Drift Boats – "Skiff" shape vs Traditional
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Hey everyone,
Just rediscovered this forum and had a great time looking at the pictures in the resurrected Boat thread. I hope to have some pictures to add myself in the not so distant future. After years of ruminating, researching, and saving I’m very close to purchasing a drift boat. I’m wondering if anyone has any advice, wisdom, or thoughts on the skiff design (i.e. RO, Adipose, Clacka Headhunter, Stealthskiff) vs a more traditional shape? My primary stomping grounds will be GA, NC, and TN tailwaters so significant whitewater isn’t a primary issue. I’ve never personally rowed or fished from a skiff but I could imagine there would be some advantages to the lighter, lower profile skiff for our waters here in the SE. I will try to row one before making a final decision but it would seem that each manufacturer has their own spin on this so I’m not sure how portable any one experience will be.
A bit more background: two key features for me are a pedestal rowing seat (fully walk around) and ease of mounting a small motor for short trips upstream. I came across StealthCraft boats out of MI and spent some time talking with the owner Mike. These are pretty slick rides. They have a unique transom for mounting a small kicker and the boats are shaped to motor better overall. Seems like it could be a perfect fit. The 15′ comes in both a skiff and traditional design which led me to the original question.
Anyone care to weigh in?
Dan
I have a 16′ Stealthcraft ATB due here any day. Kind of a mix of everything in a boat. Can’t friggin wait. Lets hope some drunk driver doesn’t plow into this one when its parked.
Mike is great btw, he’s been working with me for a few months to get the boat just how I want it.
I have never fished from a skiff but I have fished from many drift boats here in Alaska. If there is any rough water I would want the traditional drift boat shape. Those big high sides and bow shaped to push the water away and out are essential. None of my friends who own and fish these ever complain about ease of mobility. In fact, many of my guide friends say the bigger, wider boats are easier to maneuver. There are some really sweet new interior designs on the market these days and you can pretty much get what you want. Some boats I fish from which are really nice include Boulder Boat Works, Willie, and Alumaweld. Some of the Pavati boats I have seen are really well thought out- especially the ability to walk around and the door.
Dan,
I suppose you have to decide what type water you are mostly going to fish. Sounds like we are in the same part of the country. I have a 15 ft. wooden skiff that we use on the Clinch, South Holston, and some parts of the Hiwassee. Also, the Tocoaa in N.Georgia and looking foward to the Tuckaseegee in N.C. The open design of the boat seems to give more room than a 16 ft. standard drift boat with high sides. I do miss standing up casting sometimes , but of your anchored up, it’s not a problem. This particular boat is very light and manuverable and will not catch the upstream breeze that can come along because of the low profile. While wood has way more character than fiberglass, it is not without it’s problems. After I log off here, I am headed to my buddys woodshop where we replaced four foot of gunnell yesterday that had rotted due to moisture. Hope to be on the South Holston with it on Tuesday for the rest of the week. Hope this helps.What about the skiff-style boats with the front casting yokes like the Clacka Headhunter series? I have fished out of a true, stripped down skiff with no font casting lean-bars and frankly I hated it. But the Headhunter boats look pretty amazing.
The issue down here too for us is lack of river gradient. Swiftwater is rarely an issue, but wind is, and highsiders get pushed around in the big open tailwaters.
Zach
Mike,
I have a place on the Tuck DH. Let me know when you’ll be in the area. I’d be happy to tell you what I know.
Duke Energy graced us with a new launch at Locust Creek (top of the DH) last year….see below.
Back on topic….
Yeah….when the wind blows…..the boat can actually move upstream. 🙂
I’ve never fished from a skiff,
Dave Z. would be the guy to ask.
Thanks for the input everyone. To Phil’s point, I agree that you really can’t go wrong with a traditional design for versatility and all around comfort. I’m still curious if there is a niche for the fiberglass skiff design, and if that niche applies to the SE. As Zach mentioned, we don’t have to worry much about whitewater. The skiffs are lighter, and purport to draft less water depending on the manufacturer. The Headhunter, Adipose, Ro and Stealth all have casting braces in the front and back (some removable) so standing up and fishing shouldn’t be a problem. You just don’t see many of these out on the water in our neck of the woods so it’s hard to determine if the key benefits the Mike mentioned outweigh the drawbacks. In terms of the dimensions, there really isn’t a huge difference between the height of some traditional designs when compared to the skiff. For example, the Clacka Eddy/LP is 19″ at the side vs the Headhunter II which comes in at 17″. It seems like most of the difference is in width, rocker, and overall design which varies significantly between the different manufacturers.
