For almost 50 years, Peter Hornbeck ran Hornbeck Boats, a business he started in his garage in 1971, from a shop on his property in Olmstedville alongside wife, Ann. On any given weekend, you could find him holding court with customers who came from all over the country and world to his pond to try out and buy boats weighing as little as 12 pounds. He was known for his sense of humor and colorful storytelling.
READ MORE about Peter Hornbeck.
He was an environmentalist and proponent of wilderness and an artist, painting watercolors of Adirondack scenes and people enjoying them.
“The Adirondacks won’t be the same without him,” said longtime friend Kim Bessette.
My husband dreamed of buying a Hornbeck boat long before we could afford one. When the day finally came we drove over to Olmstedville with our two German Shepherds and checked out the boats in stock. I can’t remember the name of the “kid” who helped us find the right boat for each of us. After we each selected a boat and had the foot peg position measured, we went to Pete’s office and settled the bill. The dogs were in and out of the building while we were doing this. Pete pulled out a poster and drew the two boats on it along with a couple of loons (dogs he said he couldn’t draw). He checked out our boats before we left to make sure everything was okay. A man proud of his products.
Every time we pass by the shop on our way somewhere I think of that time. Pete truly was an Adirondack icon who will be missed by so many folks.
My heart goes out to his family.
In the Adirondack ponds serious trout fishermen would most likely be fishing in a Hornbeck or a Raddison!! Rest in peace sir !!
I only felt that until I got to Pete’s place that I was in the adirondack ,
My summers were spent in newcombe,on his canoes, my best friend Mike lapping has 3 hornbeck masterpiece s,,l bet money was the last thing this artist was inspired by,sail on
ADIRONDACK PASSAGE
Several decades ago I dreamed I was paddling alone in a little yellow boat. Years went by; and messages from my surrounding physical reality were calling. Dan Berggren brought his Hornbeck canoe each year to Great Camp Sagamore and shared his enthusiasm for Pete’s boats. I still have the brochure. The canoes were portable; most at that time were single canoes; and most at that time were yellow. Then one Mountain Music weekend, I noticed a book left on the table by a previous occupant: “Adirondack Passage” by Christine Jerome, a journalist. I opened it. She wrote – or rather journaled – her rite of passage in the Adirondack mountains and her purchase of one of the little yellow boats made by Pete Hornbeck. She shared the history of the original boat Pete had copied- a lightweight 19th century birch canoe which had made headlines in its own day and time for its weight and agility in the water. Then she followed the original first voyage of the 19th century Rushton canoe, a personal journey of endurance that tested her emotional and physical strength. On the cover of the book was the Hornbeck yellow canoe. I recalled my dream. Weeks later a friend asked me to go with her to Olmstedville. She had ordered a canoe and was picking it up. I went with her, got out of the car and there again was the little yellow canoe. I picked it up – it weighed 15 pounds. Pete invited me to try one on his pond, and I was hooked. I came home – finally – with the little yellow canoe from my dream!!! That was the beginning of my love affair with my little boat, the fulfillment of my dream and a new friendship with Pete Hornbeck. For years after that Pete donated boats to breast cancer organizations I represented. I was a breast cancer survivor and he had inspiration from a breast cancer survivor’s heroic journey in his own area. At least 4 times he donated a boat to be raffled for Hope in the Boat [a dragonboat team], Capital Region Action Against Breast Cancer and Dragons Alive. For one of the raffles, Dan Berggren and I arranged with Caffe Lena for their Friends group to host a special concert with Pete calling in to announce the winner. Dan played and sang “One with the Water,” commemorating his own special relationship with Pete. The connections are endless, each one spinning off into another dimension with additional friendships, dreams, and stories. His life is a story of how we are all connected!
Thanks for remembering a tremendous man for what he was. Smart, generous, hard-working, and a wonderful human being. I have two Hornbeck boats and feel like going to our summer camp now and caressing & polishing them .
Dan
Always wanted to meet you and purchase one of your Hornbeck boats ! Rest in Peace sir!