Adirondack Guideboats - A Boatbuilder's Diary


	A Boatbuilder's Diary

Spruce roots "Spruce sends its thirsty roots deep into the rocky soil of the Adirondack Mountains ... it is the strongest and toughest wood for its weight in the northeastern forests, pound for pound stiffer than steel.

"The strongest part of the tree is in the knee, where the tough resilience of the swaying trunk passes, intensified, into the grain and curve of the root ....

"The boatbuilder's first concern is for the excellence of the crooks ... of the red spruce unexcelled for strength ... large enough to lay out rib patterns with the flow of the grain."

From The Adirondack Guideboat by Kenneth and Helen Durant. Courtesy of the Adirondack Museum.

A Word from the Boatbuilder
"Since I strongly believe in and use only traditional methods in these boats' construction, I must also procure my own materials. This requires the digging of Spruce tree roots for their natural curve so that i can create the 50 ribs needed for each boat. In recent years, it has been difficult to buy the quarter-sawn lumber for planking, so I acquired a chainsaw mill and have been cutting my own." Jim Cameron, Boathouse Woodworks, 2000

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Boathouse Woodworks
Hand-Crafted Traditional Adirondack Guideboats
Jim Cameron, Master Boat Builder
P.O. Box 317, Lake Clear, New York 12945
(518) 327-3470 · Contact Us · Orders & Inquiries