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“They Still Aren’t Canoes” Celebrating The Continuing Journey Of The Adirondack Guideboat

photo provided The 15 foot Kevlar Adirondack Guidboat is the backbone of the business and is a blend of the best of the original 1840 Guideboats, coupled with the engineering skills of Steve Kaulback and modern materials.

photo provided The 16 foot cedar guideboat is a testimony to the ingenious design and durability of the Adirondack Guideboat and its unique blend of functional, flexible and speed.

photo provided The Adirondack Guide Boats are seen across the country each year at Boating Shows and have even been honored as one of the few showcased at the Philadelphia Fine Arts Show.

Tuesday November 23, 2010

By Cookie Steponaitis

     Back in the day, as the old timers would say, in fact back in the 1840’s to be exact, the Adirondack Mountains and lakes were already a big name destination.  So many hunters, fisherman and vacationers came to the region that necessity created an invention of great grace and historic significance. While people knew the area teemed with wildlife and camps were plentiful, the main issue was getting into the region and transporting both people and their catch around. The Adirondack Guideboat was born out of this necessity for a cross between “a pick up truck hauling capability and an efficient speedy and sea worthy capability for a boat.” Since roads into the region were sparse and few, the rivers and the waterways became the main highways, ushering in the age of the guide and the boat that met his needs.

     Mentioned as early as 1895 in Henry Van Dyke’s Little Rivers, A Book Of Essays In Profitable Idleness, the boat is heralded as being, “…light, but being able to handle the heaviest waves like a duck and slips through the water like magic. You can travel in it along the shallowest rivers and across the broadest lakes, and make forty or fifty miles a day, if you have a good guide." History records that not only were the boats the original designs of the men who used them, but they were a remarkable investment of time and money. Ranging anywhere from a 12 foot model called a Raider to a Churchboat, which was between 20-22 feet long and could carry as many as 14 people to church, the boats would take approximately three to four hundred hours to make and cost even then average investment of $50.00 at a time when a regular canoe might only cost $2.00. Known to be able to carry a guide, two hunters, all their gear and a full moose carcass, the boats became increasingly popular and functional in the Adirondack region and remained for over one hundred and forty years as the mainstay way of transportation.

    Fast forward to 1979; and to the Champlain Valley for the beginning of a business that has lasted for over thirty years and has preserved and given new life to these magnificent boats. Steve Kaulback has a passion for art and boats. When Steve came to Vermont, he was looking for a career that blended his strong background in wood working with his skills in design.  After rowing a cedar guideboat for the first time Steve Kaulback thought, “I bet I could build one of these.” The rest is history and has not only earned Kaulback the title of most prolific guideboat-builder in history, but has put Adirondack Guide Boat, Inc. and Addison County on the map. Over the thirty years the business has occupied different locations in Addison County, and for the last fifteen has paired Steve Kaulback and partner David Rosen in a business that has them on the road weeks of the year and constantly brings them into contact with new people, new industries and new awards for their boats and craftsmanship.

     With boats in countries spanning the globe and owners including Martha Stewart and CEO’s of Rolls Royce, the Adirondack Guide boat of present day is a blend of the wooden archetype of the past and the skills, artistry, passion and consistency of both Kaulback and Rosen at their North Ferrisburgh shop. Referred to as "Stradivarius of a Boat" by U.S. Boat Magazine and others including Paddler Magazine and Popular Mechanics, the Adirondack Guideboats of Kaulback and Rosen are available in the traditional wood and newer designs made from Kevlar and fiberglass. “Graceful, swift and with low centers of gravity, the boats are based on designs from 1830's Adirondack guide boats and are rowed ‘cross-arm’ with pegged eight-foot oars that offer efficiency and speed.”  The oars in fact cross over each other and the rower must have one hand over the other.

