{{Short description|Rowboat style particular to the Adirondacks, US}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2025}} {{Use American English|date=October 2025}} [[File:ADK Museum - Guide Boat built on-site.jpg|thumb|250px|alt=An Adirondack guideboat elevated on sawhorses|An Adirondack guideboat at the Adirondack Experience museum]] The '''Adirondack guideboat''' is a rowboat that was developed in the{{nbsp}}1840s for recreational activities in the Adirondack region of New{{nbsp}}York state.{{zwj}}<ref name="sbm">{{cite magazine |last1=Swanson |first1=Rodger |title=The Adirondack Guideboat |url=https://smallboatsmonthly.com/article/the-adirondack-guideboat/ |magazine=Small Boats Monthly |date=7 January 2016 |issue=Small Boats Annual 2017 |publisher=WoodenBoat Publications |accessdate=13 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160108011859/smallboatsmonthly.com/article/the-adirondack-guideboat/ |archive-date=2016-01-08 |url-status=live }}</ref> 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{{nbsp}}guide. It is propelled by oars in rowlocks, as a rowboat, rather than a paddle, as in a canoe. Typical dimensions are {{convert|16|ft|0|abbr=off|sp=us}} in length, {{convert|38|in|m|0|sp=us}} beam, and a weight of {{convert|60|lb|abbr=off|sp=us|round=5}}.{{zwj}}<ref name="sbm" /> While superficially resembling a canoe in size and profile, its construction methods are very different and are one of its defining features.{{zwj}}<ref name="ag">{{cite web |title=Construction of an Adirondack Guideboat |url=https://www.guideboats.com/construction/ |website=Adirondack Guideboats |date=n.d. |publisher=Woodward Boatshop |publication-place=Saranac Lake, NY |accessdate=13 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100419161347/www.guideboats.com/construction/ |archive-date=2010-04-19 |url-status=live }}</ref>
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.{{zwj}}<ref name="ag" /> Ribs are traditionally cut from spruce roots which have a grain following the desired curvature of the rib.{{zwj}}<ref name="Sulavik">{{Cite book |author-last1=Sulavik |author-first1=Stephen B. |author-first2=Edward |author-last2=Comstock |author-first3=Christopher |author-last3=Woodward |year=2018 |title=The Adirondack Guideboat: Its Origin, Its Builders, and Their Boats |publication-place=Peterborough, NH |publisher=Bauhan Publishing |isbn=978-0-87233-260-7 |oclc=1008765211 |lccn=2018027600 |ol=27365346M }}</ref> Adirondack historian Alfred{{nbsp}}L. Donaldson credits Adirondack guides Mitchell Sabattis and Cyrus Palmer with the invention of the guideboat.{{zwj}}<ref name="Donaldson-History">{{cite book |last1=Donaldson |first1=Alfred L. |author-link=Alfred L. Donaldson |title=A History of the Adirondacks |volume=II |date=1921 |publisher=The Century Company |publication-place=New York |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofadirond02dona/ |access-date=15 August 2025 |id={{ARK|ark:/13960/t1bk1hw46}} |lccn=21009060 |ol=6634671M |ol-access=free |oclc=1383265 }}</ref>{{rp|79}}<ref name="Aber-King-History">{{cite book |last1=Aber |first1=Ted |author-link=Ted Aber |last2=King |first2=Stella Brooks |title=The History of Hamilton County |date=1965 |publisher=Great Wilderness Books |publication-place=Lake Pleasant, New York |oclc=1720192 }}</ref>{{rp|23–24}}
Since 1962, the annual Willard Hanmer Guideboat Race has been held on the closest Sunday to the 4th{{nbsp}}of July in Saranac Lake.{{zwj}}<ref name="ncpr">{{cite news |last1=Kurtz |first1=Mark |title=50th Anniversary Willard Hanmer Guideboat Races |url=https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/20078/20120702/50th-anniversary-willard-hanmer-guideboat-races |website=North Country Public Radio |publication-place=Canton, NY |date=2 July 2012 |accessdate=13 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120704164735/www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/20078/20120702/50th-anniversary-willard-hanmer-guideboat-races |archive-date=2012-07-04 |url-status=live }}</ref> It is a {{convert|10|mile|abbr=off|sp=us|adj=on}} canoe and kayak race on Lake Flower and down the Saranac River.
In 2016, modern hand-crafted versions sold for about US$20,000{{zwj}}<ref name="bot">{{cite web |title=Building On Tradition |last=Lynch |first=Mike |url=https://www.adirondackexplorer.org/stories/building-on-tradition-guideboat |website=Adirondack Explorer |date=23 May 2025 |orig-date=First published September 16, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250813164352/www.adirondackexplorer.org/stories/building-on-tradition-guideboat/ |archive-date=2025-08-13 |url-status=live }}</ref> ({{Inflation|US-GDP|20000|2016|fmt=eq|r=-3}}{{zwj}}{{Inflation/fn|US-GDP}}).
==Gallery== <gallery> File:Adirondack Guideboat.jpg File:Guide boat - Paul Smiths Hotel.jpg File:Guideboat on Upper St Regis Lake.jpg </gallery>
==References== {{reflist}}
==Further reading== * {{cite book |title=The Adirondack Guide-Boat |author-last1=Durant |author-first1=Kenneth |author-last2=Durant |author-first2=Helen |publication-place=Blue Mountain Lake, NY; Camden, ME |publisher=Adirondack Museum; International Marine Publishing Company |isbn=978-0-87742-125-2 |date=1980 |url=https://archive.org/details/adirondackguideb0000dura |url-access=registration |lccn=80080778 |ol=4123964M |id={{urn|lcp|adirondackguideb0000dura:lcpdf:f97fd26c-0da4-4e97-acc0-d8e947ca9072}} }} * {{Cite book |author-last1=Sulavik |author-first1=Stephen B. |author-first2=Edward |author-last2=Comstock |author-first3=Christopher |author-last3=Woodward |year=2018 |title=The Adirondack Guideboat: Its Origin, Its Builders, and Their Boats |publication-place=Peterborough, NH |publisher=Bauhan Publishing |isbn=978-0-87233-260-7 |oclc=1008765211 |lccn=2018027600 |ol=27365346M }}
==External links== * {{Commons category-inline}}
Category:Adirondacks Category:Rowing boats
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