Local company heads to Toronto boat show

Legend Boats is one of the companies showcasing their products at the 2012 Toronto International Boat Show Jan. 14-22.

The Whitefish-based company was originally founded by Vic Duhamel and Carl Dewar as a tire dealership in Sudbury.

The company created the Legend line of aluminum boats in 1985 and success has followed ever since, according to a press release from the boat show.

“We’ve been growing steadily every year since we started,” general co-manager Jamie Dewar, son of one of the founders, said, in the press release.

“The growth of our dealer network has been a constant build, and this year we have an even stronger focus on expansion.”

The company has added more than a dozen new dealers in the last six months, bringing its distribution network to more than 50. Legend has expanded from an eight-acre facility to 25 acres, enabling them to store up to 1,000 boats at a time.

Their own fleet of customized trucks ensures dealer needs are met.

While the aluminum hulls of Legend boats are custom manufactured at three plants in Northern Indiana, they are shipped to Duhamel & Dewar, where final assembly takes place.

By outsourcing component manufacturing, and performing all final assembly, sales, service and warranty only here in Canada, the company takes great pride in being able to say “designed by Canadians for Canadians,” the press release said.

The company has 70 employees, including those at their own retail outlet just outside of Barrie, with more to be added in 2012.

The boat show takes place at the Direct Energy Centre at Exhibition Place in Toronto, and features hundreds of exhibitors, plus the world's largest indoor lake.

Tickets to the show cost $18 for those age 17-64, $15 for those over 65, and are free for those under the age of 16.

For more information, phone 905-951-0009 or visit www.torontoboatshow.com.

Posted by Heidi Ulrichsen