How to Row a Drift Boat or River Raft
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- čas přidán 21. 07. 2016
- Here are some of the basics on how to row drift boats and rafts on large rivers without many obstacles. With some basic skills and an awareness of safety, you too can navigate rivers and effectively put your fishing partners on fish. In this video, we use a Clackacraft Headhunter II Skiff on the Yakima River. Red's is a riverside fly shop and outfitter, and we rent out drift boats and rafts.
Rowing a drift boat on a river requires a combination of skill, technique, and knowledge of river dynamics. Here are a few tips to help you navigate and row effectively:
Positioning and Balance: Sit in the center of the boat to maintain balance and control. Keep your weight evenly distributed and adjust as necessary to counteract the forces of the current.
Grip and Oar Control: Grip the oars firmly but not too tightly. Use your fingers to control the angle and direction of the oars. Practice feathering the oars (rotating them perpendicular to the water surface) to minimize wind resistance.
Reading the Water: Learn to read the river's currents, riffles, eddies, and obstacles. Look for deeper channels and avoid shallow areas or submerged rocks. Understanding how water flows and interacts with obstacles will help you navigate more efficiently.
Steering Techniques: Use a combination of forward strokes, backward strokes, and sweeps to steer the boat. Forward strokes move the boat forward, while backward strokes can slow or stop it. Sweeps turn the boat by pushing water to the side.
Anticipate Obstacles: Look ahead and plan your route to avoid hazards such as rocks, logs, and overhanging branches. Make adjustments early to avoid last-minute maneuvers that could throw off your balance.
Communication with Passengers: If you have passengers in the boat, communicate with them about your intended route and any upcoming obstacles. Coordinate your movements to maintain stability and control.
Practice Maneuvers: Spend time practicing different rowing techniques and maneuvers in calm water before tackling more challenging river sections. This will help you build confidence and improve your skills.
Safety Precautions: Always wear a life jacket and familiarize yourself with the river's regulations and safety guidelines. Be prepared for changing weather conditions and water levels.
Respect Other River Users: Be courteous to other boaters, anglers, and wildlife. Yield the right of way when necessary and avoid disturbing sensitive habitats.
Continuous Learning: Keep learning and improving your rowing skills by seeking advice from experienced rowers, taking classes, and studying resources on river navigation and safety.
Remember that rowing a drift boat takes practice and experience. Be patient with yourself as you develop your skills and confidence on the water.
Connect with Red's:
Email: staff@redsflyshop.com
Phone: (509) 933-2300
Instagram: / redsflyshop
Facebook: / redsflyshop
Shop Online: www.redsflyfishing.com - Sport
I know this is a few years but a huge thank you for putting it out. I just got a pontoon boat and your video was a massive help!
Thanks for putting it out
Hey you bet, I'll try to do more of these soon.
I would gladly be designated coffee run boy just to work at Reds. The information is invaluable!
Just saw this comment, we love our jobs here! Great place.
Great video. I think everyone who watched thought I could do that. Now weather that is true or not don’t know. You way of teaching and explaining things is great.
Thanks so much Stephen, so appreciated.
Thank you for taking the time to make this video and share it with us sir. I found it to be very useful. Thank you and have a blessed week.
Dale
Rule #1 POINT the bow of the boat where you DON'T WANT TO GO...and back row... at a 45 degree angle of course. All you need to know
That’s what I teach
great simple instruction, watched this several times
Thanks for this video, never spent any time floating and have an experienced friend who wants to teach me. Watched your video just to be familiar with some of the things he'll be telling me once we get on the water and can actually just starting getting the mechanics down in my mind before I put a hand on an oar! Thanks again, you made it look so easy and all I could think is, I'll be exhausted after 30 strokes. LOL
This was the most helpful video on all of youtube. Cant wait until your next one.
