[1] Built for CPR, the hull, engine, boiler, and steel fittings of Naramata were pre-manufactured in Port Arthur, Ontario (now Thunder Bay) by Western Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Company, with final assembly taking place in Okanagan Landing.

Upon completion, the total cost was CA$43,000[1] and she was named after the village of Naramata, a town which at that time was responsible for producing a large portion of the valley's fruit supply.

Naramata would occasionally carry passengers (maximum 22) up or down Okanagan Lake, but she was mainly employed as a tugboat for the Canadian Pacific Railway.

[1] CPR tugboats not only pushed and pulled barges filled with valuable goods, but in the winter months they would work as icebreakers, clearing the way for other larger and often wooden-hulled passenger ships.

Naramata would often run ahead of Sicamous with crew members leaving a cardboard trail as a way to mark the clear path.

This included the removal of three tons of coal and asbestos, general carpentry and safety repairs, and the installation of a steel staircase to allow for easier public access.