A Passion for Fly Fishing

Founded by, owned and staffed by avid fly anglers – we are passionate about exploring better ways to connect with the water. Boulder Boat Works is the result of a relentless pioneering quest to take a time-honored tradition and transform it into something extraordinarily beautiful.

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See How We Craft Your Ultimate Drift Boat.

Our drift boats combine tireless man-hours of woodworking love with the technology of advanced plastics to create works of art that are hardy, durable, and guaranteed for life.

Our skilled craftsman cut, weld, and scrape a polymer hull by hand with scraping tools to produce one of the toughest, best looking boats on the river. Then, interior components are made by hand right here in Carbondale, CO. The result of our relentless attention to detail is the world’s ultimate drift boat.

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What the Pros Have to Say

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Matthew Ippoliti

Steelhead Jones Guide Service

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My Pro Guide is a game changer in many aspects.

I routinely run float trips on tiny river sections limited to occasional raft traffic. Low water is no issue in such a light, maneuverable boat. The old feeling that I was destroying my boat every time that I touched a rock is gone. The plastic is totally silent as it creeps through the shallowest shoals. I often use rocks as pivot points to turn where I simply cannot get in an oar stroke. Everything changes when rocks seldom leave a mark.

Mike Shook

Carbondale, Colorado

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If you don’t own one, it’s because you haven’t rowed one!

A well designed, indestructible boat that is quiet on the water, maintenance-free, and perfect for the shallow, technical rivers that I like to run. It handles great and the polymer hull literally slides over all but the biggest boulders in the river. If you don’t own one, it’s because you haven’t rowed one!

Frank Smethurst

Telluride Outside

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The quietest, lightest and most agile boat that I have ever seen or rowed.

The quietest, lightest and most agile boat that I have ever seen or rowed. Add to that the incredible beauty and strength of the construction, not to mention the great pride… of workmanship and it was an easy choice.

Jason White

Crested Butte Angler

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The finest piece of equipment I have owned!

The Gunnison has a dramatic fluctuation in flows from under 300 cfs to over 6000 cfs. Being able to run a dory at 300 cfs has never been feasible before BBW. I can run lower flows than my cataraft. It “slithers” down the river in low water and powers thru big waves and holes during high water. My clients are most impressed by the comfort and beauty and I am impressed by the functionality. The rod storage has made me a better guide by having quick access to different rigs. The boat is light, quiet, and moves quickly. It is the finest piece of equipment I have ever owned!!

Mallory Burks

Carbondale Guide

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A Boulder Boat Works drift boat is the epitome of refined simplicity.

Built with a slide rule efficiency and light weight materials, this vessel is a boater’s dream. A Boulder Boat Works drift boat is the epitome of refined simplicity. This boat is so light and agile you make 3 to 4 oar strokes the boat is hovering and the rest of the river is still flowing… Totally awesome.

Taylor Edrington

Royal Gorge Anglers

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The boat is also smooth as silk sliding over rocks, no jolts or stops in bony water like a raft or fiberglass boat…

Guiding on the technical rivers of Central Colorado presents its challenges. Most of the boats you see on the Arkansas and Gunnison drainages are rubber. Dory’s are a distant afterthought and have never really been "run-able" on our rivers. Enter the Boulder Boat, a boat that is not only capable of running class III-V technical rapids, but outperforms a raft in every aspect. The 3 performance aspects of a Boulder that stand out for me are how smooth, light, and tight the boat is. The boat's tremendous chine platform and sharp lines cut the course like no other boat on the market, presenting not only a smooth run, but an efficient one. The boat is also smooth as silk sliding over rocks, no jolts or stops in bony water like a raft or fiberglass boat… making for a lot more efficient and enjoyable ride. The boat moves swiftly and quickly when you set its pace, and it saves you a “boatload" of strokes.

Scott Stratton

Lewiston, California

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I was blown away by the ease, how incredibly light and… stealthy it was.

I had never heard of Boulder Boat Works until one of my clients called me to ask if I would give him my opinion of his new drift boat. I rowed the boat all the next day and I was blown away by the ease and how incredibly light and… stealthy it was. I had no intention of buying a new drift boat… the next day I called BBW and ordered my own. Life is good!!!

Jon Ray

Northern Michigan Guide

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I don’t have to worry about low water conditions or rocks beating up my boat.

I spend about 250 days a year on the water, 90% of the time in boats. BBW boats are unbelievably light weight and responsive on the water. Northern Michigan Rivers have boat launches that were designed more for canoes and kayaks and because of the polymer hull I don’t have to worry about low water conditions or rocks beating up my boat. With hardly any sound coming from my BBW as we float, wary brown trout do not know that we are coming.

Bob White

BobWhite Studio

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Never scrimp on the quality of your friends or your equipment… especially your boat!

One of the first things I learned from an old Alaskan guide, named Rusty, was to keep my knife sharp, my matches dry, and work with the best equipment possible. “Never scrimp on the quality of your friends or your equipment,” he told me, “especially your boat!” Rusty never steered me wrong… I proudly row a Boulder Boat Works drift boat!

