OK, Im starting to seriously think about some sort of watercraft to help me better pursue my quarry. Question I have is, does anybody have any input on a DB rigged with a small outboard? There is an add in the latest STS that has a sort of hyprid DB with a 15hp prop on the back. Ive seen a few folks with this set up before and often wondered why more anglers dont give it a try. There may be some blatant reason why it doenst work for all, but please humor me, Im a bit ignorant when it comes to boats...Im in the Air Force.
Thanks in advance for any and all advice
RL

Hey Dew,
I went with F.J. and Mr Snappy today to get their new sled....its pretty nice. Can't wait to try it out.

goin for it eh dew! you gonna be out sunday?
Tyler

I may be wrong but... my take is that a db is basically used to go "downstream" with some direction supplied by oars. Sleds go upstream, generally with jet power.
The prop on a db is fine for holding in a deep slot or bactrolling but the db design doesn't lend itself to providing good tracking.
There is a great deal of diference between sled designs but the difference between sled and db design is huge.
Figure out what you want to do with a boat then find the boat that can do it.

Rock,

I ran a Db w/ honda for years in lower river and tidewater. Fine for limited applications. Some thing to consider:

1. Most driftboats will only go so fast, no matter how big the motor, approx 8-10 mph. One run in my favorite bay would take about 35 minutes in the db w/honda, now takes about 7 minutes in the sled.

2. even with a "dolphin" the stern will dig down and bow up, so you need deeper water.

3. You can go up riffles if they are about 1.5 - 2 ft. Passangers and fish must go as far up front as possible, hanging over bow, and your prop will grind in the rocks. My honda props were good for about 2 years, with me hammering on them a couple of times. Rocks just beat the sh#t out of them and they keep getting smaller.

So there are you limitations for a std DB, Clackacraft makes a hull called the magna-drifer or used to, but it had the same basic limittions only with a slight improvement.

From RT post on the sportsmans show:

Another interesting item was the best yet driftboat/jetsled compromise boat. It's in the Rogue boats section. It's called the Rogue 'Stealth', in 16' and 18' versions. It has a tunnel hull that enables shallower motor running; getting 3 average or 2 big guys up on plane and to 17 mph up river. Then it rows fairly close to a regular drift boat going downstream. For those that don't have room for both boats, this one is finally worth a good look at.

Fishbait,
I thought I would send you a web address to stop prop grinding of your Honda.
Go to:
http://www.clackacraft.com
Check out their Prop Guard Link. It will save your prop and has a Dol-Fin as well. This has been on my Drift Boat motor for years, and I Love It!!

Fishbait,

Good on you for offering the optiong of the Rogue Marine Stealth boat.

It is made right here in town and I saw my first one just a few weeks back..... very impressive.

As I told the builder, had that been available when I was buying I likely would own one of those rather than my 17.5 Alumaweld Sled.. don't get me wrong, I love my sled but there are times when I would like to be able to row it and can't.

Check these boats out, I think most will be impressed.

There web address is www.roguemarine.com.

Fishbait,
Thanks for the advice. The "stealth" of which you and RT posted about is the one I saw the add for in the new STS, looks pretty cool.
I wouldnt be doing many long runs, so this looks like a definate option.
Still waiting for a ride on FJ's sled though , might think otherwise.
Thanks again
RL

Buy a drift boat learn the water then buy a sled
Worked great for me.

Hang on to your thoughts and desire to own a boat that is more versatile. There is one that is in the R & D stage that will be awesome for those of us looking for a more "do all" boat...if you can...be patient because it will do what you want it to do.

JimB

Buy..both!!

Centerpin has a good perspective!

FJ...out.

In my own private perfect world, I would buy both.
Not gonna happen though, at least not in the immediate future. The DB would probably be my best option right now, but the river I fish the most (closest to the house) would definately have some applications for that stealth model. Does anybody know of any dealers in Wash for Rogue?
FJ, did you get that new toy wet this weekend? Hit the not-so anymore zipperlip on Sat...lot of water not many fish, saw one caught.
Tight Lines
RL

I've owned both, and I currently own a sled. I honestly caught more fish with the drift boat. Why? Because I could fish many of the smaller rivers that you can't run a sled on, but also (and probably more importantly), with a drift boat I could easily stop and fish a lot of the pocket water that I can't get to with my sled. The drift boat required more planning since I had to plan for how to get back to my trailer, etc. The sled is simple. I launch it on the rivers I can fish, run upstream or downstream, then back to the launch. A drift boat is more suitable to younger fisherman in good shape. The sled is great for older fishermen - like me!