adirondak guide-boats

[redpowerd]

anyone ever have the joy of skimming across a windswept adironack lake in one of these peices of american history? boats made from the stiff of spruce and the grip of cedar planks, with no indian influence, tamed the first great woods. they carried customers and their gear from blue line to blue line, married to the pines and swamps, with accurite and delicate efficeincey.  like part of the waves and the bark.
  anyone been in the adirondacks, the great north woods of new york state?
  im working on my first boat, have many books, its a canoe of sorts, if none has seen them.
  like to talk to some boatbuilders
thanks
jon

[Sawyerfortyish]

Try sending Gary watson a message he is building a canoe from raw hides and talkes about it on another thread called yellow popular. I think it's in the sawmill forum.

[Sawyerfortyish]

I was wrong it's right here on the general board just scroll down till you see a topic by Gary Watson

[breederman]

I'm going to Crogahn tonight,have a meeting tomarrow at the FFA camp.You should check out the book store in the Old
Forge hardware,also the museum at Blue Mountain Lake.

[redpowerd]

ive picked up a few books at the museum, but never been to the hardware store in ol forge. if i know of the contet it might be worth the trip down there.

[breederman]

There are a lot of books in there Im sure I've seen som on guide boats. Won't get to Old forge this time,but maybe I can check for you in a couple of weeks.

[whaling]

i live 40 miles north of saranac lake, the people there say that is where these boats came from, i have seen these boats alot when fishing up there great fishing when you canoe in 20 miles or so. i met a man a few years ago that lives there that still makes these boats , a family trait, he gave me his card but i cant find it so i have two phone numbers from the phone book that might help you. 518-891-5828,518-891-3961 these are 2 boatbuilders maybe one is him or they may know him. hope this helps, you cant believe the size of the pines in them woods when you canoe in that far.

[redpowerd]

the origin of the guide boat has never been totally explained. legend says it came from an indian guide named sabattis, who guided around the long lake, little tupper lake region. youll note a town named after him on lows lake, off rte 30, a few miles south of tupper.
       alfred l. donaldson, historian, wrote in his 1921 book,history of the adirondacks,
      nothing of greater historical interest attaches to long lake  than the fact that the adirondack guide boat was evolved there. its progenitors were sabattis and one of the palmers who saw the need of devising something sturdier and swifter than the canoe. their joint product must have been put in use as early as 1842.
but that was hand me down information.
           im afeard to talk to these antique boat craftsmen, they make tens of thousans sometimes on a single boat, why would they need to teach, unless to an apprentice? ive shot the breeze with many builders as i travel from lake to lake, about where they get the wood and such, many have a laid back lifestyle and can talk a sunny day into night, but i gather the impression that what they have is a secret trade passed from trusting relationships, witch is true.
            i know, ill just find a builder i like, plunk a camper across the street, and aim the scope right thrugh my curtians, hunched over my notebook!
            oh, if ya wanna see some big pines, check out the five ponds wilderness area between lows lake and cranberry. one of the largest untouched spots in the state