Joel Thompson

Montana Troutaholic Outfitters

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Hands down the easiest boat to row on the river. Not to mention it is also the most durable.

I own the Boulder Boat Works Low Side because it is hands down the easiest boat to row on the river. Not to mention it is also the most durable. Since purchasing the boat in June of 2008 I have thrown just about every situation imaginable at it and it has more than exceeded my expectations. When BBW tells you this boat is a “lifer” they mean it!

Tony Reinhardt

The Grizzly Hackle Fly Shop

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For years I rowed fiberglass boats that would only last one season in our area. After a full season on my Boulder Boat I’m amazed at how great it looks.

The waters of western Montana are very tough on a drift boat. Many of our accesses are primitive and rough, and the low water years of the past decade have meant lots of exposed rocks and logs that love to eat boats. For years I rowed fiberglass boats that would only last one season in our area. After a full season on my Boulder Boat I’m amazed at how great it looks.

Ryan Kelly

Green River Fly Fisher

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I rowed a BBW one time and knew this was the boat for me…This will add years to my guide career.

I row the Green about 180 days a year. Between the constant wind, constantly rowing upstream, and the need to avoid rocks there is a lot of rowing required. I needed a boat that would handle well, be durable, and be light enough to take some wear off the daily grind. I found all of these in the BBW boat. I rowed a BBW one time and knew this was the boat for me. I called and ordered one that evening. I said to myself, “this will add years to my guide career.” No regrets, my boat has given me exactly what I was looking for.
 

Butch Murphy

Mark Kovach’s Guide Service

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Totally exceeded my expectations!

I bought this boat sight unseen, never saw one in person, never rowed it, never touched it… and I couldn’t be happier! As a matter of fact, it totally exceeded my expectations!

Jacob Ott

The Greenbrier Sporting Club

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With this boat’s toughness, I was able to fish in water conditions that the other guides could not.

I row a Boulder Boat Works dory because it is simply the boat most qualified for where I fish (it also helps that she is one hell of a pretty boat). Our BBW dory is super tough and can handle the low water and rocky conditions we often have here. This boat has survived river accesses designed for canoes; we have one that requires a long rope, a pulley and a winch to get off the river. The past few summers were some of the driest of record. With this boat’s toughness, I was able to fish in water conditions that the other guides could not. The guys at Boulder Boat Works have really created an outstanding product that I love to fish and guide from.

Bob Krumm

Blue Quill Fly Company

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It’s indestructible, looks great, and has low maintenance.

I own a Boulder Boat Works dory due to a number of factors: It is lightweight, easy to launch, easy to row, handles well in the wind, has common sense middle of the boat drain plugs, glides over obstacles, it’s indestructible, looks great, and has low maintenance. My BBW dory might enable me to guide until I die! Maybe that is an exaggeration, but the boat launches so easily, rows so well, and makes rowing in the wind a minor chore – not a major one – that I can easily envision guiding until I am 75 (I was born in 1944).

Stu Neville

Hayward Fly Fishing

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A pleasure to row in all water types, and tougher than anything else out there.

Owner of Hayward Fly Fishing, Stu guides the historic river systems of northwest Wisconsin, specializing in smallmouth bass and musky on the fly. Stu and the rest of the guide team at HFFC believe Boulder Boatworks makes the best boat for their home waters, hands down. The boats are beautiful, comfortable to fish from, a pleasure to row in all water types, and tougher than anything else out there. He finds joy and energy in teaching his clients a new skill, rowing his Boulder skiff (the musky skiff!) through a favorite line, and pursuing a favorite species in a new and different way.

Matt Barnes

Asheville Fly Fishing Co.

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Fly fishing allows Matt to share his love of nature with his clients while creating a personal connection to the environment one cast at a time.

A native of North Carolina’s Piedmont region, Matt began guiding on the wild trout waters of the Great Smoky Mountains and surrounding streams while attending Western Carolina University where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Outdoor Instruction. After graduation, Matt moved to the southwest where he guided professionally on the San Juan river tailwater of northern New Mexico and on the freestone streams of southern Colorado. During his time in the Rocky Mountain west, Matt began to feel the call of his home waters of southern Appalachia and started his trek east to Asheville. Matt is a strong believer in the healing and restorative power of nature and as an Army veteran, he can attest to the many benefits that come from spending a day on the water chasing fish with flies. Matt has pursued moving water across the country from the Carolinas, Montana, Nevada, Colorado, the Pacific northwest and everywhere in between but he loves the species diversity of our area and feels the most at home in the mountain streams and tailwaters of southern Appalachia. Fly fishing allows Matt to share his love of nature with his clients while creating a personal connection to the environment one cast at a time. Matt is a member of Boulder Boat Works Pro Staff and maintains a membership with Trout Unlimited. In addition to fishing, Matt enjoys whitewater kayaking, tying flies and exploring the local waterways of his home for trout and smallmouth bass with his trusty boat dog Davey.

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