Dan VanDeWoestyne
Member
I am thinking about getting a mudmotor for my boat. Which is better? Also what size should I get for my boat. Its a 12ft long and 48in at bottom wood and fiberglass boat.
long tail vs shallow water drive
- Thread starter Dan VanDeWoestyne
- Start date
Ron Schuna
Well-known member
Check out the copperhead. I'd really like one of those motors on my Huff box
I have a 16' jon, mod V hull with blind and I run a 23 HP Vanguard long tail Go-Devil on it. It is well matched for two guys and a dog. I have owned the boat and motor for several years.
Surface drives and long tails work differently and where long tails excel in mud, surface drives are better in weeds and slop. When you are stuck in the mud the longer tail gives better leverage to work yourself out. The Go-Devil versions run different props that are suited to those uses. The long tail tends to push the boat from the top of the transom and it will push the nose down and cause the boat to run flat. I am told a surface drive can be trimmed a little more like an outboard to give the boat some lift and a better attitude in rougher water. You can sit down to run a surface drive but I have never found that works well with a long tail. I know a couple of people with surface drive motors and they get considerably more speed than I do. I can pull them out of the mud when they get stuck. Neither motor works well around rocks and if you run in sand expect to go through props in a hurry. My 9" stainless prop was 7" in just 100 hours of use. (I have an hour meter on the motor) It was also razor sharp as it wore down. The areas I run in are sand and mud and I have yet to find a rock.
Folks I know with boats around your size run motors from 11 hp to 18 hp. I would think it would somewhat depend on the weight and HP rating of the boat and what size outboard you can run.
Surface drives and long tails work differently and where long tails excel in mud, surface drives are better in weeds and slop. When you are stuck in the mud the longer tail gives better leverage to work yourself out. The Go-Devil versions run different props that are suited to those uses. The long tail tends to push the boat from the top of the transom and it will push the nose down and cause the boat to run flat. I am told a surface drive can be trimmed a little more like an outboard to give the boat some lift and a better attitude in rougher water. You can sit down to run a surface drive but I have never found that works well with a long tail. I know a couple of people with surface drive motors and they get considerably more speed than I do. I can pull them out of the mud when they get stuck. Neither motor works well around rocks and if you run in sand expect to go through props in a hurry. My 9" stainless prop was 7" in just 100 hours of use. (I have an hour meter on the motor) It was also razor sharp as it wore down. The areas I run in are sand and mud and I have yet to find a rock.
Folks I know with boats around your size run motors from 11 hp to 18 hp. I would think it would somewhat depend on the weight and HP rating of the boat and what size outboard you can run.
Mark Harter
Active member
Dan, I have a 14,7 duckhunter and run a 16HP Vanguard Go-Devil Longtail. It works well for me. Will go 18MPH.
It works well for running through the mud and stump filled canals.
It works well for running through the mud and stump filled canals.
David Chandler
Member
Dan, here in the sunny south I generally see about half n half surface drive to outboard ratio, the long tails here are slowly going away due to the speed difference between them and the surface drive. I run a 23 hp Mud Buddy Lite Mini on a Modified Cackler ( no motor well ). Generally I get 25 mph unloaded and 21 mph with full load. The mini's are a lot lighter than the full frame motors, which is better for the type boats we are using. I am finishing up a Scaup, which I am putting a 27 hp on.
The Cackler had to have trim tabs, was uncontrolable without them. I am sure I lost some mph due to the down force caused by them, but I love the way the boat planes out. I built in wedges in the Scaup and hope I have enough down force with the wedges so I will not need other modifications.
I have hunted ducks since 1974 religiously. The only hunting I do except for spring turkey. Since I started using a surface drive, I would not have anything else for duck hunting. Crank it up at the house, no water pump to worry about. Get to the ramp, crank it up and let it warm up while you unstrap the boat and put on clothing. Again, no water pump to freeze up while hunting. Motor parts are easy to get and cheap if you need something. Down side, no reverse. Plus, I can haul booty through the milfoil here, full speed. Try that with an outboard.
The motors are pricey, I would probably look at a 18 hp mini for your boat. Again you may have to use wedges or trim tabs to help contol your boat. Who knows, you may get that majic 40MPH that everyone is talking about...
The Cackler had to have trim tabs, was uncontrolable without them. I am sure I lost some mph due to the down force caused by them, but I love the way the boat planes out. I built in wedges in the Scaup and hope I have enough down force with the wedges so I will not need other modifications.
I have hunted ducks since 1974 religiously. The only hunting I do except for spring turkey. Since I started using a surface drive, I would not have anything else for duck hunting. Crank it up at the house, no water pump to worry about. Get to the ramp, crank it up and let it warm up while you unstrap the boat and put on clothing. Again, no water pump to freeze up while hunting. Motor parts are easy to get and cheap if you need something. Down side, no reverse. Plus, I can haul booty through the milfoil here, full speed. Try that with an outboard.
The motors are pricey, I would probably look at a 18 hp mini for your boat. Again you may have to use wedges or trim tabs to help contol your boat. Who knows, you may get that majic 40MPH that everyone is talking about...