McKenzie River Drift Boat questions

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gstanfield
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Re: McKenzie River Drift Boat questions

Post by gstanfield »

Just bumping this thread to see if there's been any renewed interest in a S&G drift boat? Out here drift boats are a big deal and while the FL14 works on the milder sections of the North Platte, a drift boat with a tad more rocker and a bit wider would be great for Rocky Mountain rivers. I doubt I'd ever be as big a seller as the flats boats for your southeast fishing, just due to the sheer number of people down there versus here, but it'd still be nice to see.
Previous builds: FL14, NC16, and others...

Current build: FL14 (+10%)

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BB Sig
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Re: McKenzie River Drift Boat questions

Post by BB Sig »

Take a look at the two different versions below! Beautiful boats. The wife wants one to row her around a small lake we used to kayak on when we were dating. She doesn't want to use my inflatable diveyak anymore since she's seen the gators at 2 am. :lol:

Multi-Chine
https://www.boatbuildercentral.com/Stud ... _STUDY.pdf

Rounded
https://www.boatbuildercentral.com/Stud ... _STUDY.pdf

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gstanfield
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Re: McKenzie River Drift Boat questions

Post by gstanfield »

BB Sig wrote: Mon Oct 26, 2020 11:36 am Take a look at the two different versions below! Beautiful boats. The wife wants one to row her around a small lake we used to kayak on when we were dating. She doesn't want to use my inflatable diveyak anymore since she's seen the gators at 2 am. :lol:

Multi-Chine
https://www.boatbuildercentral.com/Stud ... _STUDY.pdf

Rounded
https://www.boatbuildercentral.com/Stud ... _STUDY.pdf
I was actually the first person to order the MI12 plans when they first were being developed. It’s a great little row boat, but not even close to being a proper drift boat.
Previous builds: FL14, NC16, and others...

Current build: FL14 (+10%)

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Re: McKenzie River Drift Boat questions

Post by BB Sig »

LOL! You would know more about that than me! :wink:

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gstanfield
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Re: McKenzie River Drift Boat questions

Post by gstanfield »

BB Sig wrote: Mon Oct 26, 2020 12:17 pm LOL! You would know more about that than me! :wink:
Come on out to Wyoming sometime and I’ll take ya fishing in my drift boat. Let’s not go today though, it was-15F this morning and only supposed to warm up to about 10 degrees by mid afternoon!
Previous builds: FL14, NC16, and others...

Current build: FL14 (+10%)

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Re: McKenzie River Drift Boat questions

Post by BB Sig »

gstanfield wrote: Mon Oct 26, 2020 12:34 pm
BB Sig wrote: Mon Oct 26, 2020 12:17 pm LOL! You would know more about that than me! :wink:
Come on out to Wyoming sometime and I’ll take ya fishing in my drift boat. Let’s not go today though, it was-15F this morning and only supposed to warm up to about 10 degrees by mid afternoon!
I'll hold you to that but I agree that today won't work! :lol:

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Re: McKenzie River Drift Boat questions

Post by Fuzz »

Had a friend build a McKenzie river drift boat in my shop years ago. He used it for guiding on the upper Kenai river. His clients loved the boat, it was bright finished. The problem came when it was time to refinish it. With all the ribs and such it was harder to refinish it than it was to build it. If one could be built clean inside and out it would be much more user friendly.
All you guys need is a buddy heater and some hot toddies and you would be good to go fishing :lol:

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VT_Jeff
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Re: McKenzie River Drift Boat questions

Post by VT_Jeff »

gstanfield wrote: Fri Oct 23, 2020 10:05 am Just bumping this thread to see if there's been any renewed interest in a S&G drift boat?
I built the paul butler clark fork drifter, love it! Papadave on this site is building a Grand Canyon dory, he would def have some perspective.

*Edit: While I love the finished boat, I found that the plans were pricey, not overly detailed and had some inaccuracies, and the user group was nothing like what we have here. Paul did reply to my first email with some questions to his credit. But a Bateau2 design would be a great resource for any future builders. For the original question, I do worry a little about the strength of the bow and may go back and wrap some bi-axial tape or bi-axial fabric on it, stuff I was not aware existed when I built it.
There are only two seasons in Vermont: boating season, and boat-building season.

Completed Paul Butler 14' Clark Fork Drifter
Completed Jacques Mertens FS14LS + 10%, Build Thread
Started Iain Oughtred Tammie Norrie

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Re: McKenzie River Drift Boat questions

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Fuzz wrote: Mon Oct 26, 2020 10:07 pm With all the ribs and such it was harder to refinish it than it was to build it. If one could be built clean inside and out it would be much more user friendly.
Agreed. The inside of mine is all smooth surfaces since it's SnG, would be a breeze to re-finish if needed. I painted the outside and left the inside bright(except the deck). I did not do an amazing job finishing it but I still get a ton of "Wow, that's beautiful!" comments wherever I use it. The boats lines, the contrast of the white topsides with the bright inside does have a striking appearance, IMHO.
There are only two seasons in Vermont: boating season, and boat-building season.

Completed Paul Butler 14' Clark Fork Drifter
Completed Jacques Mertens FS14LS + 10%, Build Thread
Started Iain Oughtred Tammie Norrie

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Re: McKenzie River Drift Boat questions

Post by PapaDave »

If you are looking for a stitch and glue plan for a McKenzie style dory, Andy Hutchinson at High Desert Dories in Colorado is your man. He sales plans and provides full scale templates for the side and bottom panels. He is also available via phone or email if you have questions during your build. He is still a river guide so it is a bit tough to reach him during the guiding season. Top quality boat builder and all around nice guy too. Butler Projects puts out some nice designs and I have put together a few of his backpacker plus models. They are essentially a small dory with the ends cut off. Very capable and fun little boats. I had a traditional style McKenzie for 20 years and spent a lot of time sanding and varnishing every three to four years but that never bothered me. That was a wonderful boat. You can always adapt a traditional McKenzie design to stitch and glue construction. Take a look at the dory book by Roger Fletcher for multiple design choices. Good luck with your quest.
Dave

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