I sat down with Justin Waayenberg from Adipose Boatworks to hear about the benefits of their Fiberglass boat and their river skiff compared to other materials and drift boats on the market. We get a little nerdy on the build and dig into all things fiberglass boats and river skiffs.
Plenty of great stories including the one about why Justin decided to go into the Army at age 17 before he finished high school. Please share this episode with one other person today to help get the word out.
Click the button below and listen to the Fiberglass Boat Podcast with Justin Waayenberg:
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Show Notes with Adipose Boatworks
19:25 – We talk about the Metal Heads Boat company that Tracy started long before Adipose came to be in 2010.
20:35 – High Country Drifters was the next company that Tracy created and built his own molds and plugs. Tracy built 16 drift boats 100% on his own here.
29:20 – Justin tells us the story behind the creation of the Adipose skiff and how at the same time Koffler was coming out with one as well as south fork. Joe Koffler was on the podcast and shared the history of Koffler Boats and how they started in the late 1960’s.
31:25 – Roger Fletcher was on the podcast and shared the history of drift boats.
35:45 – Justin noted the Au Sable river skiff which is much different
38:20 – I noted Boulder Boats who were on the podcast to talk about drift boat skiffs and drift boats as well. Justin shares the differences between materials from fiberglass to aluminum to wood.
49:10 – We talk about the features including rubber mats, drift boat rod trays and drift boat motors.
Drift Boats for Sale
51:20 – We talk about the best place to find used drift boats for sale and what to look for. Craigslist is one of the best places and Adipose has a bunch of used boats.
Hatch Mag had a short article on tips on buying a new boat on their website.
52:10 – Stealthcraft was noted in the podcast as the only show west of the Mississippi. James Johnson, the son of the founder was on the podcast and noted the Stealthcraft story.
57:00 – Black Dog trailers out of Bancroft Idaho builds the frames for Adipose trailers. Adipose gets stacks of frames and they assemble the trailers at their lot.
59:45 – I noted Fly water travel and the 14 employees in the fly fishing industry
You can find guest adiposeboatworks.com
Top Tips on buying a Fiberglass Boat
- Look for spider cracks on chine and around the boat
- look for delamination of the fiberglass
- determine the type of water you are drifting like whitewater vs wind
- Make sure seats are good shape along with other accessories
- Get axel checked immediately for the drift boat trailer
Resources Noted in the Show
The history of drift boats with Roger Fletcher
Videos a Noted in the Show
Gink and Gasoline on the Adipose Skiff
Transcript
Fiberglass Boat Conclusion with Justin
We do a deep dive into the process of how a fiberglass boat is built and how the river skiff design came to be. Adipose Boatworks started after a long journey with the founder Tracy.
We also hear about the flex of the boat and where and why a fiberglass flexes. We touch on accessories for drift boats.
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I really love Adipose boats but unfortunately I’ll likely never be able to afford one so life goes on for me with my Flycraft raft
I hear you Robert. Rafts are amazing as well and actually get you more places. I remember when I had to choose between my drift boat and raft a number of years ago. I went with hard boat but it was a tough choice. Not sure if there are other lower price point Drift boats out there but would love if someone could chime in if they see this comment.