Adirondack Guide Boat

I lived in the Adirondacks in upstate NY for years.   It is a large area full of mountains up to a mile high with many lakes and streams.  The Adironndack Park is now a combination of public and private land.   It was and is used for hunting and fishing.  The Adirondack guide boat was developed over many years as a double ended boat  - like a wide canoe that you row.   It would carry a guide, the “sport”, their gear, and a deer. They were light enough for the guide to carry between lakes.  They would row well, even in the rough water on big lakes.

 Clicking on the photo makes it bigger.

The original ones were built with ribs made from  dug red spruce roots with the right curve as well as 1/4″ by 4″ pine planks that are beveled on each edge to give a smooth hull.   It is a boat that is difficult to build like that.   There are many examples at the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake. http://www.adkmuseum.org/ 
At least one active builder still builds them that way - http://www.guideboats.com/boatshop/services/ 
The boat pictured above is a “modern” version that has the same dimensions as the original but built with materials and techniques that make it somewhat reasonable for a decent woodworker to build.  There is an excellent book called “Building an Adirondack Guideboat” by Olivette and Michne that completely details the process.  The boat pictured was one that was for sale by Michne.  The lines of the 16 foot boat are taken from the  classic work in the field  “The Adirondack Guideboat” by the Durants.   It seems far easier (although not easy) to build the boat with laminated ribs and 1/4 x 3/4  wood strips for the hull.   The original way takes a lot of skill and time.

Interior

Interior

 The above photo shows the same boat with details of the interior, seat, oars and carrying yoke.  The book details everything.

I think they are one of the best looking boats ever and I have never been able to walk by one without stopping to admire it.  I have decided to build one.  

There are several companies that supply kits.

http://www.adirondack-guide-boat.com  has info and a lot of links to click.

December 2010

 There are 66 ribs - or 33 pairs.  It is symetrical around the centerlines.   Ribs 1 to 12 are built in sets of 4, and there are 18 ribs in the center that are all the same  - Rib 0.    The boat can be made longer or shorter by changing the number of ribs in the middle.     The ribs are very small - only 5/16″ fore and aft and 3/4 inch from in to out.     You have to make 13 sets of  drawings, patterns, and bending forms.    This boat will be the classic  16 footer Virginia -  as documented in both books.

The book “Building as Adirondack Guideboat”  is the one that I will use, and it is excellent - with very detailed instructions.
The instructions for lofting the ribs are the ones in the original book, and they are used in the newer book.
If you click on these photos, they will be bigger, then click againto make them real big

Lofting Plans

Lofting Plans

 

The next strp is making the drawings.  I used easel paper for this  - about the right size.

Drawing the ribs

Drawing the ribs

 Using carbon paper, I traced the ribs onto thin plywood.

Making patterns

Making patterns

The patterns are cut out and checked against the drawings, then used to make bending forms.
Surfaces of the form that will contact the epoxy are covered with clear packing tape.   I used rough 2″ pine for the forms and they were mounted on a pine board

 I went to a good lumber yard and sorted thru some spruce 2×8s to get 2 that were practically knot free.  Cut them into 32″ lengths and ripped them into 1 3/4″ wide strips.   They I turned them 90 degrees and cut them into 1/8″ to 3/16″strips   - so they were 1/8 or 3/16 x 1 3/4 and flat sawed.    Then I used epoxy and 4 - 6 strips to make it 3/4 thick x 1 3/4wide.  Then when it is dry, it is ripped into four 5/16″  x 3/4 ribs.  These are cleaned up and matched with the drawings.

This shows the stips glued up with Epoxy. These strips were 3/16″ so I only needed 4 to make 3/4″ except in the foot area where it sits on the bottom board.   Two ribs are drrawn on the sheet below - the most  vertical one is #12 - that goes in the narrow ends of the boat.

Glued up rib set

Glued up rib set

These ribs are about done - except for trimming the ends.

Ribs

Ribs

 After about 2 weeks - at the end of 2010, I have about 24 of the 66 ribs glued up.  Thgey still need cleaning up.    Spent $15 on 2 pieces of 2×8x10 spruce. Will need one or two more pieces.  I also spent $200 on Epoxy and small (acid) brushes and will need that much epoxy to apply the fiberglass cloth to the hull.              I have enough epoxy in stock to do most of the ribs.

Jan 2011

Have patterns made for all the ribs as well as the stems.   Glued up the first of the 2 inner stems (both the same) and am making patterns and gluing up the rest.   Weather is bad outside - but only have to go to the barn to cut wood - do gluing inside.  Pickeed up some parts for the stronngback to build it on.  Next part to get is the bottom board - a 1×10 x 16 foot piece of clear pine. The thickness can be 1/2 or 3/4 inch.  Maybe I can talk the lumberyard into planing it to 1/2″.  They can do a better job than my old planer.

Have used a few tools a lot so far, a 14″ bandsaw, and a good tablesaw - as well as a lot of clamps.  Also use a Shinto rasp and a low angle plane as well as a #5 Stanley plane.

March

Havde all of the ribs glued up and now have to rip each into 4 ribs.  The inner stems are done and I ordered the bottom board  - should be planed down to !/2″  x 10 x 16 by the local lumberyard. It was a perfectly clear piece.   Going to the Maine Boatbuilders show this weekend - there is usually a guideboat on display there.