·

Pace Inflatable Boats—From Sailing Dads to Sail Canada Partnership

Pursuit 500

June 12, 2025

By Mathew Channer

Canadian company Pace Inflatable Boats was founded just four years ago when co-owners John Doucette and D’Arcy Craig met through their daughters’ sailing team.

Pursuit 580

The company produces both commercial and recreational rigid aluminum-hulled Inflatable Boats (RHIBs) and have 40 vessels currently being assembled at their Ottawa factory. Last month Pace announced a new partnership with Sail Canada and Yamaha Motor Canada to become the official coach boat of the National Sailing Team.

Pace will supply Sail Canada with an all-new Pace Arrow 580 RHIB, powered by Yamaha, and Pace trailer to support the high-performance coaching of Canada’s top sailors. Doucette says they are very excited by the new partnership and proud to support the Canadian National Sailing Team. “We’ve been working directly with (Sail Canada’s) lead coach to give them input on the boat,” he said.

When they’re not building boats, Doucette and D’Arcy can be found at various sailing events across Ontario. Pace Inflatable Boats has supported several regattas, including Canada Olympic Regattas Kingston (CORK), either financially or by providing support vessels. 

“That’s part of why we enjoy the business as much as we do because it allows us to go out and test boats and work with sailing clubs and be part of the community,” Doucette said.

Doucette says serving the Canadian market is a big focus for the company.

“More than anything right now we need to support our economy and local businesses,” he said.

“We’re out at sailing events and at the boat shows learning what Canadian boaters want in a boat that’s unique to Canada.”

Learn more about Pace Inflatable Boats

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