I got a question for you Gator Tail guys. Specifically for those who have the center console steering.

The question is what happens to the motor when you run shallow or hit something? Is it free floating? Does it pop up, pass the obstruction and then drop back down? What forces the motor down as you go through mud.

I am assuming they are electric tilt and trim. If you have a photo of the mechanism/trim motor I would appreciate you posted it up.

I have a GDSD tiller driven. I like it but I believe I would rather have center console steering. I am getting older and things don't work so good on me anymore. Busted up shoulder, back and a knee that aint so lucky makes it kind of a biatch to go fish some places I like to go.

I never get lucky and find mud like in the videos. I always get the crap that is 3 inches of silt and hard sand underneath. Can't make no viseo with that crap. I find I have to lift the tiller as hard as I can to keep the prop in the mud, thus my question as to how the GT stays down if it a free floating system.

I'll thank you in advance.

Motor is not a balanced motor!! It is waited back!! Yes it free floats most cases while running it takes care of itself depends were the trim is at!! When you are trimmed all the way up it kinda acts like a balanced motor which makes it good for hitting logs and what not!! Pretty neat design but don't try to compare it go the way a outboard is!!

Here is a picture of the motor

The trim unit connects the engine frame to the swivel unit to allow proper trim angle. The weighted back desing of the motor will keep the engine down unless you hit an object then the tilt bracket will hinge upward off the transom mount then come back down once the motor clears the object.

Is the trim motor in the red or the blue mark I put on this photo? Makes sense on the weight to the rear to keep the motor down.

Blue

Blue

Like they said abive the Blue is the trim unit and the red is the swivel bracket.

Kewl I believe I can see how all that works. Anybody have a center console steer that can report back here. I was flipping through the photos of one of the mud runs and seen that orange camo center console with the bim top. Other than the paint I believe that boat is the shizzle and would serve me pretty good for what I need it for. I used to fish 2 to 4 days a week but I can't do that with the set up I got now.

& the conversation takes a turn...

I got a 20 foot Gator Trax hull. I would like to keep the hull and mod it to do my thing. What does one of them Gator Tail set ups run price wise.

7300/ motor

+ the steering setup.. that alone is pretty pricy for hydraulic steering and controls.

Check out my review. 2060GTB w/ 35 gtr cc. Search that. And then search "hydraulic steering" thread by timbeaux. It will explain how the trim and steering operate on a cc

WIll do Slambin!! I am jettin out of the office right now but I will check it out tonight.

on the tiller,the gd is prolly the one with less tiller torq imo. but you do have to pull up on it for it to bite in shallow or thick veg.
the gt tiller aint too bad with lite loads.
the gt with console kicks up no problem when you make a jump but that sob slams back down pretty hard after you clear whatever it is you jumped.
steering setup cost me about 2500 extra.
and i find that a fukkin gt prop last me about as long as 2 cartons of cigs.

Also a gtr prop wears fast but still performs pretty good even wore down

People run their boats on sand bars and instead of getting out and walking it out they sit their and grind !! Get home figure out their prop is toast and call for price of new one!! Once they find out that this shit is expensive now it's the manufacture fault!! I Learned this trough experience !! I got props that fit my gt from all the different mm manufacture and their not a one that will withstand a sand bar!! So call me a cheerleader or what ever cause they ain't a got dam person you can blame but yourself!!

calm down delta,nobody said any prop will hold up to sand.i did exaggerate on how long they last me.there isnt another prop that will out perform a new gt prop,thats why i keep buying.maybe part of the reason is that the blades are not as thick,and it doesnt take a genius to figure a thin blade wears quicker than a thicker one.i aint bashing or cheering for one or the other but the facts are that in two years of owning one type i changed the prop once and it was time again at the end of the two yrs.....not too bad imo. in 2.5 yrs(running the same areas)of running the other brand i have gone thru 4 and just bought the 5th prop.....not all that good imo.
feel free to say i dont know what im doing,you got the bestest prop on ya boat,cheer for one,shit on the other,whatever.

and....CREWS....do you know anything about smoking crack?why dont you shutthefuckup you big pussy,the crackheads i know are prolly cooler than you and they dont say dumb shit,they just peek out the window....try it.

I have owned my GTR for 3 years now. I have replaced the prop on average once per season. I am now on my 4th prop. For the 100% sand areas I run I'd say that's pretty damn good! Think I have 6 props sitting around the house after I completed the testing.

I do have a mud prop (slightly modified standard GTR prop) that I put on when I want to play. The thing is a beast and was built back up and thickened on the leading/ trailing edges by Baumann Marine here in Houston. I give up a little top end but the prop works its magic in the mud plus hit holds up twice as long to the abuse.

Agreed Bauman is excelent on outboards - but turned a GD 3 blade
into a paperweight that cost 200 to rework and add material to - yet
we weighed it before it was sent and after it came back and it was
lighter after they "added material" and the blades were no wider just
re-pitched and recupped in a way that was totally useless even in
deep water for use on a GDSD....

Took them a brand new one as a reference - to rebuild to similar
characteristics and dimensions when we dropped it off in person....

But they did buff it out real pretty....

Upon return - it was reworked at no cost.... Still was a paperweight
and after one pass thru a shallow lake the leading edges looked like
a ginsu knife....

Don't waste your time and money they can't do the 3 blade properly - just buy a new one....

Any chance of finding the old two blade new anywhere?