Flatbottom Sled vs Drifter?

[5 Salt]

Trying figure out which direction to go here...

16' Flatbottom Sled or 16' Driftboat?

I mostly fish salmon in tide water and smaller rivers but wonder how much steelhead water I would be excluded from if I were to go with the flatbottom option. Would like to explore Steelhead fishing and thus the curiousity.

The flatbottom would have a outboard jet and good electric troller.

Thanks for the help.

[ampersat]

My main consideration would be the costs of operation and upkeep. A busted shoe on a pump is no small cost to fix or replace but that's only if you hit bottom. Plus there's your gas cost. For a drifter, you have the constant cost of shuttling.

Second, what kind of fishing experience do you want to have? Sleds are fast to get you where you are going but they're noisy and can be smelly if they're 2 stroke. DBs are quiet and offer a pretty peaceful experience but your trip is generally one way.

[Flatfish]

Unless you can fish a lot of weekdays, sled.

The quiet days of drifting the coast went out with Ron Reagan. I was on the Kilchis in the early 80s. It was quiet and peaceful. Now there are 30 boats on any given drift if the water is in good shape. There will be 100 boats on it during the peak of salmon season.

The sled offers you opportunity to move in 2 directions(upstream and down).

The sled can travel farther from the dock(a drifter moves a certian maximum speed....not very fast. To ask one to get more than a couple miles from the ramp, is to spend most of the day's fishing time running to and from the hot spot).

I can fish a lot of water in the sled that I could not in a drifter. You simply cannot row that hard.

If you row the drifter, you will probably be the last guy to start fishing and the first to stop when ya need to move. In a sled, you are fishing as much as the goobers in the front seats.

I rowed a drifter for 20 years. I have run a sled for 3. I do not miss the drifter much. I wish I had bought a sled in the 80s, instead of a rowboat.


Mark and the dog.

[WaterDog]

Calvin,

You might want to concider something like a Smokercraft Alaskan with a small OB prop. I have 13'er that I use and it works great for tidewater. I do wish it were 15' but the price was right.

However if your thinking about winter steelhead think about the drifter. you can still do the tidewater in it. I had a drifter and just didn't use it so I went with the alaskan.

You can never have too many boats. Sort of. :grin:

[FastAction]

I would get a sled. If you Fish the Clack or Santiams alot.
if its the coast. Get a drifter. But sometimes Bank fishing is just too good to pass up, so get some new WaterSkeeter Wading boots in the mean time!

[FishinMission]

Yah...Good points above. I'd say it depends mainly on what rivers you plan to fish. If it's bigger water rivers..get a sled. Smaller water rivers like the coastal streams..get a driftboat. But remember what Flatfish said about the weekends on the coastal rivers probably applies to most weekdays now, too.

Mark

[Fish mojo]

Is anyone running one those combo drift /sled boats like the Rogue Stealth or the Fish-Rite Power Drifter?


Best of both worlds or a compromise...

[Gun Rod Bow]

I just saw one of those boats the other day.

Had a 15 hp prop and was flyin up the river.

Cool ride for the "Lone Ranger" types.

[ANDYCOHO]

1 of each makes the most sense....

I started off with a 1990 16' Flatbottom Alumaweld with a 90 merc pump, it cost me $7000.

I also bought a 16' Lavro DB for $900.

I don't know your budget but there are things you can do with 1 that the other can't. If you could afford a sled, then another grand shouldn't break the bank for a starter DB.

Good luck in your search!

[5 Salt]

Great Advise...interested to get more opinions.

20 heads are smarter than one - especialy when my head is part of the mix. :grin:

That power drifter looks pretty nifty - any idea on cost? I am leaning toward the sled and then picking up a budget drifter. A guy can never have too many boats - right?

Keep the opinions coming - thanks.

[KChookem]

I've owned, and and fished, in both sleds and driftboats, so let me look at some of the drawbacks of each.

Driftboats are affected by wind more than most open boats, so they can be difficult in areas, like tidewater, where there is no "moving" water to help you move in a straight line. They are good in shallow water because BOTH ends are out of the water which gives a lifting effect. However, if the Stern were in the water, which can happen with a long anchor hanging off the back, or a motor, the river water will/can "push" the boat a little bit, which then takes more rowing effort to slow the boat for fishing.

The boat pictured, the one with the square stern, is a great boat, I'd like to have one, but I do not think it would work well in places that a driftboat is designed for.

There are driftboats that have a motor well inside the DB, although it seems this are not as popular was they were a few years ago. (A fishing partner had one, but sold his for another DB). I think the biggest drawback is the space you lose, space that can be used to store rods, nets etc., or even stand when anchored & fishing. The advantage is weight is moved forward, keeping the stern up a bit, and the bow down, and easier to operate the motor and its controls.

Sleds are much heavier than driftboats, so except when you are up on plane, many/most sleds are setting in the water much more than a driftboat. Trying to row and control a sled with oars any distance would be physically demanding. Sleds (most) make a pretty good WAKE unless they are going very slow, or very fast; so to be courteous, you often have to do one or the other. Then there is always the problem of flying past other boats, usually not unsafe in itself, but our inate perception of *unsafe* comes with speed, therefore, you may often geta squinty-eyed look, or worse, when you go roaring up a river with other boats nearby. Sleds can go many places that driftboats can, however, in my opinion, just because they can, does not mean they should.