Drift boat beginner

[brewer]

First off thanks for all the help giving me ideas on how to set up my drift boat. I should have enough time and money over the next couple months to get things set up and spend some time on flat water with my boys over the spring/summer. My question is if there is any good guide book describing runs on rivers specifically for driftboats. (I do own soggy sneakers but it seems white water kayak focused) How do you all suggest getting your chops up for a beginner? Come fall I have a friend that will go with me on the Alsea to help me out but do you have any suggestions for river runs for a complete beginner. I live in Corvallis if you want a point of focus.

 

[Irishrover]

There is a good book out there by Dan Alsup.....Driftboats a complete guide. It doesn't cover river to drift but it's a great how to book and give lots of safety tips. There are a few books out there on certain rivers like the McKenzie, the Deschutes and John Day. But local sports shops can sometimes offer the best information.

 

[brewer]

Thanks Irishrover I will get it ordered appreciate the help.

 

[DrTheopolis]

All these years later, and Dan is still selling copies (really nice guy, BTW).

As a general rule, if a river has gravel/unimproved launches on it, it's suitable for a driftboat. As to individual streams and their difficulty, you could probably ask about it on this board, and there's a very high probability that someone on here has done the drift and can tell you about it.

 

[Bean]

Totally agree with DrTheopolis about asking on this forum, or just asking any local fisherman/guides/river rats. I think if you're starting from complete scratch on rowing, take yourself out to a lake and get familiar with how your boat feels. That way, if you're concerned about something coming around the bend on the river, at least you'll have the muscle memory to make the right strokes. Again, if you've never floated a section it's best to ask a local. I still ask every year just in case a new tree has fallen or some other new obstruction has come up.