Gear Review: Flycraft Guide Inflatable Boat

The Watercraft Reviews here at Flylords are designed to give you the lowdown on one of the biggest purchases a fly angler will ever make – some sort of boat that’ll help you access that water you’ve always had your eye on. And since it’s hard to test-drive boats before buying one, we hope these Watercraft Reviews will fill in the knowledge gap and give you an honest, upfront look at the different options on the market.

The Craft In Question: Flycraft Guide Inflatable Boat

Flycraft

Guide Inflatable Boat

Check Price at Flycraft

Rating Details

Specifications

Pros & Cons

Flycraft is a Utah-based company that has made a pretty big name for themselves in the fly fishing world. Their rafts are similar to others on the market, but with a few distinct differences – notably, the company’s drop-stitched floor that’s surprisingly sturdy.

They were kind enough to send along a review model of their 3-man inflatable boat called the Guide. The particular package I received included Sawyer Smoker Bandit oars, an anchor and rope system, a fly rod holder, cupholders, and a rear gear rack. The raft itself is a 5-chamber affair covered in 9mm nylon interwoven PVC, with chemically-welded seams.

Setup wasn’t too terrible, but it should be noted that Flycraft doesn’t send along printed instructions. You’re instructed to scan QR codes to watch setup videos on YouTube. The videos are fine, but I’d much prefer printed instructions so I’m not fiddling with my phone, a drill, AND all the parts at the same time.

My boxes came with quite a few extra screws – enough that I worried I’d royally messed something up. I was also missing one of the locking pins for the oarlocks. If you’re not averse to hanging picture frames, you have the skills to do this setup on your own.

Once setup and inflated, the boat is surprisingly sturdy. I showed it off to multiple friends who couldn’t believe how stable and firm the floor is, and I think that might be Flycraft’s best feature. I’ve fished in quite a few rafts, and none of them have been as rock-solid as the Flycraft.

While some of the smaller boats Flycraft makes are marketed as something you can toss on top of your car, and even launch on your own, the Guide is a bit too heavy and long for that. It measures 14 feet in length, and clocks in at 145 pounds. It’s just a bit too long and heavy to move on your own, although that didn’t stop me from trying. I launched and loaded it myself while fishing the local bass pond, and it wasn’t the easiest experience in the world, but it was still doable.

Flycraft also sells bow and stern-mounting packages if you want to outfit your raft with motors. Any outboard under 30 pounds will fit on the back, while you can mount just about any electric trolling motor on the front.

On The Water Results

The Flycraft Guide is like a Mazda Miata. Flashy, good-looking, fun to drive, but not without its shortcomings. Like a Miata, the Flycraft Guide is a bit small and cramped for anyone used to fishing from a drift boat. Also like a Miata, the Flycraft is exceptionally fun to row.

I’ve spent most of my time in drift boats, so I’m always shocked at how quickly and effortlessly rafts slide over the water. The Flycraft Guide is no exception. Crossing a lake to chuck streamers at a big pile of rocks? A few solid oar strokes and you’re there. Back-rowing a run to get one more pass with a nymph rig? Surprisingly easy.

The Flycraft Guide is light on its feet, like the way deer or antelope are as they prance through the sagebrush. Even loaded up with myself, a cooler, and another buddy (I’m not exactly lightweight cargo), the Flycraft Guide still skittered around like a puppy running through a pile of leaves. It crabs well, and responds quickly to slight oar movements, so it’s easy to position yourself anywhere on the water. The 3-4 inch draft really struts its stuff when hauling me around, especially in skinny water.

It’s still a raft, though, so you’re stuck with those inherent limitations. The wind pushes this around, and I found myself making more adjustments with the oars to stay on track with my drifts than I would in a traditional drift boat. That’s not a problem with the Flycraft Guide; rather, that’s just how rafts are. It’s the tradeoff you make for getting something that’s easy to row and has such a shallow draft it can float almost anywhere.

On the water, the Flycraft’s floor is even more impressive. This thing is rock solid, even in rapids or choppy water. The whole boat feels stable and is plenty comfortable for standing and casting, just like you would in a drift boat. In my testing on both lakes and rivers, I never felt like I was about to fall in, or that I couldn’t brace myself well for a cast. Flycraft really has a great thing going for it here, as it’s the most stable raft I’ve ever fished from.

The anchor system works well and keeps the raft in place when you need it, and the fly rod holders are positioned well for either angler to grab one. But this leads me to two of my biggest complaints about the Flycraft Guide.

First is that, since the raft is so narrow and small, there’s not a ton of room to switch rowers throughout the day. You’ll need to pull over, jump out, and switch spots. In Montana and Idaho, that’s not a problem. In Wyoming, Colorado, or Utah, though, you’re not allowed to anchor or pull over on private property, so you might be a bit limited in who gets a turn on the oars.

The only other thing I miss in the Flycraft that you get in a drift boat is the extra storage space. Whether that’s a closed bow compartment, boxes or coolers under the seats, and storage under the rower’s bench, you have tons of options for dry storage. On the Flycraft, that’s really limited to immediately below the front and back seats, and on the gear rack, if you bought one.

Neither of those are major problems that impact how the raft acts, rows, and floats on the water. But they’re important enough that I reckon you should consider them.

Finally, one of Flycraft’s selling points is that you can take this raft apart, and it’ll fit in your trunk or truck bed relatively easily. You’ll have to re-assemble and inflate the raft at the water, which will probably take 20-30 minutes. If you go that route, you can avoid a trailer entirely. I opted to keep mine assembled and inflated, and it tows just fine on a standard 6′ x 12′ utility trailer. I managed to launch it on my own a couple times, but it’s a cinch with two people. Again, the Guide model is a bit too long for me to feel comfortable strapping it to my truck’s roof and driving around with it. Judging on how many people I see towing campers with minivans, though, I’m likely in the minority when it comes to worrying about hauling outdoors gear.

Personally, I don’t want the hassle of assembling and inflating the boat every time I head to the water. I’m also lucky enough to have storage room where I can leave the boat ready to fish. If you’re tight on storage, though, the ease of disassembly is another big selling point.

Final Word

From a pure fishing standpoint, the Flycraft Guide is a really great option. It’s the closest thing you’ll get to a drift boat without buying a drift boat, and it doesn’t require a trailer. The rock-solid floor, responsiveness, and light-footed feel on the water are awesome, and it’s easy to row. If you’ve never rowed on a river before, a Flycraft wouldn’t be a bad first option. It responds well to oar strokes and doesn’t require a ton of strength to maneuver.

My only complaints are the storage capacity and the fact that it’s easiest to change rowers if you pull over and jump out. Those are minor quibbles, and again, they don’t impact this boat’s performance on the water.

At the price point of the fully-outfitted model I had to review, you’re paying $7,495. That’s similar territory for some decent used drift boats. For the base model, $5,695 is a great price to get you on the water and fishing without spending bigger money on a bigger boat. I also know quite a few folks who buy Flycrafts and personalize their own accessories and upgrades, instead of buying them from Flycraft directly, so that’s an option.

I enjoyed the Flycraft Guide more than I expected to. I’m a bit of a drift boat junkie, but the Guide really showed off well during my summer of fishing with it. I’m not good enough on the oars to take it down any serious rapids, but I managed the relatively tame whitewater of the Green River’s A-section just fine.