Drift Boats – "Skiff" shape vs Traditional
- This topic has 28 replies, 15 voices, and was last updated Jan 23, 2015 at 12:20 pm by
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Hey rob or anyone else with experience with stealthcraft atb can you give me a review please. Interested in one of these but like to get some other opinions . How does it row compared to a drift boat?
Walt if the images are too big you might try a site like Imgur.com, which will auto-resize. You can then post here as a link. Alternatively you can resize them locally on your computer using a paint program.
Zach
The only problem on a lot of water is how the wind affects that high front prow. With low gradient streams and not enough downriver speed, you can ride a bank all day in a high sider.
The Stealthcraft is a filthy beast. I’ve taken it out on the Potomac, tidal creeks/rivers, SRNY, lakes, etc. Its performance is flawless.
The boat is extremely light and turns on a dime. The 9.9hp gets me where I need to go rather slow but there is no budget for a 20hp. I want a trolling motor so I can take it out and fish.
Compared to my Alumaweld it doesn’t handle hitting rocks as well (SRNY). I can see where I’m going as the bow does not lift up when the outboard is on.
The storage spaces keep all gear out of the way. We had 4 people for 18 hours during the Potomac Snakehead Tourny. Lots of gear in the boat, didn’t weigh it down at all. Handles cut into the bow/stern allow me to move it when wading. The modular seats and pulpits allow clients to sit or stand where they like. The lights on it bring baitfish to the boat at dark and allowed people to see us coming down SRNY in the dark. 10 cup holders allow for beverages, flies, hemos, nippers, etc to be stored in a pinch. The trailer is more well thought out. There is storage for the anchor and built in hooks/straps to secure.
The aluminum drift was extremely loud. If you dropped a fly in the boat it would echo. Stealthcraft doesn’t make a sound. Rubber floor mats keep it extra quiet and elevate gear off the floor when water is in there.
My biggest problem is our county supervisor just banned all boat parking near where we live.
I could go on and on. The one thing I tell people is that the only similarity between my Stealthcraft and my old Alumaweld is that they both float.
I hope y’all can stand a really silly question.. but I bought a really nice kayak to fish out of last year and HATE it.. so now I’m looking into some kind of boat. Certainly not for clients ect. Just me and maybe a friend.. I have zero experience rowing a boat… What do y’all do when it’s just one person in the boat?? Just get to where u wanna go and anchor?? I live in nw Arkansas and fish all the rivers around here as well as coves in beaver lake.. I’m probably more interested in a skiff to put some kind of small motor on it again cuz I have zero knowledge of rowing and its usually just me. Any recommendations?
For the shad and stripers I just anchor and fish around the boat. Its hard for me to fish the shoreline of a lake or Potomac tributary solo. I want to invest in a trolling motor this year.
Thought I’d add another perspective on this great thread.
First – every drift boat owner (to me) has their own taste, etc… – wants/don’t wants, etc…
I owned a lightly used Clack WF standard profile for about 6 years – no complaints. Paid $5000, sold for $4000.
Sold that last summer and bought a brand new Adipose Skiff – finally saved a few $$ and got precisely what I wanted – $12,500 with tricked out trailer, colors/DeYoung decals, carbon fiber north fork oars (2lbs each!), the works.
To me – fishing primarily northern Rocky Mountain range waters in WY and MT – this Adipose is light years ahead of the Clack.
Complete walk around interior (you could run laps in this boat), open rod trays (AMAZING feature yet so simple) – minimal ‘clutter’ in the boat – easy in/out for older/fatter people like myself! – holds a line very very well, easy to row, trailer, cooler fits beautifully, etc….
So – for what I use the boat for – small stillwater for large mouth to western rivers – with minimal ‘rapids’ – the Adipose Skiff is best thing I could ever dream up.
Whatever that’s worth – hope it helps some.
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