“Back to the Beginning” was the 1995 theme for the 20th Anniversary ACBS Show and meeting 30 years ago. Although the Adirondack Chapter (ADK) was the third to form a chapter under the newly incorporated ACBS, the Adirondacks are the actual ACBS birthplace. Lake George was summer home to a group of wooden boat owners with enough passion to begin an organized show at the Lake George Village Docks under the leadership of Ray Nelson with Joe Fleming, Ted Larter, Anthony Boyle, G. Mason Saunders, Munro Sherrill, William Smith and John Summers. The first organized show year was 1974 and Lake George is where it all began.

Lake George, New York
The strength of the Adirondack chapter doesn’t just lie with the origins of the ACBS, it stems from the history-rich Adirondack region known for boating legacies. The Mohawk Indians to the south, and the Algonquin Indians from Canada to the north, were the first boaters in the mountains with their canoes. The French & Indian and American Revolution wars were fought using boats on Lake George and Lake Champlain waters. Eventually non-native settlers found the Adirondack mountains a favored place among sportsmen, guides and recreational lake visitors. The famous Adirondack Guideboats became an ubiquitous vessel for recreational pursuits. Following this, lake steamers and recreational boats of all types including runabouts, plied the gin-clear waters of many Adirondack lakes, ferrying summer visitors to and from the great camps and private cottages since the mid 1800’s. Many of the Chris-Craft and GarWood boats arriving from factories for delivery to Lake George came by train cars that backed into the lake at the headwaters just east of Lake George Village.

Chris-Smith discusses Kit Boats.
Some regard the Adirondack Chapter as only Lake George, but the Adirondack Park is nearly 3 million acres in size offering generous opportunities for recreational boaters throughout the park. Today the ADK chapter is 200 members strong with members coming from many places including several states.
Historic Lake George boat yards like Hall’s Boat (former GarWood dealer) and F.R. Smith Marine (former Chris-Craft dealer) date back to the 1920s and remain in business today with other brands, while Hall’s continues its tradition of vintage boat restoration.

Larry Turcotte leads a workshop at Hall’s Boat.
The Hacker-Craft boatbuilding company was resurrected in Silver Bay in the 1970s and remains in business today in nearby Queensbury, south of Lake George. The Turcotte brothers Larry and Tom, resurrected the GarWood boatbuilding company and today in nearby Brant Lake (west of Lake George), the Turcott family has a thriving shop, turning out the world-class GarWood boats while preserving the originals. New Hacker-Craft and GarWood boats are sent around the United States and internationally. The Tumblehome Boat Works in Warrensburg (west of Lake George), owned by Reuben and Cynde Smith, quickly gained a reputation for preserving not only beautiful wooden boats but also researching their history for deeper appreciation. The Fish Brothers Shop in Glens falls has an excellent reputation for building replica Chris-Crafts and other historic boats like the El Lagarto Gold Cup race boat. Other well-known shops include the Reets Boatworks of Sacandaga Lake, Spencer Boatworks in Saranac Lake and several newer shops in the Adirondack Park which have emerged in recent years. All help to sustain the vintage boating legacy evident at vintage boat shows in the Adirondack Park.
The first Adirondack Chapter shows were in Lake George village but moved to several locations on the lake, eventually returning to the village to accommodate the growing number of boats on display. As the largest tourist town in the Adirondacks, Lake George Village provides over a thousand incidental show visitors each August. In the past two years the show has expanded to venues including Bolton Landing and Hague the day before the main event in the village.
Considering the large geographic area of the Adirondacks, in June 1991, the chapter added another show in Old Forge – the Fulton Chain of Lakes Rendezvous. In its 33rd year (accounting for a break due to COVID) the show grew from the original small size of three boats to well over 50 each July. Most of these boats are from the Fulton Chain whose owners drive them down the Chain on Saturday morning for the show.

Teri Hoffman and her then young kids in the Adironduck, 2011.
Lake George has also hosted ACBS International meetings twice. The previously mentioned “Back to the Beginning” in 1995 was repeated in 2007 with the same theme. At the 2007 show the Adirondack Chapter initiated a Youth Development Program inviting participation from kids from Albany to come to Lake George to assist in starting a James Craft kit boat. The kids, none of whom had woodworking experience, were supported by a number of volunteers who helped them to measure, saw, drill, glue and fasten the hull to create the 10-foot Chris-Craft racing pram replica, today known as Adironduck. The “Duck’ continues to be a hit at boat shows providing lake rides to children and parents of the toddlers.
One of the special things about the Adirondack chapter is the activities such as workshops. With the wealth of talent from the local builders and experienced DIYers, members turn out consistently and to learn and sometimes gain some hands-on experience from others willing to share knowledge. Sharing knowledge is a key part of the ACBS mission and the workshop leaders never fail to make the learning a memorable experience. The workshops usually consist of three or more topics structured into a day with light breakfast and lunch. Participants enjoy trading stories and confessing mistakes made in their own restoration experiences.
The Adirondacks is a special place, and the Adirondack Chapter of ACBS continues the legacy first started by its founders. Strong and vibrant with an enthusiastic group of members, the chapter looks forward to growing and sustaining a new generation in the vintage boating community!
Submitted by: Neil Satterly
Nice article by Neil on the Adirondack Chapter, of which I am a current board member.
May I suggest searching the archives for an article on iceboating for the next issue of Weekly Web Watch. 100+ year old stern steerers are still in use and DN’s, the most popular design, date back to around 1935 when the Detroit News published plans. Iceboating is popular on several continents so international input may be available. There are multitudes of designs, mostly home built, and uses range from recreational to international level racing. Although probably almost all ACBS membership is based on “soft water” boaters, I suspect a number of members have iceboats to continue their on-water activity for more of the year. I showed my DN at the 2024 Adirondack Chapter show and it garnered much attention. Tis the season.