Dispro

By Joe Fossey D.O.A. Archivist
Writer, enthusiast, raconteur – and founding president of the Dispro Owners Association, Joe Fossey tells us the How, Why, Where and When of the “Greatest Little Motorboat Afloat” club, as they celebrate their Silver Anniversary.

To paraphrase a famous author’s work, it seems “Nothing, absolutely nothing is quite half so much fun as simply messing about in a Dispro.”
 

My interest in the “Wonderful World of Boating” began as a youth building models and as a young man’s do-it-yourself, 1950’s, home build, wooden boat hobby. This start grew into my building successful, fast, inboard racing runabouts for sanctioned powerboat racing in the Canadian Boating Federation and American Power Boat Association. Eventually this “hobby” led to a long term marine industry career across Canada in technical service management at Chrysler Marine, followed by Bayliner, J-Craft and Caravelle Boat Companies.
 

My first involvement with a Dispro happened in earlier years (circa 1950) near my wife Irene’s family cottage located on Southern Georgian Bay. There was a local resident and commercial fisherman there named Burns, who actually used his Dispro boat daily to service his licensed gill nets in all kinds of weather. Having a few rides in this ancient one-lunger in rough Georgian Bay waters was definitely an experience to remember. However, I quite liked the simple little copper jacket motor and was fascinated with the idea behind the “Disappearing Propeller” drive unit that allowed the boat to be pulled up on the shore without damage.
 

In 1976, Irene saw an advertisement in a local newspaper for a Dispro boat for sale in Orillia; we went to have a look at it. There, sitting in the owner’s basement in pieces and in need of complete restoration, was Greavette Dispro #45-10. The rest as they say “is history.” After competing with another anonymous bidder, we purchased Margie for $650.00. It’s really difficult to believe that we’ve owned or saved eight other Dispros (in whole or in part) since that time.
 

We thought that we had probably just purchased the only Dispro boat left in the world. Our Port Carling marine industry friends, Alf Mortimer and Aud Duke in particular, made short work of that idea and convinced us otherwise. We then started searching for other Dispros and their owners and also contacting and keeping written records of any Dispro boat, owner or Dispro enthusiast that was seen or heard of in our marine industry or recreational boating travels.
 

In 1977 the town of Gravenhurst celebrated its Centennial year and marked the occasion with a gathering of Muskoka boats. Back then there was no Sagamo Park as we know it today. The event was held at the old Greavette plant dock and adjoining Robson’s Marina site. There were only two Dispros that attended the regatta: Joe and Irene Fossey’s Margie and Ron and Jane Hill’s Emily.
 

During that show, Dr. Jim Smith introduced himself to us and mentioned that he, too, was searching for and keeping records of Dispro owners. We agreed to meet and combine our lists, in hopes of promoting a meeting of the owners and enthusiasts in the future. After the show, another good looking Greavette Dispro appeared from out of nowhere and “zipped” around inner Gravenhurst Bay at truly amazing speeds. With only one small person in it, this Dispro looked like the hull was actually planing as it skimmed across the surface of the water.
 

The boat was owned and driven by sprightly, seventy-eight year old, Bert Hurst of Gravenhurst. Bert started as a nailer at the original Port Carling Disappearing Propeller Boat Plant in 1920. Later he worked for Ditchburn Boats and was formerly the motor installation foreman at Greavette Boat Company. Bert turned out to be a truly great friend and for many years a friendly, free-service advisor to many needy Dispro Owner Association members. His boat B.J. was definitely and we think, still is, the fastest Dispro ever made (#42-1). Now owned by Ruth Sutton and named Wud-Naut, Harry is allowed to drive it (but only fast enough to win!)
 

At this time, the Toronto Chapter of ACBS had not even been thought of and we belonged to the Manotick Chapter (formed in 1976). For a couple of years we had the only Dispro boat at the Ottawa show. Margie being a very unusual boat for that area, I was asked by the late Ray Nelson, owner/editor of original Classic Boating magazine, to write an article about Dispro history.
 

During the next year or so, Jim Smith and I exchanged a number of visits and then combined our lists of Dispro owners and sightings into a common file. We agreed to share the costs and hold a meeting at the Continental Inn Hotel in Barrie on Sunday, April 29, 1979. I made up a hand-drawn invitation form which we had photocopied and Irene mailed about 100 of these to people on the combined list.


The meeting, by any standard, was truly successful and is the reason the Association is celebrating it’s twenty-fifth anniversary in 2003. Thirty-eight people attended, of which, twenty-nine persons signed up as members at $5.00 annual dues to cover the room rental and mailing cost of a proposed newsletter and membership roster. The twenty-nine Charter Members who registered and signed up at the first Dispro Owners Association meeting were: Dick Murphie, Peter Lapey, Jim Smith, Jess Hancock, Phil Austin, Roger Dyment, Wayne Scarr, Jack Freeborn, James Sammut, David Stringer, Barbara Morris, Omer Stringer, Steve Ware, Paul Gockel, John Thomson, Don Partrick, John Pearce, Paul Dodington, Doug Brown, Joe Fossey, Rod Maxwell, Tom Wood, Nick Turnbull, Tom Lackie, Don Rolland, Chuck Knight, George Rowswell, Bob Blair and Ed Skinner.
 

