The longtime Lake George retreat of Hacker Boat Co. CEO George Badcock and his wife, Kathleen, has come to market for $7.99 million, offering something increasingly difficult to find on one of the Adirondacks’ most coveted lakes: substantial waterfront, a private boathouse and a home designed around the boating lifestyle.
Set on 1.37 acres in the town of Lake George, New York, the compound stretches along roughly 300 feet of shoreline and includes a 6,000-square-foot main residence, a three-bay boathouse and multiple outdoor entertaining areas. The property has been the Badcocks’ summer retreat for years, tying their private life closely to the same waters that have long been central to their business.
For californialuxuryhouses, the listing is particularly notable because it is more than a luxury lake house. It is a rare example of a residence whose architecture, waterfront infrastructure and ownership history all revolve around one very specific passion: classic wooden boats.
A Lake George Retreat Built Around the Water
George and Kathleen Badcock acquired the property in 2006 for $2.4 million, according to PropertyShark records cited by Mansion Global. At the time, the 1.37-acre parcel was vacant and had once formed part of the estate of a 42-room mansion.
Rather than restoring an existing structure, the couple developed the property themselves, eventually creating a substantial residence and a three-bay boathouse directly along Lake George.
The location was a major part of the appeal. The Badcocks had already spent decades coming to the lake, and George has described the views and activity on the water as central to what attracted them to the site.
“It’s a key location,” Badcock told Mansion Global, noting that tour boats pass the property several times a day. For a couple whose professional lives have been built around boats, the steady movement on the lake was less an inconvenience than part of the scenery.
Lake George itself is one of the defining recreational destinations of the Adirondacks, with a landscape of wooded mountains, islands and exceptionally clear water. The lake’s combination of natural beauty and boating culture gives waterfront properties here a character that is difficult to replicate elsewhere.
A House Designed for Entertaining
The Badcocks’ residence was designed to make the lake the visual centerpiece.
The approximately 6,000-square-foot home contains five bedrooms, four full bathrooms and two half baths. Six fireplaces add warmth throughout the interiors, while large expanses of glass repeatedly pull the surrounding landscape into the living spaces.
At the center of the house is a dramatic great room with a soaring ceiling, stone fireplace and broad windows facing the water. The room flows naturally into the dining area, where a wet bar connects with the gourmet kitchen and the expansive outdoor decks.
The design favors the relaxed rhythm of a lake house rather than a formal estate. Multiple gathering spaces allow the property to function equally well for large summer gatherings and quieter family weekends.
The first-floor primary suite is positioned as a private retreat, with its own fireplace, spa-inspired bathroom and direct access toward the waterfront. A sculptural fireplace gives the bedroom a particularly distinctive focal point.
Elsewhere, the residence includes an executive office, a lower-level family room with a billiards table and wet bar, a screened lakeside porch and a guest suite. The attached three-car garage also includes additional living accommodations above.
The result is a home that remains highly residential despite its scale. Instead of treating the waterfront as a backdrop, virtually every major gathering area has been oriented toward it.
The Boathouse May Be the Property’s Biggest Asset
For many luxury buyers, the three-bay boathouse could prove to be the defining feature.
The structure can accommodate boats measuring up to 35 feet and includes boat lifts and a sundeck. More importantly, its existence represents a piece of Lake George waterfront infrastructure that would be extremely difficult to reproduce under current regulations.
Listing agent Shannon McCarthy of eXp Realty emphasized that point when speaking with Mansion Global, describing the property as having a combination of features that are not readily available on Lake George.
The boathouse is not simply storage. It is effectively an extension of the residence and a private gateway onto the lake.
The Badcocks have used it accordingly. Their collection includes a 1925 Hacker-Craft as well as two Chris-Crafts, dating to 1929 and 1954.
That collection also provides an unusually direct connection between the property and George Badcock’s business.
The Home of the Hacker-Craft Owners
Hacker-Craft is the historic name associated with The Hacker Boat Co., a wooden motorboat builder founded by naval architect John L. Hacker in Detroit in 1908. The company became known for elegant mahogany runabouts and pioneering boat designs, including the V-shaped hull associated with Hacker’s work.
The company eventually moved its operations to New York State and remains closely associated with Lake George and the surrounding Adirondack boating community.
Badcock became involved with Hacker Boat Co. in the late 2000s, acquiring a majority interest in 2008 and purchasing the company outright in 2011, according to the Glens Falls Business Journal.
His daughter, Erin Badcock, serves as the company’s COO, continuing the family’s involvement in the business. Her role has also been documented in interviews about the company’s traditional boatbuilding operation.
