Port Carling ↔ Bracebridge • Muskoka District • Central Ontario
Launched in 1946 as a floating fuel barge, the Peerless II, a cedar-planked wooden workboat, now slips through the same narrows as a roving storytelling stage. Captain-restorer Randy Potts rebuilt her from the waterline up beside his Muskoka River dock, single-handedly installing a metal spiral stair and hoisting the pilothouse sky-view. Today no two cruises trace the same wake: Potts steers by whim and memory, spinning lakeside legends as familiar and surprising as the granite shoreline itself.
Peerless II – Getting ready to cruise the Muskoka Lakes
Peerless II Turns 80
Visitor Experience
📍 Location Boarding docks: Port Carling Locks & Bracebridge Town Dock
📅 Season / Best Time May – Oct • Peak colour late Sep
⏰ Departures Daily 10 am • 1 pm • 4 pm (summer)
💲 Admission 2-hr cruise $49 adult • $25 child
♿ Accessibility Level main-deck boarding • Upper deck via metal spiral stair
🅿️🚻 Amenities Municipal lots • Public washrooms at both docks
🌐 Info sunsetcruises.ca • 705-645-2462
What to Expect
Peerless II – Under Construction
Captain Potts decides the route when the dock lines drop, perhaps Millionaires’ Row on Lake Rosseau, maybe the whisper-narrow Portage Channel on Lake Muskoka. Bring layers; breezes flip from balmy to brisk by the second story.
From Gasoline Drums to Guided Narratives
Workhorse Origins (1946 – 1990s)
Built by Northern Shipbuilding of Bronte for British American Oil, the 65-foot cedar vessel delivered stove oil and gasoline to island cottages and logging camps. Red kerosene lanterns signalled dusk calls; children counted the barrels as eagerly as Christmas parcels.
Hull in Limbo (1993 – 2002)
Retired by modern fuel rules, the boat languished at Port Carling—paint peeling, locals dubbing her the “ghost gas-boat.”
River-Bank Resurrection
Skipper and wooden-boat devotee Randy Potts had already rebuilt the 1920s launch M.V. Idyllwood beside his Muskoka River home. He towed Peerless II there in 2003, set cribbing in the water directly off his dock, and, over two winters, replaced keelsons, replanked cedar topsides, and single-handedly fabricated and winched a 700-pound metal spiral staircase onto her stern. Using a block-and-tackle rig slung from a maple tree, he lifted the pilothouse to the upper deck for panoramic views.
The Story Ship (2006 – Present)
Relaunched under Sunset Cruises, Peerless II now trades fuel for folklore. Potts grew up on these lakes; his voice carries the cadence of water against cedar ribs. One cruise might unveil the feud between two island matriarchs; the next, a tale of smuggled whiskey and moon-lit paddle strokes. Regulars ride twice because the stories—and routes—change with the wind.
Fun Fact:
Potts keeps cedar fenders from a 1954 fog-grounding in the engine room. He taps one for luck before each departure.
Captain Randy Potts at the wheel
