Horseboats
 

This PhotoPost from McDude was absolutely excellent! I for one had never realized what was meant by the term horseboats.
Thanks McD. I love hearing history of the lake!
http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopo...nhorseboat.jpg

Wow ,that's good stuff RG.I always thought that horseboats were boats used to transport horses.Silly me!I wonder if they got much bigger than 2 horsepower.As Cal likes to quote at the bottom of his posts,"you can never have too much horsepower!" SS

One of the wrecks on the lake.
 

And you can still see pieces of it when diving. Just ask WD.

Glad we’re not the only ones who thought they were transporting horses. :laugh:
I always thought it odd that they didn’t just take the horses around the lake by land.
Thanks again McDude for enlightening us. ;)

The article says that the boat was over seventy feet long. Back in 1837. I wonder if people complained back then about how all these big boats were going to ruin the lake? :)

Thanks for bringing this up RG & McDude. I love reading this kind of stuff.


Rob

http://ina.tamu.edu/images/Lake%20Ch...slide%2015.JPG
Ran across this image of a horseboat on Lake Champlain.
click for history of horseboats on Lake Champlain

visit a horseboat!
 

There is a horse boat to be found on the lake. Or rather under the lake.

It is just south of the Bear island mail dock in about 15 feet of water. It is a fun dive (still shallow enough to snorkle to). The wreck is in remarkable shape and is easy to find. 'Just off of the West shore of the island pointing twards Shep Brown's.

As for the waste issue, you will find a shovel in the bilge of the boat! As my step father used to say...."The deeper it gets, the faster you shovel!

Misty Blue

horsepower
 

Here is an interesting page on the history of horsepower. Some people were pretty ingenious figuring out how to make things work and reduce human muscle power so they could *vacation* more.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/horsepower1.htm

getting older - new alternatives
 

I found out that I am seriously getting older when I took my kayak out to Bear Island to check on the closing up process. I couldn't get out of the thing! Then I had trouble getting it on top of the car. Does anyone have any ideas? There used to be such a think as a sportyak -- were they stable and light? Where would you get one now?

How about a Horse-Kayak?
 

(Not sure what this has to do with horseboats?)
Hey MN:
Seems a lot of us are "seriously" getting older. My kayak is hard to get in and out of....I know what you mean! A friend just picked up one of these (see link) at Paraphanalia in Meredith and it is really nice. Only 39 lbs, very stable and an extra large cockpit! Just what you need.
Featherlite Kayaks

getting older
 

Thanks for the idea - I know it didn't have anything to do with horseboats but I couldn't figure out how else to post it in this forum. Of course in that vein, in the old days the Lake was used for transportation all year around because the roads were so bad and there were no cars or trucks. The horseboat was one or the of the earliest power boat. Of course the ice was nice and thick back then 3 or 4 feet and there are lots of stories about moving buildings over the ice with teams of oxen. The Lake was important for entirely different reasons back then. Ice fishing was important and the first cars just drove out on the ice and it was entirely safe.

Great Idea
 

I had a brain storm. Open up a gym and use the idea of a horseboat as a piece of equipment instead of a treadmill, stair climber or stationary bike. You can walk or run your way across the lake.

Another Horseboat Image
 

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopo...horseboat2.jpg
"Two actual horsepower - that is what propelled this side wheel horseboat. Lake Winnipesaukee was a major means of transportation for business and personal purposes until the arrival of the automobile". The History of the Town of Wolfeborough - Benjamin Parker - Reprinted by the Wolfeboro Historical Society - 1988 reprinting (facsimile) of the 1901 Edition. (It actually looks like a close-up of the one RG posted above only darker?)

You know in all the year's I've heard about Horse Barges I never had the foggiest notion what one might have looked like. That's amazing :eek:

2 Hp
 

Looking at the picture, and believing the model is accurate, what are the outrigger houses for ? One has a stove pipe so can I assume people lived on their horseboats, at least at times ? I suspect that long deliveries may have necessitated an overnight stay. Was there horseboat racing back then ? If so did people have 6 or {gasp} 8 HP boats ? :eek: :D

Check out McDude's pic in Gallery
 

If you go to McDude's Photopost picture of this, you can click on it and see an enlarged view. Here's the link

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopo...6&limit=recent

You can almost see inside the portside shed, and it almost looks like either a bed or bench.

I would also imagine they would have to bring hay and grain for the horses, so one of them (probably portside) would be used to store those supplies.

You mean something like this?......
 

Try one of these....
http://www.seajogger.com/