Local Veterinarian Breaks Canadian Record
September 11, 1955

In the 1920's and early 1930's, water skiing had become popular as an exhibition sport in North America and Europe.  In the 1940's, the sport became competitive.  Since 1949, the Canadian Water Ski Association had been hosting Classic Championships for slalom skiing.  In 1951, the inaugural issue of Water Skier magazine was published by AWSA.

Smith Craft of Napanee was started in 1952 by Dr. H.M. (Mac) Smith, a young veterinarian who grew up in the family home on the southwest corner of Mill and Centre Streets, Napanee.  His woodworking shop was enlarged to produce water skis, “the new rage of water sports equipment.”

Smith modelled his first set of skis on a set in a magazine.  After a number of attempts, the first set of cedar skis was ready. White ash, however, was the preferred wood. Production involved several steps. The wood was planed down to a thickness of 5/8", prior to being steamed and bent in a steam box built by Mac and his brother Robert.  Four pieces of wood were placed in the steam box for twenty minutes, then removed one at a time and another new piece of wood placed in the box.  This enabled a ski to be bent every five minutes.  Once the ski was bent, it was left in the press to dry. After drying had reduced the bend by ten percent, Mac then cut the curve at the front of the ski. The ski was then sanded and drilled for the foot harness and two small skegs on the bottom of the ski.

Mac’s uncle, Wilfred Smith, painted the skis red and white or lime green and white.  The distinctive Smith Craft decal, designed by Mac, was then placed on each ski.  Gum rubber and aluminum harness, made by a friend, Knight Irwin, were added. The final part of the process was making and drilling the handles for the tow ropes.  These were painted in a matching colour.  In his autobiography, Mac recorded, “We had notrouble manufacturing and selling 1,000 pairs of water skis.”During the years of ski production, Dr. H.M. Smith set a Canadian record for non-stop water skiing using only one ski.  On a very cold Sunday morning, September 11, 1955, with temperatures dipping to 53°F, he donned a thin plastic jacket, a pair of deerskin gloves and padded his feet with layers of gauze bandages in preparation for a run to challenge the Canadian Water ski slalom record of 69 miles non-stop. Starting from Ed Hogarth’s cottage on the Reach, with Don Hogarth driving the boat, Mac ran a 38 mile route over to Picton, then to Napanee and back to the cottage.  Bill Card drove the escort boat. Bob Chapman and Ron Barrett drove the pace boats and carried the officials.  Dave Armstrong was checker and timer and handled refuelling of the tanks, with assistance from Jack Boyle and Jim Alkenbrack.

In the Bay, 23 knot winds produced 14" high choppy waves, smothered with white caps.  In his autobiography, Mac compared this to “skiing over a sea of frozen ice slabs.” He covered 111 miles in the Bay of Quinte, travelling nonstop for four hours and forty minutes before succumbing to waves from a spectator boat, setting a new Canadian record.

In 1959, Mac’s father, Dr. H.W. Smith passed away and Dr. H.M. Smith had to make a decision whether to carry on the ski business or the veterinarian practice. He chose  to carry on the veterinarian practice.  

(Special thanks to Carl Baldree, Hilda Smith, John   Mayhew and Barbara Cowle.) To view a pair of these unique Smith Craft skis, visit the County Museum (on the Court House campus at 97 Thomas Street East, Napanee), where the skis are currently on display.

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