The 2021 Adirondack 90 Miler-Day 1

The first day of the 90 Miler starts in Old Forge, heads  northeast through the Fulton Chain of Lakes, into Brown’s Tract, then into Raquette Lake and down the Marion River, over the old steamboat carry into Utowanna and Eagle Lakes, and ends at Blue Mountain Lake.  So the racers pass through a variety of watercourses, all of them presenting their own unique challenges.

What follows is a narrative written by Jon about the race.  I will add commentary from time to time.

“Kevin and I spent the entire summer training in Thankful, forsaking our usual canoe paddles and focusing exclusively on time in the guideboat seats.  Since the boat was at my house, I would concentrate on rowing solo during the week.  On weekends, Kevin would row while I paddled.  This gave us plenty of oar time.

We also spent a bit of time on practicing out carries.   We would run with the boat on wheels.

Jon and Kevin on a roll.

We would also switch paddle and oar stations while underway on the water.  To do this, the one on the oars stands up to allow the helmsman to duck under him.  The trick is for each to come up into their new seat simultaneously, while maintaining balance.”

The Seamans change positions during a guideboat race,

Here is an old photo of the renowned guideboat racer Howard Seaman and his son John changing positions during a race.

Jon goes on ” I must give tremendous credit to John Homer.  He was a very valuable resource for us.  We tried to absorb as much advice as we could from him in the month leading up to the race. John even fashioned a second pair of soft maple oars to match our primary oars.  We did this in case of breakage.  Race rules dictate that guideboat oars must be of the traditional fixed pin design.

For the helmsman we opted to use a bent shaft racing canoe paddle.  We were more familiar with this paddle design.  We felt it would give us better steering control over the entire race.”

Gordon adds:

“John Homer is a great friend of mine.  John spent over 25 years in the military, proudly serving his country, sometimes in war zones.  When he retired from the military, he decided to establish a business serving small wooden craft boat people.  His business, called Adirondack Rowboat, Paddle and Oar {315 418 0581} is located in North Creek, NY.

John is indeed one of the cleverest people I have ever met.  When he couldn’t find guideboat hardware he found out how to set=up his his own foundry and cast his own oarlocks and other hard to find hardware.  Having majored in metallurgy in college, I know how difficult this is to pull off. This is just one of many examples of  John’s creativity.  John and his son, Dalton. also race every year in the 90 Miler.  Here is John.

 

My friend John Homer

Thanks for serving John.

This year, 2021, the date of the 90 Miler coincided with the anniversary of 9-11.  To respect that awful day, Jon and Kevin wore commemorative T-shirts.  On the first day they wore red, the second, white and the third, blue shirts.

Gordon narrates:

“The first day of the race takes the racers through waterways with much history.  There is the Fulton Chain noteworthy for its many hotels and hostelries back in the 1800’s.  The chain starts with First Lake near Old Forge and proceeds to Eight Lake.  I will talk some about the history of the Raquette Lake environs later.

Back to Jon:

“We got to the end of Fifth Lake and into the first carry.  We were well in front of the pack, adding to our confidence.

Jon and Kevin in their first carry of Day 1.

However, we knew we had to work hard to stay in front.  This added to the burden of stress we were to experience over the next three days.

We didn’t do an official time trial to determine this. but it was my belief that we were faster with Kevin on the oars than myself.  This is primarily due to boat trim (Kevin being about 20 pounds lighter than I). We managed the rest of the Fulton Chain quickly and efficiently, both feeling very strong.

Next, into Brown’s Tract.  Brown’s Tract is a very windy, narrow, shallow stream.  It provides a real challenge for racers, especially those in guideboats.  Below, John Homer navigates Brown’s Tract in a single person guideboat.

John Homer navigates Brown’s Tract.

But as Jon reports “Brown’s Tract is a lot easier in a two -person configuration as the paddler (helmsman) can predict the curves and communicate with the oarsman as to when to tuck in the oars. This allows the boat to glide through a tight passage.”  Jon calls Brown’s Tract “an interesting negotiation, and exercise in boat leaning and stern directional paddling.”

Another challenge faced by racers are beaver dams.  Jon reports that fortunately most dams have an opening large enough to allow Thankful to pass through.  With some though, you have to get out and pull the boat across.

Here is as photo of Jon and Kevin coming out of Brown’s Tract and entering Raquette Lake when they were contestants in a previous 90 Miler.

Jon and Kevin leaving Brown’s Tract.

They are now in Raquette Lake, a lake known for its rich history.  Back in the late 1800’s Raquette and Blue Mountain Lake were known as a mecca for the rich and famous.

Quite a number of Great Camps were built on or near Raquette Lake.  William West Durant was the author of the Great Camp architectural style.

Great Camps are characterized by large compounds comprised of many separate buildings, each devoted to a separate function.  Durant made clever use of natural materials, like twigs, to embellish the appearance of his buildings.

