The Family Grows… With Wooldridge Boats

It’s a little known fact that my first guiding gig was as a sturgeon guide on the Fraser River.

As an employee for another guide company (this was in the pre-FlyGal days), I was routinely tossed from boat to boat, spending time in different jet boats from multiple manufacturers.

To be fair, most of the boats were comfortable and relatively reliable but there was only one boat that could force me to raise my eyes from the doghouse while I rigged up stink bait and roe balls during my eight hour shift; the gorgeous and welded aluminum Wooldridge.

The slick frame, easy planing ability and ‘turn on a dime’ capabilities had me salivating upon my first introduction to their boats and I swore that come the day I bought a sled, it would be one of theirs.

True to form, it was time to make a move and there were no other boats that could possibly win my affection… earlier this year I had a meeting with the Wooldridge family and before I knew it, I was in the factory planning out specifics for my new boat.

I had expected the Wooldridge family to be one of quality (the company was started in 1915 by Grandpa Glen Wooldridge Sr.) and they have long since had a reputation for building the best boats in the industry.  Glen Wooldridge Jr and his son Grant Wooldridge shone with integrity, honesty and “do as we say we will” pride… values that I respect and honour, I knew immediately that I wanted to be a part of this team; better yet, part of this family.

Wooldridge built his 1st river boat to make the first ever float down Oregon’s Rogue River.  The evolution of Wooldridge Boats from the past to the present was laced with many firsts, like the first-ever trip up the Rogue River in 1947 (with a prop, of course, no jets back then).

That Rogue River trip was just one of Glen’s many “first-evers.”  The adventures ranged from Alaska’s Yukon River to California’s Klamath, including the powerful and intimidating Idaho rivers and those seldom touched in British Columbia. At age 79, “Grandpa” Glen was first to run the fearsome Hells Gate on BC’s Fraser River.

Wooldridge designed boats, built boats and blazed a historic trail along the way, guiding such prestigious folks as President Herbert Hoover, Ginger Rogers, Clark Gable, Zane Grey and countless others.  Famous and not, there were many who chose Glen Wooldridge for their fishing and adventure trips.  At the root of it all was a Wooldridge Boat…

For me, we decided on the highly acclaimed Alaskan XL (an already build Alaskan pictured below) and customized the console for my size and the gunnels for my need for Spey rod storage.

On a recent visit to the Washington factory, I managed to get a peek at my boat’s internals and frame…. this thing is going to rip on BC’s tricky rivers!  Some pics of the progress…

And soon we were painting!  Black of course…

 …And adding graphics.

 She’ll be at the Washington Sportsman Show from January 22-26th at the Wooldridge booth!  Feel free to stop in and say “hi” for me!

~AV