Kayaking & Canoeing

Building on the Past

The Crafts of Adirondack Boatbuilders

by Mark Bowie

Following the storied heritage of Adirondack boatbuilding, today, several local boat makers are constructing handmade, high-quality canoes, kayaks, guideboats and fishing boats. Modifying classic designs by renowned builders such as early twentieth century, Canton-based J. Henry Rushton, today’s builders are using traditional woods and modern lightweight composites to produce boats that are as much works of art as they are practical vessels for transport over water.

Adirondack Region Boatbuilders Adirondack Guideboat (866) 425-3926 • www.adirondack-guide-boat.com Adirondack Goodboat (518) 624-6398 • www.adirondackgoodboat.com Adirondack Rowing (518) 745-7699 • www.adirondackrowing.com Boathouse Woodworks (518) 327-3470 • www.adkguideboat.com Grasse River Boatworks (315) 386-1363 • www.grasseriverboatworks.com Hornbeck Boats (518) 251-2764 • www.hornbeckboats.com Placid Boatworks (518) 524-2949 • www.placidboatworks.com Rainbow Boatworks (518) 293-1461 • www.rainbowboats.com

The builders share a common bond. They are superb craftsmen with a passion for creating custom boats. There is no one “perfect” hull design; each has particular attributes designed for a specific purpose: speed, mobility, stability, load capacity, tracking and turning capability. Builders of classic wooden guideboats, the iconic symbol of Adirondack waters, spend hundreds of hours painstakingly crafting a single boat. The results are gorgeous, functional vessels that can travel efficiently across large, often windy lakes. Other types of boats are trimmed sleek for racing, or made stable for fishing or leisurely touring.

In recent years, the use of super lightweight Kevlar and carbon fiber fabrics has revolutionized the manufacture of specialty canoes, kayaks and guideboats. Ultralight pack canoes, designed for one or two paddlers, their gear, and not much else, can easily be transported between the Adirondacks’ many waterways linked by “carries.” On the water, paddlers use double-blade paddles to efficiently propel the boats. The alternating side-to-side strokes are inherently self-correcting, requiring few adjustment strokes to stay on course.

Peter Hornbeck, Simon Gardner and Chad Smith of Hornbeck Boats in Olmsteadville, make the all-time, best-selling canoe built in the Adirondacks, the 10-foot-5-inch long, 16-pound Lost Pond boat — a Rushton-design solo Kevlar canoe ideal for exploring quiet waters. Thousands have been sold. In 2004, the builders went a giant step lighter, engineering an all-carbon fiber 10-foot-8-inch variation — the Black Jack. Weighing a mere 12 pounds, it can carry up to 300 pounds. Both boats can be fitted with external frame backpack mounts for hands-free carrying.

New this year, they’ve built a highly stable 14-foot carbon/Kevlar canoe weighing about 25-five pounds. Its 625-pound weight capacity is enough for paddler, gear and dog. Hornbeck also builds a carbon/Kevlar decked canoe, the 10-foot-5-inch Etuc, and three ultralight kayaks. The 15-foot-10-inch Wolfen is a touring kayak, the lightest kayak of its size made in the area — 23 pounds. Their newest kayak, available for the first-time this year, is the 16-foot-6-inch carbon/Kevlar Salar. It’s designed to handle the wind and waves of big waters.

Joe Moore and Charlie Wilson of Placid Boatworks in Lake Placid, make several models of pack canoes. Constructed of a Kevlar/carbon fiber matrix, they’re beautifully finished with Adirondack cherry gunwales and seat frames. By applying a gel coat to the outer layer during construction, they finish the boats in a variety of attractive tints.

Placid Boatworks 12-foot Spitfire is a redesign of a classic Rushton canoe.  Depending on optional accessories, it weighs from 20 to 25 pounds. Their 15-foot, 45-pound Starfire can be outfitted as a solo or tandem canoe. Their newest boat, the 15-foot Rapidfire, is a lightweight, straight-tracking canoe built for speed. Depending on accessories, it weighs 25 to 30 pounds.