Another avant-garde trend happened in Blue Mountain Lake.  There the Prospect House was the first hotel in the world to have electric lights in every room, courtesy of Thomas Edison.

The Prospect House, Blue Mountain Lake.

To get to this remote region, the Robber Barons of that day would arrive by overnight train from New York City.  Many would be accommodated in their on private railway coach.  Those headed to Blue Mountain Lake would take a steamboat down the Marion River.

Steamboat on the Marion River.

Back to the racers.  Coming out of Brown’s Tract the racers cross Raquette Lake and enter the Marion River.  They now retrace the path taken by the steamboats.  The Marion River is full of twists and turns but wider than Brown’s Tract.  This makes sense since steamboats negotiated it.

At the end of the Marion River is the Marin River Carry.  The carry is about a quarter mile long and enables one to pass from Marion River to Utowanna Lake.

Back in the late 1800’s, steamboat passengers would disembark  at  Marion River end of the carry and climb aboard open-air railway cars.  A very small steam locomotive would pull the passengers and their duffel to the other end of the carry.  This narrow gauge railroad owned by the Raquette River Navigation Company, was the shortest railroad in the world at that time.

The Adirondack Museum acquired the locomotive and cars.  They are on display in the Marion River Pavilion at the Museum.  Here are photos of the locomotive and one of the cars.

The tiny steam locomotive used at the Marin River Carry.
Railway car used at the Marion River Carry.

Back to the race.  Racers will use the old railroad bed to carry their boats to the put-in at Utowanna Lake.   They are almost home now as they pass through Utowanna and Eagle Lakes into Blue Mountain Lake.

Jon writes about traversing Blue Mountain Lake.

“The first day was characterized by massive wind-driven waves on Blue Mountain Lake.  Negotiating the points means having to go parallel to the weaves periodically.  This can be a bit harrowing, but Thankful handles big lumpy water very well.”

Gordon adds:

The originators of the Adirondack guideboat realized that Adirondack lakes were not always calm.  In s recent 90 Miler gale force winds came whistling down Long Lake on Day 2 of the race.  The canoes didn’t fare very well in the huge swells generated by the wind.  Many were swamped.  As I recall the guideboats were much more seaworthy and handled the heavy seas much better.

Why?  Guideboats have an upward sweep along the shear line.  This hinders large waves from surging over the deck and into the boat, swamping it.

Here I am in one of my guideboats on a calm day. Notice the upward sweep of the shear line, fore and aft.

Jon and Kevin arrive at the first day’s race finish line, the Blue Mountain Lake Town Beach.  They are well ahead of other 2- man guideboat racers.  In fact, it will be almost twenty minutes before the next two-man guideboats appear.

Will they be able to maintain their lead?  Stay tuned…

 

 

 

 

 

The 2021 Adirondack 90 Mile Canoe Race

As you may know I follow the 90 miler very closely each year.  My friend Jon owns the Thankful, a guideboat I built a few years back.  He and his friend Kevin race the Thankful in the 90 miler every year.

Jon, on the right and Kevin

They take the race very seriously and train all summer.  By the time the 90 miler kicks off they are at their peak.

Have you ever read “Boys in a Boat”?  It is the story of nine young men who raced in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.  Against all odds they won the gold medal for racing sculls.  So here are our Adirondack “boys in a boat”.  Well they aren’t quite boys now but they are fierce competitors.

Their boat, the Thankful, is very much up to the task of winning.  She is no dainty young lass although she may look demure while underway in a pleasure cruse.  Her laminated ribs made of thin strips of wood held together with resourcinal glue are tougher than steel.  Jon and Kevin tell me she is a FAST boat.  We will see how fast.  Her do or die moment lies ahead soon.

The 90 miler rules governing the race seem stacked against guideboats.  First, the oars must be pinned.  This means they cannot be feathered, or turned sideways during the recovery stroke.  When rowing into a stiff breeze with these oars it feels like you are barely making forward progress.  Another item is the rules made me laugh.  It applies to behavior of guideboat competitors while in the Brown’s Tract  The Brown’s Tract is a twisty, turny narrow stream that must be traversed after you leave the Fulton Chain on your way to Raquette Lake.  The rule states that guideboat competitors cannot stow their oars and use a paddle while in the Brown’s tract.  My friend John Homer can see how tempting it is to switch to a paddle while in the Brown’s tract.  I failed to mention above that pinned oars are unforgiving.   They do not “give” when they strike a pier or riverbank.  That happened to John while zig-zaging  through the Tract.  One of his oars struck a bank causing an abrupt sideways thrust that nearly capsized his boat.  Clearly, damage was done. Sure enough, the gunnel had a sustained large crack,  John and his partner limped to the Day 1 finish line.  Temporary repairs were made the next morning in Tom Bissell’s field before starting Day 2 of the race.

