Pros and Cons on beavertail pods???????????? Pods with an outboard????? pods with a tunnel???????????? Pods with a surface drive??????????????

What makes you think you need pods? Give us some more info. Typically if you think you need pods for a boat with a surface drive, you really need a bigger boat. Pods can be done with surface drive but it will really cut down on your turning radius more than likely. Pods work well with a tunnel hull and with an outboard. Why do you need pods?

Hello

I'm currently running a fisher 1448MV. ( 14' lengh, 48" flat bottom, 72" transom width, modified V bow.) I have a '97' mercury 25hp. tiller. I have a custom made hydralic jackplate, which will raise the motor up 6' to 8' above the normal transom height while setting the motor back 12" from the transom. It will run very well and still pee water.
I hunt the Sacramento River here in norhtern California, hunt during the winter fish it during the summer. Shallow water clearance is the problem. The Sacramneto river is general all ROCKS with sand mixed in a few areas.
I felt that with pods and maybe a tunnel I could raise the motor up further to give additional shallow water clearance.
How well does a surface drive mud motor do in rocky conditions???????
The additional weight of a mud motor is another factor. Right now I run about 150lbs at the transom ( motor and jackplate ) most mud motor I have looked at run about 250 lbs range.

Hope to get some advice

Thanks

Drpdeadfred

Only thing the pods affected in a negative way on my boat was the full power reverse. You can only get the motor down under the pods in deep water so its useless now. But it raised the back of the boat up nicely. Completely eliminated the backwash problem, and seemed to help a lot with hole shot. Didn't affect the turning radius at all. I can turn the motor all the way in either direction. Didn't help or hurt speed or turning while running WOT.

yeah, i stand corrected. turning radius would only be affected if you had a narrower boat. if its wide enough to clear your good to go!