Q: Custom/Stock Spray Dodger for Hyde Driftboat?

[KThompson]

So i have a buddy in NE AL that is eat up with trout fishing. He has one of those "drift boats" (prob the only guy within 100mi radii with one of them, ha) and asked me if I knew where he could get a custom cover like in the attached picture as he wants to take on a little more chop than he has in the past. Not being a real boat guy outside of commercial aluminum manufacturers, that's outside my knowledge area but looks like something that a lot of you guys use on your custom boats and call a "spray dodger", right? His boat is a 2004 Hyde Lo Pro (fiberglass with specs: centerline 14'7", gunwales 16'2", beam 77", side height 19.5", etc.)

Do you have any suggestions or contact info I could provide him? He was asking for someone local (which means N. AL, SE TN, or NW GA) but would buy from anyone that has good references. Thanks for any/all help in advance!

View attachment Screenshot_2015-05-17-12-54-48.jpg

 

[RLLigman]

I would suggest he contact Hyde directly and ask if they had an aftermarket accessories source list of suppliers. These are very nice boats, particularly if you come and go often during the course of a float trip. I have a friend, Brad Petzke,Rivers North Guide Service, who guides up here out of one.

 

[KThompson]

I'm pretty sure he did but I'll remind him. It's an interesting looking boat to me as I need to take off my duck hunting glasses when I look at it... first thoughts for me normally are "where is the dry storage for my guns" and "how many decoys would fit in here?"

 

[SJ Fairbank]

I would also suggest calling Hyde.

I have a custom wood/glass drift boat in Northern Maine. The cover and interior canvas were made at a canvas shop on the coast. If calling Hyde doesn't help, there's probably a canvas shop somewhere down towards the coast of AL.