Words of Experience

Anthony Ritter, Professional Guide in New York State.

"I have been under permit from the National Park Service and New York State to guide on the Upper Delaware River (which borders New York and Pennsylvania) for five years. A Lavro Boat has been the only driftboat I have ever used."

"Last year, I was fortunate to take over 130 trips on this river. We start our season in April and run through November, fishing for trout, shad, smallmouth bass and walleye. The Upper Delaware River is a tailwater with Class I and Class II rapids. There are many times when my payload is up to 700 pounds and my Lavro has no problem coasting over very shallow water - as little as seven inches. The Upper Delaware is wide with very few islands and side channels to block the wind and my Lavro handles very well in headwinds."

"One of the first things I ask my customers is if they have enough room on board. I've never had one complaint - and there are plenty of times that I get some pretty hefty guys. I also find that my driftboat is a low maintenance craft as I've had no repairs in five years (and this boat has taken a lot of hard hits on the rocks). There are plenty of times when there is no launch site to put the boat into the water, but the Lavro is so light and tough that I have had no difficulty sliding this boat down an embankment."

"When I started out, I found that the best references came from professional guides (East Coast, Rockies, Ozarks or West Coast) because they use their boats daily. The driftboat they own is their bread and butter and if the boat develops a leak or puncture, they're out of business until it's fixed!"

"Ron and Sharon, the owners of Lavro Boats, are good people to work with. They'll give you a straight answer and will bend over backwards to assist you. Lavro's lifetime warranty ensures the owner of any Lavro or Lazy Drifter driftboat that they are buying a boat of the highest quality with the full backing of the company."

Dick Sharon, Professional Guide in Montana. An Open Letter To Any Future River Boat Purchaser,

"Unfortunately for my boat, NO ONE is tougher or more abusive of their watercraft than I. But to my good fortune, 18 years ago I purchased a Lavro.

I have guided, fished, and white-watered in my same 14 ft. Lavro since 1981. Most of the time I have been on shallow, rock-strewn rivers such as the Big Hole, Madison, Yellowstone and Bitterroot rivers. These rivers are very tough on hard bottom boats. It is one thing to do nothing but bob down a deep, rockless river all the time and then brag about how well your boat has held-up, but quite another thing to bang down shallow, sharp-rocked runs for almost twenty years and not spring a leak. I have bounced-off, run-into, run-over, scraped-against, dragged-through, unloaded-down and generally battered-about approximately a gazillion rocks during approximately 2000 trips, and my Lavro is still going strong. Hell, once the axle broke and the wheels fell off my trailer one night on a bumpy, rocky road and I actually dragged my boat behind my truck for three miles! No leaks, no cracks and no problems. It still has the original oar locks, the original hardware and the original seats (which have tolerated the, ahem, maltreatment of many an over-weight guest).

I have looked at a lot of other boats, (and believe me there are many of them on the water) have considered them as a replacement, but wondered why would I change to a pig-in-a-poke when I know what a Lavro can do? I figure my new boat will last longer than I will, so I plan on giving it to my daughter when I finally can't row anymore (or when I tell her I can't!). Trust me, if you want a pretty, tough, forgiving fishing friend....buy a Lavro!

Gary Bee, President of the Sky Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited.

I have been fishing the rivers of western Washington for over thirty years and have never experienced a drift boat more durable and maneuverable than a Lavro. When drifting the coastal rivers of Washington it’s not whether or not you’re going to hit rocks but which rocks are you going to hit. A Lavro is constructed by hand with each layer of fiberglass matte brushed in individually as opposed to fiberglass strands being sprayed into a mold with resin like most boat manufacturers. This individual layering makes Lavro drift boats exceptionally strong. Lavro drift boats have slightly rounded chines that allow fast lateral direction changes, which are necessary in more technical rivers. Often times on these coastal streams you have to hit a small slot on one side of the river then have only seconds to hit a slot on the opposite side. Lavro’s unique design makes this type of maneuvering a lot easier. When fishing rocky streams it is a great advantage to have a fiberglass boat. Glass boats skip across the rocks rather than sticking on them like aluminum boats do. Even with optional bottom coating aluminum boat will never glide across rocks and shallow riffles like a fiberglass boat. Fishing western Washington streams requires a boat that will stand up to extreme punishment. You need a boat that can skip across the shallows. You need a boat that rows fast from one side of the river to the other otherwise you are facing disaster. A Lavro is the type of boat you need!

Gary Bee
Club President
Trout Unlimited, Sky Valley Chapter (Monroe, WA)

Bill Loder, Professional Flyfishing Guide.

My first boat was a 14' LRF. Although this boat will carry 3 people with no problem, it is ideal for 2 people and handles like a sports car. Needing a larger boat, with a little more room, I sold that boat and bought a 16' LRF with removable front bench seats. This boat gives me the option of carrying 1-3 clients. If I had room in my drive way, I would own both boats today.

