# mud motor guys - need some help/advice



## Branta (Feb 6, 2002)

what brands should a guy look at in the short tail variety?

thinking pretty seriously about consolidating the fleet into just a few utility boats, so I'm thinking that style over long tail (like I have now).


what hull too? thinking 1860 or 1760, so is 27HP good or don't even consider and hop right up to a 35?

(must say, I was grinning from ear to ear while looking at a 2072.... "oh, the dekes I could pile into this!!"


Jodie says I've got $2k that I can spend lol: - like I even talk to her about this stuff!!)


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## pluckthis (May 21, 2006)

mud buddy has a bunch on sale right now


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## KLR (Sep 2, 2006)

Branta said:


> what hull too? thinking 1860 or 1760, so is 27HP good or don't even consider and hop right up to a 35?


I've never considered a mud motor - just doesn't fit my style of hunting. 

However, I'm familiar with an old saying (as I'm sure many other are)...


*There's no replacement for displacement*...(says the guy who tore off a 50 and replaced it with a 75 and then the 75 for a 90)


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## lab1 (Aug 31, 2004)

I run a 1744 gatortrax with a mudbuddy hyper 4000. Plenty of speed. I think I would go a little wider (1750), though I dont really care for wide boats since they are harder to hide. If you hunt the bay, which I dont with this boat, then wider is probably better and safer. Go for some rides with guys--test drive where and when you can. If you are up this way, I would be willing to take you for a ride. Good luck and I am sure you will like that new shorttail.


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## turnquij (Dec 3, 2004)

Brands - Mud Buddy, Gator tail, Prodrive, DIY kit, I would look at these three and consider the fourth if you have the ability to weld.

I would look at which manufacturer maintains (to some degree) available parts and for how long.
I had a beavertail longtail that was a 2000 model and parts were no longer available.

Transom height may make a difference in your decision?

I've looked at many boats in the 18' range and felt that would be plenty.

What about a surface drive on a pontoon? Hmmmmm


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## Timber (Jan 1, 2009)

If you have the cash I would buy the 35 hp. Happy shopping.


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## sean (May 7, 2002)

Branta said:


> what brands should a guy look at in the short tail variety?
> 
> thinking pretty seriously about consolidating the fleet into just a few utility boats, so I'm thinking that style over long tail (like I have now).
> 
> ...


Isnt there only ONE mud motor......Go Devil


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## Duck-Hunter (Mar 31, 2005)

When it comes to a mud motor the best advice is to get the most HP your rig can handle and you can afford. Just because the boat says it can handle a 60hp motor doesn't mean it will handle a 60hp mud motor. Make sure it has a strong transom.

18' hull I'd do 35hp+

I had a 4man gator hide with a mud buddy hd6000(60 hp) that thing was alot of fun but also alot of boat and pushed that 20 footer pretty dang good.


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## Groundhog69 (Sep 25, 2006)

I would go with a Go-DEVIL I have had my 20hp longtail fo 8 yrs and use it yr round. The customer service is great. biggest HP you can afford


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## thedude (Jul 20, 2004)

i think prodrives are the best design, but they lack in the HP options dept. 

i've found myself stranded on the opposite side of au gres from the ramp because we hit a rock with a Mud Buddy and it sheared the teeth off the belt. Gator tail is a similar design.... good in that when you hit something you don't kill your motor, but you're still stranded.


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

Groundhog69 said:


> I would go with a Go-DEVIL I have had my 20hp longtail fo 8 yrs and use it yr round. The customer service is great. biggest HP you can afford


i loved my gd-20hp. best motor i've owned.


Russ...Get the biggest motor you can afford.


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## Branta (Feb 6, 2002)

Thanks for the comments so far - really appreciate the input.


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## Quack Wacker (Dec 20, 2006)

My vote would be for a pro drive 35 or larger if you are looking at 18'+ boat. 

Pro Drives have full reverse, which can come in handy.


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## smoke (Jun 3, 2006)

Just my opinion and observations R but my long tail will out run most any hyper drive in a hard bottom shallow water/heavy veg. area. In mud there's no comparison they will handle better and out run my long tail everyday. I've got a good friend that I hunt with who has an 18' go devil boat, with a 35 MB hyper drive. He leaves my **** in the open water, can sit down when he runs it just like an outboard, but......... I quickly catch up to him when we hit the hard rocky bottom on sag bay. He has to trim up and putt along. I come by still running full throttle @ approx 3750 rpms and beat him to our destination almost every time. 

The hyper drives are very good in sloppy mud, but not very good in a hard bottom situation. Just my observations. I'm sure people will disagree but then I agree to disagree with them too! LOL 

As far as options for a hyper drive go. I love the mud buddy 35 hp or even the 45 with a stage two kit on em. Bad **** motor. I believe the stage two kit consists of a different carb (diaphram type) twin pipes and a different air cleaner. SOunds like a vee twin harley comin across the water!!!!! I love the sound, soo much so that I am building my own twin piped exhust from a couple of thrush tube shortys and some stainless steel tube! 

