Daydream/Fantasy (driftboat related)

[perch]

I keep having this totally bizarre daydream / fantasy.
A large clear river of the Hudson river valley early American artist school type . We have all seen the paintings at one time or another.
The river isn't the Hudson ( too dirty and spoiled as I understand it ) or anywhere in the East.
My river is more than likely the Missouri at the head waters .
My daydream/fantasy has a Mackenzie river drift boat on the water and yours truly is in the boat
( I can see me clearly so yes , it is me ) with a mild late spring , early summers day. of course the weather is perfect.
A few puffy white clouds punctuate an other wise light blue sky with a light breeze blowing across the water .
Temperature is upper 70s, the fish are hungrily competing to rise to my self tied dry flies .
Limits of keepers for my sand bar suppers are attained with just the right amount of difficulty to make the meal appreciated.
The sandbar chosen for my overnight has just enough driftwood for a nights campfire and to cook my evenings coffee.
Coffee to go with the nightly adult libation of choice (something not too cheap and rough , in this fantasy my palate is too polished and refined for the rough things in life).
Morning has just chill enough to inspire a hearty and manly breakfast , yesterdays adventure continues today.
Now here comes the twist.
I have never been in any kind of drift boat.
I've seen them , watched them on the water and liked what I have seen.
Never been on an overnight river trip .
Nope , not a one.
Saw the Hudson once. Looked cool , not for me though.
Seen a bunch of gorgeous rivers when I lived in Alaska , too many to name. Cant afford to go back.
Been to the Rouge in Oregon , can we all say "DANG" , that was the first time I was scared standing in a river .
Been to the upper Missouri and saw it . Looked really cool . Might be the river for me .
Here comes a question .Where can I get information about drift boating. I can pretty much find out where to get one .
I am looking to get reading info about the boats , their handling characteristics ,capacities , sizes and just about any thing that is of a technical manner about them.
Retirement is in the hopefully near future and I cant sit around for much time with out going nuts.
This type of boat seems to be a good all round boat to have .
I could be wrong, this would not be a first (being wrong) for me .
Thoughts ,opinions and reading references are all paid attention to and usually all read . Thankyou in advance for you responces.

[Lotech]

Sounds like the kind of trip I'd like to go on. Is there room for two? You're right about fishing headwaters if you're planning on camping on sandbars. If there is a dam or any kind of rain upstream, a sandbar might not be my choice of campground.
Don't forget your camera!

[MontanaMoose]

Hello perch, great post, thank you. Well, this is just an idea and the way i do things sometimes but if money is no object, i'd hire a guide that uses the type of boat you're talking about and watch every move he makes from launch to take-out. An overnighter would be good too i'd think. You might even be able to get a lot of drift boat instruction if you mention that learning about them is a large part of your reason for the trip.

Best case scenario i'm thinking, would be to do the float trip on the Upper Missouri, that way you'd know what it takes to safely navigate the waters of your fantasy. Remember, this is just my idea of how i might go about it. I have been in driftboats too btw and even did some of the rowing, but not so much as i'd shove off from the bank of the Mainstem Umpqua and go for a few days float. There's just so much more to it than meets the eye of the observer. Hope this helps some and i'm sure experienced drift boaters are going to chime in.

Cheers,

MontanaMoose

[perch]

M.M,
Good thought, although money for me is an object the idea of hiring someone for even half day doesnt sound like a bad idea. The closest place for me is in Branson. I'm not sure of the rates but I recall that they were competetive.
I figured there would have been more response to this but I "DID" put the title in the form of a story versus a question . MY goof.
Good thought you had.
Thanks

[MontanaMoose]

You're welcome perch...got to thinking again...i know,...oh, oh, huh...but if you haven't rowed much, you could go rent or borrow a big ole clunky boat somewhere and take it to a lake. Row around for a good while and at a vigorous pace. If that doesn't change your mind, go back to the dock, tye the stern to the dock. 10/12 ft. or so of line will do.

Now you could try 'rowing sprints' and this might simulate some of the energy it would taketo navigate some stretches of river you might encounter. Row as hard as you can for about half a dozen pulls, then easier pulls, then as hard as you can for another half dozen pulls and see how you feel. I don't know your age or your physical condition, but please don't over do it...geez, maybe i shouldn't even be suggesting this, but you'll be careful i'm sure...just trying to give you an idea of how hard it is to row a drift boat...at times.

One more random thought while writing this...you might try youtube...i just typed in 'drift boat fly fishing' and became entranced watching the pros and amateurs going through all kinds of rapids and not so rapid rivers.

Cheers,

MontanaMoose

[zhoyt]

Perch,

There are a few drift boat guides in NW Arkansas. In fact Ken Richards(JustFishinGuides) put on a drift boat rowing class at the Conclave this year. I love rowing a drift boat and much prefer it to running a motor. Overnighters out of the boat are amazing. I do prefer fall/winter to spring summer, but am definately not picky. I will go out on teh water any time.

Edit: more thoughts......the Hyde, Clacka, RO, etc websites will have alot of videos on rowing. LaMoyne from Hyde put out a very good one. I am getting ready to buy a wooden MacKenzie as soon as the IRS gets in gear. Don't discount warm water either.

[kengore]

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!