There are many carries on the 90 miler, three of them a mile long or longer.  Guideboat crews  are allowed to carry with them a set of wheels to speed them along the carry.  Here are Jon and Kevin on a roll.

Jon and Kevin on a roll.

To win the two man guideboat flight of the 90 miler the crew must have it all together, the crew and the boat.  Now Thankful has great bloodlines,  She was an offspring of the Queen Anne, a guideboat prized by the Pruyn family.  They commissioned Caleb Chase, of Newcomb, who was a renowned boat builder of the late 1890’s, to build her.   The Queen Anne was a favorite of Anna Pruyn, wife of Robert Pruyn. builder of Great Camp Santanoni   This precious family heirloom was passed down to her granddaughter Susan Pruyn King.  It was in Susan’s backyard in Long Lake that I found her.  Right then I determined to build a replica of her.  Thankful is the third guideboat built after the Queen Anne’s lines.  She is named after Caleb Chase’s wife whose maiden name was Thankful Preston.

Does this guideboat heritage add some karma to this upcoming race?  We will never know but it can’t hurt.

Mike’s Guideboat

It always makes me feel great when I get feedback on my book Tale of an Historic Adirondack Guideboat and How to Build One.  A while back I received an email from Mike who was just finishing a beautiful guideboat built in the traditional Adirondack fashion.  Mike is just the one I envisioned who would benefit from my book.  Why?  Well I spent some time in the Adirondack Museum’s boat shop  as a docent.  My job was to answer questions while Allyson built guideboats.  Many of the questions were routine like “What is it made of” and “How long does it take to build?”.  Then, every so often, someone would express real interest in building a guideboat.  They would ask” Is there a course on how to build a guideboat?” or “Is there a book on building a guideboat?’  In both instances I would have to reply “No”.  Finally after disappointing enough visitors I vowed to write a book on how to build a guideboat.  That came about while I was building my second guideboat Showboat.

I thought at the time, “How outrageous of me to think I can write a book on building the Adirondack icon.  Over many years Adirondack fathers have passed down to sons and uncles to nephews the art of building a guideboat.  All I had going for me was some prior boat building experience and a love of guideboats.  Little did I know what long hours and tedious effort lay ahead.  Mike seemed to grasp what I went through.  He said “I appreciate the great care and time you put into taking the measurements and lines off of the Queen Anne…then to write it down for others to use…tremendous work”.

He goes on to say “As a visual learner I found that seeing the diagrams immensely helpful,  I am sure others will too.  You would have enjoyed seeing xeroxed copies of some key pages of your book taped to  the ribs as I was lining the hull for the strakes to be hung,”  Mike goes on to say “I found myself saying many times as I was translating what you wrote into a real product…”This is what he means”,

Thanks Mike for your honesty and openness.  One of the great fears I had when I published the book was “Have I forgotten anything?  Is there anything I wrote that would mislead someone and cause them to go astray?” Your narrative and reports from others have reassured me that all is well.  It makes all the many, many hours taking the lines off the Queen Anne and the many, many, many hour to write the book and get it published. all worthwhile.

Now let’s look at the boat Mike built.  His boat has the elements of three guideboats in it.  He took Jim Cameron’s bottom board pattern and combined it with John Michne’s  rib patterns from the Virginia and the dimensions for the Queen Anne’s strakes from my book.

Here is the nearly finished product (seats need caning).  What a beauty!

Mike’s guideboat

A side view. The strakes are of Spanish Cedar except for the sheer which is of Alaskan Yellow  Cedar.  The gunnel is of Black Cherry.  The tack work is amazing.!

Side view of Mike’s guideboat.

The deck,  Eastern white pine with a bird’s eye maple center strip.

The deck.

Mike’s final words to me “Thank you for writing your book and passing along such valuable information to help preserve a beautiful work of art and craftmanship.”

My reply “Thank you Mike for sharing your story with all of us.

Prelude to Greatness- The Tupper 8 Mile Race

My friend Jon and his friend Kevin are dedicated guideboat racers.  Gudieboat racing has waned since it’s heyday back in the 1960’s or so when Howard Seaman and his son John made it popular.  Howard recruited a cadre of young and old to take up guideboat racing.  On race day the shore around the Long Lake town beach would be lined three or four deep with spectators.

I only participated in one guideboat race.  There were two other contestants in that race, Mary Beth and another fellow.  Now Mary Beth was a former protege of Howards so I knew I was up against stiff competition.   The course was rather straight forward.  The start was at the town beach.  We were then to head north for about a mile or so and round a buoy and head back to the beach.

We lined up in our boats and awaited the shouted command to Go!.  At the start and very unusual thing happened.  We all strained mightily on our oars to get underway as quickly as possible.  The fellow on my right put a little too much into his first stroke.  Crack! One of his oars broke in two! So now I was assured of second place.

