I bought my boat last spring and would have to agree with fishslayer, that first drift is pretty spooky. I read "Driftboats: a complete guide By Dan Alsup. I made my first trip on a stretch of water that I knew was mellow and also during low water. The low water thing had pros and cons, I think the biggest pro was not much volume so very little hydraulics when I made mistakes. This con would be very reduced area to maneuver. I have made aprox. 20 trips this winter, this is fairly easy but pay attention and dont do anything stupid. Amato Books, Driftboats a Complete Guide