Canadian Yachting April 2021 - 25

POWER REVIEW | LIMESTONE L-200R

Timeless deepvee design
with all-weather comfort

By | Andy Adams

I

t seems hard to believe, but Canadian
Yachting magazine has never published
a Limestone boat review until now.
This heritage brand is being revitalized
by The Limestone Boat Company's CEO
Scott Hanson and Team, with assistance
from Mark Ellis, the original Limestone
designer.
Starting this spring, there will be both
heritage models like the L-200R in this
review and a newly expanded line-up of
both larger and smaller Limestone models
that are new for 2021. Because a new boat
was not going to be available to us until
spring 2021, we eagerly accepted the generous offer to photograph and review the
Limestone 20 belonging to third-generation Georgian Bay cottager Doctor Chris
Hawley and his family.
Another thing is that after so many years
of doing the boat reviews for Canadian
Yachting, I look back in amazement at
how often our boat tests took place in
lovely calm conditions.
Our day with the Limestone L-200R
had sustained winds up to 60 kilometres

The classic deep-vee hull with lifting strakes rides high and dry through the chop.

an hour from the West, big rolling chop
and breaking waves even in the relatively
sheltered channel. This is Limestone
weather.
The winds had been howling for so
long that it had blown a lot of water into
the Honey Harbour area; so much that the
channel marker we passed was almost
totally submerged!
The rugged beauty of Georgian Bay
is legendary and cottagers like Doctor
Hawley would be reluctant to let the
weather cost them even a day on their
island. Families like this need at least one
boat that will brave almost any weather
and the Limestone L-200R is a great
choice to transport his wife and family
in safety and comfort almost regardless
of the weather. The Boat Club in Honey
Harbour is where many of these island
families keep their boats before they head
out to their island, or water access homes.
The Limestone designs have been so successful that it seems like every other boat
there is a Limestone.
Originally designed by Mark Ellis for

Fred Eaton Sr., of the famous Department
store family, Limestone was a custom
commission for his use. The boat was so
successful that it went into production and
Ellis' now-classic Limestone look became
well-established.
DESIGN
The lines of the Limestone are timeless
in their style and highly functional. With
a length of 20-feet on a beam of 8-feet,
the Limestone L-200R is a substantial
boat. The deadrise is 21.1 degrees and the
weight is 3,100 lbs. It can handle 8 people or 1,600 lbs and an internal 85-gallon
tank gives a big range for Georgian Bay
travel. A single 200 horsepower outboard
is the standard power with a 250 optional
- choose from either Yamaha or Mercury.
Both will be excellent choices for this
boat.
Our test boat was fitted with a 175
Yamaha and although it performed admirably, we will publish estimated speeds
that better reflect the larger engines.
The deep-vee hull and hull lifting

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Canadian Yachting April 2021

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