Adirondack guideboat

The Adirondack guideboat is a rowboat that was developed in the 1840s for recreational activities in the 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 in a canoe. Typical dimensions are 16 feet (5 meters) in length, 38 inches (1 m)beam, and a weight of 60 pounds (25 kilograms).‍^[1] While superficially resembling a canoe in size and profile, its construction methods are very different and are one of its defining features.‍^[2]

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 cedarlaps, 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 (16-kilometer) canoe and kayak race on Lake Flower and down the Saranac River.

In 2016, modern hand-crafted versions sold for about US$20,000‍^[7] (equivalent to $26,000in 2024‍^[8]).

• Durant, Kenneth; Durant, Helen (1980). The Adirondack Guide-Boat . Blue Mountain Lake, NY ; Camden, ME : Adirondack Museum ; International Marine Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-87742-125-2. LCCN 80080778 . OL 4123964M . urn : urn:lcp:adirondackguideb0000dura:lcpdf:f97fd26c-0da4-4e97-acc0-d8e947ca9072 .  
• Sulavik, Stephen B.; Comstock, Edward; Woodward, Christopher (2018). The Adirondack Guideboat: Its Origin, Its Builders, and Their Boats . Peterborough, NH : Bauhan Publishing. ISBN 978-0-87233-260-7. LCCN 2018027600 . OCLC 1008765211 . OL 27365346M .   

• Contenido multimedia relacionado con las embarcaciones de guía de Adirondack en Wikimedia Commons.