River

	River's Touch Friends

	Harold Dynamite Payson was a grand master of small wooden boat construction, modeling and story telling. He served as my mentor over the years, and it was Dynamite who talked me into recovering the McKenzie and Rogue River boats that had either been, or were in danger of being lost to time. Age and circumstance caught up with Dynamite and he passed away on March 23, 2011. I, as did Dynamite, retained my tactile approach to the laying down of lines, modeling and boat building. Dynamite was a legend in his own time, and people sought him out from around the world for his plans and his knowledge. Our collaborations spanned the continent from my shop in Oregon to his shop in Maine. I miss him very much, and am privileged to have been both a friend and partner. For more about Dynamite, go here.


	A.J. DeRosa's Wooden Boat River Tours. Located in Jackson Hole, A.J. and his crew of professional guides offer unique, comfortable and elegant river experiences on the Snake. His boats are all historic McKenzie re-creations. A drift boat historian in his own right, A.J. finds, secures and restores historic McKenzie River drift boats. He and his Jackson compatriots tackle a boat per winter and usually bring the restored craft to the McKenzie river boat show the last Saturday in April.

	Ray Heater and Cyrus Happy, Rays River Dories. Ray is, to my knowledge, the only remaining frame construction drift boat builder who relies on his boat building business for his livelihood. Both Ray and Cy are craftsmen par excellence. This business is also unique in that they are the only providers of the popular rapid Robert, a uniquely dual purpose riverboat. Ray and Cy offer drift boat kits and boats built to order. The duo maintain shops in Sandy and Portland, Oregon.

	Dad and son, Randy and Sandy Dersham, own and operate McKenzie River Drift Boats. They also offer the popular Tatman Boats, having recently purchased Greg Tatman's business. They offer a variety of drift boats options and with my permission they offer several kits of the originals that appear in my book, Drift Boats and River Dories. Randy and Sandy also host a very popular drift boat forum and blog for drift boat aficionados. Equally important, they host the annual McKenzie River drift boat show and river parade on the the last Saturday in April (April 24, 2010).

	Jasun Cajune of Livingston, Montana has set the high-bar for stitch and glue constructed boats at Montana Boat Builders. His exquisite boats can be commissioned, and in recent years Jason has begun to offer boat kits. While he appreciates the history of these boats as evolved through frame construction, he has added his own designs and ingenuity through the technology of stitch and glue construction.

	Sandy Pittendrigh of Bozeman, Montana owns and operates Montana Riverboats. His popular boat plans (stitch and glue construction) are offered on line through subscription. In addition, he is a notorious fly tier, great story teller, and hosts the very informative and popular boat builders' forum. Forum participants are generally interested in stitch and glue construction, but there is interest for everybody.

	Brad Dimock is an author, river historian, wooden boat aficionado and Colorado River Guide. He owns and operates Fretwater Press, a small, independent publishing firm that offers unique biographies, logs and novels about icons of the Colorado. Brad co-authored The Doing of the Thing, the Brief, Brilliant White Water career of Buzz Holmstrom, and it was this book and the successful effort to resurrect Buzz's boat, the Julius, that brought Brad and I together. Noted, among other things, for his bad hair days, he is best known for his little publishing house, author, as a river guide, historian, and now, boat builder. .

The happy Trout	Dave Zielinski is a fly fisher, bird hunter, home drift boat builder, ukelele craftsman, song writer, jammer and wonderful friend who tested the efficacy of one my boats that appears in my book, The Trapper. More important, he is the proud dad of three little girls, all of whom are growing fast. Check out his blog, and learn of the "life and times of a fly fishing junkie." He raises bees too.

Kenny, Kelsey, Dave	Dave Helfrich is the oldest son of famed McKenzie River guide, Prince Helfrich. Dave was an invaluable resource in my search for the original boats and the stories of the people behind them. Like his dad, Dave started guiding at a young age and the river has been his life. His son, Kenny recently took over the family business and both he and his daughter, Kelsey, continue the Helfrich legacy. Guides par excellence are all three.

	Our friends at Travel Oregon, the "official travel guide to Oregon," is a site that highlights the wonders and travel opportunities of this great state, and especially, Grant McOmie, creator and presenter of Grant's Getaways. This feature is presented weekly on Portland's KGW- 8, and he recently featured the All Oregon Boat. Grant's enthusiasm for the out-of-doors, our Oregon heritage and the value of both preservation, restoration and history of things wild and beautiful such as Oregon's rivers and drift boats, makes him a darn good friend.

	Bringing you a superior landing net is Dave Ottinger at Del Rio Nets. These are meticulously handcrafted nets, each one the product of time honored methods and working tools. The nets are ergonomically fashioned to comfortably fit any hand. Unimpressed with the blockish handles of most nets, Del Rio Nets are distinctive in their craftsmanship. Wood quality is therefore important to Dave. His nets are fashioned using sustainable American Cherry from Pennsylvania. They are built to last. Dave says the net won't guarantee you a fish but it will enhance your satisfaction when you do hook up.

	Pleasant Trees Industry is owned and operated by Sonny Montgomery, Independence, Oregon. Sonny is a former fishing guide, drift boat builder, and a life-long woodworker, and a master at that. He specializes in remodels, especially kitchens, but has a special knack for home redesigns, handcrafted furniture, unique cabinets, clocks and other home decor. Not only that, he is simply a very fine guy. If you are in the mid-Willamette Valley area and are considering a project, check Sonny out here.

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