What’s a working club?

Smugglers Cove Boat Club (SCBC) is a “working” club, which means all members are required to put in mandatory work hours to help maintain the complex. The amount of work hours required is set each year by the executive, typically 20 per year.

Some boat clubs have paid staff. We don’t. We all pitch in to make our little treasure a success. That means we do the carpentry, the welding, the plumbing, the wiring, the pushing and pulling. If it’s “broke,” we fix it. That’s what a working club is and does. 

SCBC harkens back to days of close communities where everyone helped each other for the common good. That’s SCBC. Our “work parties” are an essential part of our boating life. It’s not just because without them there’d be no place to put out boats; it’s in working together that we get to know our boating neighbours and forge friendships that last a lifetime.

Yes, you’ll be called on to put in work hours every year. We know that doesn’t appeal to some, and it doesn’t fit the lifestyle of others. For those who can make the commitment, though, it can be magic!

Mandatory hours include club put-in and haul-out as well as cleaning rotations. A group of members will be allocated to a specific week for cleaning during the season and the usual time commitment is approximately three hours.

Should you exceed the twenty hour minimum a credit will be applied to the next season’s dock fees.  Basically a win-win situation.

About Smugglers Cove Boat Club

Nestled along the western bank of the Niagara River is a unique boat club, just 2 NM upriver of beautiful and historic Niagara on the Lake.

The Smuggler’s Cove Boat Club (SCBC) is a unique floating club tucked in amongst the picturesque natural beauty of the Niagara Parkway, where it intersects with East-West Line, coming from Highway #55. The private gatehouse lies between the main clubhouse and the dock to shore where wildlife abounds. Once through the gatehouse, which houses men’s and women’s heads and private shower, bulletin board of upcoming activities and items of interest, as well as a workshop and commercial ice machine, the dock leads to a communal clubhouse that is the mainstay hub of many of the social events that our members enjoy. The clubhouse and accompanying deck has full kitchen facilities and multiple propane BBQ’s and a ton of both indoor and outdoor seating where many friendships have been made. We are excited that we will be building a brand new new clubhouse in the fall of 2021! The rest of the complex is made up of walkways and 56 finger docks as well as 18 mooring balls.

We are a welcoming, family oriented club that caters to both sail and power boats. We feel strongly that boating is a wonderful lifestyle that includes water, air and friendships. Because SCBC is a working club we are able to enjoy boating for a fraction of the cost of other clubs, and we get to know and interact with fellow members in a way that deepens our relationships while working toward the common goal of having a well run club. Members are required to put in work hours, working together for the launch of the club in the spring and it’s removal in the fall, as well as other work parties and social events during the year.

For Media Inquiries

Contact SCBC at:

Niagara On The Lake
16001 Niagara River Pkwy,
Niagara On The Lake, ON, L0S 1J0

T: 905-468-3331

info@smugglerscoveboatclub.com