If you guys were hunting north texas lakes would you buy a mud motor style boat or does an outboard work fine. Never been in the back waters of the big lakes and have no idea what it looks like in there. Any info would help thanks!! ~~MATT

Surface drive, handles like an outboard and can get you most places. There's a lot of people who own mud motors now, yes outboards will work fine but if you are in the position to choose then get something that can give you more options.

I used to just run small outboards. Bought a mud motor and said I'll never live without one now.

What you buy will control where you go, so you may want to know where you are looking at going before you make that kind of decision.

Mud motor will probably be better to get you where the ducks are

Ehh I think it depends on how fast you wanna get there.

Mud motors work great in mud. In north Texas most of our lakes are clay type material and even the strongest mud motor will come to a grinding halt when the boat touches that bottom. I built a surface drive and used it all last year and it would allow me to get in less water that the out board but not by much considering how low the lakes are.

Like some have already said it depends on where you are hunting. I will tell you that no matter what the bottom is a surface drive or long tail will roll over stumps much better that and out board which in most of these lakes you are going to hit a lot of stumps

Hey just make sure you get te right length motor ( outboard or surface drive) for what ever boat your using.

Not speaking from experience. But any one if you happen to have a 71 Johnson 25 hp long shaft lower unit laying around let me know.

Ive been using a regular outboard the past couple years in north texas and have had no problems getting to the birds. And it outruns the mud motors if a drag race is necessary.

There is really no comparison, PM me with questions and I can answer questions about them if you like.
Don't see many outboards running 25-30 mph through 2-4 inches of water and stumps like I was yesterday but keep telling yourself the outboard is just as good.

this,

that's what I was doing today as well my friend.

I'm sure outboard with jackplate or airboat could get some places I cannot, but I don't think there is a such thing as "the one perfect boat" for duck hunting, fishing, or anything else for that matter.

Go on some rides around the places you like to hunt on different boats, you'll find the one you like. If your in DFW and want a test ride on a Gator Trax, hit me or Muddyfoot up.

-Matt

check these out bud.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/9-9-15hp-JOHNSON...407&vxp=mtr

Mud motor all the way!

I have to take the other road. I have owned a bunch of mud motors, long tails to surface drives. They are great motors. They are not the sizzle by any means. They are freakin slow. Somebody said 25-30 miles an hour through 2 inches of water and stumps. Come on??? Get realistic. Put wa realistic load in the boat and go before daylight. The boat is not going to get those speeds loaded, you aren't going that fast through stumps. They have their limitations. They are not the "End all shizzle" like they are made out to be. I don't care what people say, you will get stuck like Chuck even with a mud motor, probably worse with a mud motor.

If I were choosing a duck hunting boat this morning I would go with an aluminum 22 foot center console semi V hull with about a 100 hp outboard with a jackplate and tunnel hull. You can fish, duck hunt ect. It can handle big water and get pretty dern shallow. It can handle big loads and still keep the speed. I have hunted the coast my whole life and when I sat down and admitted it, that boat I just described would get me to 99 % of the places I hunt. You give a whole lot just to run through mud when you go with a mud motor. More than I am willing to part with.

I've got an outboard with a jackpate that gets me into the skinny water just fine...sometimes getting out of it is the issue!!

http://youtu.be/6ewbNdkM8MA

got a friend that has one of these said he would never go back to an outboard check out how fast this thing is loaded down. but like a 4wd truck they are guaranteed to get u stuck deeper and further from the house.

mud motor

I would drive both...see what one fits YOUR needs, then make your decision.

Wal,
I respect what your saying but the question was about a "duck Boat" not your opinion about the best all around boat for hunting and fishing.
I have a Champion Bass boat with a 200 hp motor for fishing and family time, this question was about duck hunting.
I run a GatorTrax as well and can take you for a spin if you like, I also had a Godevil before.
You can get stuck with anything but on some of the North Texas lakes we can run in no water and just mud, some you can't run less than 4"s just depends on the bottom.
No need to debate this but offer the guy help if he wants it.

The question was would you buy a mud motor, or WILL an outboard work fine. IMO the answer is either. Both will work just fine. Both have their advantages, and disadvantages.

You could be disapointed with a mud motor if you decide later you want to do a lot of fishing with this boat too, expecially on big water.

I do slow and I don't do stuck anymore. Mud boats are highly overrated and terribly slow. I will buy a center console with an amount outboard later. I just bought the pontoon for fun. I just sold my last mud rig because I am sick of getting stuck and going nowhere fast. I don't do either of those anymore

Actually going fast in a mud boat can get you in trouble real quick too. I run 30 with 3 guys and all gear. Running thirty in skinny water can and will get you in trouble if you don't know the lay or the land...err, more like lay of the water. I can run 4 guys and gear in the high 20's. still fast enough to get you into trouble. The main thing I like about my mm is I can just up a heavy load in anything as long as I am floating.

It's not running fast in the shallows I was talking about. It is getting from one point to the other.

Listen to Homey.

For all around use, lakes, bays, rivers, nothing beats a good surface drive MM rig.

Note I said ALL AROUND use.

If I were only running shallow bays with no stumps, I'd run a airboat. Tradeoff...You can't use em in most WMA's, and in stump filled environments and tight creeks, they just won't work. You bring an airboat to Toledo and you're peeing in the wind. Then there is the increased cost on fuel and upkeep. It can get ridiculous with an airboat.

Big open water lakes, and outboard rig will work OK. Tradeoff... If you wanna get back in the grassy areas where ducks like to stay, you'll have heck keeping that outboard cool. Fighting an outboard in the grass is a PITA. Run forward, stop tilt engine up, clear prop, watch pee hole reverse to clear grass, etc, etc. All at zero dark thirty while trying to watch your gps in the fog.

I've said this before and it's worth repeating. The biggest benefit to running a surface drive is scouting. I can cover 5 times the water in a day looking for birds than I could in an outboard. You can hold plane and run about 10-15 mph w/o worrying about busting your lower unit on a stump. With an outboard, it's all idle once you're out of the boatlanes.

Maybe a surface drive is not as fast as an outboard, or won't run as shallow as an airboat, but for overall ease, Surface drive get's the nod.

JMHO

Very well said, Sunrise, good information there.