The Dart Story
Dart Boat Company builds new custom boats, with classic styling, exacting standards, and modern power. We also offer classic boat sales and service.
The history of Dart Boats starts in the midst of the Roaring Twenties when the desire for fun, frivolity, speed, and sport set the stage for a boom in production of the then-new mahogany runabout. Capitalizing on this growing market, the Indian Lake Boat Company in Lima, Ohio developed a line of fast runabouts with the evocative name of Dart. 
Continuing to ride the crest of the wave of motor boat popularity, the Dart line of boats attracted the attention of investors in Toledo, Ohio, and in 1928 a new company was formed, the Dart Boat Company of Toledo, Ohio.
Designer Irving “Hocky” Holler was retained from the Indian Lake Boat Company to refine the lines and hardware into a first class product, to be produced at a new factory in Toledo. In a short time Dart grew to be one of the leading boat builders, with iconic design, fast and stable hulls, and the legendary reputation for first-class workmanship.
The Dart Boat Company was at the forefront of the industry, producing a top-of-the-line product, but also known for their international marketing efforts. Although favored by Prohibition-era bootleggers and the well-to-do, economic difficulties at the beginning of the Great Depression brought a halt to production.
Eighty-five years later, the iconic Dart boat models have resurfaced in Toledo. Within a few miles of the original Dart Boat Company factory, a skilled band of craftsmen are recreating the most beautiful of the original Dart models, as well as some interpretations of the originals. Today’s models are built to the same exacting standards and exquisite detail of the original boats, but incorporate modern power and improved hull construction for ease of use and simplicity of maintenance.
The Dart Boat Company was at the forefront of the industry, producing a top-of-the-line product, but also known for their international marketing efforts. Although favored by Prohibition-era bootleggers and the well-to-do, economic difficulties at the beginning of the Great Depression brought a halt to production.
Contact us for more information on how you can become a caretaker of one of these works of marine art!