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Information
Let's face the facts:
A drift boat is for fun and not maintenance.
Shortly, you will buy a McKenzie drift boat and many enjoyable
hours of great fishing will follow. But while you are choosing
a drift boat, you need to be extremely cautious; understanding
the critical distinctions between manufacturers.
A fisherman does not need a master's degree in naval architecture
to know that some brands have a reputation for their busted
chines, while others are known for their leaky bottoms...
which could possibly have some bearing on longevity and
resale value. |
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A good place to begin your investigation of which boat to buy
would be to read the fine print of each boat builder's warranty,
since this would reflect confidence in their product. Since each
manufacturer must repair their own mistakes, they would be in
the best position to know how long their boats will last and
under what conditions. Will they stand behind their bottom against
bottom leaks and punctures for life to the original owner? In
writing? Also consider their reputation for honoring their warranty!
Secondly, take a close look at the radius of their chines "where
the bottom meets the side". This is the area of the boat
that receives the most brutal beating from river rocks. Wood
and aluminum construction by nature demand a square corner, while
fiberglass can be easily molded as a radius. Square chines tend
to grab rocks and cross currents, spinning the boat around, making
the boat difficult to control, while rocks and cross currents
easily glance off rounded chines. Round edges are designed to
glance off rocks. Square edges by nature catch the rocks and
fracture resulting in ragged saw tooth edges that nick or cut
fly lines. If a fiberglass boat has a chine radius of less than
1 inch, that manufacturer probably employs a person full time
that does nothing except repair pulverized chines!
Next consider interior parts. Are they molded into the bottom
and sides of the boat the entire length of the fiberglass part,
or are they merely glued in?
Does the boat builder hand-lay their fiberglass using rolls
of coarse cloth or do they shoot it out of a production chopper
gun?
Woven Roven Fiberglass Cloth |
If you see rows and rows of shower stalls and hot tubs
outside their plant, there is a good possibility that they
do use a production chopper gun. This is sufficient for
a product that must continually resist the punishment that
only bare feet can dish out, but then again, when is the
last time that you dropped a 500 pound river boulder in
your shower stall? A company that utilizes a production
chopper gun to manufacture a McKenzie style drift boat
is probably one of the most competent in the industry...in
the area of fiberglass repair.
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For the last 25 years at ClackaCraft, we have built only boats
and because of our commitment to quality, we only hand lay our
product.
Our boats are made of 100%
SOLID HAND-LAID FIBERGLASS CLOTH!
We do not sandwich cheap foam filler between bottom layers.
- Foam crushes and breaks down as a result of bottom flexing
as rocks slam into the boat.
- Water finds its way into the foam through breaks and pin
holes.
- Freezing water soaked foam will de-laminate fiberglass layers.
- Water soaked foam results in excessive weight and a weak
bottom.
One hundred percent solid, hand-laid fiberglass is the only
application technique that will keep our boats within the parameters
that our engineering staff demands. You might be interested to
know that the same person who is in charge of our product verification
program is also the man who answers directly to the president
of ClackaCraft.
Smitty, Chopper and Orvy on the Pere
Marquette River in Michigan.
Photo by Tim Fortier.
The fourth consideration should be the response on the river.
Fiberglass has excellent tensile strength which gives it the
ability to flex over rocks and spring back under the same conditions
that would reduce boats constructed of other materials to toothpicks
or aluminum shish-kabob. The slippery nature of fiberglass allows
it to flex and slide over rocks on which other materials would
normally get stuck. One of the easiest ways to identify the owner
of a wooden or aluminum boat is by the wet lower portions of
their pant legs.
Big does not always mean better. You do not necessarily need
a barge for sport fishing. Conversely, you do want ample room
for fly line handling and comfort. Compare interiors: does the
boat feel small and cramped, or open and spacious? Notice if
the interior is free of impediments that would snag fly lines.
In the "real world" of fly fishing, your boat should
be lightweight with a large bottom surface area for shallow draft
and effortless rowing, making it as maneuverable as a Porsche.
Another misconception is how to measure the length of a drift
boat. The legal United States Coast Guard definition for length
measurement is down the center line, tip to tip. Some manufacturers
measure around the side, picking up an extra bogus foot; while
others pad the figures up to two feet by measuring all around
the outside clear to the anchor bracket! Always compare apples
with apples.
 Finally, compare prices. Neither aluminum nor fiberglass come
cheaply; both are sold by the pound. Next time you are at a sports
or boat show, look at a manufacturer's published weights and
lift their boats. There may be a discrepancy! Then drop by our
booth and look at our published weights and lift our boats. At
ClackaCraft we have re-invented the drift boat and brought it
to you at an affordable price without sacrificing quality. Our
hard work and your appreciation for quality is what has made
us the world's largest manufacturer of whitewater drift boats.
Why not stop by your local ClackaCraft dealer and see what follows
you home?
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