Mary Beth was off like a shot.  That was the last I saw of her except maybe after she rounded the buoy and was heading home.  I soon learned an ingrained truth about solo guideboat racing.  You can only see what is behind you.  I kept thinking ” Where is the buoy?”  You can try to turn your head to see what’s coming.  That only gives minimal results.  I eventually reached the buoy but yards away from it.  Ideally you want to be as close to the buoy as you round it to save precious time.  I finally made the turn and headed back to the beach.  Mary Beth had long since arrived at the finish line when I pulled up.  I had gained an enormous appreciation for guideboat racing and those who choose to do so.

So back to Jon and Kevin.  They were in a rigorous training program to prepare for the Adirondack 90 Mile Canoe Race.  Now the 90 mile race consists mainly of canoes but there some hardy souls who race guideboats.  As a part of their training, Kevin and Jon signed up for the Tupper Lake 8 Miler.  The 8 Miler starts at the town beach on Simon Pond, proceeds under the Route 30 bridge and up the Raquette River to the Oxbow and back to the beach.

On he day of the race the heavens opened and it poured rain.  Fran and I were undecided as to whether we would go to see the send off.  At the lost minute we opted to go.  It was a good decision because, just as we arrived at the beach, the rain stopped.  Here I am at the Tupper 8 Mile Race Banner.

The Tupper 8 Mile Race Banner

 

Here are some photos and a narrative of the day’s happenings.

First, Jon and his vessel, ThankfulThankful was the third guideboat I built.  She was built from the lines taken off the Queen Anne, a favorite guideboat of the Pruyn family. The  Pruyn family built Great Camp Santononi in Newcomb in the 1890’s.  They were great lovers of all sorts of small craft.

The Queen Anne was built by Caleb Chase of Newcomb.  Caleb’s wife was named Thankful, hence the name given to this boat to honor a master guideboat builder.  As you will see, Thankful  is not only a beautiful girl but tough as nails.  She is constructed of Spanish Cedar planking. Now Spanish Cedar is not really a cedar but is more like a light-weight mahogany   What makes her a tough girl are her ribs. They are laminated from thin strips of wood held together with resorcinol glue.  On a weight/strength basis her ribs are stronger that steel.

 

 

Jon and Thankful

Guideboats are usually raced by two individuals, a rower in the forward station, and a paddler in the stern seat.  Jon and his partner Kevin, make an excellent team.

Kevin, partner with Jon is a winning combination.

When a guideboat racing pair are at peak performance they are unbeatable.  The rower can watch for their competition as it attempts to overtake them.  The team then adjusts their position to thwart the threat.  The paddler looks ahead and steers the craft to avoid obstacles and gains advantage by slip streaming in other boat’s wakes.  The paddler acts as a cocksun by setting the pace.  He can call for a sprint to overtake another craft or a dash to the finish line.

As each member of the team becomes exhausted during a race they can switch positions.  This is easily done during a carry (portage) but not so easy when underway.  When underway the rower lets go of the oars, stands up and moves towards the stern with feet wide apart.  The paddler stows the paddle and ducks under the rower.   If all goes as planned they are underway without losing momentum,

Here are Howard Seaman and his son John performing that maneuver.

The Seamans change positions during a guideboat race,

Now it is time to head for the starting line.

Off to the starting line.

Taking position.

Taking position.

Thankful took position on the outside of the starting line hoping to ride the wakes of other boats.  The course went from the beach at Simon Pond to under the bridge at Route 30 and up the Raquette River to the Oxbow and back home.

Trouble arose at the Route 30 bridge.  Because of the high water this year, it was everybody down as the Thankful passed under the bridge.  Jon, paddling, was concentrating on making sure Kevin’s head was down when they went under the bridge.  Thankful drifted to the side of the bridge abutment.   An oar tip got caught on a submerged wood crib.  The pinned oars are mandatory for guideboats in races.  That means there is no “give” when the oar rams against something solid like a river bank or pier  In this case Thankful  absorbed a tremendous lateral shock.  This would have caused significant damage to traditional guideboats with ribs made from roots.  Such a ram could capsize the boat, split the gunnel, and crack ribs.

As I said earlier, Thankful is a tough lady.  Jon and Kevin pulled over to assess the damage.  Fortunately all they found was a broken screw behind the oar plate.  They jumped back into the race and kept up the pace despite not changing positions,  They wanted to make up for the lost time at the bridge.  As they re-entered Lake Simon nearing the finish line, Jon checked in with Kevin who was still rowing.  “Are you good for a sprint?  Let’s take that guy in a solo canoe 50 yards ahead”.  “Sure” and off they went.

Jon always looks for his family at the finish line.  Here they are, patiently waiting.

