Description
Build a classic McKenzie Guide Boat from the ground up while working alongside master boatbuilder Jayson Hayes of Hayes Custom Boats. During this immersive ten-day workshop, participants will take part in every stage of constructing two 16½’ x 50″ wooden guide boats—and gain the knowledge and confidence to build their own. One participant will have the opportunity, by drawing, to take home a completed boat (see “Homes for the Boats” below). No previous boatbuilding experience is required.
For generations, McKenzie River women and men built boats shaped by the river, their needs, and the satisfaction of creating a capable craft with their own hands. From the ingenuity of guides and boatbuilders emerged the iconic McKenzie River drift boat. Today, that tradition has largely faded. This workshop is an opportunity to help bring it back.
Whether you are a working or aspiring guide, an experienced river runner, a wooden-boat enthusiast, or simply someone drawn to McKenzie River history and craftsmanship, this workshop offers something increasingly rare: the opportunity to build an authentic riverboat while becoming part of the tradition that created it.
What You Will Build
Participants will take part in every stage of construction, including:
- Cutting scarf joints
- Forming frames
- Shaping the stem post and forming the transom
- Building and assembling the hull
- Building and installing interior components
- Discussing finishes, maintenance, and care
More Than a Boatbuilding Class
This workshop is about more than building a drift boat. It is about a tradition where:
- A builder knows every line and joint of the boat beneath them.
- Craftsmanship directly influences performance and confidence on the water.
- Building a boat creates a connection that ownership alone never can.
- The beauty, warmth, and character of wood continue to define the McKenzie River experience.
By building these boats, you will have the knowledge to build your own, and may carry forward a lineage of innovation, self-reliance, and stewardship that shaped the McKenzie River guiding tradition.
Homes for the Boats
One boat is committed to a guide who has prepaid the cost of materials. The second boat will go to a class member who by luck of the draw will take the boat home for the cost of materials and material preparation.
Background
The publication of Roger Fletcher’s Drift Boats & River Dories in 2007 helped spark renewed interest in these highly maneuverable, shallow-draft wood riverboats. Fletcher documented not only the evolution of the McKenzie drift boat, but also the remarkable individuals who built, modified, and perfected them. Names such as West, Pruitt, Helfrich, Kaarhus, and Hindman represent a period when guides routinely designed and built their own boats, continually refining them for performance, safety, and river conditions.
The McKenzie River Discovery Center is helping preserve and revive this proud tradition by reconnecting today’s guides and river enthusiasts with the craft that helped define the McKenzie.
Class Location
The workshop will be held at the ranch of legendary McKenzie River guide Roy Pruitt in Vida, Oregon.
Although Roy has passed, his wife Shelly Pruitt continues his legacy by opening the property to this special event. Participants will build their boats in Roy’s dream workshop—a space Shelly created in his honor following the devastating 2020 Holiday Farm Fire, which swept through more than 170,000 acres of the McKenzie Valley and impacted the Pruitt property.
Registration, Tuition & Cancellation Policies
Registration is handled online. To reserve your place, register using one of the following options:
- Pay in Full: $1,500 (Per guides’ discounted price)
- Or Deposit: $850, with the balance due no later than October 20, 2026
A confirmation email will be sent upon registration.
Cancellation Policy
- Full refund for cancellations received on or before October 20, 2026
- Cancellations after October 20 are non-refundable unless the cancelled spot is refilled.
- If circumstances beyond anyone’s control require cancellation of the workshop, all registrants will receive a full refund.
- Travel Insurance: Because participation involves workshop registration, lodging, and transportation expenses, registrants are encouraged to consider purchasing travel insurance that may help protect their investment against unforeseen circumstances. Please review any policy carefully to ensure it provides coverage appropriate for your individual needs. MRDC does not recommend or endorse any particular insurer or policy.
Lodging
Participants are responsible for their own lodging. Daily workday lunches are provided. A list of recommended accommodations will be provided in the confirmation letter, including:
- Camping or residing at the workshop site, most likely dormitory style.
- Nearby campgrounds
- Local cabins, lodges, and other lodging options
Inquiries
Email the workshop coordinator, Roger Fletcher (riverstouch@msn.com), with Guide Boat in the Subject Line.