I currently have an old 16ft monark jon with a 24hp long tail honda go devil on the rear. I'm looking to upgrade my boat after the season and was wondering what brand of boat everyone likes. I really like the go devil brand but don't have the funds since I'm a college student. I'm looking for a boat with no keels but still with the right chine to handle turns well. Give me some suggestions if there are any weldbuilt custom boats ect. Also, what kind of rigs do you have or have had in the past and what did you like/dislike about them.

Thanks!

Your boat sounds perfect for your stage in life. I wouldn't upgrade until you graduate and get a steady income.

I've been out of college for umpteen years and still don't have a boat.

I agree. If you want to upgrade, really upgrade. Otherwise, stick with what you got. If I was buying today, I'd get a GatorHide.

Here is the deal. The major brand motors all run exceptionally well. If you look in all the videos notice this one thing. It looks like they are running on no water and they are. Look closely on every video you see, the prop drops into the mud really easy. Well every mud motor can run on no water if the mud is just silt. If the prop can bite into it then they can all run through it.

Me personally used several reasons as to why I settled on Go Devil. Number one was the simple and stupid reasoning. No frills, no clutches, no hydraulics no nothing. Turn the key and go, better yet turn the key and go home. This is not to say I won't be stuck out becuase I have been stuck out with a broken belt. All of them break down, ALL of them. I just wanted to minimize what broke down and Go Devil has less to go wrong. (Note: Some DB will get on here and argue the afforementioned reasoning, guaranteed).

The other reason was Bart Baker. He is a straight shooter and refuses to bash the competition. He tells you about his motor and what it can and can not do. If you want to buy it then buy it, if not don't. All of the other motor salesman bashed the other guys. That irritates the snot out of me.

I do suggest when you buy a motor buy the boat that matches it. IE:Go DEvil motor then get a Go DEvil boat. Lot to explain why but in short one boat can't do everything. Motors and boats are designed for specifics so get specific and get the ones designed for each other. If you want to turn on a dime then get round chine. If you want to get on step easier and faster then get a tapered chine or square chine.

I tell you what though. You got a nice boat. It may not be the mud slinginist slidinist bad arse on the block, but if it is paid for stick with it. If it gets you there and back, stick with it. The mud runners are expensive as all get out and you will do better just hunkering down in what you got util your finances and the economy gets right.

I want to up grade also, but I got a kid in college. What I'm doing is waiting until she graduates, then I'm going to get what I want. I'm going to buy me a brand new duck boat, so all the dents in it will be mine! Good luck on your decison. Right now, I'm still running the boat I bought new in 1999.

Thanks for the advice guys! I tend to get anxious about upgrading sometimes. As for the time being i think i'll put a lil work into my boat. I'm thinkin' about an extended deck with swamp lights, a handle bar (currently don't have one), and possibly mount a wench on the bow in case i get stuck by myself. She also could use some camo paint, I sprayed some cheap wally world flat green on her to get me through the season. It's not the prettiest job but it gets by. One more thing, could someone tell me about how hard it is to mount a swivel bracket for trailering?

War Eagle boats. Hands down the best duck boat made. Cuts into turns like no other. They can custom built to your specs off of their designs.

Now for a fully customized boat, F&F in Monticello, AR (same town War Eagles are made it) are a good buy as well.

Look around stuttgart and you will see more 15.5 war eagles with 25hp nissans than any other boat. I would recommend this setup unless you need a mud motor. My war eagle is 17.5 ft with a 90hp and is a lot of boat but I hunt big bodies of water.

I'm running that rig with the Nissan, only thing my boat is the Alumcraft 15'.

For big water I agree. For my kind of mud, nope! One boat can't do it all. An outboard cant do what a mud motor can do and a mud motor can't do what an outboard can do. Your talking blue in a red conversation. Oh BTW I would like to see your war eagle cut a turn like my round chine. Aint happening.

I'd be willing to try. I can do dounts wide opening without sliding. But that's with an outboard..I've never drove a mud motor boat.

You can drive mine and you best wear a diaper because your going to pee yourself. Whne I welded up the tunnel and put the 35 on it the dealer guy said You best hang on when you turn". There is no slide at all with a round chine boat. It will turn hard enough to see the water and the side of the boat parallel with each other. I don't like to do that because I am just not comfortable with it at all. I have done it but not very often.

I aint trying to call you out here but if you have never driven a mud boat how can you say "The War Eagle is the best boat ever made, hands down"? For an all around fishing/get you to a spot/family/whatever I would agree they are well built. So far as waterfowl on skinny water, War Eagle is not even a competitor. Much the same as a mud motor can't compete with an all around family/whatever.

do like me and get a free boat, they are the best.... its a pos though i know i mena look at it, runs like a champ and everything....








but i guess that wouldnt be a very good duck hunting boat..... I mean it works well for poppin the ducks while im fishing....

