Hello Chris.  We might just be kindred spirits.  My wife and I are budding wine snobs and have been to Napa, Sonoma, and the Williamette Valley in recent years.  We love Cabs, Zins, and Pinot Noirs.  My preference is the Lodi Zins.  First fly fishing excursion was on the McKenzie in a drift boat and have been "hooked" ever since.  I actually have a Canyon 12.6

cataraft on order and will use it for a couple of years in Texas before actually trying out a drift boat.  The old bubba's in this part of the country will be giving me some serious second looks.  Thanks for friending me on this forum.  Maybe we can get together some time in the near future.

Hi Chris - unfortunatedly I'm no longer living in Houston I took an international assignment late last year and ended up here in Australia. Mentioned to my son Max who built a Rapid Robert and he would've loved to help you build the McKenzie. If you have any questions let me know and I get you in touch with him. He's currently pursuing his BSc in naval arquitecture at Solent University, UK. Good luck and please share some pictures. Cheers. jp

HI Chris,

Thanks for your welcoming, In fact, I am really interested to starting my handmade wooden boat, but I am in stage of gathering information, reading books and trying to understand from where to start. Joining this website hopefully will help me get the best results.