During the pandemic I was, like many folks, stuck at home with only a few quick trips out when necessary, and I spent lots of time on the computer, watching video after video. It eventually occurred to me that something good could come out of all the “alone time,” and I went back to one of my favorite pastimes of the last 50 years or so: researching the possibilities of owning a boat, something special that I could pass down, and would last generations. I stumbled on Giesler Boats, and there was something about the company that struck a chord with me.In October 2022, after exchanging emails for several months with Gerry Giesler, the third-generation owner of B. Giesler and Sons Ltd. in Powassan, Ontario, my wife Theresa and I went up for a visit to his shop. Taking in the smell of the wood, varnish, and sawdust on the floor, I was hooked, and asked Gerry where I should send the deposit The Giesler hulls are made of western red cedar shiplap strips, whch are then sanded using both electric palm sanders and hand sanders. Bottoms can be fiberglassed as an optional extra.
Al Lyall
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I am the owner of a 35-year-old Geisler Wherry, built well and to last, and at a price that is amazing. Great quality build and a pleasure to row two strokes and she is flying along.
Hi Roger,
I’m curious about that boat’s stability and safety in wave action. What have you found?
Thx,
Dave Mason
I am co-owner of a 2010 Giesler Georgian Bay and love the boat. Sure, it looks great, but it handles even better. I was concerned about maintaining all that bright wood but we leave it covered and the varnish has held up really well. An excellent choice!
Maintenance and durability are concerns for me as well. Fibreglass boats tend to drain to the transom where the bilge pump lives. This boat with its ribs catching water and it sitting there until it evaporates has me worried! Will the varnish stand up to that?
I remember as an early teen boy visiting the lakes in southern Ontario with my parents and seeing lovely wooden boats being employed by various outfitters. Could these have been Geisler boats? I know they were built in Powassen!
That was 65 years ago and I’d still like to have one!
We had a boat like just this for years by a company named Wolverine. Ours was built in the late 1940s and by 1973 we stripped the peeling varnish with water-based stripper, rinsed and dried the hull, and revarnished it all outdoors. You could used clear deck oil, then varnish a couple of coats over that. Store it indoors for a longer varnish life. Ours was under canvas most of the time or in our barn during the winter.
I have owned a Geisler Nippissing bought from the factory in 2007. The only maintenance I have needed to do is some touch up to the varnish. I keep the boat covered and make sure to wet vac it out before winter storage. I probably need an application of thinned varnish on the floor this year. The interior of the boat still looks pristine as I have been rigourous in keeping the boat covered.