Stanley Boats Expands Capacity in Parry Sound

Photo credit: Bill Connor

Aug 14, 2025

Connor Industries, Canadian builder of aluminum boats, has developed an international reputation for its custom-welded aluminum boats. Government agencies in North America, Scandinavia, Africa, the Middle East and the Arctic use the company’s trademarked Stanley boats for law enforcement and conservation patrol, fire and medical emergencies, marine distress calls and spill response. The boats are also used for pleasure boating, commercial tour and ferry operations.

At the recent ribbon-cutting ceremony for Connor Industries’ new facility expansion, Graydon Smith, MPP for Parry Sound–Muskoka, spoke about the value Connor Industries’/Stanley Boats brings to the area.

To help keep pace with increasing demand, the president and owner of the custom boat building company in Parry Sound turned to the Federal Economic Development Agency in Northern Ontario (FedNor) for help. Thanks to support through FedNor’s Targeted Manufacturing Initiative for Northern Ontario, Connor Industries is expanding again.

The company is adding 7500 square feet to its production facility and is purchasing state-of-the-art equipment to create four new robotic bays to boost efficiency.

“It will enable us to move our larger models efficiently through the production line,” asserts Bill Connor, President and Owner, Connor Industries. “The changes will result roughly in a 20% increase in productivity and sales.”

With increased productivity will come the need for additional staff. Connor says he has already hired four people and is projecting that he will need at least another nine. By the time the project is complete, he expects to see employee levels jump from 72 to 85.

Related Articles

Video Gallery

Bennington 22 MSB

By Andy Adams

If you’ve already had firsthand experience with a pontoon, you will easily understand the appeal of the Bennington 22 MSB. But if you haven’t, let’s start by reviewing a few of the reasons why pontoon boats have become top sellers in markets across North America.

Pontoon boats began in the early 1950s as basically four steel drums lashed to a frame. They were not unlike the log rafts of ancient cultures and not much more sophisticated at first.

Read More

Destinations

The Best of Two Worlds

By Mathew Channer

Interior British Columbia might not be as famous for recreational boating as Canada’s Great Lakes, yet it is no less a world-class boat­ing destination. The mountains offer their own flavour of marine adventure with their series of long, deep ribbon lakes, and there is perhaps no area that embodies this more uniquely than the iconic Okanagan basin in southern B.C. One could be forgiven for assuming this valley was purpose-built for nautical fun, with a few delightful perks thrown in to make the area entirely irresistible (wine-tasting, anyone?).

Read More

Lifestyle