Spencer Boatworks and Adirondack Guideboats/Woodward Boat Shop to host 11th Annual Runabout Rendezvous on July 9, 2022
SARANAC LAKE, NY–For 11 years now sleek mahogany Chris Craft boats and handcrafted guideboats have been displayed on the edge of Lake Flower. Spencer Boatworks owner and co-host of the Runabout Rendezvous Jay Annis looks forward to the social gathering of boat owners and enthusiasts, but it’s the stories shared he enjoys most.
Restorations with grandfathers, first-time visits to the Adirondacks, seeing the flash of a caramel gliding effortlessly across Upper Saranac, and taking youngsters for their first ride are commonplace tales here at the boat exhibition.
“The history of boating in the Adirondacks isn’t set in the past,” Annis says. “This is a celebration that connects generations.” In fact, boats are so often a family affair that many of the exhibitors arrive in multi-generational sets, including Annis and co-host Chris Woodward, owner of Adirondack Guideboats/Woodward Boat Shop whose kids are often seen towing boats and welcoming visitors to the exhibition.
Wooden boats may be the emblem of leisure but building, restoring, and caring for wooden boats is no easy feat. “It takes expert craftsmanship and decades of experience, shared Woodward, “and the Runabout Rendezvous is also a chance for Jay [Annis] and I to showcase years of hard work and meet folks interested in the craft.”
For all those interested in classic and antique boats, they can attend the Runabout Rendezvous on Saturday, July 9, 2022, from 9:00 am-4:00 pm at Riverside Park in Saranac Lake, NY to take part in the Adirondack tradition.
The Runabout Rendezvous is an annual non-judged exhibition of wooden boats in Saranac Lake, NY hosted by Adirondack Guideboats/Woodward Boat Shop and Spencer Boatworks. Those who wish to exhibit their wooden boat at the Runabout Rendezvous can download and print the registration form, and pay a $30 registration fee here.

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