Hog Island Boat Works
Hog Island Boat Works is a design obsessed, passionate family company. We're old guides who really love to float, and fish. When we started guiding whitewater in the early 80s, plastic kayaks were just coming on. We bought plastic kayaks, because they were tougher than fiberglass kayaks, and didn't require as much maintenance. Since then plastic is what kayaks and canoes are made of. Sure, they're still aluminum canoes out there, and hand made wooden kayaks and canoes, but for every day performance and durability plastic dominates these markets, because plastic is more forgiving.
In 1988 or so I remember rowing my first dory. I was mutating into a fishing guide, and was curious about what a drift boat could do. The water we floated and fished on the Snake was in the 2000-6000 cfs range. The little drift boat I borrowed got pushed all over the place. It was fun, but hard to hold a spot. Other boats I rowed over the next ten years did things well, but were loud and stressful on impact. If you've ever hit something hard in the river in a fiberglass or aluminum boat you know what I am talking about.
In 2001 my brother told me that his company was roto-molding a plastic boat for Disney that was 16 feet long, and did I think it made sense to try this in a drift boat shape. Oh man, that is an afternoon I will never forget. There are life changing days, and that was one of them for me. We set out right then to make a smooth planing hull that didn't hook, and a shape that performs day in and day out for pros.
Plastics and roto-molding is the future for boats in our class. We may not be the company that will be the biggest in the World, and right now we are one the smallest, but being small lets us listen. We are very lucky to be involved with great people that are out there every day floating and fishing in amazing places.
We make our boats and accessories to be used every day in a professional capacity for ourselves and our friends who guide. Our goal then and now is to make super performing boats that take you everywhere you want to go, and to be as maintenance free as possible.
In 1988 or so I remember rowing my first dory. I was mutating into a fishing guide, and was curious about what a drift boat could do. The water we floated and fished on the Snake was in the 2000-6000 cfs range. The little drift boat I borrowed got pushed all over the place. It was fun, but hard to hold a spot. Other boats I rowed over the next ten years did things well, but were loud and stressful on impact. If you've ever hit something hard in the river in a fiberglass or aluminum boat you know what I am talking about.
In 2001 my brother told me that his company was roto-molding a plastic boat for Disney that was 16 feet long, and did I think it made sense to try this in a drift boat shape. Oh man, that is an afternoon I will never forget. There are life changing days, and that was one of them for me. We set out right then to make a smooth planing hull that didn't hook, and a shape that performs day in and day out for pros.
Plastics and roto-molding is the future for boats in our class. We may not be the company that will be the biggest in the World, and right now we are one the smallest, but being small lets us listen. We are very lucky to be involved with great people that are out there every day floating and fishing in amazing places.
We make our boats and accessories to be used every day in a professional capacity for ourselves and our friends who guide. Our goal then and now is to make super performing boats that take you everywhere you want to go, and to be as maintenance free as possible.
