In that perpetually uneven battle between David and Goliath, it seems only fitting that rocks keep playing a key role in the outcome.
For two Colorado companies trying to survive among the giants of drift-boat manufacturing, the duel may turn on those very boulders that rattle the dories bounding down Rocky Mountain streams.
The most prominent feature of the boats made by Boulder Boat Works and Hog Island Boat Works of Steamboat Springs is that they are virtually indestructible, designed to withstand repeated collisions with hard obstacles.
In their separate ways, both firms build with high-density polyethylene, a material so durable that it withstands direct blows from a sledgehammer.
“Ten times more durable than any other boat-making material,” claims Chris Schrantz, a principal in 5-year-old Boulder Boat Works.
The material also has a distinct advantage in weight – 25 percent lighter than fiberglass and 35 percent lighter than aluminum.
By virtually any gauge, these Colorado products are both more esthetically pleasing and, ah, yes, more rugged than commercial boats made from traditional materials.
The challenge for both is to build a reputation in an intensively competitive marketplace characterized by price cutting in an intense market-share struggle among the larger players.
“We can’t play the giveaway game, at least not right now,” said John St. John, who came up with the concept for the Hog Island boat in 2001 and moved the company to Steamboat in 2002.
The unusual name comes from a favorite place on the Snake River south of Jackson, Wyo., where St. John guided for eight seasons.
As with every small start-up on a limited budget, the Colorado duo struggles to build both a name and a reputation in an industry marked by unusual dynamics. On one hand, it may be presumed that a significant percentage of the guides and individuals who have swelled the ranks of float fishing in recent years already have purchased boats either from Oregon-based ClackaCraft or Idaho-based Hyde, the runaway sales leaders.
Schrantz and St. John both view the situation in a different light.
“We don’t target the first-time buyer. We’re strongest with people who have experience with dories and know what they want,” Schrantz said. “These are people who may have owned a glass or aluminum boat, and now they’re buying something better to last a lifetime. They don’t really understand performance and durability until they’ve had a boat.”
The Colorado firms also believe the drift-boat phenomenon still has plenty of appeal as a way to avoid the increased crowding on public waters.
Schrantz sees it as an escape from other anglers, St. John as a break from the daily grind.
“You’re guaranteed a day away from the phone. These things just turn you loose,” St. John said.
Both continue to search for an affordable marketing strategy. Boulder Boat Works will exhibit at the Fly-Fishing Retailer World Trade Expo in Denver this month. St. John will decline because he hasn’t found a balance in selling through fly shops. He currently has a test marketing arrangement with Bass Pro Shops in Denver.
While both choose polyethylene as the primary material, they take a different approach to construction. Boulder Boat Works uses the material in a quarter-inch sidewall, with greater thickness in the areas of higher impact. The result is a boat that’s a couple of hundred pounds lighter and more maneuverable than the competition. All manufacture is performed at a shop just east of Boulder. Complete with trailer and oars, it sells for $10,000.
Hog Island sandwiches polyethylene walls around a foam core, a process performed at a plant in Commerce City. Assembly is completed in Steamboat Springs. With the same components, it costs $7,700.
In their separate ways, each hopes to overcome their larger opponents with performance and durability, one rock at a time.
