| History | |
|---|---|
 Canada | |
| Name | SSBigwin |
| Owner |
|
| Operator | Lake of Bays Marine Museum |
| Port of registry | Canada |
| Ordered | 1909 |
| Builder | Polson Iron Works,Toronto |
| Laid down | 1909 |
| Launched | 1910 |
| Completed | 1910 |
| In service |
|
| Out of service | 1970-2012 |
| Identification | Official number: 126835 |
| Fate | Partially sunk 1970-1991, raised 1992 and restored 2002-2013 |
| Status | In service as of 2013 |
| General characteristics[1] | |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 66 ft (20 m) |
| Beam | 11 ft 8 in (3.56 m) |
| Depth | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Decks | 1 |
| Propulsion |
|
| Capacity | 32 |
SSBigwin is a small steamshipferry that plies the waters ofLake of Bays inMuskoka area ofOntario,Canada.[2]
The ship was built byPolson Iron Works ofToronto as a private boat[3] for an American ownerJames Kuhn in 1910 as ayacht and named for his wife asElla Mary.[4] It was later sold to several owners (1924, 1945 and 1960) to serve as a ferry boat and renamedBigwin afterBigwin Inn and ChiefJohn Bigwin. In her last years of service, she shuttled customers to Bigwin Inn until it was abandoned and submerged in a slip next to Bigwin Inn from 1970s to 1991.[5]
After interested parties took notice of the ship, it was finally raised from the waters in 1991, and was stored on land for a few years until restoration began in 2002 and completed in 2013.[6]
Once restored to service,Bigwin provides cruises nearDorset, Ontario during a July and August sailing period (restricted due to navigation laws).[7]