.

 

 

The Hippest Accessory for a Weekend Power Outing?

An Old Fashioned Boat

                    by  Robert Sullivan                 

 

 
      Who would have imagined, in this day of plastic, banana-shaped kayaks and hysterical Jet Skis, that the Adirondack guideboat would be the boat of the moment? Steve Kaulback did, and the idea hit him that day when - after leaving Brooklyn, where he taught at Pratt, to get back to nature in Vermont - he experienced one for the first time. "I literally stepped out of the boat and said, "I am going to be a boatbuilder"
    Now a Vermont-based craftsman, he designs what he calls, "Floating sculptures," his modern rendition of the nineteenth-century classic. Meticulously constructed out of strips of cedar and planks of white pine, touched with cherry, they are simply works of art. The $14,000 price tag for the best Kaulback has to offer confirms this. (Though there are also less expensive versions, ranging from $2,000 to $4,000).
      Katie Ford, President of the Ford Modeling Agency, knows beauty when she sees it. Katie owns one of Steve’s 12-ft boats. Tom Peters, author of In Search of Excellence, owns two of Steve’s boats; and John Cheffins, the President of Rolls-Royce, owns one of the top-of-the-line cedar guideboats.
     A cross between a rowboat and a canoe, the guideboat looks like something out of a Thomas Eakins painting. And it really moves, too. At the Wooden Boat show, in Mystic, Connecticut, it’s oars beat an outboard motor. Taking it out for a ride myself, I could row upstream while feeling as if I were floating down.
      Recently I flew across the continent, from New York to British Columbia, measuring America at 35,000 feet by the places I would love to row an Adirondack guideboat. First, of course, there was the Hudson, then the Mississippi, then the Flathead and then the Columbia.
     Their website offers a 17-ft version which has enough room for three, along with their gear, and in which you will sit on natural cane seats with a cherry backrest. Or you could get a little packboat, which Kaulback originally designed for his daughter. With any of their boats, the problem is always the same, once you get in, you won't want to get out
 

About the author

 

 

   

 

 


     
Cedar Guideboat Magazine and Newspaper Articles Selecting A Boat
Kevlar Guideboat Letters from our Customers Color Choices
Vermont Fishing Dory Questions Frequently Asked Ordering A Boat
Vermont Packboat   Gift Certificates
Cedar Guideboat Kits Adventures & Expeditions Delivery Options
  Race Results Dealers
Accessories Wedding Photos  
Books   Boats for Women
Show Schedule Our Boats Compared to Canoes & Kayaks Boats for Children
Class Schedule Our Boats Compared to Rowing Shells Dogs and Boats
  Our Rough Water Department  
Shop Visits From Gators to Glaciers Fishing Boats
Contact Info   Hunting Boats
  How we Build a Wooden Boat  
Free Boats How we build a Kevlar Boat  
Photo Contest   Our Benefactors
  The Adirondack Museum A Note on the Photos
Additional Info   Safety Issues
  E-mail us...we love to talk boats!  
Our Mailing List   Meet Steve & Dave
  Return to Home Page  

 

Search engines please note the keywords for this site are:  Adirondack Guide Boats,adirondackguideboat, adirondackguideboats, dory, dories, rowing boat, flyfishing, fly-fishing, fly casting, Dory, Dories, Fly-Fishing, Fly-Casting,Adirondack Guideboat, adirondack guideboat, Adirondack Guideboats, Adirondack Guideboats,adirondack guide boats,adirondack,guide,boats,boat,boats,boat building,boat kits,custom boats,custom boat kits,wood,wooden,wooden boats,wooden boat kits,Kevlar,kevlar,kevlar boats,kevlar guide boats,rowing, rowing boats, row boats, row, oar, oars, fishing, fishing boats, camping, Vermont,vermont, Vermont Boating,vermont boating,boat museum,boat museums, canoe,canoes,wood canoes,wooden canoes,canoe kits,boat museums,Museums,museums,classic boats, classic, Stephen Kaulback, David Rosen, Steve Kaulback,Dave Rosen