GOP gubernatorial hopeful Carl Paladino will kick off an unusual upstate tour in Albany today, eschewing the old-school campaign bus for a more unorthodox form of transportation: A houseboat.

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Paladino will gather with supporters at 6 p.m. this evening at the River Front Bar and Grill (better known to Albany denizens as “The Barge”) for an old-fashioned rally/send-off. Docked nearby will be the Marabel, a boat belonging to the Buffalo businessman’s spokesman, Michael Caputo, and start his journey up the Erie Canal.

Joining the candidate will be members of his campaign staff, his family and Caputo’s parrot, Augie, who is the Marabel’s permanent resident.

The plan, according to Caputo, is for Paladino to conduct meetings on the boat. GOP leaders will be shuttled out to the canal, or, alternately, if they’re not big water fans, the candidate will come to them.

The tour will swing through a dozen upstate counties and end on May 30 in Buffalo – two days before the Republicans are scheduled to hold their convention in Manhattan.

(No word on how or whether Paladino plans to attend the Conservative convention on May 28; Chairman Mike Long didn’t formally announce that date until yesterday, which didn’t leave much time for planning).

A sizable percentage of primary voters actually live within a 25-mile radius of the canal, Caputo said, explaining why Paladino has opted to go the water route as opposed to your standard back roads bus tour.

And while people have accused Paladino of many things, being too conventional is not one of them.

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