17' Giesler Lake Nipissing Powerboat (2007) - DUTY

First built in the 1920s by Barney Giesler in Powasson Ontario, the Lake Nipissing is an attractive and capable boat for smaller lakes. Although originally designed as a fishing boat the Lake Nipissing makes a great family runabout. My boat is outfitted with all the options that Giesler offers and gets compliments wherever I take it.
I grew up with a smaller Giesler model, The French River, and when I learned that the Giesler company was still very much in business and making the boats the same way as they have been since the beginning, it was an easy choice to get one. I ordered the boat from the factory and at the same time got a motor from a local dealer at a boat show.
Unfortunately, there was a bit of a break-down in communications and the 50 horsepower Evinrude ETEC that I purchased exceeded the 30 HP maximum horsepower rated for the boat. Fortunately, being “over horsepower” is not illegal in Canada and the 50 has proved to be a particularly good match for the boat. Given that the Evinrude 30 and 50 HP motors were built on the same block and weigh essentially the same this is not surprising.
That left another hurdle: insurance. The first company wouldn’t touch it because it was a wooden boat. The second didn’t like the fact that it was “over horse power” and the third didn’t like the fact that my teen age children would be operating it. It turned out that this broker had something in common and I was able to convince him that my teenagers were wonderful responsible people. As long as it could not exceed 47 kilometres per hour he was happy. With my 4-bladed prop and me alone in the boat it will just do 47.1 kilometres per hour.
Our Lake Nipissing is used for day trips and some camping on the Rideau Canal from our home in Ottawa and as a runabout at our Northern Ontario cottage where it capably handles tubing and water-skiing tasks as well as general cruising.
With a purchase price lower than for a comparable fibreglass boat this boat represents good value for money as it has the potential to outlast a fibreglass boat since maintenance and eventually refurbishment will keep it going for a very long time.