Pro drive from averything i've heard is a strong well built motor as well. I spend a bit of time on mud motor talk @ www.mudmotortalk.com. Loads of good advice on their site, from dudes who run anywhere from Michigan to SETX and La. Check out the site once, you may get some real good advice. Good luck and do you still need the grab bar? If so get me some dim. for it and i'll finish it up for ya! 

Smoke


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## DrakeTaker (Sep 27, 2005)

Branta, I've got the MB 35 on an 1860 WE, both bought new the summer of 2005. I hunt 20 times per year on mucky lakes and Sag Bay rocky/shallow areas. 

I've put the motor through hell a number of times each season, such as the end of last year when a drastic wind shift on the bay left me in 6-8 inches of water. I knew it was coming, but so were the ducks, and I was slow to react. I was 300 yards from my boat, and I had pounded a stake in the ground next to the boat so i could monitor the water level, and holy cow, it dropped fast! I hustled over, but I could not push the boat, it was grounded. I had no choice but to 4-Wheel that bugger for nearly 1/2 of a mile, digging the prop in, swaying the motor from side to side to get some grip in the hard sand, rocks, and occasional boulders. It was brutal, but the MB 35 took it in stride, and I put nearly 25 hours on it fishing this spring/summer, and its still running strong, with nearly 150 hours total. 

The first 2 years of use I reduced the standard prop diameter so much that I upgraded to the larger Tiger prop ($300) my 3rd year. I also got concerned about the can-style muffler and 2 years ago I popped ($500) for the dual individual exhausts, which sound waaay cool and helped quite a bit with output. I'm being urged by my dealer and by Mud Buddy staff in Utah to upgrade the carbs (about $800), but I haven't taken that step yet. 

What I'm getting at is that stock performance may not get you what you're looking for, and performance will dwindle over time with prop wear, and change with the varaition in weight you are trying to push. And of course there's the dealer and the manufacturer dangling these upgrades out there for you to consider,......... 

I would urge you to go as big as you can afford, and as big as the boat is rated. I can plane off at 21 mph with 2 guys and 2 dogs and 90 deeks, but when I add that 3rd guy, or a steady rain makes the pile of fastgrass weigh 5 times as much, or the fun part of the season, when the ice stays on everything,...I can't plane off and I drop from to a top speed of 12mph. It gets frustrating sometimes, but I remind myself that I'm blessed, I'm with my Dad, my kid, my buds,..I'm out in the wild, doing my thing, and if it takes me twice as long to get in, I'll just enjoy the boat ride,...thats the way its gonna be.

Take Care, -Jim


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## Bellyup (Nov 13, 2007)

Since i own one, and run one, I might be able to help you with a decision. I can't speak to a hyperdrive as I don't have that experience. I own a Beavertail 27HP Kholer Long tail. I would not point you to it. I LOVE th Beavertail boat I have, the 1750, and have good things to say about that. But the 27 Kholer Long tail is WAY under powered for this rig. Cabelas sells them as a package deal. I have since learned the lesson, don't buy a package. 

I get stuck in harder bottoms like sand/clay in the bay and the engine does not have enough power to get me out of it. I end up getting out and tugging. I also have contacted beavertail a few times for customer service, and a couple early on questions. I am dissapointed in that regard. They won't work with you to much on engines. Now on the blinds, they did me good for replacement parts. It broke and they sent me replacements parts dang near overnight. 

So I close with this, buy the biggest dang HP your budget will allow. Don't worry on your transom holding up, you can get that re-enforced if it is weak. 

My next engine might be a hyperdrive, but Smoke sure seems to present a case everytime it is brought up, so I dunno. Were I you, I would shy away from a Kholer made powerhead.


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## mcdonch (May 24, 2004)

My boat is a 1752 Lowe Roughneck. I ran a Mud Buddy 29hp Kawasaki long tail on it for 6 years. I worked OK but was underpowered. I just moved to a 35 HP Gator Tail last winter. I would NEVER go back to a long tail. The reverse works good and is very simple to operate. IMO, go bigger, the better in the HP department. I get about 27.5 MPH by myself and 21 MPH loaded to the gills. They all use basically the same 35 HP Briggs motor for the larger engines. At the end of the day, try them all. Opinions on these motors are like elbows, everybody has a couple.

Chris


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## Mike L (Sep 8, 2003)

Get a pontoon then I'll go with ya..........ne_eye:


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## Branta (Feb 6, 2002)

again, thanks for all the comments and suggestions. 
except for MikeL's post - you should know by now that you're not invited! 



slight tangent:


still looking at mud motors, but then i got to thinking;
I just want to get into skinny, clear water. 
just a thought, but do you guys think a tunnel hull would work too? obviously, it won't get you where the muds will, but in looking at some boat info I have to admit, I stopped and went "hmmmmm....."


