McGruer & Clark Ltd.

McGruer & Clark Ltd., a short-lived yet influential Canadian boatyard founded in 1968 in Port Dover, Ontario, by Scottish émigré naval architect Alex McGruer in partnership with local entrepreneur Bob Clark, served as a collaborative offshoot of McGruer's flagship Grampian Yachts to expand production capacity amid surging demand for fiberglass cruisers during the late-1960s sailing boom. Specializing in hand-laid fiberglass construction with balsa-cored decks and solid hulls below the waterline, the yard focused on McGruer's refined designs emphasizing seaworthiness, balanced helms, and efficient interiors for Great Lakes and coastal voyaging, producing approximately 50–60 examples of the standout Georgian 23 (1968–1970)—a 23-foot LOA fin-keel sloop with an 8-foot beam, 3'6" draft, 4,350-pound displacement (46% ballast), and 249 square feet of sail area under a masthead rig, lauded for its surprising spaciousness (V-berths, saloon settees sleeping four, compact galley, and 6-foot headroom) and club-racing prowess despite modest speeds (5–6 knots reaching). The partnership leveraged Clark's manufacturing expertise to incorporate inboard diesels (e.g., 15-hp Yanmar) and wheel steering in a trailerable package under 3,000 pounds dry, targeting budget-conscious couples and racers; however, economic pressures, including rising resin costs and market saturation, led to the firm's dissolution by 1970, with McGruer redirecting efforts to Grampian's larger models like the 28 and 34.