The Newfound Rangeley

The Newfound Woodworks

The Newfound Rangeley is a strip-planked interpretation of a well-known western Maine guideboat.

The Rangeley Lakes boat, adapted for modern wood-strip construction by Newfound Woodworks, is ideal for fixed-seat recreational rowing. It moves easily through the water thanks to its slender bow and tapered stern, and its generously flared hull amidships lends great stability. The historical use of this boat was for sport fishing, where standing up in the boat was a common practice. In the decades before reliable outboard-motor power, builders of these boats developed a design that performed exceptionally well under oar power and had the stability that customers demanded. Newfound Woodworks has preserved the essential performance qualities of the original Rangeleys while allowing the 21st-century builder to achieve the smoothly rounded contours characteristic of a wood-strip boat.The classic Rangeley Lakes boat was lapstrake planked on light bent frames. John Gardner, widely regarded as the dean of American small craft, describes the Rangeley’s history and construction in detail in his book Building Classic Small Craft. His narrative is entertaining and informative, and prospective builders who want to re-create the Rangeley Lakes boat in its lapstrake form will enjoy his chapter on the type. Historically, the construction of these boats was fairly standardized and simple. For builders unfamiliar with spiling planks for lap joints, or who just prefer the look of a wood-strip hull, Newfound’s wood-strip/epoxy adaptation offers a sound and easily maintained alternative.