just got an adirondack guide boat with pinned oars and am looking for information on rowing technique for this type of boat. if any one knows of a book, or web sight, or even has some thoughts of their own on this subject, i'd be interested in hearing from them.

-- peter gordon (peter.gordon11@verizon.net), January 02, 2003

Answers

Peter, A comprehensive book on the Adirondack Guideboat is, not surprisingly, titled "The Adirondack Guideboat" and is by Kenneth and Helen Durant. It can be obtained from it's publisher The Adirondack Museum, Blue Mountain Lake, NY and from the Wooden Boat magazine Store. I have a Kaulback 15 foot kevlar guideboat which I bought in August of 2001 and having been rowing it 5 or 6 days a week since then.I sometimes alternate with my Alden 16 ocean shell which I had before the guideboat. I row the guideboat with the fixed seaat and a sliding seat, which I like for the extra workout provided by the leg work. I row primaarily in my home waters of the St. Johns River and it's tributaries, but I have taken it to the Keys and coastal South Carolina. Great boat, easy to haul to various launch sites in the back of my pick-up truck, where it resides most of the time. Sometimes I carry it atop my caar on the Yakima roof rack I have for the Alden, But, at age 73, I find it somewhat difficult to load and my car has the scratches to prove it

Where do you plan to row? I"ve been toying with the idea of getting a 12 foot Vermont packboat for car topping , but I'de like to row one prior to purchase. I picked my 15footer at Steve's in Vermont.

If I can add anything let me know. Enjoy your rowing. Jim Douglass

-- Jim Douglass (JNJDOUGLASS53@yahoo.com), January 04, 2003.

Hi Peter, I row a 17 foot Kaulback Guideboat and love it. The pinned oars make it really easy to control the oars. Not much to think about but pulling. You just need a very light grip on the oars and I really just pull from the fingers. Of course no feathering of the oars but never had a problem there. Your hands will be overlapped a bit but you probably know that already. Real easy to get the hang of. I try to keep my hands, right over left almost touching through the pull. Some of the guys in the Adirondacks like to pull with their hands off set, usually left hand about 6 inches in front of the right. Looks too painful on the back for me. Don't want any twisting motion going on. Stroke length really varies.Some of the guys use a very short fast stroke, others a very long pull. I go for the middle of the road but use them all when out for some fun on the water. Some of the guys just pull with their arms but I'll get some back into it too. It's really something that will come naturally when you get in and start pulling. Hope you don't have to wait till spring to try it out. Really easy boat to row. You'll have a blast. Happy rowing. Paul

-- Paul Neil (rowbooboo@aol.com), January 05, 2003.