I have a 1548 allweld flat bottom. At the moment I have a 9 hp long tail. We make 8 everywhere we go wether it is loaded down or not.

I'm thinking of going to a sd. I can have pods or a hunt deck welded on easily. I want to run 28-30 by myself and 25 with 2 people. I like the copperhead 23 the best because of its weight. But I could make my boat float a 25 gtr or 27 gdsd. What you guys think my best bet is

How do you feel about reverse?

You won't see 30 out of that boat it's just to short. I have a 15-48 G-3 pretty much the same boat. I'm running a 23 SD on it. I get 23-24 with just me 19-20 two guys and gear. The weight is what kills ya I can't run 3 guys won't get on plane. I would love to put a 35 on it to see what it would do. Still don't think it will hit 30 mph thou.

I want reverse for sure

If your gonna buy a 25 gatortail you might as well just go ahead and get the 35.. If I remember correctly the 25 is only like 15 pounds lighter. And you WILL beat that hull to death if you run any kind of stumps, so might as well get the 35 for when you replace your current hull with something better (which will happen)

I'd be worried I'd tear my transom off with a 35. It's rated for a 25.

Haha I hear you on that! I know a guy that does good welding, I am gunna get him to build it up to a 20" and add some braces and a seatbelt. Hahaha

How low did the 14x42 sit in the water?

You still had good performance with it drafting that much? Like getting on plane in shallow water vs. Deep water

Ok thanks man

I just put my 35 gtr on my 15x42 . Now im just waiting to get off the boat to see how it works.

On my boat I ran 28-29 mph

23 HP Go Devil Surface Drive. Fuck reverse lol
If you need reverse then go 25 GTR. I am going to go against the grain and not reccomend the 35HP. Your boat is small and you will get all you need out of the 25. A 1548 won't carry a load so you will not need the HP needed to carry extra weight. You will get decent speeds with 2 people out of the 25HP on that boat. In fact, you might as well get the new Ducks unlimited special 25HP GTR

I ran a BD4500 on a Short Transom 16x44 Alweld for two years. The 15x48 will handle it!

This was my 1442 with a GT31. It was floating here with my dad and son in the middle. Not much free board if your going with a 35 on it man.

I dont have reverse, but i think reverse adds about 25lbs or so...

My frist boat was a 15 by 48 bass tracker with a 36 prodrive. I braced the shit out of the transom after we cut it down to 16 inches For the prodrive I bought. I had about 4 inches of freeboard , but if you let off to fast it would wash over a little. It did 29mph unloaded 27 with 3 of us in deep water. But on the other hand the boat was a piece of shit tin can that barely made it though one duck season. Basically buy the motor that fits your needs and be ready to upgrade to a better suited hull.