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Permalink Reply by Dave Barnes on February 6, 2012 at 5:08pm

Kevin,

I just built one using a 14' set of plans of the Ken Hankinson model from Glen-L.  I modified a couple of things and the caveat here is.. I've only built 1 boat (but it seems to be working great!), but here are some basic insights (some learned after the fact):

1. 16' boat MINIMUM for that much weight.

2. I wouldn't plan on 2 fishermen up front, plan 1 front, 1 rear. If you design the weight distribution to center well with 600lbs upfront, when you don't have 2 there the boat will be stern heavy because the rower is back of the center.

3. 52" wide body is the way to go for a couple of reasons - a) a boat's draft (depth in the water) is a function of weight divided by bottom surface area - more surface area means shallower draft. b) changing places in a boat with no room is a royal pain assuming your ballet skills aren't there.

4. I built mine with only the 3 center ribs to support the side storage compartments, the bow and stern are cleaner, more footroom, less line hangup stuff, less places for fly rod to break against when I accidently put my foot down in the wrong place. The plans call for temporary forms to do the layup on.

5. I used epoxy-graphite bottom and it does slide over rocks quite nicely. I'm sure the UHMW sheets are more durable, but I wasn't too sure about the fastening process and didn't want the possibility of water between layers. But I don't have much knowledge in this area. I do suggest continuing the epox-graphite layers up over the outer chine (the rim around the bottom edge of the boat) for more edge strength, since that is where, as you go into rapids at an angle, sneaky rocks will hit hard.  plus the black looks cool.

6. My front and stern section have level floors above the center section with pedestal seats for height comfort and lots of room. seems to be really good.

7. You will get much better advice, I'm sure from more experienced builders on this site.. you have come to the right place.

 

Dave B.

 

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Permalink Reply by Rick Newman on February 6, 2012 at 9:19pm

Kevin, from what you are describing, a driftboat that has relatively low sides and a wide bottom would be potentially advantageous. Lower sides to catch less wind, wider bottom to spread out the load and draft less water. The traditional McKenzie design was primarily used by guides to allow two steelhead fishermen to be rowed downstream slower than the current in order to place lures in front of the fish swimming upstream. Hence the weight forward carrying capacity.

While a driftboat can certainly carry a 1000 pound load the question may be more of how you plan to fish three fishermen (assuming flyfishermen) at the same time. Are you going to be rowing, stopping and then fishing? Or will you be pounding the banks? Perhaps casting to risers in the riffles?

If all the seats are moveable then you can trim the boat to achieve balance, trim and control. The difficult thing is having two casters in the front both trying to work the same water and still allow the rearmost passenger to access the same water.

So obviously the method that you choose to fish will determine how well it will work with three passengers. When guides carry three passengers it is common to have all the passengers fish with indicators and nymphs thus allowing everyone a chance to fish at the same time and not be so dependent upon the rowers positioning of the boat and reducing the conflicts of having two casters in the bow of the boat at the same time. The more experienced the casters and the more they are used to casting together the better this can work.Time spent combat fishing at Blue Creek on the Cowlitz River with 50 other fishermen shoulder to shoulder can help too!

The longer the boat the more the weight can be spread out too. so a long, wide, low sided boat has a majority of the features that you might need for the activities you describe.

Choosing between S/G and traditional frames is often a matter of personal preference. The look of the traditional boat versus the potentially cleaner interior of a S/G boat. A stitch and glue boat can require a considerable amount of fiberglass, epoxy, sanding and fairing. A framed boat may require more woodwork and fewer expensive materials. You can choose not to use epoxy and fiberglass and paint it with oil-based house paints and still have a quality boat that will be less expensive. An oiled interior doesn't take long to do and semi-frequent re-applications will keep things working well.

I can see points for both designs and can appreciate either one. My choice for a framed boat revolved around the opportunity to purchase an untouched kit for a very good price. My first driftboat was a used one that was more expensive and was actually a poor choice with sections of rotten wood and a rusted trailer. It wasn't money well spent but it was very educational to take it apart and see how it was built. It was improperly constructed and featured inferior materials and fastener choices. Sheetrock screws have no place in a driftboat.

I have never tried a skid shoe but the stories Dave Z tells certainly speaks highly about the costs and longevity.  I am using a combination of materials on the bottom of my boat because I think they make good sense. The interior of the floor has a layer of 6 oz S-glass laminated with System III epoxy. The exterior of the floor will have a layer of 18 oz triaxial E-glass covered with System III epoxy and graphite. I wanted additional strength on the interior of my floor to resist damage from rocks. S-glass has higher strength than E-glass but doesn't cost much more. I am hoping that this combination will provide durability, the ability to slide over rocks and sufficient strength to resist total fractures if I do hit a rock. The sides of my boat have the same 6 oz  S-glass laminated to them.

As fas as rowing into the wind the lower your silhouette the less wind resistance. Doubling your speed in against wind resistance requires squaring the amount of energy needed not doubling it. So the less wind resistance the less energy required. So my opinion would be that the surface of the bottom of your boat will have little effect on your ability to row against wind.

Ray Heater adds stainless steel strips to the outer chine to provide greater resistance to damage from hitting rocks. The metal helps disperse the load to a certain extent. Rowing skills and the ability to read the water are the two best tools to reduce damage to the outer chines.

Hope that my opinions help, good luck with your build.

Rick Newman

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