Testimonials

Thank you Matt for such a wonderful experience in making my Hyde boat come true. The first drift was like driving a new car. Putting the whole package together was made so easy by you, and what I now have far exceeds my expectations. I now know that I won’t have to do with second best, as what I have always wanted is now sitting in my garage. From our first phone call, to the day I picked it up. The customer service, friendly atmosphere, and the way I was treated, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. The Hyde decals are on my truck and I can’t wait for someone to ask me about them. Proudly I will hold my head high and tell them all about my wonderful boat and the experience I had… The memories have just started.

I recently received my new Signature Series boat and immediately had to try it out on the Owens River in eastern California. This boat handled like nothing I had ever rowed! I found it nimble and easy to get off the eddy fences and its light weight made the strong cross currents more manageable. The curved stern allowed me to go upstream to retrieve flies that got hung up without rowing like a mad demon. I bought the boat with a front and rower’s seat compartments. This kept the clutter to a minimum and I received no complaints of line getting hung up which was a problem in my other boat. After three days of floating and fishing, I asked my buddies what they thought could or should be changed in the boat’s configuration. The reply was,” Whoever designed this boat has done a lot of fishing!” However, a little later, something was mumbled about a cooler for beer but they may have meant milk. The level floor is going to be very helpful when I start taking trips with The Wounded Warrior Program later this Year. My new Hyde is a dream and I’m proud to have one.

We absolutely love the new boat. The ½ day guided fishing trip on the box canyon section of the Henry’s Fork was wonderful. The second day we floated between Twin Bridges and Lorenzo on the South Fork by ourselves. The boat works great. I think I am really going to love the way we have this one setup. Thanks for all your help and support in getting me in to a new boat.

WOW…what can I say! It’s a real beauty!

I picked up my boat from Klay’s place Friday July 20th. I realize it was a bit longer than I had expected, but I’ve been extremely busy with work and all down in Rawlins. He was understanding and had kept it safe at his house there in Wilson. I was very glad to take a few days off and head to the river to try out my new Hyde boat. FANTASTIC!!
As an “old guide” from way back when who has operated many a drift boat (including your competition’s and other manufacture’s McKenzie type drift boats, canoe, sailboat, etc., this new boat has all the features one could hope for.

My two “28×36” Tupperware coolers from Wal-Mart fit perfectly down on the sides in the mid section of the boat-one for drinks, one for lunch. I rigged up the anchor system (I really love your anchor holder on the frame…what a great idea!) with a pulley system and it’s a breeze to lift and maneuver with your side pull.

The trailer tongue jack stand wheel lift is a great idea and really makes it easy for one person to maneuver the boat around. The tongue was a bit heavier than my other drift boats I own, but the jack stand made it turn on a dime with ease.

I cleaned up the boat and put it to use on Sunday down the Snake. We caught some fish and had a great time. It really handles nicely. The special G4 Super Shoe “boot” you put on the bottom gives it a little “extra” protection and a bit more of a weighted bottom with “pace” as you row with east down the river. I have a set of special cataract weighted oars with floating blades…the perfect combination for this boat. I felt like I was in my Cadillac! Just couldn’t believe how it handled!! What a dream!
Your boat is absolutely “perfect!” Thanks for working with me on delivery and giving me a wonderful trade in on my old “Fish-Rite.” I must say the new Hyde washes away all the memories of the old standby with future days of “First-Class” travel down the water ways of Wyoming, Idaho and other parts west! (In fact we were stopped by a Park Ranger on the river and she said, “Where did you get such a beautiful boat?” This is the first one I’ve seen like this.” She remarked as she checked out our licenses and Grand Teton permit!) I was feeling very pleased at this point!

There’s an idea for you, Steve…outfit the Grand Teton Park Rangers with Hyde’s. It will sure beat those old Hyperlon pontoons they row!

Thanks again for your service, I really love the boat! … keep in touch.

Here is the picture of the Brown I caught on the Madison on my salmon fly next to what I believe is the single best boat on the market today. As you know, I guide on the Bighorn for the second half of March, and the months of April and May. Then I am off to chase the salmon-flies for the month of June on the Lower Madison, Big Hole, and Upper Madison. The rest of the summer I am all over the state but spend the majority of my time on the Yellowstone. I am overwhelmingly pleased with the boats handling, durability, and joy to fish from. I just want to thank you for building a boat that is built for a Montana Outfitter.

I wanted to take a moment to e mail in a truly heartfelt endorsement of HYDE. This spring I purchased a LH Signature and absolutely had a great buying experience. Also, the boat was great to row, and very comfortable to fish from. I owned it for just about 3 weeks! Then my buddy, who will remain nameless, hit a bridge pillar in one of the easiest stretches on the river! I really couldn’t believe it…I had my dream boat…..and within a few seconds of him hitting the bridge, which was a feat in itself (like you would actually have to try to hit it to do so) (and reacting poorly when he hit it) I had nothing. The river chewed up
the boat, we flipped, and were pinned up against the pillar for a minute (all the while hearing gut wrenching noises as the fiberglass exploded) and then the boat was upside-down, on the bottom of the river, headed downstream, hitting every rock on the riverbed! (I know, I was hanging on to it when it was crunching against them)
My boat was ruined!

I had dreamed of owning a Hyde for years, and finally had one of the top of the line ones, and then I was back to rowing my old woody!

