Gorgeous Drift Boat on FB

Further North · July 23, 2021

I thought there might be a few here who would appreciate this.

I've had a few FB Messenger conversations with this builder, and he's pretty talented...builds a very, very nice looking boat that has a lot of beauty of a wood boat with a lot of the tech advantages of glass and kevlar.

It's not my kind of rig (maintenance will be higher than I like), but I thought that several here might find it worth a look, even possibly be interested in it. I also just took delivery of my own full custom drift boat, purpose built for how I fish our rivers.

For those who don't know, in Wisconsin, these are not "trout boats", but rather we use them to get into the places on rivers where boats can't get to chase smallies and muskies. A drift boat will go just about anywhere a canoe or kayak will go (I've seen both drag bottom in places we've run through cleanly) but adds the ability to stand up, move around, and cast without worrying about tipping the boat. Lots more storage, too.

I'm not including the contact info, so this is NOT a "for sale" advertisement.

2021 Sunburst Driftboat.

Nearly brand new. This was my personal guide boat this summer, used about 20 days. The boat has 9mm Okume sides, 1/2" Okume bottom covered in Kevlar. Full 6oz glass wrap so no exposed wood to deteriorate! Raptor bedliner inside and out. Regal floor anchor system. Refurbished double roller Baker trailer with Sawyer Dyno X Shoal cut oars. The trim is oiled ASH from locally sourced trees. Comes with Tempress Pro Guide seats and DPI Hatches for lifetime durability.

This is a smooth rowing skiff that feels like a full size drift boat from the inside. The wide flat platform drafts very high in the water column. Measures 1660 with only 17" sides. So it is wider, lower, longer, lighter and more stable than any skiff on the market! This is a tailwater boat but I have rowed it on the Yellowstone. It is still versatile enough to handle some waves. This boat comes ready to fish in Billings, MT.

This boat (#7) is my "Covid build". It's less expensive than my others for a couple reasons. 1. It has a wood bottom (couldn't get Plascore during C19) so it's about #60 heavier. It still weighs less than a low profile glass boat. 2. I saved 3 weeks not making wood hatches and seats. Not as pretty but certainly more durable. 3. I need move on to the next years boats! There is over 7k in materials on this build. Each boat takes about 500 hours. So at 20 bucks an hour, that would make the price 17k minimum. This is a VERY good price for the time effort and materials involved.

Hundreds of pictures available on request. Serious inquiries only. I do not sell plans. This is NOT a kit boat. This is a completely new hull unlike any other on the market. I designed this hull to fish and feel like a full sized drift boat, but row like a skiff. There are only 6 others on planet Earth like it.