Comment

Comment by Dave P on April 5, 2011 at 5:55pm

Thanks for the response. No I have not done the middle. The permit is for July 26. Not my best choice but was invited, and HAVE to go. I am experienced, ex guide in Colorado, bla, bla, but rubber only. New wood (boat) and want to use it, ya know.

If you have the time maybe you wouldn't mind sharing some secrets about the river... Not the water but the canyon itself.

I understand your company/ family has long history there. Need a new guide??

thanks

dave

 

Comment by Kelsey Helfrich on April 5, 2011 at 4:26pm

Dave,

The Middle Fork will not typically get much below 1.5' during our season but it has happened and we do still run them.  We have not ever decided it is too low to run the drift boats but our guides are also very experienced on the river and that type of boating.  Without knowing the river I would suggest that you do not attempt to run it lower than 2.5'.  It is a very technical and fast dropping river.  The lower the water gets, the more it slows down and looses it's power but it also has more and more rocks that show up and the specific channels become more critical to understand.  The best water level for someone who is not used to the river to run it would be anywhere from 2.5-4 feet. Have you been down the middle fork before?  

Kels

Comment by Dave P on April 5, 2011 at 7:11am

Hi Kelsey, what is the lowest water level you recommend running the MF in a wooden boat? I've heard your company runs it down to 1 1/2 or 2? Is that correct?

Your boat looks great and have a great summer.

Comment by Kelsey Helfrich on April 4, 2011 at 8:45am

Thanks, I really love this boat.  It was built by Dan Bentsen in Springfield.  He does amazing work.  He is a guide for us on the McKenzie, Rogue, and Middle Fork of the Salmon so he knows the type of abuse our boats take on those more challenging rivers.  These boats are built to stand up to years of low water use.  When we are on the Middle Fork for two and a half months in June, July and August our boats are in the water 6-7 out of every 8 days so they need to be built very sturdy.  

This boat is a 16x48.  I am not totally sure on the flat spot but it has the amount of rocker that I prefer for handling both big whitewater and low water technical boating while also being a good fishing boat.  The seat pad was built by Jack's Plastic Welding in Idaho and we has a bunch of them made up last year for our boats.  It has a air valve on it just like a sleeping pad and it can be rolled up and put away easliy.  It also holds up to a lot of abuse but can be easily cleaned back off with rubber boat cleaner.  I really like the look of the white seat in the boat.  The vinyl padding on the seat backs and knee rest were both done by Dan Bentsen (the boat builder).  

The paint that I used on the outside of the boat and the internal pieces is the Pedit paint.  It is a ship hull paint and is really tough once it cures.  It is a little more expensive and you have to buy it at particular dealers like the marina dealers in portland.  This paint is really expensive to ship because it is considered a toxic product.  Doing multiple coats on this boat only used up about half of a pint of the paint.  It covers really well but I do recommend doing two or three coats.  I also recommend using a wood putty to fill in any lines around footballs in the plywood or any scratches.

I really hope this information helps.  I don't mind sharing any info that might help and am open to new ideas as well.  If you have any more questions just let me know.  Have you guys ever seen the oarlocks that are on this boat?  These stainless steel oarlocks are one of my favorite things on this boat.  The design of the oarlocks makes each oar stroke very smooth and these oar locks are very sturdy while still having just enough give to release an oar if it gets pinned.  Those oarlocks are being built in Eugene and run about $100 a set.  They are well worth the price.  I will post a couple of pictures of just the oar locks for you to check out.

Comment by Stephen Blalock on April 4, 2011 at 6:28am

Beautiful Boat! Could you comment in the seat covers, and paint type.

Comment by chris towles on April 4, 2011 at 12:51am

curious about the design of your boat. is it a 16x48 with a 4' flat spot? looks very nice and well suited rocker profile for our western rivers.