Preserving the History and Art of Adirondack Guide Boats

By Amy Scanlin

Slow down. Disconnect. Unplug. 

There is art in nature for those willing to take a look – clouds reflecting on a mountain lake, the gentle curve of a polished gunwale, a new day dawning as oars pull through the water, leaving ripples, like fingerprints, fading into the the shoreline. The breath slows and a peaceful cadence settles in as memories of a bygone era quietly unfold.

When it comes to wooden boats, nature and nurture can seamlessly blend into one. In the Adirondacks, the history of nurturing natural materials into water craft dates back generations. With a network of interconnected lakes, ponds and rivers, this region teams in wildlife, abundant fish and unparalleled beauty. It promises the adventurous spirit an opportunity recalibrate and live simply, on nature’s terms.

Travelers first took note of the Adirondacks in the early 1800s and they soon learned that portaging their boats around rapids and dams and across the many stretches of land that separate the area’s waterways required lighter craft. The longest stretch of navigable water in the Adirondacks is a mere 15 miles, though the average is closer to five,

Trux Dole’s Great Great Uncle Stuart.

The earliest Adirondack boats date back to around 1830s. Using materials on-hand and with tools available, the crook of a red spruce became the bilge of a new double ender overlapped with lengths of Eastern White Pine. Though frequently compared to a canoe, these Adirondack boats are decidedly different, and “probably the most important indigenous watercraft of the Adirondacks,” says Laura Rice, chief curator of the Adirondack Experience in Blue Mountain Lake. Powered with two 8-foot oars secured with oarlocks, as opposed to one paddle, they became the workhorse of the region.

It wasn’t until the Gilded Age when the word “guide” was added to the boat’s nomenclature. Businessmen seeking refuge from city life needed guide, and a boat, to reach the best hunting and fishing spots. Guiding became a local profession with dozens of builders and boat shops emerging. The boats’ lightweight construction enables them to be fast movers even though they can carry about 1,000 pounds. As the Adirondacks became more popular, these simple boats, originally painted blue or green, became something of a work of art sporting elaborate designs finished with varnish. 

Trux Dole’s Great Nana Ely.

The “lowly Adirondack Guide boat is…one of a handful of designs that has stood the test of time,” says Lonnie Sieck, member of the North Carolina and Piedmont ACBS chapter. Now in his 70s, Sieck has been rowing guide boats since childhood spent on the Adirondack waters. In addition to a more modern design of clear fiberglass over cedar strip hull he owns an original 1880s-1890s era Rushton. Purchased “as a basket case” with almost all planks missing on one side, it was restored by Woodward in his shop using tools that are nearly 80 years old. 

“I was blessed to grow up going to a quintessential Adirondack great camp that had been in our family for six generations,” says Trux Dole, Columbia Williamette member. “Ancient pictures of family members in guide boats from the 1890s and 1900s were everywhere; going to church, going to the back carries for picnics, fishing, camping, hunting.” 

The church boat.

In fact, the region teamed with families who enjoyed camps and bustling inns. But, by the turn of the century, interest in guide boats faded as the canoe gained popularity. It wasn’t until the 1950s that interest in the old boats returned and the 1970s that a renewed interest in traditional boat making gained traction.

When Dole was five his father took over their family camp and he recalls “sitting on the dock as my father loaded up what seemed like a mountain of groceries from the back of the station wagon. I was sure we would sink. The oars squeaked a bit more in their oarlocks, and I can still remember the smell of my orange life preserver as I bailed with the cutoff Clorox bottle, but we made it uneventfully back to Camp.”

Trux Dole’s father, Charles Minot Dole Jr. at the family’s Great Camp, “Pot Luck”.

It wasn’t until years later that he really took notice of “the first of the many magnificent guide boats” built by his neighbor and friend, Jim Cameron. “Wonder of wonders!” remembers Dole. “Nimble, fast, light, stable. Just as easy to put up on your shoulders for a portage! A beautiful bright new wood with thousands of copper tacks. After that summer, you saw more and more folks out rowing in their guide boats in a mini-renaissance of Adirondack ingenuity and craftsmanship.”

And so, the story continues for these old boats, some refurbished like new, some hanging forgotten from dusty rafters, and still others, crafted new using techniques of old. Guide boats are an integral part of the Adirondack culture, and that culture lives on through their history and the many who preserve and enjoy them today