Through research and referrals, membership almost doubled in 1979 to fifty-five persons. The first Dispro Owners Association Regatta held September 8-9, 1979, at Pinelands Lodge was a real social success with nineteen boats and family crews from Ontario and the United States converging to enjoy “putting” around Lake Joseph.
 

One of the highlights of that Regatta was the dinner guest appearance of ninety-four year old Mrs. W.J. Johnson, wife of the inventor of the Dispro W.J. “Billy” Johnson. Also of note, was the unplanned dock walk reunion of three members from the original Port Carling Dispro factory crew: planker Charlie Amey, nailer Bert Hurst, and varnisher Reg Stevens...together again almost sixty years later.
Perhaps it’s the relatively small size of the boat, simple antique engine design and self-maintenance factor that encourages Dispro Owner Association members to be ardent do-it-yourself restorers. There has always been an exceptional amount of camaraderie amongst the members, who are always ready to share restoration ideas and offer experienced advice.

The introduction of fall workshops with printed take home notes and hands-on demonstrations by experienced Dispro owners or professional restorers help to educate both new and long time owners about their boat and motor needs and to preserve them for future generations to enjoy. The first one was held in Port Carling in 1986 at the relocated Greavette Boat Plant on the Indian River and was hosted by Rob Haggar and Paul Dodington. The next was held at Glen Orchard Schoolhouse Community Center in 1989. Since that time workshops have been held every other year at George Rossiter’s Shop in Collingwood and most recently at Dwight Boyd’s boatshop in Campbellford. These workshops and their information have truly raised the level of confidence in members’ restoration skills and elevated the operating enjoyment of many Dispro owners to a much higher level.
 

Although many of us have taken some long trips in our Dispro boats, absolutely nothing can ever compare to the successful, 2500 mile downstream navigation of the Mackenzie River from Great Slave Lake to the Beaufort Sea accomplished by the late Bruce Clarke in 1983. This re-enactment trip was completed without incident with Bruce’s nephew and our own Barry Otton as crew members. Aside from bears, the only hitch was fuel supply and refueling while underway.
 

Another very important milestone in the Dispro Owners Association history was the publication in 1983 of the complete Dispro history book, The Greatest Little Motorboat Afloat, by Boston Mills Press. Written by members of an elected Dispro Owners Historical Committee, Paul Dodington, Joe Fossey, Paul Gockel, Jim Smith and Ron Hill, the book is nearing the end of its third printing and is considered the “benchmark” journal of Disappearing Propeller Boat history. (The images on this page are all culled from its pages.)
 

We were fortunate to have contacted Peter H. Spectre of WoodenBoat magazine about the pending publication of the Dispro book. Peter responded by attending our 1982 Regatta and headlined a ten-page article (a condensed version written by the book authors) with a full colour Dispro cover. This article really helped to raise the profile of the Dispro internationally. Many Dispro owners and enthusiasts responded to the article over the years and correspondence was actually received 10-15 years after the Nov/Dec 1983 publishing date.
 

Another milestone in the Dispro Owners Association history, was the huge responsibility undertaken by the Dispro Ladies Auxiliary in 1996 to raise the necessary capital funding to restore the very time worn Dispro on display at the Port Carling Museum. The “Greatest Little Cookbook” production was undertaken and capably administered by Betty Dyment to make this difficult project a reality and a resounding financial success. “Thank You!” hard working Ladies Auxiliary for your dedication to this fundraising event. We must also be thankful to Dick Bell as the tireless and energetic project manager on restoring the Museum Dispro. With the necessary (and much more) woodwork undertaken and expertly replaced by Dwight Boyd, he also beautifully refinished the boat, then designed and built a new modern display stand and donated it to the Museum.
 

In revisiting a twenty-five year history of the Association, one cannot begin to name every single person who has made a vital and lasting contribution to the success of the Association. For every member mentioned here, there are many more Dispro “friends” who were there for us when we needed them. Special, very special, thanks must go to Happy Thomson for two decades of service in being membership secretary, and newsletter editor for all Dispro Association mailings, along with her brother Alf LeGard for tirelessly doing all the Association printing and publishing. Thanks, also, for our fun filled years and laughs with auctioneers Roger Dyment, Rod Maxwell, Ray Prophet and Dwight Boyd. They have contributed many countless years of fun and important fund raising to maintain the Association’s finances and contributions necessary to preserving the Dispro for future generations to enjoy.
 

Currently there are about 400 family members in our roster representing approximately 200 operating Dispro boats. Membership is strong in central Ontario, New York, Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, Georgia, and Dispro popularity is increasing rapidly in the Mount Dora region of Florida.
 

I would like to close by offering my personal thanks to all of the membership both present and past, plus all past executive officers for your dedication and generous support from near and from far over the last twenty-five years. It was a pleasure for me to have been elected as the founding President of the Dispro Owners Associations inaugural meeting in 1979 along with co-founder Dr. Jim Smith who was elected Secretary/Treasurer. Many thanks to my wife Irene, (former treasurer) and unofficial keeper of many file folder boxes and binders full of every club event, minutes, correspondence and transactions that have occurred since. Last year, it was nice to be appointed (it’s called volunteering) as the Association Archivist.
Off to a good start in the new century, we know that in the future Dispro boats and the Dispro Owner Association – with its very strong roots, and with many new followers, owners and enthusiasts – will continue to flourish for years to come.