When I get a little extra time, I will try to contact the major players mentioned to get their take on the question and report back. In the meantime, would love to hear from anyone else who has experience with this design.
Dan
PS: Rob, that Stealth ATB is an absolute beast. You all should check it out if you haven’t.
I personally tend to lean towards a driftboat, but that is mostly because I need something that will go down bigger water safely. Not saying you couldn’t do it in a skiff, just saying I wouldn’t. Most of the skiffs I have rowed and fished from are ideal for tailwaters. Their ability to cut through the wind makes them a pleasure to row and fish from. I also would never have leg braces in any skiff I owned except maybe the Adipose. There really is no need for them! Most people are HORRIBLE at staying centered in leg braces and it makes it a pain to row. Plus most skiffs are a bit “tippy” and with the low sides it can cause more stress than needed when both front and back anglers are standing and leaning to the same side of the boat. Furthermore, standing spooks fish! Don’t believe me? Go fish the Missouri in August and tell me being stealthy doesn’t matter.
I think Adipose http://adiposeboatworks.com/wordpress/ makes one of the nicest skiff style boats on the market. They row great, they are stable, and they are built for big open tailwaters.
If you are leaning towards a driftboat then I would get a Boulder Boat Works boat. They are light, durable as hell, and easily the nicest rowing driftboat on the market, period.
Just my two bits…Joel
I’ve spent a decent amount of time in both.
Traditional is tried and true. It’ll work for whatever you need. Really, the only drawbacks are high sides can catch wind (as Zach noted – this is the case even with the LP boats) and they can simply be bigger than you need (heavier, slower…). Any traditional shaped drift boat can handle a small motor with in reason.
A skiff is like the sports car of drift boats. It’s responsive, light, and fun to fish out of. However, they are tight on space for storage and they can be too light. As Joel noted, off centered anglers become a bigger issue in a skiff than a traditional boat. These boats could handle a trolling motor but are not ideal for much bigger (although, some people probably get away with it).
For where I live, access is everything. An unloaded skiff is light enough to push with 3 guys into some places where a trailer cant be backed into. A traditional boat is harder to do this with (although it can be done with the right 3 dudes). White water is also non existent and an upstream wind is a serious pain in the ass with slow moving rivers – another reason a skiff reigns supreme. With that said, the people here who have traditional boats do just fine.
Hey all…new to the site and board. This thread got my attention. Super curious what folks think.
I’ve been running boats on the Madison for a while now. Started with a giant pig Lavro and worked my way through a low side standard Clackacraft and now row a Headhunter skiff. Don’t know that I’d ever go back to a standard McKenzie style…at least for what I do here. I love the skiff design for several reasons.
Of course the low sides (and I would say a lower bow and stern) are MUCH better in the wind. Skiffs are very maneuverable and the visibility for both angler and rower is better than a boat with a high, pointed bow. Some folks like at least the option to sit and fish and I feel like that’s better accomplished in a skiff with the low bow. We’re not quite as worried about spooking fish here on the Madison because of the character of the water although I will have folks sit later in the year if we get less output from the dam…or if they refuse to stay in the knee locks!
All low-side boats regardless of design feel less stable than high-sides. I’m not sure I’d agree that the skiff design is inherently tippier than the standard McKenzie (in a low-side version). Nor would I agree unless the boat is narrower at the waterline than a comparative high-side that they actually ARE less stable. It’s a matter of center of gravity. I do have my clients sit at times when I’m running bigger water sections…particularly on rivers like the Yellowstone when it’s high…those big hydraulics are spooky even in a high-side boat. The only skiff that I’ve been in that I would say is actually maybe “too light” and “tippier” than most is the smaller, original Ro Skiff.
