The Adirondack guideboat is a rowboat that was developed in the 1840s for recreational activities in Adirondack Park. [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. Typical dimensions are 16 feet long, with a 38 inch beam, and weighing 60 pounds. [1] While superficially resembling a canoe in size and profile, its construction methods are very different and are one of its defining features. [2]
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The stem and ribs are made from spruce, a wood which has a very good 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.
Modern hand-crafted versions can sell for about 20,000 US dollars. [7]
