Hunting Washington Forum

Other Activities => Fishing => Topic started by: jdb on July 13, 2008, 04:09:12 PM

Title: river boat question
Post by: jdb on July 13, 2008, 04:09:12 PM: I am thinking Id like to get in on some river fishing. I am thinking of buying a boat for fishing the Yakima and have no idea where to start. 1st how much do good used drift boats cost, are they alot better than a good raft? do I even need a drift boat or would a raft do just fine? are there other alternatives? I appreciate any and all advise
Title: Re: rivir boat question
Post by: MuleySniper on July 13, 2008, 04:40:17 PM: Id say look for a 16' aluminum driftboat. Try to find one with a 54" bottom. They row like a dream, and with the aluminum, you dont have to worry about hitting a few rocks. You should be able to find a "real nice" one for around three grand with a trailer.
MS
Title: Re: river boat question
Post by: jackelope on July 13, 2008, 08:06:34 PM: right...aluminum all the way. 16' is a good size. they are a lot lighter than glass so a lot easier to manage, especially when loaded. be sure to consider storage in the boat for your gear. my boat has zero storage, which sucks when you are doing a multi-day float.
a seat behind the oarsman's seat is good to have too, especially for flyfishing....1 guy on the bow seat, 1 on the stern and 1 rowing.

wther they are better than a raft is up to the guy on the sticks i think. i'd rather have a driftboat, but the one raft i was in was pretty damn cool....more maintenance though it seemed like.
a great yearly trip for us is from ringer loop to roza dam...overnighter with gear in the boat. i don't need to stuff everything in dry bags for this trip, where i would in a raft.
Title: Re: river boat question
Post by: jackelope on July 13, 2008, 08:10:28 PM: you could get into something like this if you just want to do some float and fish trips...
http://www.washingtonflyfishing.com/board/showthread.php?t=49707
Title: Re: river boat question
Post by: BONE COLLECTOR on July 17, 2008, 02:14:21 PM: each to there own, but i think glass is lighter, warmer, and if i'm going to hit a rock i'd rather do it in a glass boat, there not as sticky as aluminum
Title: Re: river boat question
Post by: Professor Chaos on July 17, 2008, 02:36:09 PM: get a raft. then you can float just about anything.
Title: Re: river boat question
Post by: BONE COLLECTOR on July 17, 2008, 02:49:58 PM: hard to pull plugs in a raft
Title: Re: river boat question
Post by: jackelope on July 17, 2008, 08:23:43 PM: you can float anything in a drift boat.
seen an aluminum boat go over boulder drop on the sky on purpose.
:yike:
Title: Re: river boat question
Post by: jackelope on July 17, 2008, 08:25:49 PM: [youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7GtTizpR08[/youtube]

raft shmaft ;)