Why not a motor?

[fatbillybob]

I don't own a boat and I have never rowed but have been guided down river in boats hundreds of times over the years....so that's all I know. Drift boats and rafts are capable of having a motor. To escape the hassle of a shuttle why not just drift a river and motor back to the trailer? Or why not motor upstream and drift back to the trailer? Is there a legal reason or???

 

[Evan B]

I don't own a boat and I have never rowed but have been guided down river in boats hundreds of times over the years....so that's all I know. Drift boats and rafts are capable of having a motor. To escape the hassle of a shuttle why not just drift a river and motor back to the trailer? Or why not motor upstream and drift back to the trailer? Is there a legal reason or???

That's what jet sleds are for. And in most rivers, there's about a 0% chance of motoring a drift boat up stream due to rapids. A drift boat isn't designed to get up on plane, they just plow water. So your motor will drag and get taken out on the first rock.

Oars and the simplicity of floating is part of the appeal. I love my motor boats but rowing down a river is an experience in itself.

 

[SSPey]

Generally agree with Evan, but there’s lots of different kinds of rivers in the world. Near me, 8-9.9hp motors often push driftboats upriver through modest riffles to access good holes above boat ramps, before floaters make it down. Usually they can only get 2-3 holes upriver before an impasse is reached. It is slow going, as a motorized driftboat’s max speed is 6 mph and most rivers flow 3-4 mph.

 

[Buzzy]

Stealthcraft; goes upstream quickly.

Clackacraft (?) makes a power drifter

 

[Evan B]

View attachment 110051
Stealthcraft goes upstream quickly.

Clackacraft (?) makes a power drifter

Yeah power drifters are an interesting solution. Has a full width stern in the back vs tapering to almost a point like a drift boat. Way harder to maneuver with oars, but a cool boat type.

 

[Eastside]

Clackacraft (?) makes a power drifter

They do. I saw one at at the Clackacraft shop in Oregon last year and it looks like a sweet ride. If I lived in an area where I could use it frequently, I would definitely have one.

 

[Buzzy]

Yeah power drifters are an interesting solution. Has a full width stern in the back vs tapering to almost a point like a drift boat. Way harder to maneuver with pars, but a cool boat type.

The Stealthcraft is a tough boat to control with oars compared to a drift boat; wider transom and then there's that big motor. Our friends across the border have these boats to row and motor with:

 

[Evan B]

The Stealthcraft is a tough boat to control with oars compared to a drift boat; wider transom and then there's that big motor. Our friends across the border have these boats to row and motor with:
View attachment 110053

Yeah the power drifter is more meant as primarily a motorboat where you can control the drift back down. Definitely a boat for bigger/slower water. Really, it's the boat that can do what the original post was about.

There's a few around Portland here, but they mostly live on the Willamette and Columbia. I think one could get a few good programs going in the lower Sandy or Clack with it too.

It's a boat I had thought about for my smaller/local waters boat. But since I'm using it primarily for the Columbia, I ultimately decided a standard prop non-flat bottom boat was a better solution for me.

 

[SurfnFish]

all comes down to the bottom rocker - for a power drift boat to be effective, the bottom rocker needs to be straightened through the middle of the hull to create more of a planning surface, and that bottom rocker is what makes a drift boat safely 'bob' it's way through steeper runs without crashing nose first into the water ahead, as well as change direction with tugs on the oars, pivoting off the apex curve of that bottom rocker - which in power drifters has been straightened out.
My 84' Power Drifter was a barge to row. I fished several times on a new Clackacraft power drifter when I was considering ordering one, and whereas it planed better than my older one due to having an even straighter rocker profile, it rowed worse.
So the sweet spot for power drifters are rivers with moderate current that don't feature the whitewater waves and holes that make drifting downstream in a true drift boat so damn fun.

 

[SSPey]

My 17.5’ aluminum sled is advertised as a dual-purpose “power/rowing” boat of the sort this thread has drifted towards. Called a jet drifter, but realistically it is 99% jet and 1% drifter. A small jet boat with oars. 2 outboards (main, kicker) and no rocker makes the stern very sluggish to row. Barge is an apt descriptor. You rarely see these types of boats being rowed.

I believe part of the reason that a market for these exists in the PNW is not at all for their rowing ability, but because many aluminum boat makers here have stopped making flattish-bottom sleds under 20’ altogether. I bought mine as a small sled and only use the oars for positioning in tidal areas. It is far more common to see a driftboat with a kicker running upstream, than it is to see someone rowing a power drifter downstream.

