Owner and designer Ron Laviguere spent several years in the navy which provided great exposure to the marine world. After his service he went to work for the Boeing Company for 10 years. It was with Boeing that he was first able to really implement his designing skills. Learning the trade of pattern tool making and reinforced plastic composites, started his voyage. Later designing and building the first one man submarine and then a two man industrial submarine; eventually securing private, industrial, research and Navy contracts. This background of first hand design and construction along with his love for fishing the local rivers, led to Lavro boats.
Based in Monroe, Washington, Lavro, Inc. is located near the Skykomish River which makes for a great backyard test facility. All of our boats are hand built to exacting specifications by talented craftsmen who are not only experts in the field of fiberglass manufacturing, but are also avid fishermen. These craftsmen know what makes for an effective and efficient driftboat which comfortable to ride in and designed to catch fish
Unlike plywood or aluminum, fiberglass is laminated layer by layer and only the man who builds the hull knows how much glass has been put in it. One of the important reasons for using hand laminated 24-oz. wove roving is that each layer can be accounted for and the specified amount can be laminated into the proper areas. Most of the manufacturers use the chopper gun method which is a combination of short strands of glass saturated with resin, then blown into the mold. This method does not allow accurate measure of depth. Chopper strand or matt layups (matt is short strands of glass held together with a resin binder and made into a sheet) simply do not have the tensile, flexural or compression strength of woven fiberglass lamination.
A LAVRO drift boat has as many as 21 layers of 24-oz. woven roving in the high wearing areas.
The LAVRO Fiberglass Drift Boats offer these distinct advantages over wood, aluminum and other glass boats: with the all-one-piece body construction there are no rivet to loosen, welds to work harden or nails to come loose. There is no foam or balsa wood in the bottom to absorb moisture if punctured. They are the slipperiest drift boats ever made, and because of their uniflex bottom, these boats give upon impact and absorb the shock, making it possible to skate over rocks. All models come in a choice of colors which are chemically fused to the hull and require minimal care. The glassy smooth exterior "surfaces" are extremely easy to clean. There are no floor boards to tangle fishing gear, although all standing areas have non-skid surfaces even when wet. For hard rowing, the oarsman has foot braces on the bottom. Furthermore, the fiberglass boat will not dent, is quiet and does not transfer cold temperatures. We are so confident in the quality and durability of our boats that we offer a lifetime warranty against bottom punctures, leaks or wearing out.
