Author: Roger L. Fletcher
Publisher: STACKPOLE BOOKS, Jul 2007
Binding: Hardcover
ISBN: 0-8117-0234-0
Synopsis
Beautiful account of the history & development of the drift boat. Provides sufficient detail to model 10 boats to scale or build them full size. Instruction & step-by-step photos for building a traditional boat to scale, including the Light McKenzie River Boat & the Rogue River Driver. 170 B&W photos, 46 B&W boat-building illus by Samuel F. Manning, 4 maps; 9x12 inches, 304 pgs.
More Information
* Provides sufficient detail to model 10 boats to scale or build them full size
* Instruction and step-by-step photos for building a traditional boat to scale
* With measured drawings for 10 traditional boats, including the Light McKenzie River Boat and the Rogue River Driver
Drift boats and river dories are superb fishing boats specifically designed for whitewater rivers. They originated in the early 1900s on Oregon's McKenzie and Rogue rivers and are now popular throughout North America and the world.
This is the fascinating history of the river pioneers who designed, built, and used the early river dories and their successive incarnations. Author Roger Fletcher has collected stories, diaries, and photographs and recovered and recorded the lines and plans of these early boats before they were irretrievably lost. With marine artist Sam Manning's drawings, the book documents the traditional free-form method of drift-boat construction.
Whether you are a fly fisherman who appreciates the gentle lapping of water on wood or a boat builder who wants to recreate a piece of history, Drift Boats and River Dories is sure to satisfy.
WHAT THE EXPERTS ARE SAYING:
"An account of drift-boat evolution and design has been long overdue, but as this volume amply attests, well worth the wait. Roger Fletcher's research is as scrupulous, interesting, and useful as Sam Manning's first-rate illustrations. The result is a marvelous and absorbing book that combines history, biography, an aficionado's appreciation, and a practical guide to building what some of us consider the most elegant craft on moving water. An essential read for fishermen, river rats, and anyone who simply loves wooden boats." --Ted Leeson
"Part painstaking historical preservation, part careful instruction, part unabashed evangelism, Drift Boats and River Dories is both a valuable contribution to the literature of small boats and a complete course in building these most beautiful and useful of the fly-fisher's watercraft." --James R. Babb
"Roger got the job beautifully done, so these little river runners will live on for the pleasure of future generations." --Harold "Dynamite" Payson
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Roger L. Fletcher, an educator, historian, drift boat aficionado, modeler, craftsman, and writer based in Oregon, has pursued his passion for river dories since 1997. He has written articles for WoodenBoat and Ships in Scale.
