Adirondack guideboat

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An Adirondack guideboat ADK Museum - Guide Boat built on-site.jpg
An Adirondack guideboat

The Adirondack guideboat is a rowboat that was developed in the 1840s for recreational activities in Adirondack region of New York State. [1] It was designed to have a shallow draft, carry three people and their gear, and be light enough to be portaged by one man, the guide. It is propelled by oars in rowlocks as a rowboat rather than a paddle as a canoe. Typical dimensions are 16 feet (4.9 m) in length, 38 inches (970 mm) beam, and a weight of 60 pounds (27 kg). [1] While superficially resembling a canoe in size and profile, its construction methods are very different and are one of its defining features. [2]

Contents

The stem and ribs are made from spruce, a wood which has a very high strength to weight ratio. The hull is planked up with cedar laps, with seams tacked with copper tacks. The hull has a bottom board, like a dory, typically made of pine. [2] Ribs are traditionally cut from spruce roots which have a grain following the desired curvature of the rib. [3] Adirondack historian Alfred L. Donaldson credits Adirondack guides Mitchell Sabattis and Cyrus Palmer with the invention of the guideboat. [4] : 79  [5] : 23–24 

Since 1962, the annual Willard Hanmer Guideboat Race has been held on the closest Sunday to the 4th of July in Saranac Lake. [6] It is a 10-mile canoe and kayak race on Lake Flower and down the Saranac River.

In 2016 modern hand-crafted versions sold for about 20,000 US dollars. [7]

Further reading

References

  1. 1 2 Swanson, Rodger (7 January 2016). "Guideboat". Small Boats Monthly. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Construction of an Adirondack Guideboat". Adirondack Guideboats. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  3. ↑ Sulavik, Stephen B. (2018). The Adirondack Guideboat: Its Origin, Its Builders, and Their Boats. Peterborough, New Hampshire: Bauhan Publishing. ISBN   978-0-87233-260-7.
  4. ↑ Donaldson, Alfred L. (1921). A history of the Adirondacks, volume II. New York: The Century Company. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  5. ↑ Aber, Ted; King, Stella (1965). The History of Hamilton County. Lake Pleasant, New York: Great Wilderness Books.
  6. ↑ Kurtz, Mark (2 July 2012). "50th Anniversary Willard Hanmer Guideboat Races". North Country Public Radio. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  7. ↑ "Building on tradition". Adirondack Explorer. 16 September 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
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