Classic, Don Hill designed, McKenzie style drift boat for sale. This boat was originally built in the early 1970's, and they are scarce today. (I would venture to guess that a very few are in this good of condition!)



This boat has just gone through an 8 month restoration and upgrade process, and is in A-1 condition!

Length - 13'1" Stem to Stern

Width - 63" across the oar locks

Bottom Width - 48"



ALL of the accessories for this boat are NEW. The boat has made 2 short drifts on the Skagit since the work was completed. During the restoration, the boat was stripped down to nothing but the frames, bottom and side panels, then re-built up from there.

Scope of work that was done (from the bottom up):

New 1/4" ply shoe added to the bottom. Total bottom thickness is 3/4". Bottom is covered with one coat of Coat-It and 2 coats of Epoxy blended with 30% graphite. Very hard, very slippery and very durable.

New chine installed, fabricated from 1/2" white oak. Bottom coatings extend 2" up the side of the boat, above the chine. This gives added protection to the sides from rocks, water level tree limbs, etc.

New transom fabricated and installed. Made of 3/4" ply, with another 3/4" ply framing the interior of the transom. Coated with 2 coats of epoxy and then 8 coats of spar varnish. Transom is trimmed with an oak top rail.



The right side had a small spot (1", along the chine) that was bad wood. All the bad wood was removed, the spot was coated with anti-freeze (to kill all the dry-rot bacteria - for good!) and then filled with epoxy/wood flour. It is stronger than original.

ALL the old paint was removed, and new paint (100% acrylic latex) has been applied. 4 coats to exterior and two coats to the interior. This is a very durable and long lasting paint. It will chip if you whack it, but otherwise should last many years.

New bench seats were fabricated from 5/8" ply, stained, and have several coats of Spar Varnish. Both the rowers seat and passenger benches have storage boxes.

Rowers seat is the ClackaCraft "tractor style" padded seat, and the pasenger seat is the Fish-On Tempress high backed seat with removable pads.

The bow cover was replaced with a new piece of 1/2", stained and has several coats of spar varnish.

New carpeted floor boards were installed, providing solid platforms in front of rowers and passengers seats.

The OAK gunnel rails (inner and outer) were originally covered in thick coats of a nasty color of white/green old latex paint. They were sanded, stained and have 8 coats of varnish applied.



New oar lock holders were fabricated from UHMW. New oar locks are bronze/silicon.

New ClackaCraft 9', counter-balanced, PowerStroke composite oars.

New 5 pulley Dierks side-pull anchor system has been installed. Works like a charm. Anchor is a 30 lb. diamond shaped lead anchor, and connected to 100' of new 3/8" polypropelene rope.

2 Fish-On rod holders. Rod holders included, but the buyer will need to provide 2 of the extensions so they extend over the gunnel rails.

All hardware used (except for a few screws in the seats) is either brass (below the water line) or 8-18 Stainless Steel. Gunnel rails are secured with 8-18 Stainless Steel carriage bolts and Stainless acorn nut style fasteners.

This boat rows beautifully, pulls plugs and side drifts well, and tracks like a dream. It is a classic McKenzie style drift boat, and as such does not have the high rocker to the rear. It draws slightly more water than the modern versions, but can easily handle 2 full sized men (one rower, one in front), and could also handle two smaller individuals up front, if the seat was removed and pads installed. With myself (225 lbs.) and another fellow (200#+) in the front seat, we were easily able to drift in waters that were only a few inches deep, without scraping.

When anchored up in moderate current, it does not swing side-to-side, and with the 48" bottom there is a solid enough platform to cast/retrieve or fight a fish from the standing position.



The boat was garaged the 5 years before I got it (last May) and has been garaged since that time. It should be garaged or stored under a shelter by the new owner, to protect against rain collecting in the boat. This boat is all wood, and while it has epoxy in places, there is no fiberglass. It is a traditional as I could make it, and still have the benefit of modern methods of wood preservation, etc.

Trailer: 16' Sears Gamefisher. Trailer bunks are being replaced this week with new treated lumber. Bearings are also being serviced this week, rims will be cleaned and painted. Tires are like new. The trailer alone is worth an estimated $300.

I have put well over 200 hrs. of work into the restoration, and my *cash* investment in the boat exceeds $1500. It was a real pleasure doing this restoration, and the ONLY reason I am selling the boat is my wife has "made me an offer I can't refuse". The proceeds from this sale will go towards the purchase of my "dream boat". I would never sell it otherwise!

Asking price is $1850. I would consider a lower offer, but please note that my investment (not counting time) in the boat is well over $1500.

I don't think this is necessary, but if someone is seriously interested I would be willing to
take them on a short float in the Skagit and let them row the boat, etc. and see first-hand how well it handles, etc.

Please send me a PM with any questions.

I need to sell it, and soon...but I won't give it away... it's too damn special!

Mike

No inquiries..yet.

I do know that someone is going to get a SWEET Christmas present in this boat!

It's a worker, folks, not a showpiece. Someone has to need this boat...great for 2 adults or you and the kids, small lakes and ponds, and can handle anything most any river can dish out. (But no, I would not take it on the OP rivers)...but would have no concerns about it being able to drift anything on the westside that any glass or alum. drifter can do.


