Mason Boat Works???

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  • A. Mason
    Senior Member
    • Mar 2002
    • 216

    Mason Boat Works???

    Does anyone know anything about these builders? MMD sent me the following info: "There is/was a designer-builder in Kingston, Ontario (east end of
    Lake Ontario) named David Mason (I believe) that would be a likely candidate. He was originally from Tancook Island - birthplace of Tancook Whalers and David Stevens of Lunenburg schooner fame - but moved to Kingston in the early 'sixties. He passed away a few years ago, but I believe his son is
    carrying on the family business. Hope that this helps."

    Over the years, many people have gotten naval architect Al Mason confused with designer/builder David Mason. It doesn't help that they were contemporaries during the 1950s.

    There is very little info on the web that I could find. I did learn they were known for their I/O boats, but that is about it.

    I thought I had a great lead when I saw that WoodenBoat magazine had an article on "Mason Boat Works" in issue #9, March/April 1976. I dug out my copy of the issue and discovered the article was actually about "Manson Boat Works" - different company, different country.

    Every now and again I receive a design verification inquiry that I suspect is actually a Mason Boat Works creation, but I really have no idea of the types, sizes, etc. that Mason Boat Works produced. If a design is not Al Mason's, I try to redirect the person to whose design it really is.

    I do not charge for verifications. I do it to keep some people honest and to help other people locate the missing provenance of their boat.

    Any info on Mason Boat Works would be greatly appreciated. Thank you - Anita
    [Al\'s daughter]
  • paladinsfo
    Senior Senior Member
    • Dec 2000
    • 26476

    #2
    Anita.....Not wishing to create a nasty thread....but curious...I know that Pacific Asian Enterprise used your dad's boat designs and then "Modified" the designs and stop paying royalties (I think I have it right), Has that issue been resolved oris it staus quo..
    I have an honest reason for asking.
    Best regards.....
    Wakan Tanka Kici Un
    ..a bad day sailing is a heckuva lot better than the best day at work.....
    Fighting Illegal immigration since 1492....
    Live your life so that whenever you lose, you're ahead."
    "If you live life right, death is a joke as far as fear is concerned."

    Comment

    • amason
      Senior Member
      • Mar 2002
      • 216

      #3
      Hi paladinsfo - the issue was never resolved to our satisfaction. Since the boats were "glass ;0" I sent you a more detailed answer offline. Anita
      [Al\'s daughter]

      Comment

      • Wild Dingo
        Humata, Hukhta, Huvarshta
        • Jun 2001
        • 11146

        #4
        Actually interestingly I recently spotted a boat for sale down here as an "Alan Mason" design... now maybe the boat broker new squat and saw Al and assumed Alan or if there is actually an Alan Mason who is/was a designer as well???

        Soooo Im also sorta wondering here is there a huge world wide Mason family dynasty in the boat designing field or what??? ...Just pullin your leg!!

        Take it easy
        Shane
        .................................................. ...................
        Nil illegitimi carborundum = Never let the bastards wear you down

        Comment

        • amason
          Senior Member
          • Mar 2002
          • 216

          #5
          There's a Mason 39-foot "GRP Sandwich" sloop for sale in Brisbane that I have yet to identify. The brokerage blurb states that it was launched in 1984 by Marcos, in Vancouver.

          On the subject of the name MASON, there is also a Masonboro Boatyard on the US East Coast. I due know that they built a number of Al Mason designs over the years, thus I can document them.

          Mason Boat Works of Canada is the real mystery.

          Keeping up with all of Al's "children" is a constant challenge. Anita
          [Al\'s daughter]

          Comment

          • James R
            Senior Member
            • Jul 2002
            • 244

            #6
            It seems that the Mason name is rather popular in the boat business!

            There's a Mason's Chandlery in Mississauga near Toronto and a Mason Boats Ltd. in Smiths Falls, Ontario not too far from Kingston. The latter's # is 613-285-5565 and that's all I know about them.

            On the Web site of Inner Bay Boats of Langton, Ontario there is a reference to borrowing a mold from Mason Boatworks to create a rowing/sailing skiff. They might be able to shed some light on the matter.

            [ 08-27-2002, 03:44 PM: Message edited by: James R ]
            \"Some ideas are so absurd that only an intellectual could believe them.\"<br /><br />George Orwell

            Comment

            • Bayscreener
              Junior Member
              • Feb 2012
              • 1

              #7
              Re: Mason Boat Works???

              There was also a Mason Boat Works in St. Williams, Ontario at the turn of last century. This is on Long Point Bay on Lake Erie. They made double ended lapstrake skiffs among other boats. I own one that dates to around 1910 and the plate reads:

              MASON BOAT WORKS
              Pleasure Boats Outboards Fishing and Hunting Craft
              Sturdy Economical Boats for All Purposes
              ST. WILLIAMS, ONT.

