I run my 17' flat bottomed sled on the Columbia year round. When the water is rough, it beats the sh*%t outta ya and you don't get anywhere too terribly fast. But when it's smooth, it's a beautiful sight. And when the river is low at the Hanford reach, I'm sure glad I've got a shallow running boat.

That said, my next boat will probably be a deeper V jetboat because I fish primarily on the Columbia and not much on smaller rivers. I'm sure that will offer different advantages and disadvantages. Bottom line is that there is no one boat that will do everything, but a sled comes mighty close. My $.02