Why Buy A Hyde Drift Boat
Everyone has an opinion. At Hyde we’ve built our opinion on a foundation of sound engineering, proven technology, and performance. Are the people you talk to also basing their opinions on such solid ground? In this report, you will see, not all boats are created equal! We invite you to compare our boats to all other manufacturers. We are confident that you will see why so many people choose Hyde for their river adventures.
At Hyde, we believe that HONESTY and INTEGRITY are THE BEST POLICIES. We’ve built a business on proven technology and solid engineering. Our sales team is committed to selling you the boat you want and need. They will never use sales gimmicks or ploys to sell a boat. Tell us what you want, where you’ll be floating, and what the features the boat needs to have, and they will make it happen!
Hyde is the Industry Leader in drift boat value, innovation, and design. All of our drift boat designs have been tested extensively by three independent engineering colleges to ensure you are getting the product you expect and desire.
From the resin used in the fiberglass to the drain plugs in the back, every aspect of our drift boats has been carefully thought out to give you the best performing boat on the market. Hyde is one of the oldest drift boat manufacturers in the industry. We invite you to compare us to the others and see what sets us a step above the rest.
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We Test Them |
We Build Them |
We Fish Them |
Our Boats
We use only the highest quality products, but equally as important, the most refined craftsmanship to build our boats. Also, unlike much of our competition, we manufacture our own boats. They are crafted in our state-of-the-art production factory in Idaho Falls, Idaho. This means there is no middleman to add to the cost of your boat. This enables us to offer the highest quality at a price nobody in the market can compete with our boats.
Quality is always worth the investment. In the case of our drift boats, we build them to such a high standard because we intend them to last. This means they will hold their value, making your decision to purchase a Hyde boat a good investment. We’re so confident in the quality of our boats that we offer a lifetime warranty on all models; even the reconditioned used ones!
Also, because we build our own boats and most of our accessories, we have complete control of the quality from start to finish. Other boat companies can’t make that same statement.When comparing our boats to other boats on the market, be sure to compare apples to apples. When purchasing a car, you wouldn’t compare Mercedes to Kia. Neither should you make such a comparison when considering drift boats. Our Contender model might be the best one to compare to others boats. Our other series of boats, quite frankly, have nothing comparable on the market today.
We’ve been building boats for 4 generations now, and we’re confident that will show when you row one for yourself.
If you could have the best quality with all the features Hyde provides at a similar price of a lower quality boat, why not row a Hyde? And, you’d get an easier rowing boat to boot!
This is the bow eye from a “Brand X” boat. It has completely detached from the boat due to cheap manufacturing. At Hyde, quality is our goal. Don’t let poor craftsmanship keep you off the water!
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This is a cross section taken from the hull of a boat from another company. You can see that each layer has delaminated. This is due to rock impact and flexing. This clearly shows the need for quality materials and workmanship!
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This fiberglass boat is a few years old. Ortho resin was used to make this boat. You can see how it deteriorates. Below you were learn why Isophalic (iso) resins are better, and why we use that exclusively.
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Fiberglass Boat Construction
The first layer in our fiberglass boats is the gel coat. It is in this coat that the colors of the boat are added. We can make any combination of colors you’d like. After the gel coat comes the layers of fiberglass. We have found, through independent testing, the strongest and longest lasting combination of
fiberglass composite.
Even if you use high quality materials, if not done in the correct way, the layers will delaminate due to unavoidable rock impacts and flexing of the boat. We are continually sending our fiberglass professionals to classes so they are always up to date on all the new products and processes in the fiberglass industry. When you buy a Hyde, you are getting state of the art materials, assembled by knowledgeable craftsmen.
(left photo) Hyde Boats are so rugged they are trusted in some of the most remote areas on earth! Sometimes the only way to access these locations is by flying.
Resin
Have you ever run your hand along the outside of an old fiberglass boat? If you have, you might notice a white powder coming off the boat. This is due to a deterioration of the resin they’ve used. All fiberglass materials are constructed by saturating fiberglass with resin, therefore the resin is extremely important.
Orthophthalic resins are used to give the fiberglass structure. Orthophthalic (ortho) resins have a type of molecular structure that is considered to be the standard in the industry. These resins are cheap and quickly degrade. When they deteriorate, the performance and structure of the boat is compromised. This is what other companies use because most buyers aren’t aware of the difference in quality, and, when they’re new, there is little visual difference between Ortho and Iso resins. But even from the start, Iso resins will be glossier and look better; giving you a boat to be proud of for years to come.
We only use Isophthalic resin in our boats. Isophalic (iso) resins are much higher grade than ortho resins because the molecular structure is denser. These resins exhibit higher strength, greater flexibility, and are more waterproof than orthophthalic resins. You almost have to be a chemist to understand it, but the result is a boat that will last longer, be stronger, and look better over the years. Retaining that “like new” finish will add value to your boat. This resin will keep your boat in show room condition season after season.
