Orvis Drift boat

I was at the Michigan Fly Fishing Expo yesterday and came across this new small wood drift boat. The owner said it had just been picked up by Orvis and was now available.

http://www.orvis.com/store/product.aspx?pf_id=8L1T

 

It is built of white cedar from the upper peninsula of Michigan. Strips are glued into panels with fiberglass on both sides. It looks like it has truck bed liner on all the surfaces too. A mixture of woods are used throughout. I like the bent wood oar lock supports.

 

The design is definately for shallow midwestern-style rivers. It has a flat bottom with only the ends upturned. Very little flare as well.

 

It is nice to see that Orvis identifies small local builders to feature in their catalog. The Diablo Chupacabra kayak is featured and that company is run by two guys in Texas.

 

 

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Permalink Reply by Jason Knight on March 11, 2013 at 10:04am
Man I wanted to go to the show this weekend (new baby at home will keep you indoors apparently!)
That is an interesting little boat. There is no base price on the website, wondering what they get for one of those.

Are you in S.E. MI?
Permalink Reply by Frank R on March 11, 2013 at 10:08am

I live in Dearborn.

 

The price is in the neighborhood of $10,000.

Permalink Reply by Dave Z on March 12, 2013 at 8:37am

Croff Craft.  Do a search.  One of his boats is up at the orvid shop in Baldwin on the PM.  Really nice boat, laid out perfectly.  NOT cheap.  Nothing this nice is.  But shows another variation on the theme of drift boats making their way east.

 

Permalink Reply by Frank R on March 12, 2013 at 1:49pm

I saw that boat at the Orvis shop last time I was up; I remember the similarities in design. Very nice bright finish. This one is quite a bit shorter.

 

If the outsides and insides are covered in truck bed liner, wouldn't it be easier,and better, to use MDO? I can get it in 3/8 thickness, and in 4x10, maybe even 4x12, sheets.

Permalink Reply by Terry E Walsh on March 12, 2013 at 7:41pm
I think I will stay with the traditional style Mac! It is a lot sexier!
Permalink Reply by Frank R on March 13, 2013 at 9:01am

If you view the video on his website, you will see how narrow and shallow some of the rivers he is running. I think that boat is appropriate for those waters.

 

Maybe some of the builders here could petition Orvis to carry one of their western-style drift boats. Worth inquiring about, don't you think?

Permalink Reply by Jason Knight on March 13, 2013 at 7:35pm
I wonder what river he is referring to in the video ;-)
Permalink Reply by Frank R on March 13, 2013 at 7:41pm

When I talked with him at the show he mentioned the Jordan River... and some others.... :-)

Permalink Reply by Don Hanson on March 19, 2013 at 10:14am

 Very nice looking work. 

   Lots of places for water to get trapped, though.   Lots of hard edges, too.  That is something to keep in mind when building..."How will the water get off or migrate to a spot where it can be bailed or sponged out?"  You don't want any 'inside corners' to hold water and dirt. 

Hard edges:  Parts of the boat that aren't rounded-over.  If you leave a sharp corner you are asking to have the finish wear off it quite quickly or on a bent or curved piece, to have a splinter lift off that corner and start a split.

  When planning and executing your boats, it's always worthwhile to go back and look at what the Old Boys have always done with their boats, but look at traditional wooden craft. 

  Drift boats are a bit different because the 'Old Boys' who did a lot of the older boats around...they were loggers or ranchers or something other than full time boatbuilders, so sometimes they didn't really know about stuff, or they might have just blown it off due to economics.

   Anyhow, it's worthwhile to try to build a boat without water and dirt traps and so the water inside all ends up in the very bottom, to be easily bailed out and to facilitate easy clean-up after a day of fishing or floating.

  Don Hanson

Permalink Reply by Frank R on March 19, 2013 at 10:19am

I can't picture any wooden boat that does not have inside corners, usually lots of them.

 

Permalink Reply by Don Hanson on March 19, 2013 at 10:29am

  Yeah, I should have written "You don't want any "un-needed" or "extra" inside corners" 
One of the reasons a framed boat is more difficult to maintain is all the little unavoidable  corners that can hold moisture.  Careful planning and properly positioned limmer (drain) holes can minimize the places where standing water can collect and cause problems..

Permalink Reply by David Jensen on March 19, 2013 at 9:05pm

In response to Frank's 3/13 post:  Cabela's commissioned 3 wood classic McKenzie historic wooden boats which are on display at their Springfield, OR store.  Those 3 are not for sale, but Steve will build them.

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