products Gordon Bay began to carry. Glastron, Lund, and ThunderCraft, to name a few. Construction kept pace with the acquisition of customers and, by adding storage facilities and expanding the main building, the small business had become a booming company by the 80's.
By 1984, Gordon Bay was already selling Yamaha motors, and with the addition of more manufacturers to the Gordon Bay Family, the Marina continued to grow. The main building was expanded in three stages during the eighties and was finally completed in 1987. That first section, started in '71, now houses the accounting/management offices, two full service bays, accessories sales floor, service department and probably the largest marine parts department in Ontario.
Construction did not stop there. The Showroom went up in 1988, Detail/Graphics Shop in 1989, and the Top/Upholstery Shop in 1990-91. New Boat Slips were installed in 1993 and were upgraded, again, in 1998 providing 80 slips to the many island residents of Lake Joseph. A separate Rigging and 3 Bay PDI department went up in early 1999, which also houses the warehouse of marine accessories. The 90's also brought other boat lines, including Formula, Campion, Godfrey and Boston Whaler.
By this time, the marina's property was almost completely full, and in order to expand services even further, an airplane hanger was purchased at the Georgian Bay Airport. It increased boat storage by 200 plus boats. Then it increased again with the purchase of a Port Carling storage facility in 2002. Through all the years, Bruce has always kept an impressive fleet of service vehicles, yard equipment and work boats. In 2002, he went one step further and added a float plane, for fly-in service; a first in Muskoka.
In May of 1960, Bruce aquired the Mercury Outboard Motor line; a relationship that remains
very strong to this day. By adding Mercury's training to his mechanical knowledge, he was soon busy with the selling, maintaining and repairing of motors. This, along with a growing demand for storage and maintenance, time soon came for his small enterprise to grow from a one man operation to a fledging business. A small staff was hired, which gave Bruce time to help more and more people. Through the rest of the 60's, while cottage country started to grow, so did Gordon Bay. By the 70's, a few more motor lines had been aquired, a second repair shop was erected and Bruce started selling boats. Some of the first lines included McCullough and Ross Boats. Whatever customers asked for, Bruce tried to supply. In 1971 with the addition of Cutter Boats, the first stage of what is now the Main Building was constructed. This new building served as headquarters to a marina that was growing as fast as the list of customers. It had just enough room to display a boat or two inside as well as a parts desk. This was also the first time that Gordon Bay started selling other marine gear and accessories. A fabulous staff grew with the business and so did the list of products Gordon Bay began to carry. Glastron, Lund, and ThunderCraft, to name a few. Construction kept pace with the acquisition of customers and, by adding storage facilities and expanding the main building, the small business had become a booming company by the 80's.
By 1984, Gordon Bay was already selling Yamaha motors, and with the addition of more manufacturers to the Gordon Bay Family, the Marina continued to grow. The main building was expanded in three stages during the eighties and was finally completed in 1987. That first section, started in '71, now houses the accounting/management offices, two full service bays, accessories sales floor, service department and probably the largest marine parts department in Ontario.
Construction did not stop there. The Showroom went up in 1988, Detail/Graphics Shop in 1989, and the Top/Upholstery Shop in 1990-91. New Boat Slips were installed in 1993 and were upgraded, again, in 1998 providing 80 slips to the many island residents of Lake Joseph. A separate Rigging and 3 Bay PDI department went up in early 1999, which also houses the warehouse of marine accessories. The 90's also brought other boat lines, including Formula, Campion, Godfrey and Boston Whaler.
By this time, the marina's property was almost completely full, and in order to expand services even further, an airplane hanger was purchased at the Georgian Bay Airport. It increased boat storage by 200 plus boats. Then it increased again with the purchase of a Port Carling storage facility in 2002. Through all the years, Bruce has always kept an impressive fleet of service vehicles, yard equipment and work boats. In 2002, he went one step further and added a float plane, for fly-in service; a first in Muskoka.
In 2005, the marina turned 45 years old, and Bruce is still serving every customer the same way he did back in 1960, by working hard to offer whatever a customer may ask for. However, by his own admission, he couldn't have done it without help and today the marina employs 42 full time staff members and up to 30 seasonal staff members. Each of whom play an integral part in keeping Gordon Bay Marine running smoothly and looking great. Ben Hatherley, who is Bruce's oldest son, has been working at the marina his entire life. He has started to take over some of the day to day operations from his father, but you can still find Bruce at the marina almost every day of the year.
Over the years, Gordon Bay has been witness to all kinds of innovations within the marine industry and they pride themselves on being at the forefront with new technologies, products and training. However, they know what it took to get here and continue to offer the same ideals in customer service that Bruce started all those years ago. The newest innovation in customer service has been to open two repair depots where customers on or close to Lake Muskoka or Georgian Bay can take their boats or motors for repair. They are Indian Head Harbour on Lake Muskoka and Moon River Marine located on Georgian Bay.
Over the years, Gordon Bay has been witness to all kinds of innovations within the marine industry and they pride themselves on being at the forefront with new technologies, products and training. However, they know what it took to get here and continue to offer the same ideals in customer service that Bruce started all those years ago. The newest innovation in customer service has been to open two repair depots where customers on or close to Lake Muskoka or Georgian Bay can take their boats or motors for repair. They are Indian Head Harbour on Lake Muskoka and Moon River Marine located on Georgian Bay.
Bruce credits his success to outstanding co-workers, the Toronto Dominion Bank, his many extraordinary suppliers, and, of course, the many cottagers and residents of the Muskoka region. In the coming years, Gordon Bay Marine hopes to continue the many relationships that they have worked so very hard to keep and uphold. As the Muskoka region becomes more and more populated, and times seem to rush by even faster, you will still find the simple, friendly and courteous customer service that Bruce Hatherley started back in the old red boathouse at Gordon Bay Marine.
