Ben Reno is perhaps the best known of the Keuka Lake troutboat builders. He is thought to have engaged in boatbuilding over a 50-year period, beginning in the 1890s. From 1910 on he built boats in the boathouse adjacent to his cottage in Keuka Village.

Ben Reno’s boats were beautifully designed and well built. Hallmarks of his work include the drop stern deck, a well-rounded bilge, generous use of support ribs (on two-inch centers), a raked transom, and the famous positionable rowing seat. (This latter feature is attributed to Reno, and was incorporated by other Keuka builders.)

Reno troutboats are highly prized by wooden boat enthusiasts today, and more examples of his boats have survived than those of the other Keuka builders. This is probably due to his large output over a half century of boatbuilding, the excellence of his design and construction, and the esteem Reno boats have always enjoyed.