Origin Of Drift Boats

The Drift Boat, first known as the "McKenzie dory" or the "Rogue River dory" has and always will hold it's own unique place in river boating and fly-fishing history. With all of its unique design features- this old dory was really a grand invention in the day's of old when wood was king and fishing actually was for more than just fun.

Drift Boat Plans

Here is a quick look at one of my absolute favorite boats- to use AND TO BUILD.

Many boating enthusiasts absolutely love the drift boat. Although it is a classic, it was it's innovative design back in the '20's that make it such a special boat.

One of the nuances that really made the drift boat a staple among fly-fisherman and other's that loved river boating, was the continuous rocker - a complete arc from bow to stem, the rocker make's it very easy to make complete turns in the water.

Which is quite convenient when fly fishing - or for virtually anything and any kind of fishing.

The Drift Boat Makes Its Debut

Veltie Pruitt's famous lightweight cedar board and batten boat was 16 feet long and only 36 inches wide. Veltie, along with good friend and fellow river guide Prince Helfrich, used this boat for the 1938 movie Shooting the Deschutes; a movie was shown the next year at the Worlds Fair in N.Y. and San Francisco.

Square Ended Drift Boats

In this McKenzie River white water parade photo taken around the late 1930s you can see that most boats on the river were the square ended design.

The square end of the early Mckenzie River drift boats can be seen in photographs as early as the1920's. The older boats were long heavy weight boats that could take a beating; however, these boats needed to be faried around larger rapids. The lighter square enders first made of cedar boards with battens and later out of plywood are a very versital design that became a favorite of McKenzie River guides and anglers.

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Drift Boat Plans And More