The most important part to remember about Isophthalic resin is that we are the only drift boat manufacturer to use it! This gives you a more valuable boat for similar pricing.
Level Floors
Our boats are constructed with true level floors. The deep textured surface is built right into the fiberglass, so you’ll have durable traction in your boat forever. These level floors allow for greater comfort and safety for the rower and anglers. You can imagine that it would be much more comfortable to stand on a flat surface rather than a slope all day. This also allows you to have greater stability when rowing or fishing.
A: You can see the Hyde exclusive built in traction on the surface of the sub floor in this fiberglass boat.
B: Level floors aren’t exclusive to just our fiberglass boats, our aluminum boats have durable, level fiberglass floors as well.
C: This is a cross section cut from our subfloor. You can see the layers here ending with the aluminum plate.
Our sub floors are made up of 5 layers (some models differ slightly):
- The top layer is the textured gel coat. This is what you see on the surface. The floor is textured for superior traction.
- Just under the gel coat are two layers of hand laid bidirectional fiber glass cloth.
- The fiberglass is adhered to a ½-inch thick sheet of Nidacore. Because of its unique honeycomb structural integrity properties, Nidacore has an unparalleled ability to handle all kinds of stresses.
- After the sheet of Nidacore is a 1/8-inch thick aluminum plate. This is gives our subfloors secondary strength for solid accessory installation.
- Under the aluminum is more fiberglass (not shown in image). This holds everything in place.
The result is a Hyde exclusive level floor that is extremely light and durable. The image shows a close up of our textured floor compared to a dime. Note the depth of the traction. The traction built into these boats is the best in the industry.
Our Hull Design
Have you ever seen dimples on an airplane wing? Of course not! Any imperfection on the surface of that plane would cause turbulence therefore compromising the performance of the aircraft to potentially impossible flight conditions. We know water and air are different, but they have similar characteristics.
We’ve taken our knowledge of aerodynamics and hydrodynamics, as well as the results from our testing, to give you the most innovative hull ever assembled. We’ve carefully designed and tested every aspect of these boats to ensure they are the best you’ve ever rowed.
We have had many engineers at different colleges test the hydrodynamics of our boats, ensuring the greatest performance in areas such as tracking, holding in fast water, and safety in various river conditions. We also test our designs to ensure that we deliver the best creature comfort possible.
The results of our testing and conclusions drawn by many fluid engineers show that the smoother the bottom, the less friction and drag the boat has with the water. Because of this, you will not see any bumps, channels, or ridges on the bottom of our drift boats. Some of our competition’s boats are full of them. Solid engineering shows any channels or pocks on the bottom of the boat will cause turbulence and inconsistent flow. The resulting boat would be more difficult to row and more difficult to hold on track.
This is an image of a recess on the bottom of a “brand X” boat. Any imperfection causes drag, and drag means you’ll be floating down the river faster than you want to go in a boat that will be harder to row.
The hull of a Hyde Drift Boat is specifically designed to allow water to flow beneath it with the least drag possible. This means you’ll spend less time rowing, and more time fishing!
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This is the result of a flexible bottom. |
Pocks and channels cause turbulence. |
Brand “X” Bottoms
This is the bottom of a boat built by another company. You can see the pocks and channels recessed into the fiberglass. Engineering analysis shows that any imperfections or flexing (oil canning) of the bottom of the boat causes water turbulence and inconsistent water flow, which causes drag and makes the boat harder to row. Also, a flexible bottom will cause turbulence. The boat will be hard to row and wear out quickly. As it flexes, it fatigues the fiberglass fibers and rapidly wears out. After all, it is GLASS. Other boat companies build these floors because they are cheap to manufacture.
Extreme Protection
Sometimes in extreme conditions, you may need some extra protection. We’ve developed a plastic shoe that fits perfectly with the bottom of your boat. When paired with our already rugged fiberglass or aluminum hulls, these “shoes” ensure that the bottom of your boat stays as smooth as the day you bought it. Offering almost friction free rowing river mile after river mile.
Chopped vs. Hand Laid Fiberglass
A few companies claim their boats are hand laid, however it is only the outermost layer of fiberglass that’s hand laid, the rest of the boat is the result of a chop gun. We don’t even own a chop gun! A chop gun is a device that uses compressed air to blow pieces of fiberglass and resin into a mold. The result is a boat with inconsistent thickness that is weaker, and heavier than a hand laid boat. All Hyde fiberglass drift boats are hand laid. Every layer of multidirectional fiberglass is meticulously placed by hand; consequently, the boat is much stronger because the thickness of the hull is consistent.
