Some of you may have remember that I had an electrical fire this year at the begining of the season, I'm still outta commission. So I was talking it out with my dad, he's pretty bummed that we can't get out to where the birds are. Motor is fixable but he wants to get out to the marsh.

So he was talking about taking my outboard off my 17'x54" all welded boat and adding a mud motor in its place.

The questions..... I know that I need a minimum 27hp surface drive to power my boat. So suggestions on surface drives?

I know that I will need to modify the boat a little bit with some welding to strengthen the transom to start, that wont be a problem. Any other suggestions on things I may be over looking?

I know that a couple of the guys here have some mud motors mounted on some regualr jon style boats. I was curious to how those boats run?

Hey Pm Brett, (Fowldreams) he just put prodrive on his xpress 1754....

If it's an option, I would sell the hull you have and get a slickbottom boat otherwise I think you will be frustrated alot. I have a 27pd on a 16ft Jon boat, it runs ok but not like it should. I think after this season I'm goig to sell the hull I have and get a mud motor specific boat. Also with a 17x54 boat you are probally going to want a 35hp, I just don't think 27 will do it.

We still haven't finished our 14 foot john boat (duck boat) project I started last year, it has been on hold because of $$$$$. I need to power it with something that would get me around in the shallows of the Barney and was thinking about this....http://godevil.com/9hp_HONDA.html
The boat is rated for a 10 horsepower outboard so I figure that is about as much as it is going to handle safely. The boat is not a slick bottom boat as well. I guess the chines create issues for getting over things in the shallows???????

Boudreaux,

Go with a Gator-tail. My cousin got a 35hp and for $500, Gator-tail welded/re-enforced his transom and painted his boat.

Now if your are not in a hurry, you may get a deal come spring. Cousin told me a lot of folks maybe getting rid of there rigs after the season. They just don't have the birds in south Louisiana like they use to.

pm sent Boudreax

all good points. I may or may not get me a mm specific hull.

And def. on a 1754 you will want a 35!!!

I just talked to one of the guys I graduated from H.S. with in Louisiana on Facebook. He told me the mallards had really been way off in north Louisiana and was wondering what we were seeing. I told him it had been slow here too. It's to dry there and DFW has literally sucked all the life out of our duck hunting here.
I've got this "project", a 14 foot jon boat with a trailer and most of the stuff to rig it out for fishing and hunting. I've been thinking about selling it "as is" and just buying the rig I need. Just as soon as I see what college is actually going to cost me and I don't get financially swamped by it, I'll prolly just buy me a surface drive rig ready to go this summer. I looked at one @ BPS Bossier the other day and they wanted almost $20K for it, with tax, prep, and tags it would be over that amount easy. I ain't spending anywhere near that much.

if i had the money this would be in the garage

http://houston.craigslist.org/boa/2116934855.html

That's a steal for a rig, esp one like that! But I'd put good money on it that it already leaks, or will very soon. It's pretty common sense that it's not a good idea to put a MM on a riveted boat, and from what I've heard those Grizzlies are known to leak!

hmm thats a good point really just want that motor ha

WOW 20k for a mud boat!!!! lakeway why dont you drop 15k on a bad a$$ airboat!?

Thought about that, but airboats are prohibited on the Barney. Here's what $20k will get you at BPS Bossier...
http://www.mudbuddy.com/Gator%20Trax%20Boats.htm
Thought about something like this as well, but there are again, legal issues...at what point does it become a boat or an atv...They don't allow atv's on the Barney either.http://www.maxatv.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=52_191&products_id=379

Saw this yesterday while playing on the internet and talking with you guys. This might be the better option. I didn't know they made a surface drive this small. Look at the Robin 9....I have an e-mail out there to Mud Buddy for a price quote. http://www.mudbuddy.com/Mini%20HD%20Lite.htm

It is not a problem for a mud motor on a regular hull so far as moving from point A to point B. It is what happens twix the two points.

One major problem is the stringers in a mud rig run from the front to the rear not side to side. They allow give without creating hooks in the bottom of the boat. A hook is created when a hull is bent against the side to side stringers and the aluminum can't regain its original shape. Running a regular boat across a mud flat where you bound to hit something will eventually destroy that hull.

The other problem is performance. A regular hull is not designed for a what a mud rig is designed for. No one boat will do it all. Mud rigs don't do well in big water, big water boats don't do well in mud.

About to build a 11 ft layout boat..think I'm going to put one the new copper mini surface drives on it.

Copperheadmfg.com

Lakeway one of these Copperhead motors would be perfect for a 14' boat

I've heard nothing but good things about them!

The Copperhead.....I LIKE IT! I just wonder if I can get hot rod parts for it. I know I can take that Honda motor and almost double the horsepower and still be fairly dependable. My son used to cart race and I learned a lot of tricks of the trade while we were doing that. My goal would be to put a surface drive on my 14 ft. boat and pull away from the boat ramp and blow by the guys with the bigger rigs like they were chained to a stump. That would be funny!

I would laugh that's pretty funny..even better if you blew judd out of the water

Dude...Judd had a few 80+mph BassCats so speed and mudboats are not two things that interest me. I want dependability and function.

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah...but you wont like being passed!

Lmao...you went from bass fisherman to the bass..... didn't even need hooks on that lure: )

I could take one of these little beast and ring almost 45 horsepower
http://www.briggsandstratton.com/engines-racing/racing-engines/engine.aspx?model=133230
out of it but it prolly wouldn't last but about one trip to the lake making that kind of power. I could get 15 to 20 hp out of it and still do OK on the dependability. The Honda and the motor Briggs makes called "the animal" will do better numbers than that.

It seriously wouldn't bother me to get passed. I get passed all the time by outboards. I didn't buy this boat for speed, it isn't any hotrod. Matter of fact I would give up some speed for some hole shot when I have 3 in the boat, 2 is fine but I want more holeshot when there is a load Think Steve Glenn would work me a prop