OUR STORY

The brainchild of Robert Henderson, MacRiver Boats concept was hatched many years ago on an isolated British Columbia grizzly bear path! Bob had been dropped off by float plane at the head of Butte Inlet for a solo week-long wilderness camping adventure. The beach might have offered a good tent site; however the incoming tide soon made that impractical. Above high tide, the only available site was a fairly worn trail.
While he slept like a babe the first night, the second night, he was awakened by a snuffling outside the tent and all thought of sleep vanished. Five more nights before the float plane returned – he was not a happy camper!
For the remainder of his trip, he spent his days puttering around in his small Zodiac inflatable dreaming of ways to pitch a tent on a boat. The idea of a floating camp grew from the initial concern for safety into a platform that not only would add comfort but also would make camp breakdown so much faster and easier.

Over the years, the camp boat concept mostly went on the back burner—until it was time for a personal adventure trip down the Mackenzie River in Canada’s Northwest Territories. That is when the first “Expedition” boat was built.

Robert Henderson

Bob attended Oregon State University, the University of Montana, and the University of Washington in undergraduate and graduate programs specializing in mechanical engineering. He spent 15 years in British Columbia as a research scientist for the Canadian Forestry Service and as a faculty member at the University of British Columbia where he was responsible for the forest fire management program.

Fiona Macdonald Henderson

Fiona was born in Scotland and has a degree in English and Psychology. She worked in university administration before moving to the United States and launching a successful career in the newspaper industry. She worked both in advertising and editorial fields, becoming general manager and editor of a high-growth weekly newspaper before retiring to spend more time in the family stone business.

John Norton

John’s role in our organization is constantly evolving as we discover more and more of his valuable skill sets! He impresses everyone with his infectious smile, easy charm, low-key salesmanship and get-it-done attitude.
John was born in CA and then moved to OR, trading in beach-bum life for mountain-bum life as he so characteristically puts it! His love of the outdoors and fitness led him to attend college in Bend on a decathlon scholarship. He served four years in the Air Force where he obviously nurtured a love of flying, later training as a commercial pilot.

Jacob Buck

Jacob graduated from MSU in 2017 with a dual degree in mechanical engineering and mechanical engineering technology. He most recently was employed as a field engineer and assistant project manager for an electrical construction company in Billings, MT, working on various wind farm projects.
Jacob grew up in Wasilla, Alaska, moving to Bozeman in 2012 to pursue his degrees. During college he had summer jobs working for local machine shops with an interest in manufacturing. He also spent some time doing amateur fabrication with friends.

Mike Garcia

Mike graduated from the University of Colorado at Denver with a bachelor’s degree in political science. After college he went to work as a sales manager for a building supply company and in 2017 acquired his own manufacturer’s rep agency, turning it into a successful multi-million-dollar company serving the Rocky Mountain region.
Mike is based in Colorado and is active in all markets. When he is not being a road warrior, he can be found chasing trout with a flyrod in Colorado or Montana.

Kenna Thomas

Kenna has worked for MacRiver Boats since she was a senior in Belgrade High School. She has a commendable work ethic and is a fast learner – just two of the many qualities that have made her a valuable member of our team.
Currently Kenna is attending Carroll College in Helena on a softball scholarship and is pursuing a degree in Biology. With a huge interest in math and science she aspires to be a biomedical engineer.

Tayler Thomas

Tayler is going to be a senior at Belgrade High School this year. Like her cousin, Kenna, she has worked for MacRiver Boats after school and during summers since she was a junior. She too has inherited the Thomas work ethic and fast learning skills.
She was born and raised in Belgrade and is a star athlete for the Panthers, helping (along with Kenna) to lead the girl’s softball team to win the Class AA softball varsity championship in 2021.
Tayler plans to study medicine at college.