Jon’s family waiting for the return of Thankful

Next time, the 90 miler and fame for Jon and Kevin.

Thankful in a Guideboat Race

A few years back I sold my third guideboat to a fella named Jon.   Jon was the perfect one to take Thankful out of my care.  He was so intuitive about my parting with my creation that it almost felt s though he was asking for the hand of my daughter in marriage.  Jon has a beautiful family and we have kept contact and check in during our summers in the Adirondacks.

Thankful was named after Caleb Chase’s wife whose maiden name was Thankful Preston.  Now Caleb created the Queen Anne, the guideboat my friend Susan inherited from her mother.  The Queen Anne was her grandmother’s favorite guideboat of the boat livery at Great Camp Santanoni.  The full story of the Queen Anne is in my book ‘Tales of an Adirondack Guideboat and How to Build One”.

I sent many an hour one summer taking every dimension off the Queen Anne so that I could build one just like her.  Little did I know then that I would write a book on the history of that boat and how to build it.  I still refer to my book as I build my fifth guideboat.

I am proud to say that Thankful is now being entered in guideboat races.  She is not only beautiful but tough.  Her laminated ribs are stronger that steel on a strength to weight basis.  Jon and his friend recently entered a guideboat race in the Saranac Lakes and here is his story,

 

“Here’s a short recap of the race I mentioned.

On may 8th, 2021, Thankful successfully competed in the Round the Mountain Canoe and Kayak Race in Saranac Lake in the 2 person Guideboat division. This is a 10.5 mile race that starts on Ampersand Bay on Lower Saranac, circumnavigates Dewey Mt via the Saranac River and Oseetah Lake and finishes on Lake Flower. The race also features a short portage( or “carry” in the local vernacular) around a lock on the river. It’s a classic Adirondack event!

View of the racers at the start.

 

My canoe partner from the last few 90 milers and I have been talking about doing the 90 in a guideboat for a while, being one of the only boat classes we haven’t completed the race in. After a solitary group training session beforehand (and a full Covid year and spring on our own!), we showed up ready to learn!

Pulling out at the start.

It was a cool, dreary day with some light sprinkles and wind. In other words, a perfect day for an Adirondack race… Social distance precautions were taken by all and the post race awards were subdued but it was certainly nice to be back to racing!

There was one other 2 person guideboat on hand although we didn’t get as much of a chance to chat as I would have liked. Our good friend, John Homer, however, showed up to offer some technical, mechanical and moral support and it was great to catch up with him along with some of our other racing friends for a bit before hitting the water.

Since the carry was about half-way into the race, we agreed that we would switch rowing/paddling stations there as opposed to swapping on the water. It’s a tricky move involving one racer climbing over the other but we practiced it a few times just in case.

We took off from the starting line with a pair of 4 person canoes and tried to hang with their wake as long as we could. We threaded through a few islands and into the Saranac River entrance by the impressive Bluff island and began to feel the benefits of the current immediately. There are a couple of shortcuts that can be a bit tricky in low water but since the water was up, we took them to try to stay in front of the pack. Just after the Route 3 bridge, my family was there cheering us on which was a nice boost. It was just beyond this point that the fast kayak wave caught up with us. I was sort of surprised that no one else from our own wave had caught up or passed us. I guess we were moving along!

We followed the channel markers of the river closely as this section has a number of submerged rocks and stumps that could end your race very quickly. It wasn’t long before reaching the carry, along with another current boost from Cold Brook just beforehand.

The carry is a short up/down around the lock and we opted to just carry the boat upright and get back into the water quickly. Just before the crest of the hill I tripped on a root and fell, hitting my shoulder on the boat on my way down. I took a moment to make sure everything was still functional (on the boat and my body!) before heading down to the water. I hopped in first and grabbed the oars.

The push to the finish line.

It was here that the heavy winds extracted their cost. Oseetah Lake is a shallow, stump filled lake that can really kick up waves when the winds are up and today was one of those days. A solid crosswind kept the waves lapping at the gunnels the entire way across before a respite behind an island and the channel leading to Lake Flower. My partner earned his paycheck here, keeping us on course! A couple more shortcuts and the final push was on. We crossed the finish line at almost precisely the 2 hour mark, my personal goal for the race.

Hooray for Jon and his friend

All told, it was a great day on the water in the Adirondacks! My partner and I both agreed that it was a good prelude to our summer of training for the 90. We have a lot to sort out logistically between now and then but it became much clearer exactly what we need to work on. Switching from canoe to guideboat is a lot more than just getting out of one boat and into another!!. But one thing is clear, Thankful is a fantastic, fast craft and is more than up to the test!”

I am one proud father! Let’s go for the 90 miler!