Its like comparing particle board to plywood. Obviously plywood is much stronger than particleboard. The same theory goes for Hyde Drift Boats. We use hand laid fiberglass sheets saturated with Iso resin to give us the best hull on the market.
We use bidirectional fiberglass fabric to give our hulls multidirectional strength. The only way to make a hull with a chop gun as strong as one that has been hand laid is by making it much thicker and as much as 120 pounds heavier! That’s like having an extra passenger in the boat!
Chop gun fiberglass construction works great for shower enclosures, but you’re not rowing down the river in a bathtub are you?
It is much less expensive to build a boat with a chop gun because the fiberglass builds up much more quickly. That means less labor cost for the manufacturer. This lower quality of construction isn’t immediately visible to most buyers, consequently, that’s the method all of our competition uses.
A) This is an image of chopped glass before it is saturated with resin.
Hand Laid Fiberglass
Each and every Hyde drift boat and fiberglass accessory is carefully hand made by world-class fiberglass craftsmen. We take pride in the lightweight strength this method gives our boats. You wont find a stronger fiberglass hull on the market.
For an added measure of strength, we’ve added extra layers of fiberglass in the chines of every boat. The chines are the bottom edge of the boat. This is the area most likely to collide with rocks in the river, so we made ours stronger than any others out there! Others simply spray their boats into a mold, but this the last place you’d want to compromise on quality. In a Hyde Drift Boat, you can rest assured that you’ve got the strongest, lightweight hull on the market.
We repair all brands of drift boats, so we see exactly how they are made. We know what works and what doesn’t!
Fiberglass or Aluminum: What’s the Difference?
Aluminum (pros)
Aluminum is extremely durable. You may put some dents into it, but you probably won’t poke a hole through it.
Aluminum tends to be lighter than chop fiberglass, however, when considering a fiberglass Hyde and an aluminum Hyde, the weight is almost identical.
This is because our fiberglass boats are hand laid, so they are thinner, lighter, and stronger than other glass boats on the market.
The sides on a Hyde aluminum boat are 2” higher than that of our fiberglass boats. This allows you to tackle bigger water.
With an aluminum boat, there is no gel coat, so the colors on these boats are actually high quality automotive paint. This means your Hyde aluminum boat, will be as glossy and beautiful as the vehicle you tow it with (unless of course your vehicle is no longer glossy and or beautiful). Aluminum boats are classic. They have been around for years. With their good looks, solid construction, and lightweight, it’s easy to see why so many anglers love these agile boats. Many of the boatmen that buy Hyde aluminum boats are 3rd generation aluminum drift boat owners. Hyde aluminum boats have become a tradition in many families all over the world.
Fiberglass (pros)
- Fiberglass doesn’t stick to rocks. They will slide over rocks much easier than aluminum boats (not fitted with a UHMW bottom) will.
- Repairs are usually relatively inexpensive. Fiberglass boats are quiet on the water and don’t transfer temperatures.
- They are less expensive because they are built in molds, once the mold is built, it is quicker and less labor intensive than building aluminum boats.
- If the rivers you plan to float have a tendency to be hard on boats, you may want to consider adding a protective G4 shoe to a fiberglass boat or a UHMW bottom to an aluminum hull.
- If you ever have questions on which boat will serve you best, talk to one of our salesmen. They are familiar with a wide variety of waters, and will help you make an educated decision.
- Occasional maintenance on your fiberglass or aluminum boat will keep it performing at its peak, and looking its best.
Aluminum-Fiberglass Hybrid Combo
At Hyde, we offer the best of both worlds. We’ve combined the best features of the aluminum boats, with the best features of the fiberglass boats to offer our exclusive hybrid combination boats. These combination boats have proven so successful that we seldom make a standard fiberglass boat anymore!
The combination boats are usually referred to as our fiberglass boats because their hulls are made of solid fiberglass. These combination boats have aluminum plates embedded into the subfloor. Mentioned earlier, this allows us to utilize the structural properties of the aluminum by using these plates to secure items to the floor.
The hulls are made from hand laid fiberglass so the boats are quiet, and don’t transfer temperatures like aluminum does. Because the hull is made of solid fiberglass, these boats will slip over rocks, and won’t dent upon impact.
Make It Your Own
What do you plan on doing in your boat? Are you going to use it exclusively for fishing? What about a sight seeing trip? Do you plan on camping on the river? What about the family? Grandkids, children, cousins, etc. are they going to want to ride in your new boat?
We don’t make a “cookie cutter” boat; each Hyde boat is customized for even the most discriminating angler.
Embedded in the fiberglass layers of the subfloor is an aluminum plate. This plate is unique to Hyde drift boats. It allows us to anchor screws wherever they are needed. This means our boats are extremely customizable and able to fit the needs of just about everyone.