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## Quack Smacker (Jul 24, 2010)

amen to more displacement i run a 36 hp pro drive on a 1654 and love it.


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## thedude (Jul 20, 2004)

Branta said:


> again, thanks for all the comments and suggestions.
> except for MikeL's post - you should know by now that you're not invited!
> 
> 
> ...


a good tunnel will go pretty skinny. i've heard of some jon-boat conversions that run 6-8" of water, with 12" to get on step. Certainly opens some options for you as its a lot easier to find an affordable outboard. Consider the cost of a small hydraulic jack-plate in your scheming as well and you will get the best performance and all around usefulness out of the boat, plus it will help in rough water.


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## KLR (Sep 2, 2006)

thedude said:


> a good tunnel will go pretty skinny. i've heard of some jon-boat conversions that run 6-8" of water, with 12" to get on step. Certainly opens some options for you as its a lot easier to find an affordable outboard. Consider the cost of a small hydraulic jack-plate in your scheming as well and you will get the best performance and all around usefulness out of the boat, plus it will help in rough water.


Good advice. I'd much rather have the versatility of a tunnel/OB than the mud boat/mud motor combo.

I also happen to know a really good guy (good looking, too) who just did a repower job on his 20 m-v and has a spare hyd. jack plate that would be slick for this type of application.


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## lab1 (Aug 31, 2004)

Branta said:


> again, thanks for all the comments and suggestions.
> except for MikeL's post - you should know by now that you're not invited!
> 
> 
> ...


A tunnel will help get you to the skinny water, but I dont believe you will be satisfied with just the boat. Get the motor. Go with 35+ for the size of boat you are looking at. Once you get it, you will never go back!


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

i'm betting on a higher water table throughout michigan...got rid of all my mud motor stuff. switched to all outboard as i'm sick of long rides.


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## smoke (Jun 3, 2006)

It's fairly obvious here that everyone has their opinion on what you should get and what type of mud motor/outboard will work best. Which is why I like this forum so much. I think that every mud motor has it's pros and cons. I too have been thinking a hyper drive is in my future but I keep thinking back to the bay and it very well may be the way my buddy Larry runs his motor. 

After reading how one of you dug in and ground your way out of a low water condition on the bay (which happens all the time) I am again thinking HYPER DRIVE HYYYYYPER DRIVE..... 

Thinking further, I don't think he's ever replaced his prop in 3-4 years and he has a place in Bayport and hunts the bay....... A LOT. Maybe he's babying his motor. :SHOCKED: MAYBE if he just ratted on it a little he may be able to run through the shallow hard bottom.  Because I don't even see a scratch on the motor? I know I would like to sit down and run my motor for a change? Maybe he'll let me take her for a ride and i'll see for myself what she'll go through. But after he's seen me run mine........................I doubt he'll let take his rig out, but you never know! :16suspect 

Russ i'm sure with all the info you have. All the expeariance and knowledge you've gained over the years you'll end up with just the right combo for YOU, of that I have no doubt. So when you get it, post up pics. And if there is anything you need built for it, you know who to call.

S


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## mcdonch (May 24, 2004)

Just a little more info for you when making your decision. I considered getting a jet drive for my rig, actually my hull already had a tunnel in it. I went with a mud motor based on this thinking. A mud motor will go anywhere a jet can go, but will a jet go anywhere a mud motor can go? I got the mud motor and welded the tunnel shut. You loose a little speed compared to a traditional outboard, but the "4 wheel drive" capability makes up for it. At the end of the day, make YOUR decision based on what YOU need.


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## Sampsons_owner (Dec 30, 2005)

Shiawassee_Kid said:


> i'm betting on a higher water table throughout michigan...got rid of all my mud motor stuff. switched to all outboard as i'm sick of long rides.


Aren't all the rides long on the flats since it is a NO WAKE ZONE! :evil: Steve


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

Sampsons_owner said:


> Aren't all the rides long on the flats since it is a NO WAKE ZONE! :evil: Steve


this is true.  mud motor is great for short cuts thru the north woods to reach the 40's tho. takes about 5 minutes off the ride at least.


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## Bellyup (Nov 13, 2007)

Since someone pointed out opinions are like elbows, everyone has a couple, here is my next opinion..

I have two engines for my boat. Two guys can take off the mud motor with little trouble. One man can put the 25HP Evinrude on it. I can swap engines in just under 10 minutes, seriously. This includes the beer drank while swapping it out. Now then, if a fella had one of those cheap Harbor Frieght engine hoists... you could swap out the engines by yourself with ease. 

When I am hunting water I don't need the mud motor on, and it is bigger H2O, I prefer the outboard. But let me tell you, if you ever got stuck or clogged the outboard... you will LOVE the mud motor.


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