That makes the Lake George compound something of a private showcase for the culture surrounding Hacker-Craft. The boats stored in its boathouse are not merely recreational possessions; they reflect the same heritage represented by the company Badcock has spent years preserving and expanding.
A Four-Season Adirondacks Property
Although boating is the obvious draw in summer, the residence was conceived as a year-round retreat.
McCarthy described the property to Mansion Global as one that “really lends itself to four seasons,” pointing to the combination of the house, landscape and waterfront setting.
That versatility matters in the Adirondacks, where the appeal changes dramatically throughout the year. Summer brings boating, swimming and long days on the lake, while fall transforms the surrounding mountains with foliage. Winter shifts the experience toward snow, fireplaces and a more secluded atmosphere, and spring returns the property to the water.
The home’s fireplaces, screened porch, multiple outdoor gathering areas and generous interior entertaining spaces allow the property to adapt to those seasonal changes.
McCarthy also compared the setting favorably with other globally recognized luxury lake destinations, saying the property could rival locations such as Lake Como and Lake Tahoe. Her assessment reflects the increasingly international appeal of high-end waterfront real estate, where buyers are often searching for privacy, natural scenery and direct access to recreational amenities rather than simply proximity to a major city.
A Rare Slice of Lake George Waterfront
The compound’s approximately 300 feet of shoreline is another major component of its value.
Large waterfront parcels on established luxury lakes tend to become more difficult to assemble over time, particularly when they include mature landscaping, privacy and existing structures that would be difficult or impossible to recreate.
Here, the buyer receives all three.
The landscaped grounds provide several outdoor entertaining areas, while the decks and screened porch create different vantage points for enjoying the water. The boathouse adds functionality that goes well beyond a typical luxury lake residence.
The combination is precisely why the property appeals to buyers for whom boating is not simply an occasional activity but a defining part of their lifestyle.
From $2.4 Million Acquisition to $7.99 Million Listing
The property’s financial history is also notable.
The Badcocks purchased the 1.37-acre parcel in 2006 for $2.4 million. They subsequently invested in developing the vacant waterfront site into the present compound, including the main house and three-bay boathouse.
The current asking price of $7.99 million represents a substantial increase over the couple’s original land acquisition, although the comparison does not account for the construction and development costs incurred after the purchase.
After roughly two decades of ownership, the property is now being offered as the Badcocks prepare to downsize.
The couple, both 77, have spent approximately 42 years coming to Lake George and have developed longstanding relationships in the area. George told Mansion Global that they have “a lot of ties” to the lake and have made many friends there.
Their plan is not to leave Lake George altogether. Instead, they intend to build or renovate a smaller home on the lake after this property sells.
That distinction is important. The listing represents a change in scale, rather than an exit from the community or the boating lifestyle that has defined so much of their lives.
What Comes With the $7.99 Million Offering
The new owner will acquire a private Adirondacks compound consisting of the approximately 6,000-square-foot residence, a three-car garage with additional living accommodations, landscaped grounds and the three-bay boathouse.
Inside, the property offers five bedrooms, four full bathrooms and two half baths, along with six fireplaces, a great room, gourmet kitchen, dining room with wet bar, executive office, family room, billiards area, guest accommodations and a primary suite with direct waterfront access.
Outside, the emphasis shifts toward Lake George itself. Expansive decks, multiple gathering areas, lawns and approximately 300 feet of shoreline create an unusually complete waterfront setting.
The boathouse is the rarest component, providing protected storage and lifts for boats up to 35 feet, together with a sundeck overlooking the lake.
For a buyer who values classic boats, the property’s existing relationship with Hacker-Craft makes the offering even more distinctive.
A Luxury Lake House With a Story
Luxury waterfront homes are often marketed through views, acreage and amenities. This Lake George compound has all three, but its strongest selling point may be its provenance.
The house was built by owners whose professional identity is inseparable from boats. The boathouse was created specifically for that lifestyle. The property has been used for decades as a family retreat on a lake the Badcocks have visited for more than four decades.
There is also a sense of continuity in the decision to sell. Rather than abandoning Lake George, the Badcocks are looking for a smaller version of the same experience.
As McCarthy put it, the property “speaks to the boating lifestyle.” That may be the simplest way to understand the $7.99 million offering.
For californialuxuryhouses, the appeal goes beyond the headline price. This is a rare piece of Adirondacks real estate where the architecture, waterfront, recreational infrastructure and ownership history tell essentially the same story—and that story begins and ends with Lake George.