Well done video! Way to explain it step by step! Thanks for sharing
and one more thing... would be awesome to show a video of positioning a boat for a fairly new rower for the fly fishers on the raft/boat. the guides are awesome with how stressful it can get with new fisher folks, tangled, worried about banks and rapids--wow, you guys are worth way more than i even generously tipped before. please show how to position the raft and how to be angler friendly rower!
That is a great tip.
Very helpful...confirmed what I thought I was seeing the guides do....keep the bow pointed right. Much I didn’t know beyond that.
Excelente video. I would like to see more of the same topic
Thx for great rowing info. I'm putting a Saturn KaBoat together, both oars and an 8 hp Evinrude. This tutorial kind of video is invaluable
Great to know, you will love that boat. Sounds versatile!
Great video. Thanks for the tutorial. Always good stuff.
Very good tips thanks for the info 👍🏻
Excellent video!
Awesome lesson!👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
This is great info. I'm a new drift boat owner and appreciate all the safety tips. Thank you. Question unrelated to the video: What are this sunglasses? They seem to offer good wrap-around protection.
Thanks a lot man. Ive got some time in a kayak on the bow river but just bought a pond boat and set it up for rowing. Just trying to learn how to set my oars up with wraps and stops is teaching me how little i actually know. Never occurred to me that the oars can be deadly. On a kayak its not locked in right? Lol
Keep doing the rowing tips, do some tips about rowing while some one is fishing in the front.
Good idea, I'll try do that soon and make it more specific on how to row over a flies drift.
Great info
Great ! Please do a video with an angler in the boat... or two.
after rowing my first two trips in class 2 rapids or less, this video is extremely helpful. two biggest takeways are using the BACKWARD stroke with nose pointed to shore (45 degree). i was pushing forward trying to out-muscle the current WITH momentum. that was dumb on my first go around. another dumb mistake was despite the first few hours of very calm waters...i didn't have life vest on as a newbie. i jumped out of raft to hold on and then current overwhelmed--so there i was no life vest and boat with wife and kids moving away. i know, dumb. so please everyone, if this helps even one person choose to wear a vest, please do so. i was a lot naive despite watching numerous videos etc. and reaching out to folks for the 'easiest' stretch of the colorado. it could have gotten very ugly very quickly and i am thankful it didn't.
Awesome.
Nice video guys. Only thing you're missing is: WEAR A PFD!!! It doesn't matter if its class II or V, You can drown in a bathtub. A PFD is such an easy piece of gear to use and it could save your life.
i have a question and I'm not being snody about it but,
do you not use the Oar Rights in the Oar Locks?
just curious.
Newbie Rower here.
Great question. I don't row with them because I constantly am tweaking my stroke and actually like to rotate the oar during the stroke. I like them for anchoring and simply holding the oar straight when I am not rowing so I always know the orientation of the blade.
Any reason you have river right oar lock in position 1 and river left oar lock in position 2
5:34 great
Hi, excellent video, I would like to know where I can buy the system to handle the anchor with the foot, that shows in the video.
Thank you
Do you have a boat you would like to put it in? If so, NRS Northwest River Supply is a good place for the parts. My boat is a Clackacraft and it comes standard with all of this.
Excellent instruction. Learned several handy new tips. I need a new anchor system on mine as well.
Great video thanks. I wonder if you can help, I have a peculiar way to row and it’s not the conventional stroke. I like to row facing the bow and I use the push stroke, that is my stroke is pushing the boat forward. I hav a stationary seat and standard oars. I feel more comfortable rowing this way and I have pretty good endurance. I know It’s not as efficient as the pull stroke. Any advise will be appreciated, thanks.
Are you rowing on a river?
@@redsflyshop Thanks for the reply. No rivers. I’m 50 % in Arizona lakes and I spend a couple of months I Sardinia , Italy. ( I have family there). Where I Kayak in coastal water and medium sized bays. I have a Sea Eagle explorer inflatable kayak 14 ft tandem, I’m installing a bow cover to mount a step mast in the bow. Bought the 1.4 square meter sail from Falcon Sails. Should work well. Also I’m building an oar unit without a sliding seat which hugs the contours of the pontoons, all is tied down and secured… I’m a rower not a paddler and I like to
Row facing forward. I’ll see how it goes when a done.
