Our STORY
ABOUT US
two buddies. one better boat.
High Country Boats was formed in 2012 by long time friends Matt Maness and Les Vance. Both growing up in North Carolina, Matt and Les first met fishing on the river as teenagers, and have been fishing buddies ever since.
Born by campire, built for guides
During a few late night camp fire whiskey sessions, the idea of High Country Boats was born, and after growing up building boats for their own personal use, the two were off and running, and set out to build the best drift boats in the world.
Starting from the ground up, High Country Boats’ goal was to build a better boat, a boat designed by guides who understood what was needed and where it needed to go. We are incredibly proud to row these boats ourselves, and even prouder to see others in the fishing community enjoying them as well.
Currently Matt spends his summers guiding in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina, and Les guides for Duranglers Fly Shop in Durango, Colorado. The winter months are spent working hard in the boat shop, “product testing” on the Tennessee tailwaters, and pointlessly hunting for musky.
FISHING TRIPS
GUIDE SERVICE
When we’re not in the shop building boats, we’re on the water guiding trips and putting every hull to the test—sharing the rivers we love and the local knowledge that only comes from time on the oars.