Eric Van Nostrand of Rainbow Boatworks in Saranac also offers a lightweight pack canoe. His Kevlar, Backwater 12, is 11-foot-5-inch long and weighs 22 pounds. John and Gene Newman of Grasse River Boatworks, in Canton, have been making boats since 1989. They produce lightweight recreational canoes, high performance touring and racing canoes, and woodstrip and fiberglass guideboats and skiffs.

Grasse River may be best known for their lightweight carbon fiber racing canoes. They make both intermediate and upper end (marathon series) racer models. Their boats consistently place in the top finishers at the annual “90-Miler” Adirondack Canoe Classic race from Old Forge to Saranac Lake. The carbon version of the 15-foot-8-inch Adirondac Classic model weighs 23 pounds, the Classic XL model — 24 pounds. Grasse River also makes several specialty boats, including a perennial entrant in the 90-Miler, their Adirondack War Canoe. It’s a whopping 26-foot, 150-pounder with room for an entire war party!

Steve Kaulback and David Rosen of Adirondack Guideboat, based in North Ferrisburgh, Vermont, build beautiful pack canoes, but are best known for their exquisite guideboats. Steve’s been building boats for 25 years and is undoubtedly the most prolific guideboat builder in history. His company makes over 200 guideboats each year. The vast majority of their guideboat business is the Kevlar/fiberglass composite, Adirondack Guideboat. It’s much quicker to build, weighs appreciably less, is available in a number of stylish colors, and offers virtually the same feel and waterborne traits as a traditional wooden boat, at a much friendlier retail price.

Their 12-foot, 46-pound Vermont Packboat is a smaller cousin of the Adirondack Guideboat — light, fast, and a pleasure to row.

For some time, Steve envisioned making a boat for fly fishermen who wanted to stand in their boats while fishing the flats in southern United States waters for bonefish, redfish and tarpon. His benchmark test would be to step off a dock, and stand upright in the boat. After much diligence — success! New this year, the Vermont Fishing Dory is a stable 14-foot, 70-pound Kevlar/fiberglass composite capable of carrying 700 pounds. According to David, initial sales are brisk, to both fishermen and recreational boaters who want to comfortably shuttle guests and pets on outings.

Peter Gallo of Adirondack Rowing in Queensbury, a builder since 1971, makes a 15-foot-9-inch cloth/resin composite guideboat with mahogany trim. It weighs 40 pounds. His 18-foot model weighs 75 pounds and can accept a small electric motor.

Jim Cameron of Boathouse Woodworks makes a limited number of replica wooden guideboats each year from his shop in Lake Clear. He uses only traditional materials, including spruce tree roots for the ribs, which he digs up himself.

Several guideboat makers, including Adirondack Guideboat and Rainbow Boatworks, also sell pre-cut kits. Enthusiasts who want the satisfaction of building their own boat can save significant time and money with the ready-to-construct materials and accessories.

Mason Smith of Long Lake builds one of the most unique rowing boats in the Adirondacks. It’s called the Adirondack Goodboat, a wood/epoxy composite with a canoe-shaped hull and a squared off stern that can support a two to three horsepower motor. It’s also a sailing canoe. The mast can be readily installed and removed per wind conditions.

All of the builders’ boats are customizable. For most models, paddlers can select from options and accessories such as boat color, the material used for seats and back rests, their positioning, foot pedals, paddle types and lengths, and cartop and backpack mounts.

Depending on the options selected, lightweight pack canoes retail for about $1,000 dollars, a Kevlar/carbon fiber guideboat well over $2,000. Cedar strip guideboats, mainly because they take hundreds of hours to make, retail for over $10,000. The boatbuilders’ Web sites list specific pricing for boats and options.

All the builders have nearby water access and welcome “test drives” of their vessels. Call ahead to schedule a convenient time. Given the lengthy production times, customers may want to place their orders as early in the season as possible. Whatever boat you select, you can feel confident that it’s a quality craft designed for a lifetime of enjoyment. It’ll be pretty to look at as well.

Mark Bowie of Pittsfield, Mass. is a professional nature photographer and writer. His new coffee table book, Adirondack Waters: Spirit of the Mountains, is scheduled for release this fall. For ordering information, visit www.markbowie.com.

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