There are a lot of good suggestions on this board, from the type of water you first go out on to going with experienced people on a new stretch of river. There are some other resources out there that might do you some good. Hyde puts out a good video - I couldn't find the info. on their website (www.hydeboats.com) but I do have a copy and it is pretty good. You can probably contact them to get a copy. Also there is a good book you can pick up that provides some good reading and tips on rowing. The Amazon.com website for that book is listed below.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/det...ks&n=507846

Good luck and be safe out there!
-Mark

Thanks Mark for the recommendation on the book. I was wondering if there were any publications pertaining to driftboats and the handling of one.

Noticed your local is Shelton, have you ever done the Wynoochee River by boat? Thinking we might try that one too.

Yes, I drift the Nooch quite a bit. In fact, it's my favorite. The middle drift from the White Bridge crossing down to Black Creek is a decent beginners drift. There are a couple of log jams you have to be careful of, and also the diversion dam toward the bottom of the drift. If you are uncomfortable with the dam, just get out and drag the boat around it. There is no shame in being safe.

The best advice that you will find in the book and the video is to point the bow toward the hazard, and gently row away from it. That will get you out of about 90% of the problems you will encounter.