    While all of the accolades are glowing, the centerpiece of all the articles and recognition is the eye for detail, the passion for craftsmanship and the blending of the traditional work horses of the 1840’s and the sleek designs of the modern materials that have made Adirondack Guideboats not only again popular, but functional even beyond their original predecessors. With new designs including the Vermont Fishing Dory, the Vermont Packboat, the Kevlar Adirondack Guideboat and the sailing rig option, the modern guideboats have proved not only individual works of craftsmanship and made to order in the North Ferrisburgh shop, but extremely swift and successful not only as family crafts, but in open water  races for the past twenty years in fresh water and on open ocean.

     After knocking and entering the shop located on Route Seven in North Ferrisburgh, Vermont, this reporter was greeted by Jack , Justin and Ian Martin, who have been with the company for over twelve years. In addition to handling the questions of curious reporters and customers who stop into the shop, the Martin family handles much of the boat making and not only take time and pride in their work, but have well deserved reputations as some of the best boat makers in the business. One has only to glance around the factory to see their skills showcased.

     Directly in front of the shop were two boats representing the past and present models of the guide boat. One is a strong, elegant and beautiful wooden boat with a hull made out of western red cedar, with a bottom board of pine and ribs and stems that were spruce. The gunwales and decks are cherry and the fifteen boot guidebook represents over 300 hours of craftsmanship and was a custom order. Next to it was a finished Kevlar Adirondack Guide boat that has become the mainstay of the business. With between 100- 200 made each year by hand, Steve used one of his wooden boats as the original template for this boat and cast a mold. Equipped with maple oars, cherry seats and Kevlar skid plates, this fifteen foot boat weighs only 68 pounds and can carry 550 pounds of people and cargo. Further exploration of the shop showed the 120 hand produced parts that go into making each Adirondack Guideboat.

     While one brother patiently explained the creative process of making a guide boat, the other called co-owner Steve Kaulback who happened to be home, in between the almost exhaustive schedule of boat shows all over America that keeps the business moving and growing. Steve expressed a willingness to come to the shop and share his own personal story of the blending of art, history, passion and skill that has kept alive this important New England form of transportation and offered a way to bring to it modern technology as well. While touring the plant with Steve, this reporter learned that one of the major differences between the early Adirondack boats and Steve’s newer models is that his models have ribs that go from gunnel to gunnel and are stronger than the originals, so only half as many ribs are used in the modern boats. “You know,” shared Steve, “Everything I learned about boat making I learned from my neighbors and through trial and error. It was always about keeping the uniqueness of the historic boat and improving it for people to use and enjoy.”

     One special project that was in the factory was an Adirondack boat dating back to 1912 that had been sent to Steve with the request to fix it up. The original owner was a devoted fisherman, hunter and guide himself in the Adirondack region. Now deceased, his children sought to preserve not only the stories of their father, but the boat as well. Steve shared that the boat was personally being refurbished and that he knew of this man and that like the boat, he had been a “real character.”

     If you are looking to explore the many waterways of this region, the Valley Voice suggests you stop by the  Adirondack Guide Boat, Inc. factory in North Ferrisburgh and ask for Steve, David, Justin or Ian and witness a Vermont business that was born when passion, history, humor, craftsmanship and ingenuity came together. Referred to by Popular Mechanics as “…a cherished heirloom and a boat you can hug,” both Steve and David are delighted to share with you their passion for boat making both at the shop and on line at www.adirondack-guideboat-.com. Or even better, call Steve  at (802)734-0102 or stop by or call the shop at  802 425-3926.However, as the sign in the front yard says, “These are still not canoes.” and once you enter the factory and see the boats up close you will understand why both Steve and David feel that, “One pull on the long, graceful oars and it will all come back… it is like dancing with a long lost love.” Anchored in the necessity of the past and preserved for the present and future by the hands, minds and hearts of local craftsmen who each day make Made in Vermont something unique and special, the Adirondack Guideboat continues to take its place as a staple in transportation in waterways around the Northeast and increasingly around the globe.

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