Gar Wood boats were built in Michigan and shipped by railroad to Clayton,NY, where they would be unloaded and launched. He was convinced that having the Gar Wood dealership would be an ideal way to compliment their custom boat building operation and expand their customer base. In just their sixth year of business, Fitzgerald secured the franchise to become an exclusive Gar Wood Boat dealer for the Thousand Islands territory. He possessed a natural desire to take good care of potential customers by getting whatever brand of boat or motor that a customer desired to secure the deal even if they didn't have it on hand. Their facilities were well suited for boat building and renaming their business to, Fitzgerald & Lee, seemed appropriate as well.įitzgerald developed into a gifted salesman creating a strong loyal following among his customers. The need for suitable boats in the region was so apparent that the partners determined that building custom boats would be a natural extension of their operation. Together their expertise and devotion to customer service was so apparent that their business flourished. The new business was off to a fast start and before long they were selling a variety of new marine engines and even began to build small boats.įitzgerald's role was to manage the new business and promote sales while Lee devoted his extraordinary skill to the marine engine service and repairs was so well recognized. They served notice to their employers giving up their secure positions and announced the establishment of The Motor Boat Shop. In 1920 when the former location of the Hutchinson Brothers Boat Works on Mill Point was offered for rent, Fitzgerald & Lee decided that it would be a perfect location to start their new business. The men were good friends and frequently talked about the possibility of establishing their own small business specializing in servicing, repairing and rebuilding marine engines right in Alexandria Bay where there was a increasing abundance of boating activity. Alfred Lee was the head mechanic for Captain Thompson's large fleet of River tour boats. Fitzgerald was the respected foreman in the highly successful and important Cranker Machine Shop in Alexandria Bay. The firm was established by two skilled tradesmen, Bernie Fitzgerald and Alfred Lee who visualized the growing need for a reliable marine engine service facility in Alexandria Bay.
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