Looking for Advice on Mud Motors

[chocdogs]

Looking for any advice on mud motors. I am looking at purchasing a short shaft mud motor to hunt a few of the lakes and rivers in southern ab. I want to be able to run in some skinny water and do not want to have more than one motor. Thoughts and or advice.

[Cal]

Deffinatly interested in seeing where this one goes. I feel too young to quit hunting from the canoe just yet but maby when I turn 40 or so and get soft I could see putting a mud motor on somthing.

[gatorhunter]

http://www.godevil.com/

Hope it's okay to post this link. Find the Alberta dealer. Luke's Town Service is the Manitoba dealer.

23 h.p. Vanguard on a 14'6" Jon works real nice.

[snortwheez]

They work GREAT if your gonna be running them in 2 feet or less.
Other then that, there bulky and very slow.
Used one for 2 seasons.

[ALBTUFF]

Originally Posted by snortwheez

They work GREAT if your gonna be running them in 2 feet or less.
Other then that, there bulky and very slow.
Used one for 2 seasons.

X2 for some reason they work better in shallow water than deep water. Have had mine for 7-8 years now. Go where ever you want, don't get it stuck tho pain in the arse to get them out. Biggest probelm I've had was most of the lakes I want to go in don't have boat launchs so your dragging it in and dragging it out. If you have any questions just ask.

[nof60]

How are they in rocky conditions?

[ALBTUFF]

Originally Posted by nof60

How are they in rocky conditions?

Sand and gravel dig that Tiger Prop in and watch the sparks fly lol Big rocks you got to watch for, the skeg is pretty tuff and will deflect you for the most part. I've hit a few boulders that have put a couple dents in the prop but nothing major. I've hit rocks, jumped logs, went over 4' tall beaver dams and than turned around and went back up. I've even jumped a shopping cart cruising the sturgeon river in St. Albert. Very tuff motor!















This is out right stuck

[Cal]

Nice pics ABTuff. Enjoyed them. I'll have to pick your brain sometime about mud moters and johnboats.

[threeforthree]

I have ran one for about 8 years now on my third motor always going bigger , I can run about 28-MPH GPS and have no trouble in large or small water, they are the 4x4 of motors, I run Mud buddy 4500 Black Death,and a excell F4 boat, one of the best vids is this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlSMCKn8ubo..
some ice breaking


www.youtube.com/watch?v=BocJH9PZhec



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEted...eature=related


One of the biggest thing is to have the right boat for the right motor, you can not put this motor on a riited boat it will rip the back end right out with all the torque. if you need I can hook you up with the national rep for Mudbuddy, a good friend of mine. PM me

[gatorhunter]

ALBTUFF. Should get yourself the handle bar to hold on to. So much better to balance yourself AND keep from falling overboard.

http://www.godevil.com/Images/grabbar.jpg

[ALBTUFF]

Originally Posted by gatorhunter

ALBTUFF. Should get yourself the handle bar to hold on to. So much better to balance yourself AND keep from falling overboard.

http://www.godevil.com/Images/grabbar.jpg

I have one, I made it 7 or 8 years ago when I got the boat. Never put it on....maybe one day. Have you experienced this falling overboard before?lol

[chocdogs]

Thanks for all of the replies have any of you found a need for the reverse. I see only a couple of manufacturers have this option. I also noticed that most of you guys are running a long shaft from what i can gather. I am assuming this is not as much of issue considering we are not hunting in flooded timber and the manouverability is not as critical. I am getting excited about building my boat.

[Cal]

Are the Pro Drive units that Explorer industries carrys good? They refer to them as a "shallow water outboard" and not a mud motor but they look like a mud motor, is there any difference? From the specs given on them they seem pretty good but I havnt heard to much about them.

[ALBTUFF]

Originally Posted by chocdogs

Thanks for all of the replies have any of you found a need for the reverse. I see only a couple of manufacturers have this option. I also noticed that most of you guys are running a long shaft from what i can gather. I am assuming this is not as much of issue considering we are not hunting in flooded timber and the manouverability is not as critical. I am getting excited about building my boat.

No mines not a long tail, its an early model of the MudBuddy Hyperdrives. Its also a tall transom model so its 4' long (3' for short transom) compared to the 8' longtail. Thinking next year of going with the 35hp, if cash permits it will be a black death like 343 has.

[trouter]

Keep the pictures and thoughts comming. I recently bought a welded Explorer Industries jon from a member here and am looking at bulding or buying a mud motor. Looks like most of you guys are running short tails, any one run long tails in alberta?


this is the boat im hoping for. It rated for 20hp so I like the looks of the 16hp vanguard or test my luck with the 23.




Thanks fo another great thread!!

[gatorhunter]

I wouldn't want reverse cause the driver, boat and passengers would all get covered in loon...., dead fish, whatever that prop chews up.

These things are not like air boats. You need some water under the boat and motor so you have to pick your spots. They go through and over A LOT but not everything!

ALBTUFF...haven't gone swimming or sinking and I'd really like to keep it that way! haha. I just find that the long motor control handle has a mind of its own and then the swing diameter on turns or even hitting a dead head can send the driver overboard in a heartbeat. The Holy.... bar was not invented for nothing.