# Mud motors



## 1gr8bldr (Feb 16, 2020)

Maybe this should be in fishing, however, I expect duck hunters to have more experience. It's been 20+ years ago since I played with a long shaft mud motor. Lots have changed since then. Shaft length, design, etc. What can you tell me about the newer styles? Relative to the old style that I know a little about. My use, mostly, was river scouting. My 24 ft Seaark with a 150 jet will go in extreme shallow water, however, exploring is taking a toll on the boat hull. I need an exploring boat to find fish and ducks that can have a lighter hull, for getting out of places I should not be. also, lighter boats lift when you hit something. Heavy boats dent. I'm trying to recall the handling issues. Upstream, did well, if I recall. But downstream had no ability to control the boat trying to miss rocks. This is not the case with a jet because reverse steers the rear very well. So, I'm interested in how the newer one's with reverse do. Any info is appreciated. The use is not mud, cattails, etc. It's shoal after shoal of shallow river with little to no mud to be found.


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## mizzippi jb (Feb 16, 2020)

Seems like a jet would be your best bet anyway.  Propellers don't do well with rocks. Even Big stainless mud motor props.  I've had a bunch of em.... I prefer a Gator tail 1st then a pro drive.  They drive well, with a balanced prop close to an outboard.  Steer well, reverse is ok.... About like an outboard with the Gator tail, much better for stuck situations.  But anyway, all mud boats or aluminum boats for that matter will dent when you hit a rock or log..... Doesn't matter how light they are.  Most mud hulls are. 125 aluminum, some custom guys will do. 190 in the bottom.  Seems to be a compromise between tough and light


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## 1gr8bldr (Feb 16, 2020)

mizzippi jb said:


> Seems like a jet would be your best bet anyway.  Propellers don't do well with rocks. Even Big stainless mud motor props.  I've had a bunch of em.... I prefer a Gator tail 1st then a pro drive.  They drive well, with a balanced prop close to an outboard.  Steer well, reverse is ok.... About like an outboard with the Gator tail, much better for stuck situations.  But anyway, all mud boats or aluminum boats for that matter will dent when you hit a rock or log..... Doesn't matter how light they are.  Most mud hulls are. 125 aluminum, some custom guys will do. 190 in the bottom.  Seems to be a compromise between tough and light


The issue with a jet is sucking up moss that grows on the rocks or sucking up pebbles, losing propulsion.... jamming up the intake grate. Requiring that you get out and clean it off. Sometimes, cutting the engine will release the trash, but by this time, your going backwards in the current slamming rocks from the side of the boat, which does damage, or worse, flips.  Usually you lose power in the worst places. What would be best is a light boat that I can get out and pull through the long stretches of 4 inch gravel, and then get through the shoals without sucking something up. Behind these power ****s when they cut the turbines off and on, water, up and down, getting from hole to hole has some big rewards


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## 1gr8bldr (Feb 16, 2020)

mizzippi jb said:


> Seems like a jet would be your best bet anyway.  Propellers don't do well with rocks. Even Big stainless mud motor props.  I've had a bunch of em.... I prefer a Gator tail 1st then a pro drive.  They drive well, with a balanced prop close to an outboard.  Steer well, reverse is ok.... About like an outboard with the Gator tail, much better for stuck situations.  But anyway, all mud boats or aluminum boats for that matter will dent when you hit a rock or log..... Doesn't matter how light they are.  Most mud hulls are. 125 aluminum, some custom guys will do. 190 in the bottom.  Seems to be a compromise between tough and light


How much water does your preferred types require, to push, not fast, just to ease through shallow water. My 24 ft floats high, with the jackplate lifted, I can drive/ease/ push through about 6 inches, not up on plane, but i'm soon to pick up something off the bottom. Usually I'm ok at 7 inches. One particular place I want to get to has a long flat of about 400 yds of pea gravel at about 5 inches. Once through it, I can access miles of river... honey hole, kayak only stuff


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## 1gr8bldr (Feb 16, 2020)

1gr8bldr said:


> How much water does your preferred types require, to push, not fast, just to ease through shallow water. My 24 ft floats high, with the jackplate lifted, I can drive through about 6 inches, not on plane, I don't risk trashing my boat... but i'm soon to pick up something off the bottom. Usually I'm ok at 7 inches. One particular place I want to get to has a long flat of about 400 yds of pea gravel at about 5 inches. Once through it, I can access miles of river... honey hole, kayak only stuff


delete, dbl post


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## mizzippi jb (Feb 16, 2020)

I have a Gator tail extreme series. boat.  I can putt through 4 inches or so trimmed way up. Or I can haul butt across 4 inches.  But there's not much in between.   And gravel, sand, and rocks are heck on a prop.  Soft mud and logs not so much.


