how strong are lavro boats

[blindluck]

hello i have about $3500 to spend on a drift boat. i dont need bells and whistles.i cant touch a clack for that. i have a trailer.oars. my question is a lavro really as tough as the company owner says. anybody ever owned one.im looking at the16foot lazydrifter,its around $3500. any input would be appreciated...thank you

[budnate]

glass-rocks- and tough dont fit in the same sentance, do you really want a glass driftboat?

I had one of his brothers Eastside drifters, nice boat but to me dealing with scrapes etc to avoid dry rot was not worth the hassle, I have met him in person and was not impressed with his arrogance, maybe his age and he's getting cranky has something to do with it

I would buy a Willie and be happy till you drop dead and the next guy can keep going with it then.

Fish On!

[alanmikkelsen]

I've owned and rowed both glass and aluminum boats. The glass boats were Lavro. Your question was about their strength. They are probably one of the strongest, if not the strongest glass boat on the market. Unless you committ terminal stupidity (and I have), a Lavro boat will last a lifetime. I'd rather own an aluminum boat, but it has nothing to do with the strength or longevity of life issue.

I think most aluminum boats track a little better, although glass boats will slide side to side easier (not a bad thing in some water). The big thing with me, though, is I'm getting old and cold. I like a heater and wouldn't want to run one in a glass boat. :twocents::D

[blindluck]

thank you i like to buy things built for the long haul. i tend to be hard on things.

[blindluck]

i also have been looking at willie. for some reason when i get into looking at aluminum its real hard not to want all the options and as i sai d$3500 -4000.is going to be about it.thank you for your response .. i also think he sounded old and crabby

[gsp0817]

I own a lavro. I don't know about how strong the are but i do put mine through H*LL.I slide it over rocks,down banks,across guard rails,hit trees on the way down and it hasn't failed me yet.:twocents:

[blindluck]

that is basically what im looking for i am abusively hard on things i cant change that so when i buy things i have to take that into consideration

[blindluck]

gsp,,, how long have you been putting yous through ----

[tally]

My first driftboat was a Lavro. Like Al said, not a good set up for heaters and back then there was no storage. Nice lite boat. The backend kept wanting to come around, no tracking. I kept it for a while then bought a nice Fishrite. I was happy till I got a taste of power sleds.

[Hagar]

I owned a Lavro for many years. Yes, they are a tough boat. I know the boat I had had hand layed fiberglass vs some of the other manufacturers back then that were just shooting chopped glass into a mold. It tracks different than a Willie since it has rounded chines. It still handled fine, just different. I used mine locally, and on larger rivers like the Deschutes and Rogue with no problems.

Several of my friends also had Lavro's and they worked out fine. I think we all upgraded as technology has improved or picked up sleds.

[budnate]

http://seattle.craigslist.org/oly/boa/634812477.html

[Big Sur]

I have a buddy that has a 16ft lavro that he does not use. He has a 22ft Alumiweld now and just doesn't seem to have the time to use the drifter anymore. He mentioned to me about maybe selling . It is a very toughboat and it has fishing karma. I would not be afraid of a Lazy Drifter.

[iwanttofish]

Go to the Lavro site and watch the video to see how tough it is they drop it, drop rocks on it, I just bought an 18' and rebuilt it