Barge Services for Huntsville and Muskoka
Cottage Barge Inc.’s base of operation is Huntsville Ontario serving Lake Vernon, Peninsula Lake, Fairy Lake, and Mary Lake with barge rental services. Our barge is mobile so depending on demand we can service the surrounding Muskoka area as well!Â
Cottage Barge is owned and operating by Rick Keevil, Ian Somerville and John Stewart. We all have cottages on Big Island on Lake Vernon and have had life-long connections to Huntsville and the surrounding area.Â
We hope to grow the business and expand our offering over time and as the business develops, we will add content to this site to keep you informed about what’s new at Cottage Barge Inc.
Our Equipment
Our push boats are powerful and reliable to ensure that we can deliver on our promises.
Our Team
I was born in Chatham but from the time I was born my parents rented a cottage on Lake Vernon and eventually owned a cottage on the lake. I was educated at the University of Western Onario and the University of Toronto as a Geologist and taught school for years which gave me the summers to spend on Lake Vernon. I have for years operated Keevil Construction and have been an active building contractor on Lake Vernon and in the surrounding area. The company has built stairs and decks and docks and boat houses and cottages and Muskoka rooms and pretty much anything you can think of that has to do with a cottage. Unlike John and Ian, my wife Jane and I live full time in Huntsville. We have had a cottage on Big Island on Lake Vernon as well for 10 years. My experience in the construction business has provided me years of barging experience all over the lake. We hope to bring that experience to you, to help you with your transportation needs when they arise.
I came to Lake Vernon for ten summers starting in 1966 at Camp Tawingo, so I have loved Huntsville and canoeing around the lake for over 50 years! I fell prey to the allure of Big Island 7 years ago and now enjoy weekends on the South side of the Island, but these days without 7 other kids in a leaking tent. Being on an Island, I have become very familiar with how to barge well, and have joined with my friends Ian and Rick with a goal to providing the best barge service in the area – without counsellors!
Like John, I came to Huntsville as a kid and spent many glorious summers on the shores of Lake Clearwater at Pioneer Camp. Over 20 years ago I returned to Huntsville with my wife Cathie and we bought a place on Big Island on Lake Vernon. It is a private slice of heaven that we share with family and friends. Water access can be challenging, and we are no strangers to ferrying all sorts of things across Lake Vernon to the shores of Big Island. My friends Rick Keevil and John Stewart and I, all of us Big Island residents, formed Cottage Barge Inc. in 2018 to make everyone’s trek across the water a little easier…Including our own!
Let us know how we can help with your transportation needs!
Our Volunteer Efforts
We have been involved with the Lake Vernon Association (LVA) to assist in shoreline reclamation efforts. Erosion is a part of everyone’s life that lives on the water, especially in heavily trafficked channels. There are a few pics in the Gallery. We actually got stuck trying to exit the reclamation project and were grateful for the boaters that helped free the barge! We have been approached to be involved in another project on the Lake this year.
Capabilities
There are a growing number of water access cottagers deciding to install larger propane tanks at the water’s edge to fuel the cottage. Both Rick and I have done this in the last couple of years and can tell you it makes a huge difference. We have the capability not only to barge the tanks and equipment necessary to get your system installed but can also bring the propane truck across the lake to fill it up!
Most knew builds where there is no access to the sewer system require a septic bed. Of course, nothing is easy building on the lake, but water access always seems to make it just a little harder. Of course we can help with all things construction. We just want you to note that we also can bring the septic truck to your cottage to pump out your system when the time comes. We don’t want you to have to deal with messy sh…..oreline issues!
Right now, I have a pile out behind the shed. Most of us do somewhere and eventually have to take a day to cart it to the mainland, load up the truck to take it all to the dump. It’s a hassle! This year, the partners have discussed setting aside a day once or twice a summer to load a big bin on the barge and drive it around to prearranged locations and collect all of those rusty old BBQ’s for a nominal cost.
Gallery
Contact Cottage Barge
