| The Mississippi Backwoods Drifter A Creek Drifter Designed for Downriver Cruising Paddles like a Canoe, but offers standup stability in just twelve feet (fourteen foot model also available) |
BUY THE PLANS
AND BUILD YOUR
OWN BACKWOODS
DRIFTER! CLICK
HERE!
AND BUILD YOUR
OWN BACKWOODS
DRIFTER! CLICK
HERE!
Ernest Herndon paddles the 12' Backwoods Drifter
| The prototype Mississippi Backwoods Drifter was designed and built on commission for one of Mississippi's most experienced padders, award-winning journalist, author, and adventurer - Ernest Herndon. Here's what he has to say about the boat: |
Description of the Backwoods Drifter, excerpted from
Canoeing Mississippi, by Ernest Herndon:
"I became an admirer of johnboats when I took a 10-footer down the Tangipahoa River in Louisiana. Though
not as fast as a canoe, it was speedier than I expected. Its broad, stable bottom made it safe to stand in, and it
handled nimbly in swifts and bends. There's also something indigenous about a johnboat, which evolved from
the flatboats of yore and is now universal in the South.
All, in all though, the johnboat can't compare with a canoe. In fact, the only boat I've found that is equal to or
better than a canoe for Deep South streams is a wooden boat built by Mississippi craftsman Scott Williams of
Prentiss. It's called the Backwoods Drifter and is designed specifically for Mississippi waters.
The Drifter, which was featured on ETV's Mississippi Roads in 1999-2000, is stabler than a canoe or pirogue,
faster than a johnboat, and supremely maneuverable without being jerky. What Scott did, in essence, is take a
johnboat, do away with the wide stern, and make both ends like the bow, upswooping and tapered but still
square. The result incorporates elements of canoe and johnboat. He uses composite construction - mahogany
plywood, fiberglass, and epoxy - to create the flat-bottomed vessel, which is a good bit heavier than a canoe.
Mine measures 12 feet long, 30 inches across at the bottom midcenter, 40 inches at the gunwales, and weighs
probably 80 pounds (canoes average 70-75 pounds). Incidentally, that's not unlike those Indian dugouts found
in the Homochitto River area: 12 feet long, square ended, with platforms on each end. Talk about indigenous!
As I said, every boat has its drawbacks, and the Drifter may feel too responsive to folks accustomed to using
only a straight downriver paddle stroke. A correction stroke is needed, but in my opinion every serious
paddler needs to know that stroke, which I describe below. The Drifter is slower than a standard canoe,
though it easily outpaces a johnboat. It's a great vessel for many Mississippi streams since it handles the twists,
swifts, logs and shoals better than a canoe, and is reasonably efficient on flatwater."
Canoeing Mississippi, by Ernest Herndon:
"I became an admirer of johnboats when I took a 10-footer down the Tangipahoa River in Louisiana. Though
not as fast as a canoe, it was speedier than I expected. Its broad, stable bottom made it safe to stand in, and it
handled nimbly in swifts and bends. There's also something indigenous about a johnboat, which evolved from
the flatboats of yore and is now universal in the South.
All, in all though, the johnboat can't compare with a canoe. In fact, the only boat I've found that is equal to or
better than a canoe for Deep South streams is a wooden boat built by Mississippi craftsman Scott Williams of
Prentiss. It's called the Backwoods Drifter and is designed specifically for Mississippi waters.
The Drifter, which was featured on ETV's Mississippi Roads in 1999-2000, is stabler than a canoe or pirogue,
faster than a johnboat, and supremely maneuverable without being jerky. What Scott did, in essence, is take a
johnboat, do away with the wide stern, and make both ends like the bow, upswooping and tapered but still
square. The result incorporates elements of canoe and johnboat. He uses composite construction - mahogany
plywood, fiberglass, and epoxy - to create the flat-bottomed vessel, which is a good bit heavier than a canoe.
Mine measures 12 feet long, 30 inches across at the bottom midcenter, 40 inches at the gunwales, and weighs
probably 80 pounds (canoes average 70-75 pounds). Incidentally, that's not unlike those Indian dugouts found
in the Homochitto River area: 12 feet long, square ended, with platforms on each end. Talk about indigenous!
As I said, every boat has its drawbacks, and the Drifter may feel too responsive to folks accustomed to using
only a straight downriver paddle stroke. A correction stroke is needed, but in my opinion every serious
paddler needs to know that stroke, which I describe below. The Drifter is slower than a standard canoe,
though it easily outpaces a johnboat. It's a great vessel for many Mississippi streams since it handles the twists,
swifts, logs and shoals better than a canoe, and is reasonably efficient on flatwater."
14' Drifter with Electric Motor option
14' Drifter under construction
Like all my custom-built wooden boats, the Backwoods Drifter is built only on a custom order
basis. It can be built to different stages of completion and different finish levels, but don't
expect to find the prices competitive with mass-produced aluminum, fiberglass, or plastic boats.
I use Okoume marine plywood for the hulls, Raka epoxy for construction and sheathing, and
the finest hardwoods for trim. But materials are only a small part of the equation in wooden
boat building. Most of the cost of producing such a boat is the painstaking labor and many
hours that go into its construction. The result is a unique craft that will turn heads everywhere
you go and give pleasure on the water unmatched by any manufactured vessel.
For an idea of the pricing, here is what a 12' Backwoods Drifter like Ernest Herndon's would
cost:
This boat has a bright-finished interior, with 5 coats of Z-Spar Flagship varnish to protect the
beauty of the wood. The hull is painted with polyurethane paint, and the trim is clear-grained
ash. Price at this level of finish: $3500.00
For those who want to spend less, the boat can be delivered unpainted and unvarnished, but
with all fiberglass work finished. You do the sanding, priming, painting, and varnish work.
Price 2500.00
OR, BUY THE PLANS AND BUILD YOUR OWN.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON THIS OPTION.
basis. It can be built to different stages of completion and different finish levels, but don't
expect to find the prices competitive with mass-produced aluminum, fiberglass, or plastic boats.
I use Okoume marine plywood for the hulls, Raka epoxy for construction and sheathing, and
the finest hardwoods for trim. But materials are only a small part of the equation in wooden
boat building. Most of the cost of producing such a boat is the painstaking labor and many
hours that go into its construction. The result is a unique craft that will turn heads everywhere
you go and give pleasure on the water unmatched by any manufactured vessel.
For an idea of the pricing, here is what a 12' Backwoods Drifter like Ernest Herndon's would
cost:
This boat has a bright-finished interior, with 5 coats of Z-Spar Flagship varnish to protect the
beauty of the wood. The hull is painted with polyurethane paint, and the trim is clear-grained
ash. Price at this level of finish: $3500.00
For those who want to spend less, the boat can be delivered unpainted and unvarnished, but
with all fiberglass work finished. You do the sanding, priming, painting, and varnish work.
Price 2500.00
OR, BUY THE PLANS AND BUILD YOUR OWN.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON THIS OPTION.
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Scott's Boat Pages
Home page of Author, Boatbuilder, and
Adventurer Scott B. Williams
Home page of Author, Boatbuilder, and
Adventurer Scott B. Williams
Twelve-foot Mississippi
Backwoods Drifter
Backwoods Drifter
More photos of the Backwoods Drifter out where it belongs: drifting on backwoods streams. Click
photos to enlarge.
photos to enlarge.