There are over 150 different ways to configure a Hyde drift boat. That means we can make this boat just for you. Other manufacturers don’t have the ability nor manufacturing plants to control adaptability like Hyde does. At Hyde, if you can dream it, we can make it happen!
Our storage boxes are made from lightweight aluminum and can easily be customized to your specifications.
Not seeing exactly what you’re looking for? If we don’t have it, we’ll make it! Our world-class welders and fabricators can create just about anything you need. All you have to do is let us know! Can the other drift boat companies do that? Especially not if they don’t even build their own boats.
Not only can you customize the interior of your boat, we also manufacture custom decals, customize the exterior colors, and vinyl wrap boats so you can make your Hyde one of a kind!
Storage Options
You’ll be ready for anything
We take great pride in our boat construction. Not only do we build the best hull on the market, we also build the best accessories. In a Hyde boat, you can have as much as 25 cubic feet of storage space. That’s more than double the industry standard!
Trailers
At our Hyde factory in Idaho Falls, we custom build our trailers to fit your boat perfectly. When you buy a Hyde trailer, you can rest easy knowing it comes with the same lifetime warranty your boat does.
Because we make them ourselves, our trailers are just as customizable as your boat! (Are you seeing a pattern here?)
We can galvanize your trailer, or leave it the standard black. Looking to tow more than just your boat? We can customize the trailer to fit 4 wheelers, motorcycles, snowmobiles, etc. by adding a second deck for your boat to sit on.
We can add diamond plate just about anywhere to protect your trailer from rock chips and give it a custom look.
We offer many trailer accessories to make getting out on the water even more convenient.
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Hyde Service & Repair
We repair any brand, make, or model of drift boat or trailer.
Our service extends far beyond our sales floor. For all your boat and trailer needs, we offer an online store. In this store, you can purchase accessories for your boat and trailer as well as many other items such as t-shirts, hats, fishing gear and more! When you complete your order, it will be conveniently shipped to your door.
Online Store & Fly Shop
Not only do we offer the best drift boats and trailers, we also sell accessories and fishing tackle through our Pro Fly Shop and online store. Visit our online store to see our selection. When an order is placed online, we get it shipped out as quickly as possible and it will be delivered to your door. Please feel free to call and place an order over the phone, ask questions concerning your Hyde boat, or just swap fish stories.
If you find yourself in East Idaho, stop by our Pro Fly Shop. We have over 150,000 flies in stock from companies like Montana Fly, Rainey Fly Company, and Solitude. The fly shop also carries the items sold online as well as some exclusive items. If you want fishing conditions, information on local hatch patterns, or if you just want to show off your boat, come see us at 1520 Pancheri Drive, Idaho Falls, ID, 83402.
Warranty
- All Hyde boats and trailers come with a peace-of-mind lifetime warranty. This warranty covers the hull and any work we do on our products.
- The warranty is valid for as long as you own the boat.
- If something were to happen to your boat that wouldn’t be covered under the warranty, we will repair it at a fair price.
- Other boat companies may offer you a 100 year warranty on their boats, but how many businesses do you know of that last 100 years? They may be handing you a check they can’t cash.
- Bottom line, we stand behind our products and make a business out of keeping you on the river.
- Hyde has been building boats for 4 generations now. We are not new to this industry and will be able to provide valuable service long after the initial sale.
- Every boat that leaves our factory has a Hyde Lifetime Warranty, even the used ones!
Conclusion
Nobody is going to be satisfied in a boat built to the parameters of the company accountant. When the goal is to be the cheapest boat on the market you are going to have to use cheaper, lower grade materials and processes. You will use sub par hardware and fixtures. You are forced to cut corners with labor, fit, and finish. Let me assure you, at Hyde, we won’t let that happen! We design boats that fulfill the specific needs of the boatman and anglers, then use our years of experience in manufacturing coupled with new technology to build in efficiency. That is how we keep our boats affordable. We do not cut corners or use substandard processes or materials. Every single boat that carries the Hyde name is built by us, not some subcontractor that is simply turning out numbers. Our team lives and breathes the Hyde brand and that pride shows in the best boat you will ever row! Once you get one on the river and feel the difference, you’ll be glad you did your homework. We hope you give us the opportunity to be the manufacturer of your next drift boat.
I extend my personal invitation to compare. My family has built drift boats since 1953 and my father always told me to never sacrifice integrity and quality for profit. Build only the best boat with the best design based on sound facts, and you won’t have to make excuses.
Thank you for comparing, and I hope to see you soon. We look forward to meeting all of your boating needs.
-LaMoyne Hyde & all our Professional Staff at Hyde Drift Boats