Thanks
Thanks so much for share your knowledge. I got one question for you. What do you think of oar buddy’s?
I'm not sure what oar buddy's are, guessing they are similar to an "Oar Right"? and my answer is I love them for when the oars are anchored or at rest so they are being stored in a consistent organized position. I don't typically row using them, and position them up higher towards my hands so they aren't impeding the natural rotation of an oar stroke.
Hey Joe, thanks for answering. Oar buddy are some kind of bracket that you can place in your boat so when need rest your oars, you don’t have to place them under your legs. I think Clackar sell this items.
Joe, Thanks for the video. I'm building a Don Hill Drift Boat and am interested in the adjustable seat you are using in your boat. Do you know where I can buy one like it. Thanks, Bill Dodson Troy, Montana
Hi Bill, I'm not sure of the maker. I don't see a mfr. label on it. You can certainly contact Clackacraft and ask. They are wonderful guys there and will be happy to help!
You say many people would learn on an inflatable raft, but then explain how to row something an experienced rower would upgrade to. On your little inflatable raft you are stuck in one position, the oars are cramped and not as easy to use as on your boat, there is no anchor, etc. I tried rowing for the first time today. Immediately I found it was a lot easier to row forwards than backwards, even if it was less powerful.
Great Video, I am want to get a lesson.
Ok great, here is a link to that. www.redsflyshop.com/rowing-lessons/
hey what was the reason for the 45 degree angle again?
Well as soon as you get beyond 45 degrees, i.e. 90 degrees to the current you have a couple of issues. If you do hit a rock its much more violent because the impact hits the "chine" or edge of the boat. Also, the boat won't slide over the rock, and its more difficult to maintain control because your oar strokes should slow the boat down. The more the boat is oriented straight up and down stream the more options you have to evade obstacles. Please ask more questions if this isn't explanatory enough.
Less surface area of your boat actually being pushed by the current allows better control of the boat. It isn't just hitting you straight on the side of your boat.
Dumb question, but how do you get back to where you started?
You can have your buddy leave a car at the take out, and then jockey the cars around. Or in most cases you pay for someone to move your vehicle for you. Believe it or not there are people that make a pretty good living moving peoples vehicles to there preferred take out. I have yet to find a river where i could get Lyft or Uber.
I was able to Lyft on the mad River in Urbana Ohio. Depends on where you are
Bad stuff happens along the bank... good to know.
Where do I buy this boat?
Joe has mentioned in a few videos he is a "Clackacraft" drift boat fan. Good boats made in OR I believe.
Id love a video of the Crawl stroke......
Good idea. I need to do a few more rowing videos for sure.
Red's Fly Shop thanks man. It’s one of those things that is hard to figure out.
Is there a way to move the boat sideways
Yes, "crab stroke" I should demo that.
@@redsflyshop that would be greatly appreciated, I don't think there's a single video on that at all on CZcams
So he doesn't know is that those oar rights are really fir rowing . They act as a lever so when u take any stroke it equal a full stroke . They are for leverage rowing. Says on the package. He's got the rest correct
That makes sense. I don't know a fly guide in a skiff that actually uses Oar Locks for a full stroke, we short stroke the oars, feather, and crab all day long. We like the Oar Rights for stability when anchoring in fast currents.
ditch the oar rights!
OMG. Why? You don't need to row with them when positioned high on the shaft. They are used for keeping your blades locked while anchored in fast current. I hear people say that, but it sounds ignorant of how someone might be using them. We anchor boats in fast water out here, and the oar rights keep us dead steady so we can pick off rising fish without the boat oscillating all over the place.
There are no ropes on a
boat!
Is a broad river female ? 😂😂