              Comment

              • sccmason
                Junior Member
                • Apr 2017
                • 1

                #8
                Re: Mason Boat Works???

                Good Evening,

                Indeed Dave Mason, my grandfather, was a designer/builder originally from Tancook Island Nova Scotia.

                The Mason Boats production line switched to fiberglass in1974/5, based in Smiths Falls, Ontario.

                In the early 1980's and thru the 1990's we built boats for the US & Canadian Navy, Canadian Coast Guard & the Ontario Provincial Police, as well as still dabbling in the pleasure boat market.

                Just a bit of history as broached by this very old thread.

                Thanks, Shawn Mason

                Comment

                • rentalman622013
                  Junior Member
                  • Oct 2017
                  • 3

                  #9
                  Re: Mason Boat Works???

                  Unless you were referring to Manson Boat Works, which bore the 3 letters, MBW on metal emblem and attached to the hull. The company was owned and operated by Hap (nickname) Manson and operated in Salisbury Massachusetts, on Bridge Road. My father was the sole keel maker, and he did planking as well as many other jobs there. If you can take a picture of the emblem and send it to me, I can tell you immediately if it's a MBW craft.

                  Comment

                  • johngsandusky
                    Senior Member
                    • Dec 2003
                    • 5554

                    #10
                    Re: Mason Boat Works???

                    Interesting. Thank you both for the updates.

                    Comment

                    • rentalman622013
                      Junior Member
                      • Oct 2017
                      • 3

                      #11
                      Re: Mason Boat Works???

                      You're quite welcome.

                      Comment

                      • skuthorp
                        Senior Member
                        • Jan 2002
                        • 73602

                        #12
                        Re: Mason Boat Works???

                        #2, #4.
                        Miss 'em both around here.
                        (Not a facebook user so Shane is not on my radar.)

                        Comment

                        • Duckpond
                          Junior Member
                          • Sep 2010
                          • 1

                          #13
                          Re: Mason Boat Works???

                          Originally posted by sccmason
                          Good Evening,

                          Indeed Dave Mason, my grandfather, was a designer/builder originally from Tancook Island Nova Scotia.

                          The Mason Boats production line switched to fiberglass in1974/5, based in Smiths Falls, Ontario.

                          In the early 1980's and thru the 1990's we built boats for the US & Canadian Navy, Canadian Coast Guard & the Ontario Provincial Police, as well as still dabbling in the pleasure boat market.

                          Just a bit of history as broached by this very old thread.

                          Thanks, Shawn Mason
                          Shawn,
                          I once talked to your grandfather on the phone in 1974. A friend of mine down in Florida was working on a 1948 40' wooden ketch that he had acquired from a guy who had stripped her down to parts and then faded out on the project. It was 2" cedar planked. I would go down for a week or two at a time to help him. But it was like a giant puzzle trying to reassemble it. It had a brass plaque below: "David A Mason, Tancook Island, Nova Scotia".
                          I was sitting around on a cold, rainy day looking for something in the phonebook (remember those?) and noticed that Nova Scotia had an area code listed and therefore you could call information for free. I called and the operator didn't have a listing for David but said "Oh, it's a small place with other Masons. Somebody there would know him. Would you like me to connect you with someone?" What the heck, it only cost a few bucks to call. So she rang a Mason up and I asked about David. A woman answered and when I asked she said "He'd be over at the boatyard. Would you like that number?" What the heck, another couple of bucks.
                          The phone rang and I asked for David. A woman answered and said he was out in the boatyard, would I like to talk to him? I said yes and in a strong NS accent I could hear her call out the door "David!, its the telephone. It's long distance!". He asked where I was and I replied, Alabama. That upset him. "No! It shouldn't be in fresh water!" I assured him it was in Florida. He told me he built the boat for a man in California. I asked him if he had drawings or plans that would help us reassemble the boat. His reply was priceless. "No, we didn't use plans. We only built one boat a year – all we thought about the whole year was what it needed to be a good boat."
                          In late 1976, my friend and I cruised her in the Bahamas for 6 weeks!

                          Comment

                          • johngsandusky
                            Senior Member
                            • Dec 2003
                            • 5554

                            #14
                            Re: Mason Boat Works???

                            Duckpond, welcome aboard, thanks for the great story.
                            I formerly owned a 26' Friendship yawl built on Beal's Island Maine by a guy named Backman. Like you, I looked up the name and found three numbers. One was a business, the second got me an old New Englander. I told him I owned a boat built by a fellow with his name. He replied "Well, is this good news, or bad?" When I told him the boat was fine he quickly said "It would be, I built it." I've managed to track down a first owner after 30 years and a designer after 40 years. The people and the history are a great part of wooden boat ownership.

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