After hours of searching, New York State Police and Warren County Sheriff's divers found the body of a missing kayaker who drowned in Lake George Wednesday. As our North Country Bureau Reporter Matt Hunter tells us, initially, it was unclear just how the man's small boat capsized, but it now appears he was struck by another boat. The boat's operator has been charged with a misdemeanor in the collision.

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LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. -- What started as a quiet day on the lake turned tragic Wednesday when a Troy man's kayak collided with a 22-foot motorboat, ultimately leading to his death.

"We have no reason to believe this guy saw him," Warren County Sheriff Nathan "Bud" York said at a press conference Thursday afternoon. "He did everything he could to save this guy, so it's a tragic accident."

The Warren County Sheriff's Office said the accident happened around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. It wasn't for another six hours that the body of 63-year-old Peter Snyder was pulled from the bottom of the lake, roughly 250 yards from shore.

"We brought the victim's wife back out later in the evening, probably around 6, 6:30," York said. "She gave us her estimation around where it happened and within a half of an hour, we found the body."

According to the sheriff's office, Snyder and his wife, 63-year-old Bonita Hagan, were heading south when a boat driven by 73-year-old Donald Peltier of Queensbury struck Snyder's kayak.

Investigators were initially unsure whether a collision took place.

"The kayak the victim was in was blue and there was some clear transfer of that same color onto the white boat," York said. "I saw it myself; you can see it with your eye."

Peltier has been charged with reckless operation of a motorized vessel, an unclassified misdemeanor. He was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs and Sheriff York said further charges will not be filed.

Both Snyder and his wife were carrying life vests but neither were wearing them at the time - a dangerous move given the rough conditions on the lake, leading some to believe this tragedy could have been avoided.

"[It's] not a good day to go out in a small craft," said Scott Rawson, a patrol officer with the sheriff's marine unit. "Obviously, with this incident and the incident previous, it's not advisable to be out on a boat that small."

"I'm one of those people who feel they're adults and if they want to risk their lives without wearing a life preserver, it's certainly their right," York said. "But it certainly would have saved their life in this [case]."