DRIFT BOAT HISTORY
Historical information compiled and reprinted with the generous permission of The River’s Touch, a
collaboration between Roger Fletcher, educator and drifter of western rivers, and Dynamite Payson, master
boatbuilder, modeler, lobsterman, and author.
The Rapid Robert
This boat was popularized by McKenzie River’s Tom Kaarhaus in the 1930s and 1940s. Kaarhaus was a Norwegian born craftsman who immigrated to this country at the age of 17. He arrived in McKenzie River country by way of the Mid-West and Alaska fisheries in 1923. In 1935 he opened his own boat shop. His first boats were planked, but as soon as water resistant plywood and waterproof glue became available in the late 1930s he quickly made a transition to this new material. For many McKenzie River folks this boat is the “Original McKenzie River Drift Boat”. Surely, Kaarhaus must remain at the head of the line in taking credit for refining and making this uniquely styled boat available.
Our in-depth research of these boats, however, suggests that the Rapid Robert had one or more predecessors that entered the McKenzie River scene before Kaarhaus became an active boatbuilder. The Rapid Robert was “replaced” by the double ender and the more contemporary McKenzie River drift boat. In some quarters, however, this boat remains popular. They are very functional river boats that ride high in the water and are very stable in the hands of an expert oarsman. As one Rapid Robert owner told us a while back, “It may be as homely as sin, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world!”
The Prince Helfrich Double Ender
This boat design is attributed to Woodie Hindman, circa 1940. Woodie, Prince, and a couple others drifted the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in 1939. According to George Godfrey, University of Oregon journalism professor and licensed McKenzie River guide, Woodie got his Rapid Robert (a.k.a Square Ender, or Kaarhaus design) turned around in some heavy water. Not wanting to risk pivoting the square ender back into the downstream position he did his own shuffle in the boat and took it on through bow first. He was impressed with the way the bow “cut through the waves” as opposed to angling the Rapid Robert into the curls at the preferred 45 degree angle. On and off during that trip he ran his Rapid Robert through rapids pointed bow first. He liked the “feel.” In 1940, or early 1941, he designed and built his first double ender. My assessment of the plan for the shorter 13 foot Rapid Robert and the Double Ender suggest that Woodie essentially removed the square end from the Rapid Robert and extended the natural lines of that boat to a higher, flared, pointed stern. With some tweaking here and there he constructed this boat. The Woodie Hindman double ender was thus spawned. It exploded in popularity on and around the McKenzie River in the 1940s. Double enders of this type today are quite rare.
The McKenzie River Boat
This drift boat is an adaptation of the Woodie Hindman designed double ender. McKenzie River guides who knew Woodie comment on his unique abilities to apply “form to function.” There are several stories floating around about Woodie’s decision to design and build this boat. One relates to the need for more interior space. The double ender, while a “dancing wonder” on the river, had sacrificed an ability to carry much gear and equipment. Another story relates to guides’ interest in a more sophisticated anchor system. The River’s Touch tends to lead toward an account about McKenzie River guide, Everett Spaulding. The story goes this way: Everett guided on the Umpqua River as well as the McKenzie and Rogue. The Umpqua is a major drainage system that lies between the Willamette-McKenzie system and the Rogue. He was using a Hindman double ender. One day he complained to Woodie that he was tiring of the “long pulls” through the still water on the lower Umpqua and asked Woodie to replace the upstream bow with a small transom. He figured he could attach a small kicker motor to his drift boat and push on through the slack portions of the river. Woodie agreed to build a boat with such a modification. The design soon became the boat of choice among many and it ultimately exploded in popularity among professional guides and novices alike. The modification also increased the interior space available and allowed for the development of more sophisticated anchor systems.
Indeed, the new design gave rise to what Roger Fletcher affectionately calls “that lovely ‘bass-ackward’ river boat” because the tapered, bow-looking end of the boat is the stern, and the upper transom is the bow. Keith Steele, the predominant builder of this boat during the late 1950s to the 1960s went to considerable lengths to help people understand this interesting anomaly.
The contemporary wooden McKenzie River drift boat is a classic. Its accentuated rocker and flowing lines make it a piece of art as it dances, and sometimes pirouettes, down the river.
info@montanaboatbuilders.com 26 Pine Meadow Road Livingston, MT 59047 Fax: 406.222.0866 Phone: 406.222.2791