# Jon Boats and Longtail motors.



## vowell462 (Dec 21, 2011)

I have a 1542 jon boat that im thinking of turning into a duck boat. Where im planning on hunting, is a series of shallow mud lakes and my heavy duty all welded 1654 ( which ive sold) was a little heavy to drag through the water of 2 to 6 inches and it had an outboard. I was thinking the 1542 jon would be good for 2 guys if I had some sort of longtail motor. Problem is, I have zero experience with them and have no idea how well it would operate on a regular riveted jon. 

So I guess my question is does anybody use a longtail on riveted jon boats? I know you loose alot of speed and since the boat is rated for a 25 I was thinking about several ones that ive seen with 23hp motors. I was thinking since the boat is light, it may push through the shallows well with that size motor. I dont plan on stump and log jumping, literally just mud and sand bottom lakes. The most this rig will see will be buck brush to hide in. And maybe some flooded timber thats too deep to stand in anyway. Will it manuver alright? Thanks for the help in advance.


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## tswords253 (Dec 21, 2011)

I have a surface drive motor (copperhead) on a 1548 all welded boat.  It is only a 12 hp but pushes around 20 mph without gear.  I think it weighs approx. 120-140 lbs.  I looked at both longtails and surface drives.  The surface drives have much more manuverability.  I would suggest looking at them.  Either way, be careful running it in sand.  It will literally grind down your prop and screw your pitch up, giving you decreased speed.


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## vowell462 (Dec 21, 2011)

tswords253 said:


> I have a surface drive motor (copperhead) on a 1548 all welded boat.  It is only a 12 hp but pushes around 20 mph without gear.  I think it weighs approx. 120-140 lbs.  I looked at both longtails and surface drives.  The surface drives have much more manuverability.  I would suggest looking at them.  Either way, be careful running it in sand.  It will literally grind down your prop and screw your pitch up, giving you decreased speed.



The place Im talking about is where my father lives in north Tennessee. He lives along the Cumberland river and alot of the back sloughs are very shallow. It just so happens thats where the ducks like to be. How shallow can you drive your boat?


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## tswords253 (Dec 21, 2011)

I can drive my boat until it hits the bottom in sand, if the boat has water under it, it will continue to run. I would say it can run in 4" of water.  If it is a true mud bottom, you can drop your prop down into it and it will push you.  I have pushed 50 to 75 yds. with it and another person + gear.  I wish I had went with an 18 hp truthfully.  The customer service from Copperhead is unreal.  I was having trouble with my first motor and he shipped me a brand new one, before I returned the other one to try and make it right.  Ended up I was running in sand and that is a no no.


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## vowell462 (Dec 21, 2011)

Thanks. I will take a look at the Copperhead line.


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## quackertackr (Dec 22, 2011)

I run a 1542 OLD riveted boat with a 23 GDLT. The bottom has steelflex on it. I can run 18 mph with 2 guys and gear. I can get anywhere you want to get. I have removed all seats but 1 to cut down on weight. I can turn on a dime, just not as easily as a surface drive, but when stuck I can reach out and get new mud.


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## little rascal (Dec 22, 2011)

*Sand is the*

Devil !!!!!!  It don't care what kind of boat hull or motor you got, you bottom out in sand, and you are going thru the windshield!!!
Riveted boats actually flex a little more than welded boats, and that can be a good thing. If it's a very lightweight aluminum hull. you just want to be careful around sharp rocks. As far as a mudmotor of any kind on a riveted or welded hull, the transom strength is what you need to pay attention to. On manuvering, the more sqaure your chines are, the more you will slide, whether it's got a smooth bottom or or crimped bottom. The thinner alum., boats usually run crimps on the bottom for strength purpose, not keel purposes. A rounded or tapered chined boat will turn better than a square.
Just know this, water will stick to a rounded edge better than a sharp edge.
I have steelflex on my smooth bottom 1/8" thick hull with tapered chines, it turns well, but will still throw you out the front of the boat if you bottom out in sand!


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## Turkey Trax (Dec 22, 2011)

I have an 18 hp LT on a 14 foot riveted boat. Seems fine.


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## slayer1 (Dec 26, 2011)

I've got a 14'40" Express with a 25 hp Go Devil.  I got the motor last summer and have 12 hunts with the set-up.  It is a great set-up for 2 people.  I  do a lot of hunting in North Alabama , Scottsboro and Hollywood Alabama on the Tennessee river.  You will be amazed at the places you can go with a small light rig.  The mud, grass and hydrilla are no probems.


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