I just want to let everyone out there that is looking for a boat know that the amount of customer care that has been shown to me over the past 6 weeks or so has been truly outstanding. Matt Hyde and his father care about their business, and they helped me a great deal. They went as far as to give me a substantial trade in value on a boat that was “probably headed to the dump.” Amazing! They made it so that I could afford to buy a new one with that trade value.

This time, I got the new XL. This was actually Matt’s boat that he’d taken out 3 or 4 times. (I could tell he was sad to see her go when I picked it up) I am telling you, they went out of their way to help me. I took it out for the first time yesterday, I had four people, a dog, two coolers, and a bunch of gear…..the boat literally tracked and rowed better than any other boat I’ve been in, including the LH Sig.! (pictures to come) I can’t wait to row it with a measly 3 people!

I would just say this: when you buy a Hyde boat, you’ve also bought the support of a family business that really stands behind their product….to the point of charity in my case.

Just wanted to thank you guys, and the folks there at Hyde for all the help lining me up with my first boat. We ran Section A on the Green below Flaming Gorge twice this weekend and loved every minute of it thanks to my 2004 LH Series LPC. I was 16 years old in 1982 when I took my first drift boat drip down the Deschutes River back home in Oregon and have been waiting for this moment ever since. Your boat made it extra special and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

The boat trailered great all the way just like you said it would and tracked beautifully in the water. The first float was in the late afternoon and we experienced some pretty good wind gusts half way down, which peaked my appreciation for the maneuverability and dynamics of this low profile boat. I only rubbed a couple of rocks all weekend, which says more for the capabilities of this boat than my rowing skills. I truly love the flexible adjustments that Hyde Drift Boats provide. Once I made a few easy changes on the bench seats, oar locks, and foot brace, I was in great position in the rowers seat and really enjoyed positioning the boat from river bank to river bank.
As for the fishing, they punched up the flows from 800cfs to 1400cfs, so it was slower than advertised, but we did manage to bring a few Browns to the boat. My buddy Harold fished up front and said it was great to fish out of and by far the best drift boat experience he has every had. My son Declan fished aft and had a blast on his first drift boat trip ever. I definitely need to order that rear knee brace and a few other small items from you guys, so I will be in touch later this week.

As promised, here are a few pics from Green. Feel free to use them how ever you like. I will send more from the Grey Reef, Roaring Fork, Arkansas and what ever other water I touch later this years.

I just wanted to send an email & compliment you guys on a top notch outfit. The facility & fly shop were very professional. Thanks for making the purchase quick & without complication.

The boat is nice & handles like a dream. We had two wonderful days of fishing. I’ve attached two pictures of the our most memorable trout from Monday & Tuesday.
Thanks again, I will make it a priority to stop by the shop when we’re traveling through the Idaho Falls area.

Just wanted to say thanks for building me such an awesome boat. I didn’t have a chance to use it a lot last year since I was deployed to Iraq, but sine I have returned home I have been putting in some hours in on the river. I’d have to say I have floated the Salmon River in Pulaski, New York well over a hundred times since this past fall. I have been out there when it’s been 2000 CFS and 350 CFS and no matter what kind of water flow there is, the boat handles like a dream. In the lower water flows I often get a chance to clean the bottom of my boat on some of the boulders in the river that are unavoidable. Without the G4 bottom I wouldn’t dare run a boat in this river at low water. With the G4 there are no worries as I glide over the boat eating boulders. Everyone who gets to ride in my boat loves it, even some of the guys from shore let me know they like the looks of the boat. Can’t wait to see what the future brings from your line of boats, and I can’t wait for some Spring time steel in a couple months. Thanks again for everything and for making my buying experience so easy.
P.S. Here are just a few of the chromers I have caught on the boat this year.

I would personally like to thank everyone at Hyde for an amazing boat. I have been accustom to Willys boats due to the fact I am originally from Alaska, but I must say Hyde has trumped it by a long shot. When i speak to all my guide buddies up in the great north they have nothing but questions about Hyde, and i have nothing but good things to say. Aside from a few minor setbacks during the 2008 season ( mostly me knocking off the cob webs) it was an unforgettable season non the less and i couldn’t have done it without my Hyde. Handles great rows like a low side but handles big water like a high side, and looks great doing it. here are some pictures for 2009 to get yah started. thanks to everyone for this great product.

I just wanted to drop you a line and let you know about my experience last week. I have a 1998 drift boat that I bought new from you and dropped it off last week for a tune up and some warranty work. At the time the boat was in need of a lot of TLC as I have used it regularly in Washington for steel heading and occasional trout fishing. I see a lot of you competitions boats in Washington and have floated and rowed my fishing buddies boats many times as we take a different boat each time. Looking at there newer boats and my well broke in boat it is easy to get new boat envy, but I was willing to take my boat back and have you work your promised magic along with getting in some fishing at Yellowstone. When I picked up my boat it looked great but we had a lot of driving to do that day so we packed up and headed home. Now that I have been home, put the seats back in, washed the boat and trailer and put on my new cover I have the same excitement about my boat as the day I got it. It honestly looks better then the day I got it with the new upgrades you put in it. Rich and your team did a great job at a very fair price. I just want to thank you again and let you know I will be a Hyde supporter for the rest of my fishing life. There are a lot of good boat manufacturers around Washington and people can debate what boat they like better but the service after the sale is just important and I cant imagine how I could have been treated better.

I really like the XL Low Pro. Clients love it and the three position leg brace might be the best drift boat innovation for guides ever. I no longer have the tilted boat syndrome from the big guys in the boat.