Mike

Wow Mike! I'm sorry to hear that you have to sell it! You really put a lot of work in that boat and it shows. I wish I were in a position to pick it up from you but at this point there is no way my other half would agree to it.

Gary/SportJet:

Thanks for the compliments. It is a beautiful boat...but sadly, all the while I have been living with and restoring this one, my heart was on another.......boat.

Guilty as charged.

I won't sell it for nuthin...so if no one wants it I'll gladly fish it. I would rather have my "dream" boat...to be honest. The wife shocked the heck out of me when she said "Honey..why don't you sell this boat and buy XXXX?"

I am truly a spoiled man.

Mike

I'm sworn to secrecy.....I could tell you, but then I would have to kill myself...

New bunks going on the trailer today..

Mike

Mike, that is a sweet looking boat very similar to 1 I rebuilt in the early 90's. Unfortunately I practically gave it away, I had it for sale at a very reasonable price (around $1500) and I had 1 looker in about 3 months, it sat at my parents house and they wanted it out of the way so I let it go for almost 1/2 of what I was asking, probably didn't help that I was selling in the spring.

Oh yeah, never leave your anchor in the boat and drive down a dirt road, don't ask me why I know this.

LOL! I can only guess what happened...but if it's what I think it wasn't good!

I have a milk crate that I set in back of the boat (which is carpeted) and the anchor rides in that. It can bounce all it wants and can't harm the bottom. It is a 30#'er, so likely won't bounce too much. As for dirt roads...well, the only vehicle I've got to tow it with is my LeSabre...and it ain't much of a 4-wheeler! (But it does tow the boat well...don't even know it's back there).

I have never had a boat/trailer track as well as this one does. Even with the boat sitting back on the trailer (reducing the tongue weight) there is no wobble or fishtailing.

Just finished the trailer...it's got new treated wood bunks, a super-slick back bunk (to aid in sliding the boat off) and new indoor/outdoor carpet on the bunks.

The lucky buyer of this boat shouldn't have to do any maintenance for a long time. Wood boats do take a bit of extra care...but all the works done on this one for some time to come...save maybe a small amount of touch-up painting now and then to keep her pretty!

Mike

Mike,

At least take me fishing in it since I can't buy it!

Send me an email and I would gladly take ya for a ride in the sled. I'm thinking a fishing, photographing outing on the Skagit is about in order.

Hi Gary,

Hey, good idea! I got an open seat of Sat...and if it ever quits raining the river should clean up nice in a day or so. I just got finished re-doing the trailer bunks (new treated wood, etc.) and am doing the bearings and re-painting the rims now.

Mike

Wow, what a sweet boat, very nice work indeed!!! I know that you're looking to get around $1850 for this, but would you possibly consider a partial trade and cash? I've got a fiberglass Don Hill Mini Drifter (http://www.dhdriftboats.com/advHtml/mini.html) with the anchor mount, anchor line, anchor, extra drain plugs, cataraft oars and blades, bronze oar locks, etc. If you're interested please let me know and we can go from there. Thanks for your time!

Best Fishes,

Sam

sam_h_mccabe@hotmail.com

Hi Sam,

I do appreciate the offer of the partial trade, but that really won't work for me. I am upgrading to a much larger boat (possibly a sled), and need to sell this boat outright.

Just spent $100 more on the trailer; new bunks, new bearings and 1 new light. It's good to go for another dozen years.

Price still $1850, but now, with the further investment, it's firm.

Mike B

Come on! Someone needs to buy this boat! Mike and I took it down the uppoer Skagit yesterday and this thing is simply awsome! As we were putting in people were remarking how nice it was. If you were to talk up on it you would think it was new and not 30 years old. It is that nice.

If I had the money I would buy it in a heartbeat. The seats are the most comfortable seats I have sat on in a driftboat yet.

BTW: Mike, Thanks again for rowing my big ass around all day! Too bad I couldn't convert that drive buy into a fish! Still that was the biggest Dollie I have ever seen. Awsome fish!

Gary:

Was a pleasure to have you in that front seat. No worries about the missed take-down..we'll have plenty more before the season is over.

That Dolly was a bit of a pig, but he/she was a skinny thing. Looked like he/she had missed the Chum season altogether..but was sure stocking up on the eggs to make up for lost time..:-) If we had caught him/her in their prime, the fight would not have been so "mellow", as that fish was sure to have had a couple more pounds on.

Glad ya liked the boat! With the two of us the rowing was not a problem, so I can safely say the boat will handle 3 easy enough. Most folks aren't as "healthy" as the two of us..

I'm sure someone will be taking it home soon...

...........won't they?

Mike

SOLD!

Sure glad I got the ride in it before you sold it! Someone got a great boat!

Mike- congrats on selling the boat.

I'm only sorry I could not justify adding a third boat true Wood boat to my inventory.......

Thanks for the fishing trip, I hope all is well for you and your family.

I am lined up for my next guiding adventure in Alaska, so if you can cover the airfare, I can reciprocate with a few (several) fishing trips.

Gonna be outside of Ketchikan/Prince of Wales Isl.

September and May are probably best for my schedule.

Talk to you,


Shoot me a PM when you find the time.

Joe

Janabike, are you a private/independant charter or are you working for a lodge/resort, if so, which 1?