Story & notes by Doug Switzer, Sonny Lott & Rob Reith, photos by Wolfgang (Sonny) Lott, Moto/ology
Contributing photographer, Wolfgang (Sonny) Lott along with publisher Doug Switzer and boating contributor Rob Reith went north to Bracebridge, Ontario Canada to check out this very special place.
We recently organized a wee junket north to the cottage country of Ontario, Canada to tour a fairly new and fascinating establishment. A dedicated group of enthusiasts recognised that the impressive history and achievements of Canadians in the field of motorboat racing has, for a large part gone unnoticed, or at the very least has been underplayed. To address this, they established the Canadian Raceboat Hall of Fame and set up in the resort town of Bracebridge, in the Muskoka region of the province.
A grand entrance…
The place is pretty easy to get to and upon arriving, we found lots of parking and an impressive front entrance. The doors open into a well-kept foyer with a giant poster of Harry Greening’s famous Rainbow IX motor launch.
We were met by Courtney Provan, the Museum Manager, and she was most welcoming, knowledgeable and helpful.
We wandered into the main area of the hall and on the wall to the right, we were greeted by a plaque resembling an old boat transom that bore the names of founding donors, quite a nice tribute, I thought. Ahead on the left was a spot-on replica of another of Harry Greening’s famous boats, the Rainbow IV. This example was built from the original plans and is very impressive.
For those who may not know, Harry Greening was a noted pioneer in high-performance power boating circles in the early part of the 20th century.
Greening was a wealthy industrialist and important figure in the early days of the automobile in Canada. In his youth, he experimented with auto engines and adapting them to marine use. With his father, they founded the Hamilton Yacht Club in 1903, and young Harry went on to build and race his own line of boats, the originals christened “Gadfly” and later, the Ditchburn-built “Rainbow” series. If you want to learn more about Harry Greening, please see the extensive article by Tim Miller in the second issue of Moto/ology, on page 64. You can find it in the “past issues” section of our website.
The spectacular Rainbow IV replica that sits regally in the Hall is beautifully built and is resplendent in its polished mahogany finish.
The details on this boat are stunning, from the beautifully chromed deck fittings and hinges to the very substantial rudder and prop, this boat oozes authority. One fascinating thing we did happen to notice, was whoever constructed this thing turned every one of the hundreds, maybe thousands of copper screw-heads the same way, every slot lined up horizontally from stem to stern. Just, wow.
Now, I must point out that we were at the Hall in the off-season before their official opening and as such, many of the boats and artifacts on display were going to be moved or sent on tour, so if you plan on attending in the future, some of these things may be replaced by other items or may be in different places within the hall.
Another interesting thing about the Rainbow IV is, it won its APBA Powerboat class in 1924, when the “hydroplane” style of boat hull was banned and the competition was limited to displacement-type hulls. Harry Greening and his team came up with a novel “stepped” bottom to the underside of the hull, not quite a hydroplane, but serving the same purpose. Some complained it was cheating; Harry and his team won the argument by claiming it was innovation!
As you walk further into the hall past the beautiful Rainbow, you are met with another very famous and astounding racing machine. The Miss Supertest III is a gigantic three-point hydroplane that swept all competition away in the 1950’s and early 1960’s. This amazing boat is once again made out of wood and powered by an absolutely huge Rolls-Royce Griffin aircraft engine that can pump out a healthy 2800+ hp. The size of this thing is readily apparent as it sits canted up on its side on its special display trailer surrounded by artifacts from an illustrious history. Just at its bow, tucked in against the wall is a huge, burgundy-coloured Packard V-12 PT boat engine. It should be noted these V-12 Packard Marine engines are not the same as the Packard-built, licenced Rolls-Royce Merlin engines the firm built during WWII. They are similar in looks but were designed in-house by Packard prior to WWII and share no components with the Merlins they were later contracted to build. The 4M-2500 Marine engines could originally provide a steady 1200 HP with later versions giving 1500HP and as much as 1800 HP in war emergency situations. These engines provided great range for the wartime craft they were installed in. Sitting in front of the big Packard engine is a diminutive “pickle-fork” race boat from later years and a tidy Glen-L T’n’T homebuilt boat that’s part of the “Kid’s in Action” Program that gets youth involved in powerboating sports.
Carrying on past the big Miss Supertest III and its accompanying display items there’s a delicious older mahogany delight called the Little Miss Canada II. I must admit, I fell in love with this fabulous piece of old-school workmanship.
The stylish chrome fittings and wonderful oxblood-coloured upholstery on this boat fitted in perfectly with the deep polished furniture-like finish of the mahogany on the hull. Spectacular! They certainly don’t make many boats like this anymore! There was much more for me to talk about, but I’ll let my cohorts express their thoughts!
Impressions from Rob Reith:
I think being crazy about boats all started when, as a young boy, my two older brothers would take me to the Cherry Beach boat races in Toronto. The boats and hydroplanes were magnificent. Miss Supertest, Miss Canada, were the big ones, and there were also smaller hydros and sea fleas at the meet. From that point on, I loved boats, especially the fast ones.
At our family cottage, when I was growing up, my cousins and I used to walk along the railway tracks from Lake Stewart to Foot’s Bay and drool over the wonderful mahogany beauties built by Shepherd , Chris Craft, Greavette, Ditchburn etc.
One day, early this spring my friend Doug Switzer called and asked if I wanted to join him in a visit to the Canadian Raceboat Hall of Fame in Bracebridge. Of course, I said yes, so off we went.
Once there, we were treated to a great tour by the staff on hand, answering all our questions, and pointing out some very interesting facts. It was a big treat to see Miss Supertest, and Miss Canada after all these years.