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## kevbo3333 (Feb 16, 2020)

Gravel and river sand will burn a $300 prop up in seconds. If you aren’t running mud or all vegetation I would stick with the jet. If you are wanting a smaller exploring boat get a smaller jet drive. I have a 18’ custom mud hull with a GTR, I can put it in some nasty stuff but I try and stay out of river sand and rocks. I would look for 5086 aluminum, it’s a little harder and resist denting a little better than 5052, Most custom builders use 5086.


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## mizzippi jb (Feb 16, 2020)

One thing I will tell you about a surface drive that I've learned over several years..... They can put you in some really inaccessible places.    But when you get stuck........ You is STUCK!!!!   Winch, buddy with a long rope, push til you puke kind of stuck.

I would not own a surface drive if I knew I was gonna be running Rocky or sandy skinny water on a real regular basis.


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## devolve (Feb 17, 2020)

Everything JB said 100%. I have owned 4 different surface drives over the last 12-14 years, currently a gator tail.


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## JROESEL (Feb 17, 2020)

Sounds like your looking for something that needs to be custom made, light and able to drag?? Aluminum riveted 1648 (first rig built to duck hunt out of) very light, only problem they are pron to leak after beating them on rocks and sand, I’ve drug that boat all over the state,
Sounds like you need a tunnel jet, there are several being made now, there still going to be .125 like mjb said, the better the hull, the heavier the boat, there are boats being made that have uhmw on the bottom and sides (heavy) but you can run and bounce over rocks and never worry about it
If you get a chance to be around Perry sports center, stop in and look at the river boats down there, they are tunnel jets, also I saw one at Mitchell marine the other day


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## JROESEL (Feb 18, 2020)

There is a tunnel jet on classifieds right now that would be perfect for what your doing, and its priced good too !!


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## devolve (Feb 18, 2020)

If you are interested is a custom hull built in north ga for a LOT LESS than the big guys PM me. I have a guy that does all my aluminum welding for me. He builds and customizes boats. Good guy and very honest. He doesn’t try to retire off every build like some builders do these days.


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## 1gr8bldr (Feb 18, 2020)

JROESEL said:


> There is a tunnel jet on classifieds right now that would be perfect for what your doing, and its priced good too !!


i'm in NC. Actually, tunnels are made for "on plane" . They have less flotation height than a full flat bottom. Meaning, at rest or easing through shallows a tunnel sets lower. However, pods could offset that net loss.  If my area had mud bottoms, I'd run a tunnel and cross these areas full speed. But with rock everywhere, no one would make it a mile without tearing out the transom. I have hit so hard before that I knocked the hood off.


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## Para Bellum (Feb 19, 2020)

mizzippi jb said:


> I have a Gator tail extreme series. boat.  I can putt through 4 inches or so trimmed way up. Or I can haul butt across 4 inches.  But there's not much in between.   And gravel, sand, and rocks are heck on a prop.  Soft mud and logs not so much.



This.  You go to running a surface drive through 400 yards of pea gravel, you gonna be shuckin out $$$ for new props on the reg.


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## mallardsx2 (Feb 19, 2020)

I have been running a GTR35 surface drive since 2007...I can take it apart and put it back together with my eyes closed....I can tell you this, if you run that prop into the rocks your gonna regret it. Sand will wear the prop badly as well. Anything else is fair game.

I push an 1860 GT boat at about 30 MPH with mine. But I had to do some pretty serious modifications to the motor to achieve that. It drafts very little water for such a big boat but it is completeley open with only one little seat in it. We sit on coolers...


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