I could go on and on about the quality and durability of Lavro boats. But simply put, I feel that a Lavro boat is the best Drift boat on the market today. The Yakima River, of Eastern Washington, has dramatic changes in flows from season to season, and sometimes from day to day. When the river is down, you will be glad you have a boat that will slide over the many gravel bars and rocks that you will need to navigate.

Ron Lavigueure is the Owner, President and Chief Designer of Lavro Boats. When you walk into the factory to talk to someone about a new boat, that's the person you will be talking to. That is also the person who will personally build your boat. As long as it doesn't compromise the design or strength of his boat, he will bend over backwards to custom build your boat to your special needs.

Ron and Sharon Lavigueure are wonderful people. If you buy a Lavro boat, I'm positive you will not regret it. Ron puts his name on every boat that leaves his shop.

Bill Loder
Yakima River Flyfishing
425-788-6938
425-869-3861

John Gregory, Hardcore Angler.

Hello, my name is John Gregory and I'm 18 years old. I am an avid fisherman and I fish almost everyday. Without your boat, I would be nowhere with my fishing abilities. I would like to tell you guys at Lavro that I have a 1980 lavro lazy drifter 14-foot boat. I absolutely love my boat and have landed lots and lots of fish in it. The fiberglass is excellent and I can't believe how good it is still holding up - not a crack in the whole boat! I take this boat everywhere and it floats right over any rock in it's way. It rows beautifully and I love it! I just would like to say that you do an excellent job at building boats and in the future, I am planning on buying a bigger and better Lavro drift boat. Great job guys and keep up the good work!

John Gregory
Roseburg, Oregon

Ron Lawson, Hardcore Angler.

I have owned several other types of drift boats; several makes and models of aluminum, wood, and glass. In 1985 I purchased a Lavro (16 ft. Outfitters Dory) and I have had it ever since. I have read your testimonial section about your boats and the various stories pertaining to them and they are all great, but none can compare to the 16 years of abuse that my boat has seen.

Not only has this boat been down the Clackamas, Sandy, Deschutes, John Day, Wilson, Trask, Nehalem, Nacamicum, Siletz, Elk, Sixes, and many other streams and rivers on the coast of Oregon, Washington and California, it has spent 2 weeks frozen in hte middle of the Grande Ronde River above Elgin, Oregon where it had to be fished out with a huge 4-wheel driver tractor.

I has been down the Snake, the Clearwater and parts of the Salmon River in Idaho, not to mention the many times I have used (and abused) it while hunting ducks and deer. It has been in a truck wreck, flipped off the trailer and slid (top down) on the asphalt for over 200 feet. After all this, my Lavro will be going down the Wilson River this Thursday, December 27th and hopefully filling the bottom with many more steelhead and salmon. And by the way, it has seen many sturgeon laying on the floor as well.

I could go on and on about the great trips I have had in this boat, but I think you get the idea. The only down side to a Lavro drift boat is that they are so good that you never need to replace one.

Thanks for your time.

Ron Lawson
Portland, Oregon

Keith Parker, Lifetime Angler

My Lavro boat has been in our family for around thirty years as my grandfather purchased one of the first ones ever made.

The picture on the right is my grandfather and I fishing from the boat from when I was 12 years old (I am 41 now). The picture on the left is of my father (on the oars) and uncle and I fishing from the boat several years later. Now I have the boat and will someday take my children fishing in it, God willing.

Anyway, that's three generations of fisherman that have used this Lavro boat A LOT with great success on most Northern California and Oregon rivers. Anyone who says that fiberglass boats don't last are just plain wrong. Other than being re-painted a couple of times, this boat has needed very little maintenance.

I also guide part-time from my 19 ft. Jetcraft aluminum jetboat and hope it will last 30 years!

Kevin Erickson, Co-host of the Fisherman's Heaven television show.

"In addition to the usual qualities that one looks for in a driftboat (safety, durability, maneuverability, and handling), TV show hosts in the Pacific Northwest have some additional concerns: Perhaps the most important is boat stability. Nothing ruins a great shot more than being in a boat that "bucks and rolls" every time someone shifts their weight. With other fiberglass boats, staying steady on a shot is almost impossible. The design of the Lavro, however, makes it "steady as she goes," and allows us to achieve the quality, level shots we need."

"Another concern we have has to do with 'skinny water.' Because we have so many anadromous fish in this state (fish that migrate through the rivers on their way to spawning), we have a short window for fishing. When the fish are in, it's time to fish NOW! The river conditions around here vary from 'high and fast' to 'low and skinny.' The Lavro handles whitewater with the best of them, but it's the shallow water conditions that really puts the Lavro boat in a class of it's own. Aluminum boats and other lower-riding fiberglass boats find so many rocks that you swear you're going to be taking your teeth to the dentist after the day is done. The Lavro rides so high that you rarely touch a rock, and if you do, you just slide right over it."

"Lavro really does get you where the fish are."

Kevin Erickson
TV Fishing Show Host
Fisherman's Heaven .