 

Narrative

Guideboat Furniture

My friend Andy at the Adirondack Museum called the seats in a guideboat the “Furniture”.  Indeed the furniture got more elaborate as the boat builder’s clientele got wealthier and more sophisticated.  Rudely constructed plank seats were just what the guide needed.  They were low maintenance and lightweight.

But to compete with others, the builders had to step it up a notch.  They moved to caned seats which took hours to construct.  Caned seats were not very durable, another drawback.  But the customer’s wishes came first so caned seats became the “in thing”.

I might have told you that a guideboat is nothing but curves and it has no right angles.  I need to amend that. The middle seat is rectangular which means that it is easier to make than the other seats and the seat back.

The seats are held together with mortise and tenon joinery.  Years ago I bought a jig that fits my Delta table saw.  Here it is:

Front view of tenon jig.

Top view of tenon jig.

It helps with cutting the tenons.  It holds the rail in position while you slide it over the saw to form the “raw” tenon. Once you cut the raw tenons you free them by cutting the excess away with a dove tail saw.  Here is the result.

Excess cut away to expose tenon.

The intent of all this is to form the seat frame.  It consists of the upright, or vertical, stiles and the horizontal members called rails.  Except for the middle seat the bow, stern, and stern seat back frames are angled to fit the curvature of the hull.  This greatly complicates their construction.  The tenons need to be cut so as to fit into the mortise on the stiles. So the tenons must be cut at right angles to the stiles.  This isn’t such a big deal but getting everything to fit tightly is a nightmare.  It requires patience and some dumb luck.

Rails for the rear seat back. Note that the tenons are angled downward so as to meet the stile at right angles.

To cut the mortises in the stiles I constructed a gig to use with my router.  The stile is held in a box.  One side of the box has a movable, spring-loaded side so that the stile can be held in position while being moved back and forth to mill the mortise.  The tricky part is to position the router milling cutter directly on the center of the stile.

Once done the fun begins.  The pieces are fitted together and misfits are obvious.  After some backing and forthing the joinery meets my critical eye.  I glue the assembly with Gorilla glue.

The next step is to drill the holes for caning.  This is made easier if you have a drill press.  Here is a view of the process.

Drilling holes for the cane.

 

the seat back is now ready for caning,

The rear seat back ready for caning.. It has been given four coats of Epifanes wood finish gloss varnish.

Next time caning the seats.  I have been given high praise for caning my seats but is really a paint-by- numbers chore.

Roots on the way

You might remember that the old time Adirondack guideboat builders used roots of red spruce trees for constructing the ribs and stems of their guideboats.  They cut sections from the stumps where the root fanned out.  The stumps were huge and it took enormous amount of work to dig the stump out of the ground and cut out the sections.  All this was done by hand!  But it gave these frontier boat builders strong, light ribs and stems for their boats.  Since they had none of the modern glues we have today, it was an ingenious solution that overcame the major boatbuilding obstacle confronting them.

I built my first three guideboats using ribs and stems that were laminated.  I took thin strips of wood and  glued them together in a mold having the shape of the desired rib or stem.  This gave me very strong, light-weight ribs.  The problem was that it took forever to produce a set of guideboat ribs.

For my last guideboat I was able to acquire red spruce roots from a local Adirondack boat builder.  This time around I wasn’t as fortunate.  There were no red spruce roots to be had.  All available roots were spoken for.  Then  I remembered my old friend Josh.  Josh was the first boat builder-in-residence at the Adirondack Museum.  One of his first tasks was to renovate the steam launch Osprey.  The osprey is on permanent exbibit on the Museum’s campus.

The Osprey has a small wheel house to protect the captain from foul weather.  Josh thought it would be a good idea to restore the vertical side boards of wheel house.  To add some spice to the wheel house he decided to use dark and light varnish to give a striped appearance.  Here I am following orders.

Yours truly varnishing the wheel house of the steam launch Osprey.

Josh became the first boat builder in residence at the Museum.  His job was to build an Adirondack guideboat employing  the same  materials and methods used by the original builders.  This was all done in full view of the visitors.  To give him time to work, I acted as a docent to answer questions posed by visitors.

Josh then struck out on his own and formed his own venture, J. W. Swan Boat shop in Northern Wisconsin on the shore of Lake Superior.   He became aware of bogs there where hackmatack trees grew.  He knew that a fella named Newman had started a business, Newman’s Knees, that harvested the “knees” or roots from these trees. Newman sold the knees to boatbuilders, furniture makers and others who could exploit these unusual materials.   Tragically Newman was killed when  a tree he was harvesting fell on him.

I gave Josh a call and we renewed an old friendship.   Sure enough he could supply my needs for roots to provide the ribs and stems for my next guideboat.  He now has a family of two boys who love helping their father in the boat shop.  Here they are steam bending canoe ribs.

Josh and his two boys, Axel and Forest, bending canoe ribs.

