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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 in the Adirondack Explorer.
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. Stay tuned for a remembrance of Hornbeck on the Almanack.
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There’s an empty spot in my heart from Peter Hornbeck’s passing. My wife and I spent the better part of a spring day in 2015 trying out several boats on his pond as he truly did “hold court” on the bank in his Adirondack chair. We settled on a 12’ classic and a 13’ New Trick, using them far and wide on streams, rivers, ponds and lakes. We’ll miss his advice and humor but his legacy will live on every time we set off on another adventure in our beloved Hornbecks. Thank you, Peter, for a boat well built and a life well lived.