Also, there were some beautiful wooden race boats of all different ages, shapes and sizes. There was even a Glen-L plans-built T’n’T— a little speedster on display. It made me smile as I had built one of these… the very same boat, a very long time ago.
Other than the boats mentioned above, a big highlight for me was an 18ft Donzi Corsican of which Donzi only made 56 between 1968 and 1976. To say it was perfect is an understatement. I’ve never seen one before. Now, you must realize that I’m a Donzi nut, and I’ve owned three of these things. First was a 1974 Donzi Doral 24ft, next a 1988 Classic 22 ft, and lastly a 1969 Sweet 16 which I had completely restored.
I would highly recommend visiting The Canadian Raceboat Hall of Fame if you’re in the Bracebridge area… or even if you’re not, it would be well worth the drive. —Rob Reith
More Impressions from Sonny Lott:
It’s Tuesday, April 7, 2026, and I’m hurriedly having breakfast, waiting for a phone call from Moto/ology Publisher, Doug Switzer. He’s picking me up this morning, heading up to Muskoka, and we’re visiting the Canadian Raceboat Hall of Fame in Bracebridge.
It got cold and snowed again last night. It looks, and feels, like Winter…and we’re going up to cottage country to look at boats. I smiled and thought, “What a Canadian thing to do”.
Accompanying Doug is his friend, and boat enthusiast, Rob Reith. Rob has also been a contributor to Moto/ology – penning a wonderful article on his restoration of a “Sweet Sixteen” Donzi (see the Fall 2020 issue).
Recruited to take some photographs, I was looking forward to the visit, and to finally meeting my publisher in person. We’d been e-communicating since 2020, when Moto/ology debuted, but we’d not actually met face to face.
Suddenly, Doug calls…he’s almost here. I hustle, grab my knapsack, get ready and go.
The weather remained cold and clear, and we arrived in Bracebridge quite quickly, or so it seemed. Anyway, during the drive, we all got to know more about one another.
On our arrival, we were warmly met by Courtney, the Museum Manager, who kindly gave us a tour and quick overview of the exhibits. She spoke at length on the rich history and interesting people involved in this sport. I’m kind of ashamed to say, I don’t know much about boat racing in Canada (or anywhere else for that matter).
Courtney advised us that they kept it cold inside the HoF as the older wooden boats “liked” it better. No matter, as I maneuvered around, taking photographs, I warmed up.
Courtney told us about so many colourful and fascinating figures in Canadian powerboat racing, and their incredible machines—I can’t even remember them all, but here’s just three that blew my mind…
The Rainbow IV:
This is a stunningly beautiful, 1924 racing launch, made by Ditchburn Boats of Gravenhurst, Ontario. It is a 27 foot, 12-stepped semi-hydroplane with a 24-inch surface propeller and is capable of speeds well over 60 mph. It is famous for easily winning the first heat of the 1924 Gold Cup at Detroit and later being disqualified for using a surface propeller, a technology considered too radical for the time. It was driven by Canada’s “Speedboat King”, Harry Greening of Hamilton, Ontario, one of the founders of the Hamilton Yacht Club.
Miss Supertest III:
A 1950s Canadian owned and designed 3-point hydroplane boat that was backed by J. Gordon Thompson, owner of the Supertest Petroleum organization of London, Ontario. The race team of three boats was managed by his son, Jim Thompson, and this boat was piloted by Canadian Bob Hayward. During her career, she only ran in four races but won them all!
The American teams had dominated the unlimited hydroplane field for 39 years, until Miss Supertest III won the 1959 Detroit Memorial Regatta, and then the 1959, 1960 & 1961 Harmsworth Cup meets in Picton, Ontario.
The top speed of this boat is unknown as it has reportedly never been run at full throttle for very long (the engine being too powerful… a WWII Spitfire aircraft engine, a 12 cyl. Rolls Royce Griffin at 2,900hp, will do that!)
Sadly, a month after his victory in the ‘61 Harmsworth Cup race, Bob Hayward was killed in a racing accident, piloting the Miss Supertest II at the time. After this tragedy, all the Miss Supertest boats were then retired.
The Hawkwind Light Aerowing:
Known as the 1981 Aerowing outboard hydroplane race boat. This amazing craft is a ‘laydown’ or ‘bellyboat’ that the pilot lies down in, prone, on his/her stomach. It’s powered by a 4-cylinder Konig C alcohol-burning engine and was capable of 110mph! I can’t imagine the punishment that must be endured during a race environment in this thing!
Honestly, I was sorry to leave this place. I could have easily spent the entire day photographing these wonderful and interesting racing boat exhibits. I arrived at the Canadian Raceboat Hall of Fame knowing next to nothing about raceboats. I left knowing much more… and gaining a deep respect and appreciation for the history of the Canadian powerboat racing scene, and the men and women involved. So, thank you, Canadian Raceboat Hall of Fame. I thoroughly enjoyed the visit and will definitely return.
— Wolfgang (Sonny) Lott
Well, then. There you have it. Three motorheads with varying degrees of boating-savvy and all three of us came to the same conclusion: the Canadian Raceboat Hall of Fame is well worth the visit and congrats to all those involved for saving and displaying these wonderful relics of a storied past! This is a side of Canadian motorsport history that has been sadly neglected in the past and these three Moto/ology-folks are very glad that someone has stepped to the fore and made a spectacular home for these fabulous and legendary marine beasts! Well Done!
—Doug Switzer
The Canadian Raceboat Hall of Fame is at:
1512 Muskoka Road Hwy. 118 W.
Township of Muskoka Lakes,
Ontario P1L 1W8, Canada.
In the off-season, it’s only open by appointment only, please visit their website for more information: