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advantages/disadvantages to regular to long shafts?


I don't know anything about them been thinking of getting another boat set up. Need to know what to get.

I wish i could afford a boat, bc then i would be wishing i could afford a Prodrive to go on said boat that im not able to afford. and then thats what id put on there if i was ever able to afford it.

duckkillerclyde wrote:advantages/disadvantages to regular to long shafts?


I don't know anything about them been thinking of getting another boat set up. Need to know what to get.

Advantages of a long tail are shallow running. If I am already moving I can go through 2" of water with my flat bottom boat and the LT, if I am at a stop it takes a little more to get moving maybe 5-6" of water.

Disadvatages are speed. With a 40hp long shaft outboard I was doing over 35mph in my boat. Now I can get 20 if it's empty with just me and the dog. Loaded down for hunting around 15mph. I'm using a 25hp go devil.

I don't have a whole lot of experience with them I've just researched them a lot when I was looking at getting one.

Longtail- More tiresome to drive due to prop torque, big prop pulling on a six foot shaft. A little more learning curve to running one. The further reach of the longtail allows you to pick it up and drop it in a spot with more water or push the boat around easier. Look at the new super longtail with gear reduction.

Surface drive- Runs more like an outboard and can push a larger load due to gear reduction. Longtails are generally slower and don't push a load very good.

The hull design is just as crucial as the motor and will greatly dictate how the rig performs overall. Rounded chine boats turn better and don't get as stuck as regular square chined boats.

I know 3-leg runs a surface drive and Olly runs a longtail so maybe they can give you better info.

Everybody is pretty much spot on, but there are exceptions. If the mud is "soupy" enough there doesnt have to be any water on top of it. I have come to a complete stop in the middle of sloppy mud that is a few feet deep. Hit the throttle on either my long tail (that I sold to get the short drive), or my hyper and had the boat on plane in no time. If you have to do lots of turning the surface drive will be your friend. I noticed the LT was better at getting the boat moving in thick veggies like tules, if you are already on step when you hit the weeds they both do fine. The LT is deff more labor intensive to run. Sandy bottom will kick your nuts with either motor, I have been told guys can go through a prop ($220) in under 20 hours of run time in the sand. The one place where I found the LT to excel over the hyper is shallow water with hard bottom that is broken up. Like where you have that tule root mat where it is solid chunks and deep holes. The LT with its longer reach usually can be moved around to find a deeper hole to get traction.

In the end they will both go just about anywhere, it just depends on how fast you want to go and how much you want to spend. The hyper also takes way less muscle to drive.

For those of you who have mud motor or have had, what's the difference in maintenance cost? I ask this because people I have known that hunt 40 days or more per season say their cost of operation is pretty high and, you almost need to be a tech to keep up with the routine repairs with out getting buried in repair bills. The downtime during the season was also a complaint I heard.
I've never had one, I've always run pumps. I didn't spend a ton on repairs for pumps but, that vegetation shuts you down when it gets in the pump.

QH's Paw wrote:For those of you who have mud motor or have had, what's the difference in maintenance cost? I ask this because people I have known that hunt 40 days or more per season say their cost of operation is pretty high and, you almost need to be a tech to keep up with the routine repairs with out getting buried in repair bills. The downtime during the season was also a complaint I heard.
I've never had one, I've always run pumps. I didn't spend a ton on repairs for pumps but, that vegetation shuts you down when it gets in the pump.

You're better off getting an airboat than a mudboat.

duckkillerclyde wrote:
You're better off getting an airboat than a mudboat.

Hiding an airboat would be pretty hard.

Sent from your honey hole.

duckkillerclyde wrote:

QH's Paw wrote:For those of you who have mud motor or have had, what's the difference in maintenance cost? I ask this because people I have known that hunt 40 days or more per season say their cost of operation is pretty high and, you almost need to be a tech to keep up with the routine repairs with out getting buried in repair bills. The downtime during the season was also a complaint I heard.
I've never had one, I've always run pumps. I didn't spend a ton on repairs for pumps but, that vegetation shuts you down when it gets in the pump.

You're better off getting an airboat than a mudboat.

Everything I've heard from people with air boats is it's way more the money pit than any other boat by a lot. To be fair these are all run in salt....

Olly wrote:

duckkillerclyde wrote:
You're better off getting an airboat than a mudboat.

Hiding an airboat would be pretty hard.

Sent from your honey hole.

Coastie, here on the Columbia, lot's of guys just ditch their boats off in a distance or in a spot to keep birds from landing there and then set up on the bank. It's actually funny, you see a guy with a sweet duckboat and they rarely sit in it to hunt. Some just use their boats to transport marsh boats to the estuary or marsh area and then ditch the main boat too.
For that type of application an airboat would probably work. I don't know what the draw backs are for an airboat because no one around here runs them. I would think they would be tough to use in rough water and stormy weather, which is something we have plenty of around here.

QH's Paw wrote:

Olly wrote:

duckkillerclyde wrote:
You're better off getting an airboat than a mudboat.

Hiding an airboat would be pretty hard.

Sent from your honey hole.

Coastie, here on the Columbia, lot's of guys just ditch their boats off in a distance or in a spot to keep birds from landing there and then set up on the bank. It's actually funny, you see a guy with a sweet duckboat and they rarely sit in it to hunt. Some just use their boats to transport marsh boats to the estuary or marsh area and then ditch the main boat too.
For that type of application an airboat would probably work. I don't know what the draw backs are for an airboat because no one around here runs them. I would think they would be tough to use in rough water and stormy weather, which is something we have plenty of around here.

If you plan on ditching the boat and travel over mainly marshy areas the an airboat would indeed be a good choice. I was thinking of hunting from an airboat. If I take my boat out I always hunt from it.

Sent from your honey hole.

QH's Paw wrote:For those of you who have mud motor or have had, what's the difference in maintenance cost? I ask this because people I have known that hunt 40 days or more per season say their cost of operation is pretty high and, you almost need to be a tech to keep up with the routine repairs with out getting buried in repair bills. The downtime during the season was also a complaint I heard.
I've never had one, I've always run pumps. I didn't spend a ton on repairs for pumps but, that vegetation shuts you down when it gets in the pump.

I have 168 hours on my current surface drive, also had 120 hours on the long tail - the only maint on both boats were oil changes and an occasional prop. Knock on wood, I've had good luck so far.