Coast Guard Certification
We are the only known drift boat manufacturer that makes a drift boat hull that is certified by the U.S. Coast Guard for flotation. All other manufactures we know of make boats that sink. The exception are boats that are totally decked over, or ours. Our drift boat hull was tested in July of 2005 by the U.S. Coast Guard in Solomon's Island, Maryland for flotation. The Coast Guard did a swamp test on our boat that consisted of drilling multiple holes in our hull, and placing over 5500 lbs of pig iron on our decks, and submerging our boat, rod storage, seats, and all for 18 hours. We popped back up, and made history.
The whole quest to go through with the Coast Guard laboratory testing began in 2004 with a customer who rolled over one of our boats on a demo with his Grandsons, and told us that since our boat floated, and he was able to complete his trip, and not have to hike out of a deep canyon, that he was sold on our boats. The clincher was the next Spring Steamboat local G-Money borrowed one of our boats for a five day float down Yampa Canyon. He is an accomplished kayaker, and a risk taker at the hold'em table. A perfect combination for doing research and development for the home team. Into a stiff wind on a snowy afternoon in early May he found himself in our little boat in the big hole at Warm Springs Rapid . Some witnesses think he might have flushed out right side up if he had rushed the bow with his weight, and broke through the pull of the hole. He and the boat surfed in the hole for what seemed minutes, but was actually seconds, and then were rolled over like many before and after him, and swimming in the mighty Yampa . Our boat and G- Money took a long swim, but they were by all happily reunited in a big eddy on river left a ways down. He was able to immediately recover everything but his ammo can, which was found on the river two weeks later, and returned. From wrapped boats we are able to recover, to customers who take our boats to big whitewater, to guides who pound the chines, it's been good for us and them that our boats float no matter what.
LTD 16 Drift Boat Coast Guard Testing
SW 16 Skiff Coast Guard Testing
