I need some help. I have finally convinced my wife that I NEED a driftboat. So within the next year I would like to find the right one. I am a Michigan fisherman, but have been sent to the south for work. The tailwaters here provide some great fishing, but I am limited without a boat. I also make several trips a year to Michigan for steelies and salmon. Are there any makes that are better than others? What about the kits you can purchase? I would like to get a fully rigged boat with trailer for $3500 at the most. I am also a fairly large guy (6'4", 280lbs) Should this impact my decision?

For $3500 you should be able to get a good used boat rigged and ready to go. A new boat, fully rigged, should run you more. If you are mainly fishing mellow, riffled trout streams fiberglass, or aluminum will do nicely for you. If you are going to float fast, heavy water, with large rocks (like many of our coastal rivers are) I would advise you to go aluminum. Note: when buying a used aluminum boat look at the under-side beneath the front bench seats to check for the floor being indented between the floor runners.
Also, given your size, I would recommend a 16' boat with a 54" bottom width. The added surface area will make it row easier for you.

Go light as possible. I drifted out of a wooden Eastside for years. Learned with this boat. All you needed was 2" of water. I have just had a aluminum Koffler built I kept as many of the extra boxes and other stuff out of it. It is still heavy 280# compaired to the Eastside but floats well. I have a friend that got a boat with all the bells and whistles and it is apx. 100# more than my boat. It rows like a wet log. And if the water is low its push and drag, clang and bang. Talk about scare the fish off the bite. Well this is what I think. Good Luck!!
Keep The Rives Clean!!

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dank

tenn,
with your size, a couple buddies and some gear i would go with the 17 foot models. look for wider bottom "wide guide" usually starting at about 54 inches. this set up, will be easier on the sticks, but still haul a load. i would definately go aluminum, if you can. i own a 1986 fishrite 16 foot wide guide "aluminum" and its still going strong. as far as accessories you could go on for ever. if your gonna run a kicker, go with the rear side mount anchor system with pulleys. at a minimum the front seats should be adjustable forward and rearward for proper wieght dislacement. my boat has a rope seat that seems to make rowing a little more comfortable and your butt sticks to the rope. a fish box, usually mounted under the seat, is a standard on the westcoast. i agree with the previous post, that you should check the hull for "tunnel hull" it is pretty obvious when you see it. it usually means the boat has been on the rocks while loaded with people and gear. check the chine "the raised portion on top of the location the side and bottom meet. pay close attention to the places that the chine rides on the trailer as this is bearing the boat weight on all those rough roads. as far as brands go i dont know whats made on the east coast. out here on the west coast i would say that willy is probably making the best driftboat. hope this helps, just the humble opinion of a regular guy "not a guide".

Go with a 16 or 17' boat with a 54" bottom. if you decide to go fiberglass get a Clackacraft. If you decide to go Alumium look into a Diamond Back, for the price you cant go wrong. A friend of mine just ordered an 18'x60" boat. He is spending 5 grand on his boat and it is loaded. I priced out a fairly loaded 17x54 and it was about 3800 dollars. I have a Willie and I love the boat, Im constantly taking 2 guys down the river that weigh 250 plus. With the 3 of us and all our gear and the wieght of the boat I bet Im rowing 1100lbs down the river with ease. Check back and I will have Diamond backs # for you.

Thank you all for your help. Anybody put together a kit before?

a friend of mine built a wood boat from a kit. looked nice when he was done, took a while though, and he had experience working with fiberglas (for the bottom of the boat). wood boats don't have as good a resale value, for me I would get a used aluminum boat, they don't devalue much (unless you wreck it in the river)..

Well, I checked out some of the previous posts and they're pretty much on the money. Now, it all depends on how much of that money you really want to spend. You can go straight to Hyde boats and ask for their "Guide Returns". What Hyde does is everyyear they trade back old Hyde boats for New Hydes to the Licensed Guides. They have to return the boats with everything they ordered on it. So, you can call up Hyde and tell them what exactly you want on the boat and they'll go through their arsenal of used (but also reconditioned to meet Hyde standards) boats for the one you're looking for. If they don't have it they'll put you on a list for one that suits your needs. If I ever plan to buy another driftboat (not sure since I mostly use my Cat) I'll order one this way from Hyde. They run about $3000 but they're damned nice boats. I have a friend who's a guide (he's been in a few fishing magazine publications) who has one and swears by them. They're very sturdy and compare to a clackacraft for hull strength, if not more. I was told directly from Hyde that they've never had a hull brought back due to damage, that they're built pretty rugged for being fiberglass. Just some other possibility for you. If you're running fairly calm, non rocky rivers you can get by with a wooden boat. But, like alot of rivers over here, there's way too many rocks to dodge. I had an old wooden pram that held up pretty good, but was always on the caution for anything ahead or possibly underwater. Good luck....

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you haven't lived til you're rowed a cataraft. Friends don't let friends run Outcasts.