Canadian Power Boat Company

The Canadian Power Boat Company built MTBs and similar craft in Canada during World War II.

From 1937 Scott-Paine had been planning an overseas factory modelled on his British Power Boat Company of Hythe, Hampshire, England as he was certain that war was coming and that his factory on the south coast of England would be bombed. The Canadian Power Boat Company was registered on 11 May 1940, financed and owned by Hubert Scott-Paine and George Woods-Humphrey, with initially only a small design office in Montreal, Canada. The supply of Packard 4M-2500 engines was secured on 18 May 1940.

Starting with vacant land on the St Lawrence River near Montreal, Canada a factory was completed on 16 December 1940, and the first MTB, based upon Scott-Paine's PV70 which had been brought from Southampton, Hampshire to be used as a model, was finished on 16 May 1941.

Most of the workforce, which rose to 1,400 at its peak, had to be trained from scratch by a small number of British Power Boat Company staff specially brought over from England. Until the St Lawrence iced over one boat was produced per week, and each boat, either under its own power or towed, was taken south to the United States for commissioning and delivery.

In 1942 parts for De Havilland Mosquito aircraft were also made, due to the company's wood-working experience.

All unfinished contracts were cancelled at the cessation of hostilities and the Canadian Power Boat Company closed in 1947, after briefly building small pleasure craft.

References

• Adrian Rance, Fast Boats and Flying Boats, (Ensign Publications, Southampton, England 1989) ISBN 1-85455-026-8
• Motor Boating, 1942