Issue 9 : Nov/Dec 1999
H(“Ted”) Gozzard, designer of the Bayfields, began his own boatbuilding business when he left the Bayfield organization. His second company is North Castle Marine in Goderich, Ontario, a mere 15 miles from the town of Bayfield, both on Lake Huron. North Castle Marine has been making expensive, high-quality boats long enough for many of its products to qualify as good old boats. It’s hard to believe that such an unpretentious plant could produce some of the best boats in the world.
When I visited, several people were at work in the lofting and fiberglass area. Two were climbing around inside a two-part, fiberglass mold for the Gozzard 36, and another worker was cutting balsa core to size. The material is end-grain balsa wood cut into blocks about 3/4-inch thick and 2 inches square. This is glued onto fiberglass cloth in large sheets. When saturated with resin and sandwiched between built-up layers of fiberglass, it produces a hull more than 1-inch thick and immensely strong. I once owned a Douglass & McLeod 22 with a balsa-cored hull, that fell off its cradle shortly before I bought it. It suffered only cosmetic damage from the pavement. I like balsa-cored hulls.
As we looked around, Gary Ferguson, who was the sales manager, described what Gozzard can build here: anything you want. He pointed to a large plywood construction hanging on the wall. “That’s our lofting floor,” he said. “We can loft any set of plans and custom-build whatever boat you want.”
In the next room, a deck hung in the air next to a hull without a deck. Three people were working on the underside of the deck. The final fit of that critical hull-to-deck joint was being custom-crafted. All of the interior of the hull had already been installed. If you ever wondered how they got all of the equipment into your boat through that little hatch, now you know: they didn’t. It was all put it in before the deck was installed. No wonder repairs are so difficult and cramped.
There were several other boats in this last room. Two were sailboats, one was a large trawler. They were in for repairs or renovation. This repair work kept the business going during the last recession. Now, new orders are keeping them busy.
One of the problems boatbuilders are experiencing nowadays is locating wood suitable for brightwork. One Michigan boatbuilder ordered a whole load of mahogany from the Philippines, and fully half of it was usable only under the waterline or on boats that were to be painted. Teak is even worse. The Gozzard plant can’t get teak that will meet their standards for finish work. They solved the problem by using cherry. It is a North American wood and thus more available. It makes the interiors of Gozzards unique and beautiful.
The high point of the trip was the opportunity to meet Ted Gozzard. He says he is located in Goderich for one simple reason: It is his home. Goderich has everything needed for custom boatbuilding: an industrial park, good roads for shipping, and a deep harbor. They have built and launched boats up to 70 feet there.
Ted designs his boats right there in the office. There was a concept drawing of a new pilothouse cruiser on the board when I was there. He said that the market for Gozzard boats is retirees, people who could buy waterfront condos, but who want a little more adventure. Perhaps they still play golf, they’ve raised the kids, had all the storms at sea they want, and are ready to settle down to comfortable cruising. He offers several models of sail and power yachts for them.
Gozzards are not Bayfields; far from it. They are new designs. But they keep many of the elements that Ted used in the Bayfields. He still tricks you into thinking that these creations of modern material science are traditional boats. Don’t you believe it. What he has done is take his early designs and cause them to evolve into something magnificent.
Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com
