If you row, what is your preference...?

[Hyde]

Seen enough wood boats piled up at the end of the Whitehorse Rapids run on the Deschutes(the big one) to know I will admire the beauty and craftsmanship of a nice wood boat from a distance.
 

Ask Cy Happy of Ray's River Dories about Whitehorse.  He'll tell you his wood boat is the reason he can maneuver so easily though Whitehorse.  So many lane changes required.  I haven't personally ran the oars through Whitehorse, but have ridden through it in an aluminum boat, clunking and clammering all the way.  But don't get me wrong... I'm with you on the future ownership of a wood boat.  Love 'em, but never again.  I'm liking the idea of one of those pontoon style rafts personally. 

[jackelope]

I have a small pontoon raft and it rocks....like a little go-cart on the river. I would really like a bigger one one of these days.

[walt]

Oh boy don't get me started.  I have a 14' cat as well.  NRS frame Aire pontoons set up for fishing but pull the front casting platform and thigh bar, reconfigure the seats and hit the white water. It's awesome for low water or stretches with no access.  It gets blown around in the wind but it bounces off anything. I'm looking for a raft next.  I think I have a problem.  

[CastleRocker]

We don't have any big whitewater around here where I live and fish, so I'd rather be  warm, comfortable, quiet, and happy.  For the Kalama, Lewis, and the Cowlitz, wood is the way. 

If I was going to go fish somewhere that had some whitewater, I'd go strong, loud, cold, and grey; aluminum.

[fishcrazy]

I have a 16' Cataraft that I biult my own frame for. 16'x26"Sotar tubes. It is great for fly fishing in Montanna but to much trouble for local rivers. Thinking about selling it.

Kris

[fishseeker]

I ahd a 17' wood Eastside in 78. It had a motor well that caught water bad.Was a bear to row.Had a 14' Clacacraft.that rowed nice. Presently have a 16' glass I built Myself. its never seen a river. Just lakes.

[BLR 243]

My first drifter was an old Eastside bathtub went over rocks well but tracked bad next was a Fishrite 16' rowed good and my last drifter was 16 ' willie guide boat with all the trick stuff. Only fished it 3 or 4 times then sold it too much work never anybody to go with bought a Lowe 16' Roughneck 45 jet Merc runs in as little as 2" of water.

[YoterHunter]

i have a custom built 16 ft glass boat wouldnt trade it for eany other boat. they slde over rocks alot easer then alum and wood boats plus when you hit a rock its not as load.

[bowtech721]

I have a little 13' glass Lindstrom boat (built up in canada) that is nice for what it is but im in the market for a new 16 or 17x54 and am 90% sure im going with a willie. After all the guys ive talked to and all the makers... like literally all the makers that i could find im sold on the value that the willie seems to be. For the quality of boat they produce their drifters are reasonably priced if you stay away from all the bling.

[fishcrazy]

I have a little 13' glass Lindstrom boat (built up in canada) that is nice for what it is but im in the market for a new 16 or 17x54 and am 90% sure im going with a willie. After all the guys ive talked to and all the makers... like literally all the makers that i could find im sold on the value that the willie seems to be. For the quality of boat they produce their drifters are reasonably priced if you stay away from all the bling.

Good choice. some good deals on used Willie DBs lately. I personally like the 17'x54" the best.

Kris

[SkookumHntr]

I have a little 13' glass Lindstrom boat (built up in canada) that is nice for what it is but im in the market for a new 16 or 17x54 and am 90% sure im going with a willie. After all the guys ive talked to and all the makers... like literally all the makers that i could find im sold on the value that the willie seems to be. For the quality of boat they produce their drifters are reasonably priced if you stay away from all the bling.

-Is your boat that little green one?

[Bullistics]

Old Boat 1984 16' Clackacraft
New boat 2009 17' Wille boat
I love the way the willie boat tracks and responds, but I do miss the way the glass boat slid over the rocks in skinny water.

[Angus]

I've had all 3 wood, glass and aluminum. The wood boat was what I learned on and it was fun but too much maintainance for my liking. The glass boat was a late 80's Clack, long before the tunnel hull and I put that boat through hell, handled all the peninsula rivers no problem and was nice for launching where there was no launch or dragging across rocks and gravel bars. It didn't however track very well (IMO) and wouldn't be my 1st choice if I did alot of plug pullin.
The Aluminum (Riverwolf) was the cadillac of the fleet, had all the bells and whistles. Awesome rowing boat, handled great, pulling plugs was a breeze. That being said, A few times either dragging it through shallow water or across gravel bars to get around downed trees, I wished it was plastic. Even with Coat-it on the bottom aluminum will never slide across rocks like the plastic boat did.

Next fall I plan on buying another DB, I would like to test drive a tunnel hull Clack to see if it actually performs as advertized, if it doesn't or I can't take 1 for a spin, I'll definitely be buying aluminum.

[bowtech721]

I have a little 13' glass Lindstrom boat (built up in canada) that is nice for what it is but im in the market for a new 16 or 17x54 and am 90% sure im going with a willie. After all the guys ive talked to and all the makers... like literally all the makers that i could find im sold on the value that the willie seems to be. For the quality of boat they produce their drifters are reasonably priced if you stay away from all the bling.

-Is your boat that little green one?

yup  Any of you guys ever been in a steensen? I know they arent made anymore but theres a few floating around on craigslist and i was maybe gonna go look at one out of curiosity but i cant seem to find much on them other than that they were built in woodland.

[klickman]

The best rowing boat I have ever rowed was an old beat up wood boat.  The next closest to that boat is a glass hyde.  They are definatley the sports car of drift boats.  You can't beat how comfortable a large metal boat though.  I have an aluminum hyde and an aire superpuma.  The raft will go anywhere but not nearly as comfortable as the aluminum boat.  All my friends have glass hydes and they row a lot better than the aluminum boats but I don't feel as bad hitting rocks in a aluminum boat as I do in a glass boat.

KLICKMAN