NoYaks:
I suppose this is a "vintage" photo of a Don Hill Riverboat. I built this one when I worked and guided with Don about 40 years ago when these photos were taken. This is not like the newer high/wide guides Model offered today, this boat is a standard drift-boat just like the originator Woody Hindman created. They were built like a fine piece of furniture with the best of materials and clear coated to shine. Not to many of these left today, Don (and I) quit building drift-boats many years ago.
NoYaks:
Forgot to label the photos. The top two are on the Deschutes River, the lower one taken on the McKenzie River.
Yep, that's me in the middle photo; flyfishing for steelhead. I was a bit younger and more stable back then. Today I wade with a couple of wading staffs LOL.
Mark Collett:
So RV are you just showing us the pictures or are you trying to sell this DB ?
Definitely a nice looking boat. What size is it ?
I've been thinking of selling my little mini-drifter.I haven't used it for over 2 years. Maybe I'll dig it out of my shop, clean it up and post some photos later today.
Here is an old shot.
NoYaks:
Hi Mark, No, not trying to sell the boat. She's been gone for a long time. Went to San Francisco for work for about 35 years and had no use for the drift boat. Bought a sailboat for the Bay and loved it. The drift-boat is a 16' standard. Very light and agile compared to today's high wide versions. Turn the boat a little to the side and use one oar and wrist action to ferry from one side of the river to the other. These boats had a chine. Most glass and aluminum boats do not and are much harder to ferry. Is your mini-drifter fiberglass? Is it a Don Hill boat? Those were made outside of Salem by a glass guy who built them for Don. Loved to flyfish from them with a small Minn-Kota for power.
Mark Collett:
Hi Bill,
As you can see my mini is all hand laid fiberglass. It's 12 ' long and 48" wide. Not a Don Hill model. Though I have talked to Don a few times at the Puyallup Sports show when I was building them and promoting them there. He had some very positive comments about my mini's. The one pictured is 150 lbs.It was number 13 out of 27 I built.Always a lucky number for me. Couldn't tell you how many fish I have caught out of that boat--but let's just say a boat load. It has been awesome for some of the smaller creeks on the Olympic peninsula. It did great on the Kenai River when I lived in Alaska. It was fun to have so many of the guides up there ask me where I got it and if I would make them one. I don't work fiberglass anymore-but it was a lot of fun for a few years.