Hall's Boat History of Wooden Boat Building
The site of Hall's Boat has, for 100 years, been a boatyard. In 1908 Walter Harris ran the largest Fay & Bowen franchise in the country here. Then in 1928 Hibbard Hall purchased the franchise, the boat houses, and the marina - and started Hall's Boat.
Hibbard Hall ran Hall's Boat with a focus on quality and great customer service. During those times, Hib slept at the boat yard during the busy season to give his customers 24-hour service. Over the years Hib sold Gar Wood boats, Gar Wood heating systems, Richardson Cruisers, Old Town canoes, Shepherd boats, Thomson boats, Penn Yan boats, Evinrude motors, Scripps and Chrysler motors, Socony gas and oil, Duplex oil, Globe batteries, and even Seabee airplanes - and more. Hib's longtime affiliation with the Lake George Club brought many new boats to Lake George, including the Cape Cod Knockabout. Back then, Hall's had 10 men employed during the peak of the summer season, including 13-year-old Pete Bombard whose father had been working at Hall's right from the beginning.
Hibbard Hall kept his business going strong through many changes, including a fire and the Great Depression. Years after Hib passed away, the business saw another devastating fire, this one in 2002, destroying many historic archives as well as buildings and boats.
Hall's came under new ownership in 2006, when Steve Lamando - a classic wooden boat enthusiast and Hall's customer - purchased the property. Today, Hall's Boat still services boats that were purchased at Hall's back in those days. And today, a more seasoned Pete Bombard still works at Hall's - repairing and servicing many of those boats.
Under Steve Lamando's leadership, buildings on the site have been restored and our services expanded. Today, Hall's maintains the same commitment to providing the highest quality services established by Hib Hall back in the 1930s.