Rum Buddies
Well-Known Member
I'm in the market for a drift boat but not sure what I should be looking out for. Wood vs. metal, length, anchor etc.
any advice?
any advice?
what to look for in a drift boat
- Thread starter Rum Buddies
- Start date
Roe Bags
Active Member
www.willieboats.com 16x54 or 17x54, like they say "simply the best"
Rum Buddies
Well-Known Member
thanks again bags, they got a pretty good pdf on their site.
R
reddog
Guest
Poppa,
I've owned 2 welded aluminum drift boats.My first one was a 14 foot Lifetimer made here in Duncan.My second is a 16 foot Alumaweld guide model.No comparison between the two boats,not that i'm hacking Lifetimer i owned that boat for 13 odd years and caught a ton of fish out of it.The Alumaweld is like going from a piece of crap Honda to a loaded Cadillac.I would stay away from wooden boats for the simple reason of wood rot and the weight of wooden boats make them a little harder to row.Alumaweld and Wille boats are just far superior to any thing out there.If you can find one buy it.As far as the size goes i would get the 16 ft. Anchor wt depends on what flow your on.I have a 50 lb for the Cowichan and a 35 lb for Stamp.If you get a 16 ft make sure you get at least 10 foot oars.Good luck in your search.
Cheers Doggy.
I've owned 2 welded aluminum drift boats.My first one was a 14 foot Lifetimer made here in Duncan.My second is a 16 foot Alumaweld guide model.No comparison between the two boats,not that i'm hacking Lifetimer i owned that boat for 13 odd years and caught a ton of fish out of it.The Alumaweld is like going from a piece of crap Honda to a loaded Cadillac.I would stay away from wooden boats for the simple reason of wood rot and the weight of wooden boats make them a little harder to row.Alumaweld and Wille boats are just far superior to any thing out there.If you can find one buy it.As far as the size goes i would get the 16 ft. Anchor wt depends on what flow your on.I have a 50 lb for the Cowichan and a 35 lb for Stamp.If you get a 16 ft make sure you get at least 10 foot oars.Good luck in your search.
Cheers Doggy.
Charter Tofino
Well-Known Member
Curious as to how much a high end drift boat goes for? Must be alot of material and labour.
look for a 54 or 60 inch bottom. Don't buy a 48" bottom or a wood boat for reasons mentioned above. Willie's are by far and away the most popular aluminum boats. I would not rule out owning a fiberglass boat either. Lavro or Claclacraft are both good boats.They do have some advantages over aluminum. Fiberglass is warmer than aluminum. FIberglas slides over the shallows easier than Aluminum if drifting rivers in low flows.Fiberglass is a lot quieter than aluminum. I have 2 friends with aluminum boats and I own a 'glass boat along with a couple of other friends. All of the boats work well and I would say the biggest advantage the aluminum boats have would be the extra room they have inside due to the fact they are newer and more updated boats. You can also beat up aluminum better and be a little more careless with it.
Rum Buddies
Well-Known Member
I've been looking and there sure isn't much available out there. [V]
W
whitewater_cowboy
Guest
Wood is the warmest, quietest and easiest to row IMOHO. Very labour intensive in regards to maintenance and definitely won't stand up to the abuse a welded aluminium will. Consider where you will be putting in...you probably don't want to drop a wood boat down the Vimmy Rd. launch, for instance. I coat my aluminium's bottom with an epoxy/graphite mix to facilitate sliding through shallow riffles. Considering the state of the american dollar, you may want to look in the Oregon area for maximum value. Whatever you do, don't skimp on the trailor...logging roads are hell. Good luck on the search.
Rum Buddies
Well-Known Member
this might be a total noob question - but when you guys drift more remote places, how do you go get your trailer? I mean Nitnat is a long ways to go with 2 trucks? I could see just hitch hiking at the cow, but do you guys do?
Rum Buddies
Well-Known Member
well thanks that totally helps [}]
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W
whitewater_cowboy
Guest
A sled is the easy way, but not a viable alternative in lower water conditions...A cheaper means is a bike. When I go by myself, I leave the boat at the launch and bike back from spotting the rig at the take-out with the easily theived items, rods, reels, etc..Bring a backpack and a couple of bungy cord to strap the rodcase to the bike. Lock the boat, pontoon, whatever to a tree and use it for your bike when you get there. Pretty soon you'll lose that Molson muscle and the ladies will be lovin' ya dusk till dawn...or whenever you split to go fishing!
take a mountain bike or a small Honda 50 type motorcycle. Chain it to a tree and hope no one steals it or put it in the boat and drift with it. I lost one once that someone cut my lock off while chained to a tree. If using a bike, make sure you drift with some one in good shape and make them peddle back to the vehicle.
Not quite sure where rln comes up with the 10000 dollar price tag???Wille sells the complete package with everything you need for 5000 u.s.???Do the math thats a hell of a deal for the best drift boat made period for island rivers!!Poppa e me i know of a couple beauties for sale locally!
Rum Buddies
Well-Known Member
email sent - but I never know if it works on here so let me know if you didn't get it.
No poppa i never received it today try again drdevesonjet@hotmail.com
