Help! mud motor vs other options?

J

johnmyers

New member
We hunt in a back bay and river area that has TONS of weeds, from wild rice and lilly pads to pickeral reed and just plain lake weeds.
They can quickly tie-up and stop a regular outboard, so we're thinking about other options.
We have enough water in most cases.
How do short-shaft mud motors work in thick weeds? I've seen video so how they work in shallow water and mud, but i don't see them dealing with weeds very often.
Does anyone know of a low-profile airboat that could serve as a hunting boat? Something with a cage that doesn't stick 6 feet up in the air, above blind level..
I realize these issues may have been covered in years past, but I don't have time to page through 1,000's of old posts.
Thanks in advance for any help.
 
I cant give you diddly on Air or Short motors BUT. I have been running a long shaft Go-Devil since 1995 and hunt VERY similar conditions that your talking about I have in most cases water but WEEDS and pads that just kill an outboard. Id never turn back to a outboard and the 25hp LT will push my 19' 60" boat blind around just fine. Someday Id like a 32hp LT for her but this one still runs and is 10 years old now.

I enjoy not following the trails that the OB's use and cutting across the weed fields when the weather turns crappy.
 
surface drives have no problem at all with weeds, i run a longtail and go through some hardcore hydrilla and lily pads no problem. airboats are illegal in alot of places during duck season so id check before investing into one. also, airboats are SUPER loud and expensive. i hear them all night long gator hunting this time of year but i dont mind but it grinds on some people.
 
Thanks guys! I figured mud motors would handle the weeds but wasn't sure. Apparently the prop on those buggers chews the weeds up and they don't wrap around the shaft.
Now, what type to get? I'd like to get one with reverse but not sure how they rate.
 
Get the most HP you can afford. Gator-Tail has an excellent reverse system and my next motor will be another GT with reverse this time. The MM's are not truly weedless except a PD, weeds wrap around the prop, not all the time but it does happen. Surface drives are very fun and easy to operate. If you need more info, feel free to PM me.
 
A Prodrive 25 hp will tear the living hell out of any kind of water weeds. I run mine though chock-a-block water hyacinths, a site that would leave hard core coonasses with drop jaw a couple of years back, but now they're used to it (they've got 'em too now).

Ed.
 
I just switched from the prodrive to a gatortail. Spent this weekends teal hunt running through heavy mats of eurasian milfoil,,no problems. Outboards couldn't even think about entering the environment we were cruising in. The gatortail reverse is very practical, fast, and easy to use. Hope this helps.
 
not sure what size your boat is but mud buddy makes short tails to fit any size boat, big or small. i run a 23 Van mini lite on a 15 footer that is comparable in weight to a similar sized four stroke.
 
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