If it were free I would run it also. Aint no reason not too.

Speaking of free. I just traded my Dargel flats fishing boat for this. It should be finished next week.

Hunting the flooded timber of Arkansas, in water about a foot deep or deeper. Yes, the War Eagle is the best duck boat you can buy...hands down (guess depends on your style of duck hunting). For cruzing mud flats and water ankle deep, the Gator Tail would be the way to go.

Dude your killing me. Never driven a mud motor but Gator Tail is the way to go. Absolutely killing me.

actually he is right

I don't have to drive something to know what's the best, as I have rode in several mud motor boats. I know several guys with mud boats. Most drive Gator Tails. If I bought a mud motor, it would be a Gator Tail. Now, I did say War Eagle is the best boat hands down for outboards since I own one and can confess to its awesomeness.

Now, I said a Gator Tail would be the way to go for a mud motor boat since that what I would do based off the recommendations I heard. (Also just look above my post) Take it for what you want, but that's my opinion and that's what the OP asked for.

Well I am not here to jab at you or anything but I do disagree. So to the original poster, take this as my opinion only. You can go out and get frills and jingaling on a mud motor. My opinion is to keep it simple and as stupid as possible without suffering performance. Most people buy the Gator Tails because they feel they need reverse. In the years I have run a mud motor not once have I needed a reverse. To get that reverse there is a clutch. Well clutches burn up and that is a fact. Belts burn up that is a fact. I would rather change a belt. Less than an hour and your off to the races again. There are a lot of factors to consider and my best advice is to learn for yourself by driving them all before you drop coin. Actually best advice is to not take advice from somebody that has never owned a mud motor, driven a mud motor or tells you they had a friend whose second cousin heard of this guy that likes this brand so that is the best way to go.

As far as the dude that posted right before you did. He has a picture of my mud motor in his wallet if that will tell you anything.

Well, I'm not going to get into a pissing contest with you. If you want to take cheap shots at me for my opinions...that's fine.

i've heard that excell's cut on a dime. Also heard they're pretty rugged too. . .

One more question. A guy at work was telling me about his rig the other day; he has some sort of special trailer that allows him to pretty much launch in a ditch on the side of the road. He "says" that there doesn't have to be much more than a foot of water and his boat floats right up off his trailer. Do y'all have any idea what he's talking about?

Sounds like a ford v. chevy argument has broken out.

Come on man your Arkansas Razorback skin is thicker than that.

It aint a Ford Chevy arguement. I don't like those arguements at all. The whole point of the post is your not going to get good information about the differnet brands of mud motors from anyone on the internet. Everyone is biased about the different mud motors. I have had Beavertail, Mud buddy and Go deveil ect. They all have good features, they all break down, they all run through mud like it was hot butter.

Take the Mud Buddy. I had one and it started and ran everytime I hit the key. Had a factory recall, contacted the manufacturer and they sent me to the closest local dealer. A day later the problem was fixed. I have no gripes about the motor. What I did notice was the tilt and trim were housed in a box welded to the tiller handle. It was semi exposed to the elements. Yeah I could take it off and put a new switch but it certainly wasn't going to break in my barn, it would be out there somewhere where there are no switches. The other part was I have whacked the crap out of some rocks gong to a duck spot on the Colorado. The housing was molded aluminum. You crack that housing and it is done. You see it was little things that bothered me.

So when I stepped up in motor size I asked myself what is it I really require in a motor. Get to the place I want to go and get back. The less to go wrong the better. Part of that is the housing has to be strong. It does you no good to have fantastic internal parts if the housing is week.

The first time I saw a Go Devil Surface Drive I thought it was the ugliest thing I have ever seen. After I got all the uncle, cousin, guy at the store, internet horsecrap out of my head I was able to see what it was I needed in a mud motor. That is simple, strong and reliable. My choice happened to be Go Devil because it is simple strong and reliable.

With all that being said I have no problems with other motors. If you pick a feature on anyone of the motors and you like it then great, go buy it. I have no dog in the mud motor wars, Ford Chevy ect. I can't stand the "My motor will eat your motor for lunch" hogwash. I can't stand the "This is the best motor made" BS. That is as high school as it gets.

The same thing goes for the internal modifications to the Mud Motors. They were not designed to be mud rockets and can't handle the major internal overhauls. Talk to anyone who has hopped them up and they will all eventually keep paying out the arse for broken down motors and eventually will stop. They go back to stock and the motors last a lot longer. You could not tell them before they did all the mods because they knew Kilroy who done it to his motor and he flies across the mud. All that internet cloudiness you can't see the big picture.