#Shallow water drift boats mod#
#Shallow water drift boats plus#

I would fish out of a pontoon over any boat any day of the week, but if you're on bigger water they don't go very fast. I'm on my second Scadden single person 'toon and love fishing from it. The frameless really are designed for electrics. Stable as a rock, but not fast because of the limitation of the outboard size on the framed boats.

#Shallow water drift boats plus#

You'll be in the boat for anywhere between $1500 and $3000 plus trailer (for the framed boats) and motor. Scadden makes some great two or three person boats. It's my 17th boat and my absolute favorite to date-I like it for my needs even better than the three previous Whalers.Īnother option, and I think a good one, is an inflatable. I've had mine in the SJ during a little weather, down the American, and on most of the local lakes. If you can find a rolled gunwale skiff like the one Bill used to own, which is mine now, they will be less money and take a 15 HP tiller. You won't lose much if any money, and you might make some too as the older hulls are more popular than the newer hulls.

A used Whaler is like investing in an asset with no interest. If you can live with the smoker, good, if not, a 25 HP 4 stroke is fine for moving two adults. You'll pay around $3500 for one in decent shape with an older 35-40 HP 2 stroke. I'm NOT a fan of large boats for smaller waters, and find 12'-14' glass skiffs perfect for my needs including drifting the American and Delta.Ī 13' Boston Whaler is an excellent choice. I'm a fan of cathedral hull glass boats because they are much more stable than a tin boat of the same size, quieter, and often have better hull designs. Shots are of the Natoma narrows above the bridges and Granite Bay. It'll be in New Mexico, Idaho, Montana and Oregon.

#Shallow water drift boats mod#

By the way, when you mentioned skiff, I took it that you were thinking about a trout skiff ( RO, Clack or Hyde ), not a flat bottom / mod V aluminum power boat.įor us, our boat needed to go beyond the central valley. If the delta and a lot of large lake fishing or lower end of the valley rivers is a part of that plan, then I think Bill's advice about motorized skiff is best. Only you know what you'll be asking your boat to do over the years. My wife rows our boat as much as I do, in fact she's an ex-white water rafter and kind of a rowing nut, who just likes to put the boat through it's paces. With nearly all the weight forward of midship, almost all of the boats designed in the past few years or those with updated hull designs are a snap to row under the kind of conditions we operate at. We're minimalist, so typically we are only boarding two fanny packs and a rod a piece, a little playmate ice chest, etc. I on the other hand, rarely have more than one other person in the boat and we're both light weights ( coming in under 150 ). each ( if the guides lucky ), a jumbo ice chest loaded up, gear bags, etc. They often carry three adult men all hovering around 200 lb. ( Those guys are grossly underpaid in my opinion. Guide's boats are often carrying a monsterous load compared to what we routinely carry. Take a gander some Saturday morning from the Sundial Bridge in Redding and stare down on the armada as they pass by. Something to keep in mind, is footprint and load. ( No sales pitch, this ones my baby and it's not for sale. Maybe we can set something up so you can take a test drive in ours.

The boat and I am around the area every third week or so, if you'd like to know how a mid profile drift boat handles in the wind/breeze on the still waters you mentioned. Last edited by Troutsource 04-05-2014 at 09:33 PM. What size motor would you recommend? Wouldn't the outboard be a problem in the shallower water?ĭo I need to worry about stability on the river in a boat like this (there are no casting stations like in the drift boats)? How much would a decent used outfit like this cost compared to a drift boat? I have a few questions (for anyone with insight): A boat like this could eliminate the need for a shuttle on the river, plus cut down on the rowing, and be great on the lakes. I have a brother that fly fishes rivers with me (including Sac, Yube, American, Feather), plus an 11-year old son who likes to fish anywhere, plus a wife and 8-year old daughter that would probably like fishing lakes (or at least riding around a little). Bill, this is an interesting idea as I am trying to square the circle here. You can use this in our larger Nor Cal rivers, in lakes and in the Delta. For Nor Cal I prefer an aluminum Jon boat with a tiller steer outboard jet motor, long oars, an auto pilot bow mounted electric motor plus a good anchor system.