I am going to start a wooden drift boat in Nov. I have done some research but the one thing I am short on is expirienced opinions. I do not want to end up with aboat that rides like a log. I like the Don Hill plans but everyone I have talked to that has built them uses them in the Great lakes or NZ. Anyone have any expierince with an awesome set of plans that ride the PNW waters. I plan on floating everything in the next 15 years as I cover all the water I wanted to flaot as a kid with my kids.

PS: I can build anything from wood and have a alot of expirince with epoxies and glass so I am not worried at all about building it. Just how it will float.

Thanks in advance

I have built a don hill boat (20+ years ago) and a Tracy O'Brien boat. The O'Brien was a better row, and was the best rowing boat I have rowed. I've owned Clackacraft and Lavro boats, as well as the wooden boats, and have rowed several metal boats. The wooden boats handled better. However, they aren't as tough. The O'brien is the tougher of the designs, due to it's construction style.

Try the Wooden Boat Shop in Seattle for plans

GO Here

montana boats

also Rays River Dories is a good site. I wish that I had the balls to tackle stitch and glue project. Just not that comfortable with the epoxies an stuff.

Silver,

Thanks. One question. I looked at the TOB plans and other hybrids of his plans, hankinson etc.. Seems to me that the designs with internal frames would be stronger. But maybe this extra weight of the framing makes it a log in comparison. Is that what you were pointing at?

I don't know whether the frame style is stronger or not. The stitch and glue boat is certainly strong enough, as I used it for eight years, then sold it to a friend who is still using it. Plus, the chine on the stitch and glue is much, much, much stronger and more resistant to rock hits. It's a stout boat when finished.

On the inside of the boat, you don't want frames and floor boards. Stuff falls down, they trap sand and are a pain to clean out, and they wear, requiring refinishing. The stitch and glue floor is much more comfortable because it's flat, just like a fiberglass boat.

I think the S&G is faster to build, too.

There is also this site http://gregboats.com/

I second the stitch and glue approach. Like Silver Hilton said, there are no frames to catch stuff, there is no need for a second floorboard system and the boat is much lighter and stronger. The stitch and glue boat can flex when needed and the chines are heavily reinforced with glass, inside and out. When you stitch the panels together with wire (or) your boat takes basic shape the first weekend, and then it is kinda "fill in the blanks". I've got 80 ounces of glass on the bottom of mine and it can take some very rough conditions (impacts). But if you plan to do a lot of low water Sol Duc or Calawah, you'll want to invest in an aluminum boat and spend some time with a guide. For most everything else, the wood stitch and glue, will work great and has some advantages. It is a very quiet boat to row, transmitting very little sound and they don't get cold like Al. Mine is now about 12 years old and is still in great shape requiring very little maintenance. Frame built boats require a lot of maintenance. Aluminum requires the least...

I built the Hankinson 14 foot drifter a few years ago. I liked the clean internals with no ribs or raised floors to lose stuff under. Beautiful boat. I used 1/4" UHMW on the bottom and silicon bronze screws throughout. I fished this in the Sky, Skagit, Hoh and a few other OlyPen rivers and banged a few rocks. Boat performed ok. My complaints would be these.
1) The boat was so light it did not track well.
2) The clear finish I chose was way too much work to keep up.
3) The 48" wide bottom was just not wide enough to get up on a nice plane and row plugs in faster water with ease.

I sold the woodie and bought a 16x54 Willie after rowing a friends boat. There is an undeniable difference in ease of rowing and stability.

I can send you some pic's if interested. I still haven't geeked up enough to figure out how to post them here.

I built a pram style driftboat last winter from Montana Riverboats plans. It was a stitch and glue design. They also have a chat page for a little Q and A thats a big help. I would recommend checking them out. The boat I built wasn't that hard just time consuming, but well worth it.

I have one of Ray's River Dory boats. It a great boat and easy to row.

Thanks for all the input. I doubt there is a bad set of plans out there from any of the sites listed above. It seems that people are evenly split between S&G vs the frame method of construction on some of the boards dedicated to disscussion. I am pretty sure I am going with the Don Hill 18' flyfisherman.