The Mckenzie River drift boat is our region’s (Mckenzie/Willamette Valley) most profound contribution to fishing. It is the perfect boat for fishing big western whitewater rivers. Come celebrate that legacy at the Mckenzie River Wooden Boat Festival scheduled this Saturday at Eagle Rock Lodge on the Mckenzie River:
Not only will there be historic boats but there will be new boats from some of the best known names in the wooden river boat business as well as amateur builders showing off their work.
The modern drift boat traces its origins to the early light spruce board and batten boats built by Veltie Pruitt, a Eugene area guide. The design was improved upon by Tom Kaarhus, also of Eugene, who was the first to build with plywood which eliminated the leaks inherent in the board and batten construction. Those early boats had a squared off downstream end. In the winter of 1939-40, Woodie Hindman designed the double ender which cut more easily through the standing waves encountered in whitewater boating. In 1946 he modified the design to square off the transom and the design that became the modern driftboat was born.
A traditional Mckenzie River driftboat is built of wood utilizing frame construction. The downstream end is pointed, the transom (upstream end) is squared off allowing placement of a motor or anchor bracket and also provides increased storage space. The bottom is flat (side to side) and continuously rockered (curved) along the bottom fore to aft. The sides are flared and the beam width is wider at the handrails than at the floor. The boat is stable, nimble and drafts only a couple inches of water.
I have a wooden boat. I love it. Every time I fish people want to talk to me about it even though she is four years old now. Typically, people tell me they love the wood boat but they are just too much work. It is true that they require some maintenance but I assure you it is not much. After three years, I refinished the boat. I anticipate doing about 2 hours of touch-up work this year. Hardly a huge investment in time or effort and I fish every weekend, sometimes twice. Here she is on the water a few weeks ago:
A friend encouraged me to put the boat in the show but I declined. She isn’t as beautiful on the inside as the outside . . . sound familiar? It’s a workhorse not a show boat.
If you get a chance, come out and see some cool boats, meet some great people and help to celebrate our region’s enormous contribution to the sport of fishing!
Karl – Your boat is sweet, its made me start thinking about a wood boat.
Thanks. Each material has benefits and drawbacks from what I understand. I think wood definitely remains a legitimate choice and always will.
Brent: We ought to try to build one so we can actually learn to row one and not risk ruining Karl’s baby. I have a feeling if I built one it would like like a 4th grader’s bird house project, but at least we wouldn’t feel bad wrecking it.
I have boat fever right now…I just landed a freelance job. I do/will have some man $$$$. Whats the cost like building a boat vs. buying one already assembled?
Learning to row – we will just take is easy and learn from the guys that know how to make it back home.
Will a 4th graders bird house float?
A kit costs around a couple grand. If you build all the parts yourself it is probably half that price. But after you buy the or cut everything etc, theres tons of sandpaper, varnish or urethanne and epoxy, glues, hardware, oarlocaks anchor systen, anchor rope, eye and most expensive of all the trailer. A used boat like one in the link you forwarded would be cheaper for sure but . . . you can’t say you built it.
Boat Fever? Man, I had a bad case of that a few years back.
I just refurbished my 30+ year old Keith Steele wood drift boat and can’t imagine owning anything but wood! It is quieter and warmer and just feels like an old freind that I share a lot of great fishing stories with.