Information on the Drift Boat Plans For
Building A Don Hill Designed
McKenzie River Drift Boat.
Don began his boat building career in the early 60's, hanging out in the shops of Tom Kaarhus (considered the father of the McKenzie Drift Boat) and his son Joe, as well as with Keith Steel and Woody Hindman. Don wanted to learn because he wanted to build a boat for himself. After that, it was building boats for his friends which then grew into his own boat building business. Don's early boats followed the design of Keith Steel boats. Then in the mid 80's Don made some innovative design changes to the angle of the bow and the flare on the sides by making the curve more parabolic causing the boat handle much easier in rapids and lifting it over standing waves. You can tell a Don Hill boat by the angle on the bow.
Don spent over 45 years building boats and fish guiding in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, and these plans reflect all that experience. Don's good friend Kenny King, the Fly Fishing Hall of Fame Guide, used Don's boats for over 20 years.
Over 5 years of research, design and testing and thousands of dollars have gone into the development of the Boat Plans and assembly manuals. There are no finer or more complete Drift Boat Plans available anywhere in the world today at any price.
The plans are a complete set of 24 pages of orthographic drawings showing every detail of the parts needed to build a McKenzie River Drift Boat. Detailed layouts of all parts, bolt and screw sizes and patterns. With each set of plans we include 4 sheets of tracing patterns that are for pieces that are too hard to describe in drawings, a 24 page assembly manual with 88 photos and video download, in which Don narrates the building of a boat, showing you how to construct the boat, from start to finish.These plans show every dimension, angle, materials and all hardware needed for the boat builder. Links and info for scarfing the plywood are included, it is not as difficult as it sounds.
The boats are built the traditional way entirely with wood. Simply make all the parts per the layouts in the plans and put them together using the video and manual as guides. Rib frame construction, no tracing patterns for hull or ribs needed, no stitch and glue, no fiberglass is used. No strong back or any sort of form is needed, only the usual wood working tools.
NO LOFTING OR LAYOUTS REQUIRED!
Help with understanding the plans and construction is available at 619 784.6447.
US Coast Guard capacity label included.