Bespoke Boats

Meet Phil Croff, former construction worker now handcrafting $30K drift boats for Hollywood's elite.

By Ross Boissoneau | April 25, 2020

Phil Croff loved fly fishing. As a youth, he first was introduced to it by tying flies. Then at about nine, he began hanging out with a cousin a few years older who fished. A lot, according to Croff. “I learned from him, and my uncle, too,” Croff said.
 
Then the Petoskey native found other interests. He discovered baseball. And later on, the joys of earning money of his own. As he grew to adulthood, fly fishing took a backseat. “I had to start making money,” Croff said. He found his way into the construction trades, building houses. Eventually, he was running his own construction company.
 
Yet, in the back of his mind lurked the enjoyment he’d derived from fly fishing. By and by he found his way back to the rivers, this time with an accomplice — actually, a couple of them.

“I was doing a lot of fly fishing with my wife, Amy,” he said. Also along for the ride was his wirehaired pointing griffon, Hardy. He had adopted the dog two weeks after his first wife died. “She helped me get through it all. She’s on every guide trip and … guides upland bird hunting in the fall months.”
 
TURNING POINT
As Croff got even deeper into fishing, he decided to use his construction skills to further his passion. He began building a drift boat — the flat-bottomed boat with an arc from bow to stern that fly-fisherman use to float rivers — by hand. Not only did he find building the boat satisfying, it turned out so well that others began asking for him to build them one just like his.

Croff was happy to oblige.
 
As you might suspect, these aren’t just any old boats. Each handcrafted drift boat is unique, the product of a collaborative effort between Croff and the person for whom he is building it. You never know what walk of life a buyer might come from, Croff said. He built one for a designer who himself builds top-secret submarines. Currently he is building one for a Hollywood producer.
 
They take a year to build, and he builds each boat one at a time in his shop. No jigs, no forms. It’s just Croff and his tools, determining which piece will go where, guided by the purchaser.

“We work together. There are a lot of emails and phone calls.”

Not only does he build the boats, Croff builds the trailers for the boats as well. Then he delivers them to the new owner, such as the one he’s currently working on. “I have to deliver it to Sun Valley, Idaho,” he said.
 
PRICED TO SUIT
As one might expect, these one-of-a-kind drift boats are pricier than their mass-produced brethren. The latter might run around $5,000; Croff’s boats run right around $30,000.

“It’s pretty high-end for a drift boat,” he admitted.
 
Why go to such extremes? Croff said it comes down to two things. One is that it is designed for the buyer and is custom designed for their wants and needs. For example, take the boat he’s building. “This one will be on some pretty big water,” Croff said. So it will have slightly higher sides than most.
 
Another client was planning to fish on bigger lakes, and he didn’t want to have to paddle to the middle. So he got a small electric motor he can run with a foot pedal. “He can run it and cast all by himself,” Croff said.
 
The other factor is they are for a buyer who wants something that no one else on the planet has. “It’s all custom. It’s an original, a piece of fine art.”
 
That’s only half Croff’s story. As he drifted back into fly fishing, he found himself using the services of those who knew the waters. As word got out among his guide friends regarding his boats, one suggested Croff knew enough that he should also try his hand at guiding. Soon he was working at both. “The first year I did 14 trips and a couple shows,” Croff said.
 
RIVER GUIDE ON THE ROAD
Today he lives just north of Kingsley, in Mayfield — significantly, the birthplace of the Adams fly, one of the most famous flies in fly fishing (and a favorite of local trout). He works as a guide from March through November, in Michigan as well as southern states like Tennessee and Arkansas. He’ll spend four to six weeks in a location, renting a house where he and his clients stay when they’re not on the water.
 
Different states have different rules for guiding, as well as for licensing. Some have tests, others simply charge for licensing. The cost can range from $100 to more than three times as much. “In Tennessee, a non-resident license is $650,” Croff said.
 
In the winter months and between guide trips, you’ll find him in his shop, bringing to life whatever boat is his latest e. The boat-building side of his business is especially important since the pandemic hit.

“The DNR has shut down all guides. I had a full schedule for March and April,” he said. But no matter. “It just gives me more time to work on the boat.”
 
As for home-building, Croff no longer bothers. The experience he gained provided him with the skills he’s put to use in boat-building, but he doesn’t miss residential construction. Now, he said, he’s happier than ever.

“I wish I’d realized you could make money as a guide. I didn’t know that job existed,” he said. “It’s a great gig. I love guiding — and building boats.”

Above: Boatbuilder Phil Croff and Hardy, as a pup.