Just completed a duck boat and mud motor build.

http://imgur.com/a/em0EQ

I am impressed at your skills. What in the sam happened to that boat? Somebody rear end it on the trailer and force it into a tailgate?

Oh and I bet your neighbors love you. All nice stone decorations and landscape and then you, redneck, welding and grinding until all hours making a duck boat. Keep the power of the Redneck Nation alive my man!!!

Boat was at ranch. Strong winds came through and blew it into a fence corner. Pretty sure it was flipping end over end. It is a big boat also, 18' length by 84" beam. Was to nice to scrap...

Could you pm me some info on the mud motor? I'm wanting to build one.

Yep, I would have seen this and thought... Junk, and you said, hey I can make a duck boat... LOVE IT

I bought an 90's model Briggs 18 HP that wasn't running and did a complete rebuild. Bought some flat plate from the scrap yard, 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut out and welded together frame with square tubing as main support. Welded some cast iron clamps to hold mount to transom. Bought driveshaft from Mcmaster Carr along with a sealed bearing, pillow block and sandwich clamp. Bought lovejoy connection from Northern Tool. Most expensive part was getting driveshaft machined to be tapered and threaded.

Only regret is not getting a larger engine. With a 18' boat that motor will not get into the high RPM's with the prop fully submerged. May try a smaller prop here shortly...

Very impressive sir.

now thats a sweet little rig man

Nice

Nice rig, love boat projects...in the process of building a homemade mm myself

Reminds me of my old neighbor in Houston who kept an airboat parked in his driveway during duck season. He got a nasty letter from the HOA, so he threw Christmas lights on it, put a Santa in the suicide chair and put a sign in his yard that said, "This Christmas display sponsored by _______ HOA".

Waterfowler817, What type of Alumnimum Welder are you using? Great Job on the Restoration of "Scrap" to most people....

Great job man! I want to learn how to weld aluminum one of these days.

I could weld steel real well, both stick and mig and had been looking for an excuse to get a nicer welder. I went with the northern tool combination welder after reading all of the reviews, it does stick, mig and tig and comes with a spoolgun for right around $800. It also has like a 3 year warranty... I watched some instructional videos and welded some scrap successfully and just started welding.... It doesnt look like stacks of dimes everywhere but it got the job done and doesnt leak from any weld.

What steel and diameter is the drive shaft?

1117 steel, 3/4" diameter. I originally had it unbraced from the lovejoy connection to the rear bearing at the propeller, approx. 6'. It worked great through high rpm's out of the water but got the wobble under a load at mid RPM's. Installed a pillow block about 1/3 of the way from the lovejoy and now it spins like butter.

bit of an overachiever! incredible job

You need to add some length to that trailer. It appears to be about 3' too short for that boat. It will wear out that boat in a hurry if its not supported.

Amazing skills, that boat would have gone to the scrap yard if I owned it.

Nice work.