LOCALadk Magazine

Summer 2019 LOCALadk Magazine 59 LOCALadk John Homer of North Creek Owner: Adirondack Rowboats Paddle & Oar A passion for the rich histor y of the Adirondacks, and a desire to learn more about it, eventually introduced John Homer to Adirondack Guideboats. John soon visited the Adirondack Experience in Blue Mountain Lake and spent hours in the boat museum section. He studied the lines, the technique, and the craftsmanship, and knew he wanted to use his woodworking skills to build a boat with similar qualities. He started down a path that has allowed him to follow, learn, and ultimately build boats he has come to love. After ser ving his countr y for 22 years on active duty in the Army, and having been stationed at Fort Drum, John and his family moved to the Adirondacks. He built his first boat in 2008 after buying half of an antique guideboat which he used to help teach himself how to build his own. He also had some help and advice along the way from several well-known boat builders in the Adirondacks. He is forever grateful for the knowledge and expertise they each shared with him. The boats John has built are not, however, true Adirondack Guideboats because he has made some modifications; he refers to them as Adirondack rowboats. Aside from the boats themselves, John makes canoe paddles and oars as well as oarlocks. He works with Hornbeck Boats and creates all the oars they sell for their rowing boats. He also works on finishing the hull of the boats once pulled from the molds. This stage of the process involves working with wood for the backrest and seats. A privilege I am sure he is humbled by is applying the telltale red stripe along the boat that has become a trademark for Hornbeck. John also designs and makes his own hardware for part of the oarlocks. He does this using a time-consuming and tedious procedure called sand casting. This is a metal casting process in which sand is used as the mold material. The sand is held in a mold box, or cape and drag, which John fabricated. This path eventually led John to the Adirondack Canoe Classic, or as most people refer to it, "The 90 Miler." Like its name implies, this is a 90 -mile paddling race over the course of 3 days. John participated in his first race in 2009, with a boat he built himself. He has raced 7 times now, and enjoys paddling the race in a boat made with his own two hands. He has com- peted solo as well as with friends. The perfect Adirondack day for John would be to get up early and spend it in his guideboat/rowboat, fishing and exploring some remote pond or lake, where it's quiet and peaceful. If you are in the market for this type of hand-built boat, visit John's Website www.adkrowboats.com or check out his Facebook page: Adirondack Rowboats Paddle & Oar. I am LOCALadk

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