drift boat motor well

[augie]

I am looking for a design for a 16-18 foot drift boat with a motor well, does anyone have experience with such a boat? What do folks think about the well set up vs hanging the motor of the stern? My goal is to make the dory better able to fish the bays of the oregon coast.

[DavesFlatsBoat]

Try Paul Butler's Projects:
Butler's Web Site (http://butlerprojects.com)
for his Maxi-Mac: MaxiMac (http://butlerprojects.com/maximac.html)

[RonW]

I have a 18 foot drift boat that I built from glen-l's plans the drifter. I know of no drift boats with outboard wells, kinda impractical as the floor space is limited due to the flare and rocker that is built into the boat.I do have a small outboard mounted on the transom. But I widened the transom to have room for it and a half circular seat in front of the transom. I widened the transom by 8inches, just added 4 inches to each side of the transom.

Drift boats are unique boats and are designed for one purpose, that is to float down rough rivers.
Drift boats are light, easy to beach, will handle very rough water, and probably has no equals in floating downstream in rough water, unless it might be a big avon or zodiac inflatable.
With that being said, they also have their flaws. There are the world's worst motor boat, even with a little 6 horse putting along at 6 or maximum 8 miles an hour.And if you think they are lousy motor boats, then try and row one. With 6 foot beam they take 9 foot oars, and row just like a barge. These guys don't use the oars to row with, they use the oars to manipulate and guide the boat, or row upstream to help slow the boat down in fast water. And being a dory they will rock hard when hit by big waves. Oh did I mention that with all the rocker in them, that when you get over 3 or 4 m.p.h. that the bow points toward the sky, and you can't see a dammed thing.

If you want to run white water, or shoot the grand canyon, then by all means build a double ended drift boat (2 bows instead of a bow and transom) and go shoot the grand canyon.But if you want a nice little motor boat for fishing, then pick something else out. Well there is the straight facts, so good luck......

[John Kohnen]

Originally posted by RonW:
...
If you want to run white water, or shoot the grand canyon, then by all means build a double ended drift boat (2 bows instead of a bow and transom) and go shoot the grand canyon.But if you want a nice little motor boat for fishing, then pick something else out. Well there is the straight facts, so good luck......I agree completely -- except there's an exception. The drift boats designed by Tom Kaarhus of Eugene are good in whitewater and also good motorboats. It's sometimes called the "Rapid Robert". There's a free plan for a Rapid Robert out on the Web:

http://home.clara.net/gmatkin/rapidrobert/rapidrobert.htm

And Roger Fletcher sells plans for Kaarhus boats with the blessing of Tom's descendants:

http://www.riverstouch.com/

Ray Heater builds a modified Kaarhus boat with a flatter run that goes faster under power:

http://www.raysriverdories.com/

A friend of mine has a Rapid Robert built from the free plans that has served him and his wife (he runs the boat, she catches the fish) well for years. He claims that it truly is a good multi-purpose boat.

There was a Kaarhus-built driftboat a few blocks from where I live that had a motor well, but I don't know if Tom installed it. Most of them hung the outboard in a cutout in the transom.

I've got a bookcase that Tom Kaarhus built for my father, and years ago I had a girlfriend who was housemates with Tom's grand-daughter. Her father told some good tales about the boatshop. I wished I'd listened more attentively and asked more questions!

John

[John Kohnen]

One of Ray Heater's rapid Roberts:

http://www.boat-links.com/DepoeBay/04/RR-03.jpg

John

[corob]

I am installing a motor well in a 17' Swampscott Dory. The ownwer has a 6HP 4 stroke. We chose to place the well as far back as possible. The motor won't be able to tilt in the well so care must be taken in that regard. We built a simple box with the transom angeled back at 15deg. the highth of the transom is 15" and the well is 12" long and 9" wide with a top that that doubles as a seat when the motor is not in place. The Dory is designed to have its weight in the middle so we'll have to see how it preforms, the motor weighs 38 lbs. so it's not to bad. I can email photos if you'd like to see the.
Corey