This is my first boat. It's an Adirondack guide boat built to the Rushton Saranac Laker design. Construction drawings and offsets are available from the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake, NY. It was built in lumber yard spruce stripped to 1/4 by 1-1/2 inches. This required the fitting of each strip. I used WEST system epoxy and their glass. It was sheathed in 6 oz. out and four oz. inside. For additional abrasion resistance I put a mixture of blasting sand and epoxy on the bottom board. The original boats had iron strips. The decks and bottom board are lauan, trim oak, lauan anf fir. The oars were made in white pine from patterns in Durant's "The Adirondack Guideboat" (International Marine Publishers). The boat came in at 60 pounds all up.

As Nick indicates the hull, aside from my making myself fit all those strips, was not particularly difficult to build. I would say about 60 percent of the project was the "fussy" work, deck faming, decks, caning the seats, the oars, etc.

The origins of this type are obscure, but probably are in the bateau, which along with Algonquin bark canoe was the earliest water transport in this area. Adirondack is an Algonquin term meaning "bark-eaters" an early non-PC term referring to the hunting ability of their Mohawk neighbors. The type evolved for dear hounding and jacking which required a boat that was fast, maneuverable and capable of having a deer hauled in over the gunnels.

The Rushston design represents the end of this evolution. It is a little tender, but has great reserve stability. I have been hit beam on by ski boat wakes and the boat just rises and falls with the water. It is quick under oars and a real pleasure to row.