# Longtail mud motor question



## jwillingham3703 (May 13, 2015)

A friend of mine has a 12 ft Jon boat that he wants to put a longtail mud motor on. What is a good lightweight longtail that he could put on it and what size do you recommend? He wants to keep it as cheap as possible as well


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## Flaustin1 (May 13, 2015)

Build one with one of the numerous kits you can find online  and use a harbour freight predator engine.  Size depends in the weight the boats transome can support.  10hp oughtta be plenty but the bigger the better so long as the boat can handle it.


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## rnelson5 (May 14, 2015)

Flaustin1 said:


> Build one with one of the numerous kits you can find online  and use a harbour freight predator engine.  Size depends in the weight the boats transome can support.  10hp oughtta be plenty but the bigger the better so long as the boat can handle it.



This or watch the mud motor forums on facebook. There was a guy selling one on there the other day for like $450 running fine.


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## g0nef1sshn (May 14, 2015)

there is one in augusta 10hp for sale on craigslist. he is asking $900 I think.


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## Wild Turkey (May 14, 2015)

Ive got a 11hp honda i would part with and built one of the kits.


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## jwillingham3703 (May 14, 2015)

Where can I find the contact info for the one in Augusta?


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## g0nef1sshn (May 14, 2015)

jwillingham3703 said:


> Where can I find the contact info for the one in Augusta?



Pm sent.


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## Chase4556 (May 15, 2015)

Get a 6.5hp harbor freight predator engine, get the 3 year replacement warranty. 

Build the predator engine like they do the bigger mud motors. You can get everything you can dream of for that motor. Pistons, rods, cranks, cams... we have a pretty sick one on our gocart.

Should push the boat with no issues. You also have a 3 year warranty... if you blow it up, or it gets close to 3 years old, just put the stock parts back on, and go swap it out for a new motor.


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## king killer delete (May 16, 2015)

Be careful on a used one .  Chase and I have a Buddy that bought a used one that ran great on the boat out of the water but when you put a  load on it  , it would not run.


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## jwillingham3703 (May 16, 2015)

Ok thanks for the input guys


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## Chase4556 (May 16, 2015)

king killer delete said:


> Be careful on a used one .  Chase and I have a Buddy that bought a used one that ran great on the boat out of the water but when you put a  load on it  , it would not run.



^^ That too.



Plenty of youtube videos showing boats with 6.5hp longtails pushing 20mph or so. From what I could tell, they were not modified motors either. I would guess you can easily get 20+mph out of one with two guys in it on a 12ft boat.


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## king killer delete (May 17, 2015)

Chase4556 said:


> ^^ That too.
> 
> 
> 
> Plenty of youtube videos showing boats with 6.5hp longtails pushing 20mph or so. From what I could tell, they were not modified motors either. I would guess you can easily get 20+mph out of one with two guys in it on a 12ft boat.


Stuart bought one that was used from a guy in Fl. Had nothing but problems.


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## Chase4556 (May 17, 2015)

king killer delete said:


> Stuart bought one that was used from a guy in Fl. Had nothing but problems.



If he still has it, I will work on it. Haha.


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## king killer delete (May 17, 2015)

Chase4556 said:


> If he still has it, I will work on it. Haha.


He got it fixed and sold it.


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## brittonl (May 24, 2015)

For what it's worth, I've got a friend with a 25hp mudbuddy LT he's wanting to sell. PM me if interested. Good luck


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## BrownDog20886 (May 27, 2015)

If cheap is the priority, just keep hunting for a used one on CL.  They are just lawn mower engines, so any small engine shop can check it out for you prior to purchase.  If the seller won't let you get it checked out, walk away unless the price is so low you're only paying for the frame.  You will have to fix stuff on most used LTs, so just expect it and make sure the price reflects the work needed.

I'd limit myself to a 6.5 HP on a 12' hull.  LTs run heavy for the horsepower and a 12' hull hasn't got much capacity to spare from the start.  As a rule, LTs are slow, greasy and loud.  They are generally under-propped from the factory, so a TinyTac will help identify a motor that is hitting the rev limiter so you can get a prop with more pitch.  However, I would still only expect a 6.5 HP LT to get 10-13 MPH with a duck hunting load.  If he wants to go faster, he needs a SD and probably a bigger boat.  My 20 HP GD LT only gets around 15-18 MPH with a duck hunting load in a light 16' boat and it squats the stern terribly because it weighs ~200#.

If he could talk himself into the extra money, by all accounts, the BackWater Lite Glider is an awesome kit and is vastly superior to any of the Chinese kits.  The 6.5 HP Copperhead is a very nice match to a 12' hull, but that isn't a LT nor is it cheap.

Nate


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