We solved the issue by just buying kayaks.

That’s been a thought. Buy a yak for ducks and go with a bass boat.

OP, his issue is he bought a Mudbuddy. Get a Gator-tail the original creator of the mud motor.

If you want to see what people think about mud motors go check out - http://www.mudmotortalk.com/mmt_v2/index.php

LOL, might want to get your facts straight before popping off with a statement like that.

Mudbuddy invented the first belt driven motor and was selling mud motors while Kyle Broussard was still in school. Kyle made and sold his first one 10 years after Mudbuddy so there is your history lesson for the day Hopedale.

Might want to do a little research Hope. GT is not the creator of the surface drive mm. And the opinions over on MMT are as varied as a$$
holes, everybody's got one lol. In fact the head honchos over their told me to flip a coin between MB and GT but when I pressed them most said get a MB simply cause of a few features that really are just personal opinions. (lower motor and trailoring ease on the motor)

I have a G3 center console that I use for both. I have used it for 3 years and it’s awesome for both duck and bass fishing. Is it a good compromise? I believe so. I am selling it now because I am buying a new boat and will either sell or trade it in. I have it listed here so you can see how it’s configured.

https://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/boa/d/duck-and-fish-boat-2014-gsc/6748486184.html

Duck hunting:
Pros
1. I can run super shallow and can get to the same places that my buddy can with his mud motor. One of the things that I have done is installed a set back plate to run shallow. The other thing that I do is use my 80 pound thrust trolling motor high up in the water column to get me even further than I can get with my main motor. I can run my main motor in about 12 inches of water tilted up in my trolling motor in about 8 inches of water.

Cons:
The cockpit of the boat is small if you plan to use a boat blind.. I use an Avery pop-up blind and I can hold about three hunters inside of it comfortably. The other challenge is that you will potentially damage your propeller. I have torn up my prop twice so I do not recommend a stainless steel prop and I carry an extra aluminum prop spare.

Fishing:
Pros:
I am actually selling my boat because I predominately fish with it. I think it’s great for three people however when I take mine to two daughters and my wife there really is not enough room for four people. The boat has a nice casting deck and is laid out sufficiently for Fishing. I predominately hybrid fish so I use rod holders and stand in the cockpit versus standing up on the casting deck however I have stood up there to chase white bass when they are schooling. I actually know some fishing guides to have the same boat. However when I hybrid fish I put a live bait tank on the back deck so there really isn’t a ton of room for four people on the boat in casting.

Cons:
I really only have two negatives from a Fishing standpoint. One are the rod holders attached to the boat I have attached a three rod holder on the center console and there’s also a three rod holder built into the side that you can slide the rods into tubes underneath the back deck. The only other con is that this boat does not react well to high waves. For hybrid Fishing it’s a challenge when the fish are suspended in the middle of the lake on a windy day, for bass fishing I do not think that would be so much of an issue. For duckhunting, it’s typically not an issue because I am not trying to hunt in the middle of the lake.

You can absolutely do both with the right boat.

I have an Xpress 2072 CC w/Yamaha 115 Tunnel Hull and Pods. I also have an Atlas Hydro Jack plate. I can run on plane in 6" and there really aren't too many places I cant get that a Mud Motor Can.

I have a 115 Thrust Minn Kota Ultrex and 2 12' Talons on the back. I also have the Big Helix 12 Graphs. I set it up exactly like I had my past tournament bass boats.

Yes, it is not as stable bass fishing on the TM but it gets the job done for me.

For Duck hunting its awesome. I usually take 5-6 Guys, Dog and 10-18 Dozen Decoys. This boat can handle the big load with the bigger 115 Motor. I have also been caught out on big T in some nasty weather, it wasn't comfortable but i never got worried.

Top Speeds are around 40MPH. I like it so much that I may repower to a 150hp when my motor warranty goes out.

Here are some Pics:

I like it!

Do you or would you run it on the coast or would you be concerned about saltwater induced corrosion issues?

I can’t say that I agree with everyone on this post. I’ve had several Surface Drive rigs over the years, pro-drive and 3 go-devil Surface drives. I had an 18/60 Surface Drive and it was VERY stable, however, keep in mind a surface drive on a big heavy stable boat won’t be very fast at all, like unless you start modding them or running duals. If I was looking for one multi-purpose bit I would strongly consider the Havoc Bass Asassin. It’s 18/60 rigged with a 75 outboard, livewell, v hull, etc

Good conversation.

Nice rigs.

But when anyone tells me they can get an outboard anywhere a mud rig can go I go a bit numb. I've run or rode about everything that floats. From kayaks to cabin cruisers and everything in between.

Be like saying I can take my 4x4 truck anywhere a 4 wheeler can go. Simply not the case.

I roll my eyes every time too. I don't think their stupid...but I do think they are ignorant to the true capabilities of a mud rig.

Ditto and Ditto.

No way you are going to set a mud rig up to duck hunt and be satisfied with the way it bass fishes or vice versa. If you try to meet in the middle and compromise something for hunting and fishing to get what you think is the best of both worlds you are going to completely hate the boat for both. I'm not saying you can't fish out of a mud rig. I fish out of mine on small lakes or farm ponds and it works okay. However, it still blows around like a flag in any wind. You are constantly chasing the azz end of the boat from the front with a trolling motor. Go climb out on a big public lake and there's no way you can fish main lake points like you can in a glass bass rig like you were talking about buying. If someone tells you different, they are either pulling your leg or too stupid to know otherwise.

Something no one has touched on is the safety with kids in these mud rigs. There's no way I'd put my kids in one to go out duck hunting and run the stuff we run until they were older and very strong swimmers. Just not worth the risk to me. My suggestion would be to buy the bass rig and enjoy fishing with the kids in the early years. Get them out in the boat when it's warm and teach them about fishing, boating, and the dangers of being on the water. After they understand and are older, then I'd get the mud rig and start duck hunting with them.

I believe. (Mostly because I want to) that a rig like q-all had would be a good multi purpose rig. Just not gonna do what a mud rig does... but you don't have to to kill ducks.

What ever you do don’t get a long tail mud motor. I have a 23hp Go-Devil nothings wrong with it mechanically, just have two minor grievances with it. 1) it’s slow and hard to handle on long runs, as it’ll make your arm numb with vibration. 2) As I figured out this weekend, you cannot reach the prop from inside the boat. I was throwing out a jerk rig and wrapped the prop like 30 times, as I was hunting deepwater it made for one cold swim. Worst part being I didn’t get a single duck.

To be clear, I am not running my boat across a flat with 2” of water and 4’ of mud but I am running up a creek channel to a shallow cove then tilting my motor until I hit mud then deploying my trolling motor to get the last few feet as close to the spot as we were able to get before both boats bottomed out which is what ultimately stopped both of us. For where I hunt with friends who have mud motors, we can take either boat to the same spots. I bought my outboard rig because I prefer a fishing platform and more often than not prefer to stash my boat and hunt standing in some cover.

If there was a perfect boat for both fishing and hunting, every sportsman would own it. After my first 8-10 boats, I finally figured this out. I now use a Majek 25+ Extreme for fishing and a 1848 Uncle J with a hooped up efi 37 GTR for hunting. Both do their jobs exceptionally well.

I bought a 20yr old bass boat off craiglist for $1200. The boat aint pretty but it runs as it should. Ive started to hunt out of it...... it takes waves like a champ and has built in gun storage ( rod lockers). Not the most conventional duck boat, but it works.