 

[Evan B]

Back when I had my Clack I had a 15hp merc to run on it. Thing could only go up stream in the slowest of currents due to the lack of stern width. Tried using it on the cowlitz a few times to run laps in a few spots but just wasn't viable. Going up a riffle was totally out of the question (both speed and would hit the prop on rocks if I tried).

It topped out at 6-7mph on still water due to the drag. The same speed it'd go if it were a 6hp motor. The few times I tried running up stream on the Columbia or on the Multnomah channel of the Willamette, I was sweating just being able to get back up to where I launched because of how slow I'd be going against the current.

 

[Peyton00]

I have a 15 hp motor for my 16' toon.
I can get up the tight corner at blue Creek, but it's a crawl with 3 guys and gear.
Some boats are made for 1 direction. Lol.

 

[SurfnFish]

with a 20 hp four stroke Merc my old school Clack would cruise 15 mph at 3/4 throttle and at full twist top out at 18 mph. The old ones like mine came with a deflection plate that mounted at the very stern with a slight down angle to to keep the bow down when the hull started planing.
If I lived by rivers in which it made sense, I'd definitely own a new one.

 

[Buzzy]

Back when I had my Clack I had a 15hp merc to run on it. Thing could only go up stream in the slowest of currents due to the lack of stern width. Tried using it on the cowlitz a few times to run laps in a few spots but just wasn't viable. Going up a riffle was totally out of the question (both speed and would hit the prop on rocks if I tried).

It topped out at 6-7mph on still water due to the drag. The same speed it'd go if it were a 6hp motor. The few times I tried running up stream on the Columbia or on the Multnomah channel of the Willamette, I was sweating just being able to get back up to where I launched because of how slow I'd be going against the current.

I guess @fatbillybob can look at this thread and come to the conclusion there's no one perfect boat for us fishers. I'm still kicking myself in the seat of the pants for selling my 14' - 1971 Hewescraft two years ago.

 

[Evan B]

I guess @fatbillybob can look at this thread and come to the conclusion there's no one perfect boat for us fishers. I'm still kicking myself in the seat of the pants for selling my 14' - 1971 Hewescraft two years ago.

That's why I have two powered boats and a few rafts. Can never have too many

 

[doublespey]

This very question lead to the creation of my Ghetto Sled. Essentially a 13' narrow raft (Saturn KaBoat) with transom. I had the Catchercraft folks create a frame that stiffened it a bit and allowed me to use more robust oars than the pinned ones that came with it.

The 9.8hp Tohatsu with RockHopper will push it at over 20hp on flat water and allows me to move back upstream at a decent clip. Nothing I'd want to oar down serious whitewater, but not a problem going thru rockgardens or other stuff found on our Western Washington rivers.

Best part is that it fits inflated (with a bed extender) into my truckbed. Pull it out and mount the motor and off you go.

I also use it on lakes with a 50lb thrust electric for chasing bass and other warmwater fishies.

Everything included I think it cost under $4000 and most of that was in the motor.

 

[DKL]

This very question lead to the creation of my Ghetto Sled. Essentially a 13' narrow raft (Saturn KaBoat) with transom. I had the Catchercraft folks create a frame that stiffened it a bit and allowed me to use more robust oars than the pinned ones that came with it.

The 9.8hp Tohatsu with RockHopper will push it at over 20hp on flat water and allows me to move back upstream at a decent clip. Nothing I'd want to oar down serious whitewater, but not a problem going thru rockgardens or other stuff found on our Western Washington rivers.

Best part is that it fits inflated (with a bed extender) into my truckbed. Pull it out and mount the motor and off you go.

I also use it on lakes with a 50lb thrust electric for chasing bass and other warmwater fishies.

Everything included I think it cost under $4000 and most of that was the in the motor.

Cool, I just googled your setup and watched a video with someone scooting up a really shallow river. One day I’d have to consider something like this. I’m often on my own and the times I don’t go because a shuttle is available would no longer be an issue plus I wouldn’t have to pay for a shuttles in many situations.

 

[fatbillybob]

I guess @fatbillybob can look at this thread and come to the conclusion there's no one perfect boat for us fishers. I'm still kicking myself in the seat of the pants for selling my 14' - 1971 Hewescraft two years ago.

That's why I have two powered boats and a few rafts. Can never have too many

Yes I can see this is a complex topic. Thanks everyone for your posts. You can tell by my question that on the river I have always been a passenger and never a driver...but I would like to learn to drive.

 

[Stonedfish]

Motors work great….in the correct situations.

SF

 

[Evan B]

Motors work great….in the correct situations.

SF

View attachment 110195

That story is so damn funny. Basically dude sees boats going up and down the Cowlitz so thinks he can run his deep V hull, propped Trophy out there. He didn't make it very far.