Wooden Boat People

By McKenzieDriftBoat.com

New Look Coming

You will all be seeing a few changes in the next week as I fool around with the look of the site. My goal is to make the site a little more brown and wood in tone and to come closer to match another site that I am working on called McKenzie River Drift Boat Museum.

While these two sites are separate the are related in interest. I believe that many of you here will love the work that is going to start happening soon on the museum site and will be very interested in the information available there.

Let me know if some things are not working for you or if you have any problems. I'll be making changes often.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tom Anderson on September 13, 2012 at 5:52am

Hello Randy . . .

I'm new to the site, and a little obsessed with drift boats just now (ask my wife). I've sure enjoyed perusing.

Can you tell me what boat (and/or who's boat) was featured at the top of the page for some time now? Nice looking somewhat blue-ish with a relaxed looking couple in it?

Thanks

TomA

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Permalink Reply by Randy Dersham on September 13, 2012 at 7:15am

That was my boat Tom. I took that photograph of my son, his wife and my dog as they anchored in front of our lodge here on the McKenzie. It is actually forest green and is a 17ft Tatman kit. It's the first boat that I built about twenty years ago.

My plans are to put a link the head page to the Mckenzie River Drift Boat Museum, and of course, a link on the museum back to this forum. The Museum is a non-profit that I'm working on with other here on the McKenzie to build awareness of the large amount of work done by early boat designers and guides to build the awareness and the commercial viability of this type of river boat and the McKenzie River.

I'm glad you like the site.

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Permalink Reply by Tom Anderson on September 13, 2012 at 11:47am

Thanks Randy. I wonder if the Fletcher plans (from the book) are similar lines? Or do you know of a source of plans for that boat? I think you are the owner/former owner of Tatman?

If there were any other photos available, I sure would like to see them. Interior?

Thanks again,

Tom

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Permalink Reply by Randy Dersham on September 13, 2012 at 8:00pm

I am the current owner of Tatman Boats but Sandy and I have closed the shop for a while. I am working on several sets of plans that I hope to have available around Christmas.

That photo was Greg Tatman's 17x52. It's my opinion that it is the best of all of Greg's boats. There are a lot of them around. It is similar in the lines to the Double Ender with a Transom in Rogers book but it is a little bigger and does not have the tenth frame of the Woodie Hindman boats of the 50s.

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Permalink Reply by Randy Dersham on September 13, 2012 at 7:46am

I've added the new chat feature. We have used chat once before but I discontinued it when many bugs began to cause problems. Now chat is back. It is not a part of the regular layout but will show up on the bottom right of your computer screen. You can send a message to the main room which collects chat for everyone or you can open a one-to-one chat window with an individual by clicking on the members name in the members online box in the bottom far right of the screen.

Have fun.

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Permalink Reply by Roger Fletcher on September 14, 2012 at 2:16pm

I like the new look, Randy . . . Nice touch.

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Permalink Reply by Terry E Walsh on September 15, 2012 at 8:29pm

Somebody's been busy, looks good, I like it!

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Permalink Reply by Phillip Westendorf on September 19, 2012 at 6:55pm

Randy,

I like the new look. Was a little startled when I got back on-line after a week in Canada fishing, first thought was; am I in the wrong place?

phil w.

PS: I read the whole blog on the Columbia River trip you made in the Spring. Sounds like an awsome experience. Something I'd like to do, but!