I shared that dream and a few years ago split the cost of a boat with a fishing buddy. One of the best decisions I ever made.
Check out these wonderfull boats, the grace and beauty of a wood boat with the advantage of an indestructable hull....
http://www.boulderboatworks.com/bbw_..._custom_2.html
My boat is pictured 4th row down...fourth season and we haven't done any maintainence other than a few trips to the car wash! I love this boat.
Here are a few links I found useful...
http://www.clacka.com/rowingDriftBoat.htm
http://www.flydepot.com/flyfishing/d...-dvd/pid--991/
http://www.willieboats.com/Drift%20Boat%20Basics.pdf
Drift boats are designed for moving water, some versions have even evolved for specific rivers. (there is a reason they are called Mackenzie boats) While a drift boat excels in it correct enviroment they are not the best choice for flat water and maybe not the best choice for all rivers. They don't like wind, at least the pretty high side versions don't.
They may not be the best choice for a complete novice, yet they are agile and responsive in the hands of an expert. They are less forgiving to mistakes than an inflatable raft or cataraft style pontoon boat. Several drift boats a year are lost on my local waters. When people make mistakes they take on water fast. This spring I watched a boat fill with water and go down in less than three seconds when the novice oarsman took a small submerged rock broadside, fortunalty the passengers surived but the boat was a total loss. It lay on the bottom crushed to pieces by the force of the water, it stayed there until just a few weeks ago when low water allowed folks to remove it.
Rowing a drift boat is different than a skiff or a raft. Skilled oarsmen learn to use the river currents more than the oars. The pros seem to be able to get the boat to move at will with just a few deft strokes, they are able to hold without effort in fast water and make the whole proccess seem way too effortless. A novice oarsmen like myself tends to always be working at the oars like some kind of spastic eggbeater. I'm always getting in trouble where I need to fight against the current instead of using it to my advantage.
Prior to getting the drift boat I had a few seasons experience rowing a 12' white water raft (only class III stuff) and also had a few years of rowing a one person 9' pontoon boat. This helped me a lot with the drift boat, most of the real newbie lessons had been learned in the more forgiving rubber boats. Trouble happens fast at 2000 cfs, the power of moving water is overwelming.
Compared to rubber boats a drift boat is not cheap. Keep in mind that you need more than just the boat. Make sure your budget includes money for a trailer, for 3 oars (you need a spare,) for life vests, anchor and ropes, a boat cover and boat insurance (car insurance won't cover the boat in an accident.) This stuff cost me almost as much as the boat!
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