As you’ll see from his telling below, Josh takes extra care in transforming roots into ribs and stems.  It starts in the shop where he has just started converting roots to ribs.  Here is his narrative about the rib preparation.

“With all of that I am closing the gap on your ribs/stems.  It sure feels good to open them up.  The shop smells fantastic!  Some folks find it off putting but I do love the astringent pungent aroma of tamarack.  I get the same satisfaction when I am cutting them out in the swamps  It’s clean and crisp, like pine sol concentrate.  I think there is a misconception that it would be boggy and anaerobic.”

In another missive Josh writes, ” Everything got resawn last week.  I moved everything outside when I wasn’t processing it.  I didn’t want it to dry too quickly.  I left some scraps in here over the weekend to see how it’d do in the dry heat.  I checked the scraps this morning.  They were down to 16-18% moisture content with no checking or other issues.  I moved everything back in and stickered it up.  I’ll keep it in here to peal off more moisture to get it down to 16-18% (its 20% now) which will take a few more days.  I probably could have been a little braver and kept it all inside, but I tend to move cautiously.  Once it is drier, I’ll thickness sand it, get it boxed, and route it to you.  Thanks so much for your patience.”

Here are the ribs almost ready to ship.

Ribs almost ready to ship.

Below is a flyer advertising Josh’s tamarack roots.  If you need knees you can contact Josh at BOATSHOPTRICKS.COM/KNEES or call him at (715) 373-0126

 

Next time we make guideboat furniture.

 

 

The Bottom Board-Uh Oh

This is my fifth guideboat so you would think constructing a bottom board would be a piece of cake by now.  After all I have templates for both the top and bottom of the board so laying it out should be easy.

I have clear white pine stock from Hearne Hardwood that was milled to 5/8′ thick.  I will have to scarf the two 8 foot boards to get enough length for the finished bottom board.  Scarfing has never been a problem before.  I rough cut out the two haves, cut the 6 inch scarf and glue them together.

So off we go.  I cut the two halves to closely match the template, apply the scarf, and glue them together.

Then I noticed that something didn’t look right.  When I sighted down the board it just didn’t look true.  I got out a length of twine and ran it from one end of the board to the other.  If all was true it should pass right over the center of the board.  It didn’t!  No matter how hard I tried I couldn’t get the line to pass over the center of the board.  How frustrating!

Well, you can’t start building a guideboat when its foundation is wacky.  So the first try at a bottom board was scrapped.  What was left became a bird feeder.

Bird feeder made from scrapped bottom board.

So lesson learned.  This time I will leave some wiggle room on each side of the scarf.  As I call it “leave it fat”.  Here it is below with the template lying on top.

Laying out the second try at a bottom board.

This bottom board went together without incident.

Gluing the scarf.

The above shows two halves of the scarf being glued together.  I used resourcinol glue since it is pretty much impervious to any agent, chemical or other harsh condition.  The glued scarf cross section is shown below.

Cross-section of the glued scarf.

The next step is to layout the top of the board using my template, and trim it to shape.  Then the board is turned over and the template for the bottom of the board used to trace its shape on the board.  Using a bench plane I remove the excess to form a rolling curve along the edge of each side of the bottom board.  The angle of the bevel along the edge of the bottom board will match the slope of each rib as you go from midships to stem.

I suspended the finished bottom board, with holes drilled for the screws that will hold the ribs in place, on the strong back until it is needed.

The finished bottom board.

Next time we make the guideboat furniture.

 

Guideboat Paddles for Sale

While dithering about whether to build another guideboat I created a couple of guideboat paddles.  I became intrigued with these distinctive paddles back when I was a volunteer at the Adirondack Museum.  As a part of my pay ($0 as a volunteer) I was allowed to roam the Museum’s collection freely.  I discovered that each guide (and Adirondack Murray} had their own paddle style.  They combined their style with certain features common to all.  I got so engrossed with what one might call folk art that I wrote a book on them.  It is entitled Guideboat Paddles An Adirondack Treasure.

Now you are puzzled.  If the Adirondack guideboat is a row boat, then why a paddle?  This etching, done by Theodore Davis in 1868,  is a clue.  To learn more get ahold of my book.

Floating for Dear, by Davis

The paddles I am selling are a reproduction of those used by Rueben Cary, a famous Adirondack guide.  Rueben was born in Long Lake and was the caretaker of the Brandreth Estate for many years.  I am offering two Cary paddles for sale, one made of figured cherry, the other of quarter sawn sycamore.  Here is a full length view of them:

Full length view of guideboat paddles. The cherry paddle is on the left.

Each paddle is just shy of 6 feet long are hand-crafted from a single piece of stock. The blades are 4 1/2″ wide at the widest point and are 32″ long.

All Adirondack guideboat paddles have a “motif “and a lolly-pop grip.  Each builder had their own characteristic motif.  Here is the motif for the Rueben Cary paddle reproduction done in cherry and sycamore.

