Review: Yellowstone Drifter

A boat’s a boat, right? That’s what we thought. Then we took Yellowstone Drifter's new 16-foot Guide Boat out for a day on the lower Madison. Wide, roomy, and extremely stable, the Guide Boat drew just four inches of water and turned on a dime, all while loaded down with three of us and all our gear. The adjustable rower's seat and three-position oarlocks allowed each of us to quickly find good rowing positions without throwing out our backs. Strong, comfortable knee locks braced us against choppy water, and handy Velcro straps kept our life vests easily accessible. The boat even had three storage compartments – enough for packs, raingear, even a small cooler or two. A full-length rod storage tube on each side meant we didn't have to break down our rods to keep them safe during loading and unloading.

Did the Guide Boat help us catch more fish? Maybe, maybe not. But if we were taking clients or friends out, it would definitely help us catch them more fish, because we could spend less time fiddling with equipment and more time showing them what to do. Which, of course, is what a guide's boat is supposed to do.