There was a comment specifically asking about the front yoke on some of the skiffs…It’s priceless. Of course on winder days you’ll still be fighting that line but once you get used to stripping into it (kind of a learning curve like a stripping basket) it’s much easier to keep your line contained (and out from underneath the boat)
All that said the things I personally don’t like about the Headhunter in particular are the GulfStream bottom (don’t get me started)…although that may not be an issue if your waters average deeper than the Madison. And the lack of walk-around interior. I’m looking at the new Ro Camino as a possible next boat. It’s got a bit wider beam, it feels bigger in general and the walk-around interior and the optional Nomad interior storage package look like just what the Dr. ordered…for me that is.
Best,
Mike
Mike that was an awesome break down. Thanks a ton man. You basically confirmed what I want to get. (Tracy is currently wearing my driftboat fund on her finger but I am recharging it).
Zach
Thanks Zach…no problem. Let me know if you’re in the market for a good used Headhunter…I might know of one that’ll be available soon!
Best,
Mike
New to this thread as well. This topic is fresh in my mind because I just went through this process. I have never fished the tailwaters in GA or NC but I do fish the south holston and watauga all the time. I started out with a traditional style drift boat a ( a used hog island to be exact) because I had very little experience rowing drift boats and wanted to be able to bang into things be really stable etc etc. and just concentrate on the fishing. This is a great boat and serves its purpose well but I rarely fish with more than one other person in the boat and wanted something lighter and more maneuverable. Also as you pointed out the waters mentioned (at least the tailwaters in TN) you do not have to worry about huge white water like you would out west which is what these high side boats are made for.
The next place I started looking was at lighter fiberglass boats such as clackas and Hydes which of course you see a lot of on these rivers. I started asking a lot of guides about these boats and they mostly had good things to say about them and in particuluar the clacka eddy. I have no where near the drift boat experience of most I am sure, so I found that talking to other guides and veterans of these rivers to be very helpful. In particular I found it very interesting that on a more than one occasion I was told that the natural progression was to finally end up in a skiff because of how easy they row. I dont want to ruffle any feathers because I am sure there are plenty of guys that have been rowing longer than I have been alive that have traditional style boats and these boats work great for them. This is just the route I took
Anyhow after hearing a couple of guys recommending skiffs I decided to row one and fell in love with them. As one poster said they are like the sports car of drift boats and I would have to agree 100%. They also have the ability to float in skinnier water so floating these rivers on low water is easier. My one concern was the stability issue of a skiff compared to a traditional drift boat because white water or not, having something bad happen in 2500 cu flows could really f@#$ your day up. This led me to adipose boats. They are wider than a lot of skiffs and regular boats for that matter which solves the stability issue and slightly higher sides than most skiffs. As one of the owners told me they will go anywhere a lowpro drfitboat will go just fine and have found this to be true. They also offer a stand up model which I have that has the casting braces. The downside to them is that they are expensive and on top of that as all of us are used to on the east coast they are made in Montana (freight cost). Anyhow just wanted to let you know that I personally love my skiff style boat and maybe some of what I have said can help you out, Thanks and you are more than welcome to email me with any questionsI have a 16′ Stealthcraft ATB due here any day. Kind of a mix of everything in a boat. Can’t friggin wait. Lets hope some drunk driver doesn’t plow into this one when its parked.
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<P>Mike is great btw, he’s been working with me for a few months to get the boat just how I want it. </P>Hey Walt –
I’ll enable .XLS uploads if you want to try again. With your photos, you need to resize them so they won’t be such a large file size. Or you could upload them to something like imgur.com and then post the links here. Let me know if you need any help.
Zach
Hey Walt –
I’ll enable .XLS uploads if you want to try again. With your photos, you need to resize them so they won’t be such a large file size. Or you could upload them to something like imgur.com and then post the links here. Let me know if you need any help.
Zach
This thread has a wealth of information! Thanks to everyone who provided their insight. It’s great to hear such positive things about the skiff style boats. Does anyone have experience with mounting a small kicker motor on an Adipose, Ro, or Headhunter? I saw a picture of an adipose with a motor mount but haven’t heard anything specific. I wonder if this would have a significant effect on the balance of a skiff design. It would be nice to have the option to motor short distances up or downstream if it didn’t ruin the feel or maneuverability.
Dan
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