Motif and grip for the cherry paddle.
Motif and grip for the sycamore paddle.

Here are views of the grain of each paddle.

Grain on blade of cherry paddle.
Figure on sycamore paddle blade.

The figure on the sycamore paddle is striking and hard to describe.  I would best describe it as “snakeskin”.

Each paddle has five coats of marine spar varnish.  They can be used as a decorative piece or put to work from any self respecting craft.  They will be noticed!

So I am asking $250 for each paddle plus $20 shipping within the US.  As a bonus you get a signed copy of my book on guideboat paddles, a $24.95 value. The price then for a single paddle is $270.

If your would like to buy both paddles the price would be $495 ( I will remove the cost of a second copy of the book and keep the shipping costs the same).

If you would like to purchase a paddle (or two) deposit the amount in my PayPal account (my email is gordonfisher1@verizon,net).  If you would rather send a check, contact me at my email address and I will give you my home address.

Happy Holidays, stay safe,

Gordon

 

 

Another Guideboat?

Should I start another guideboat?  Do I have it in me to see it through?  This will be guideboat number five so  I know well the trials and tribulations that lie ahead.  But, in the end, there isn’t much choice.  The Pandemic has all of us locked down tight.  So I need something to occupy my feeble brain.  So here we go again.

I decide the new boat will be planked of eastern white pine, just as the old time Adirondack boat builders used.  I am unable to source Adirondack red spruce roots for the ribs and stems.  Then I remember that my old buddy Josh sells hackmatack roots.  I met Josh over twenty years ago at the Adirondack Museum.  He was the Museum’s first boat builder in the living boat building exhibit.  His job was to build a guideboat in the traditional fashion in full view of the Museum’s visitors.  I volunteered to act as a docent, answering as many questions as I could from the visitors.  This freed up up Josh to do the building.  After a two year stint at the Museum Josh moved on to Wisconsin where he established a boat building shop near the shores of Lake Superior.  He soon found that hackmatack trees were being harvested there but the stumps were being left behind.  “Aha! “,  he said.  “I know what to do with those”. So he has grown his business selling hackmatack roots to boat builders and others.

Recently he found a forester who needed help felling some enormous white pines whose tops had been blown out by the gales off Lake Superior.  Josh lent a hand and now I’ll have a source of excellent planking stock for my boat.

My next step is to get some high quality white pine for my new boat’s bottom board.  For that I’ll travel into Southern Pennsylvania from Delaware to Hearne Hardwoods.   For woodworkers Hearne is the Holy Grail.  Rick Hearne travels world-wide to obtain the most exotic selection of hard and soft woods,   Customers come from far and wide to find stock to build the most creative furniture, musical instruments and, of course, boats.

Hearne Hardwoods sign

You could spend several days inside Hearne’s warehouse and still not see it all.  It is sort of a do-it-yourself lumber smorgasborg,   You may have to climb stairs to find  the bin that holds the stock you are seeking.  The bin holding white pine planks is on the second level.  These planks are not at all puny.  They are usually 12 feet long, 12 inches wide and four quarters thick.  I find two that look  promising so down they come.

White pine stock ready for a closer look.

I have brought along the bottom board template to make sure I can get a whole bottom board from one of the planks.  I’ll need to scarf two half bottom boards together since I would need a plank over 14 feet long to avoid scarfing.  The planks at Hearne go up to 12 feet so I will have to scarf.  Here I check the suitability of a plank using the bottom board half template.  I’ll use the entire plank by going back and forth on the 12 foot plank.

Checking the suitability of a plank using a template.

Walking into the warehouse at Hearne is like being a kid in a candy store for a woodworker.  Bins of various species of domestic and foreign wood line one wall.  As I said before, the bins go up two stories. On the floor are large crates full of a miscellany of odd objects that would attract only a dedicated woodworker,  These include burls and exotic wood species of various sizes and shapes.  No woodworker worth his salt will go home empty handed from Hearne.

View of Hearne Hardwoods warehouse floor. Bins holding plank stock of various species re on the left.

Next, a gentleman measures your plank and gives you a small slip of paper with its dimensions to take for payment at the office.  While I am paying for the stock it is being surface planed to 5/8″ thick, the final thickness of the bottom board.  Hearne has a wide array of machinery to process raw lumber into finished stock.

Foreground: Crate full of odd pieces of exotic wood.  Background: Some of the machinery at Hearne’s disposal to process raw lumber.

Before I leave the warehouse I notice a distinctive touch that you could only find here.  I have no idea what its fate is.

A tree of unknown origin on Hearne’s shop floor.

I pay at the office that is charmed by wood from all over the globe.

The office at Hearne Hardwoods.

Next time I start constructing the new boat’s bottom board and hit an unexpected roadblock.