Been looking at a Gator Tail 1860 or maybe an Uncle J and was wondering how a smooth bottom boat does when breaking ice. By mid December in central Illinois we start getting skim ice on the Mississippi River backwater bay water that we hunt and everyone up here just has some old jon boat with a longtail or small Mud Buddy. We can bust up to about an inch of ice before we are froze out. Will a smooth bottom be any different busting ice than a ribbed bottom? Will it wander more? Be harder to control? I see guys on here from further north with mud boats, so what should I expect?

Thanks, all.

LOL Why did the forum software censor the word b@a@c@k@w@a@t@e@r?

I'd say if they can handle slamming logs and jumping shit like people do busting some ice shouldn't be a problem. Plus the brand you mentioned getting are made of. 125 aluminum versus. 100 with most ribbed Jon's so you've got more weight to help too

That was the word after Mississippi river, lol?

backwater

Boat will handle ice fine. You may see some paint come off.

It's no big deal but the sides of the boat really take the abuse. They will flex and shimmer like hell.

The ice breaks from the top but it is stronger from the sides. Think about how you can push ice down with your boot and break it but when your leg hits the edge of the ice it stops it dead.

I wonder if something like the Gator Trax Hybrid would be good/better for breaking ice. I have no experience. Just thinking out loud.

http://www.gatortraxboats.com/p-12-gato ... ybrid.aspx

A mod V will break thicker ice becuase it focuses the weight of the boat on one spot but I would think that a mud hull with the thicker aluminum would be more resistant to ice pokin a hole in it. I broke some ice last year that was 1-2" thick last year with my uncle J without any prob.

Here is mine running through 1/4 inch ice. 17 degrees that night and morning. Sorry bout the bad vid. After a lot of running the bottom was fine. Its .125 as is the gatortail which is pretty thick. The sides had a few scratches on them on the paint. Wierd thing is you would think the scratches would be up front but they're in the back on the sides. Maybe from ice bouncing up. You may have thicker ice there though as im sure its freakin cold up there.

I live in wisconsin from what ive learned they will both break ice but once it starts getting a little thicker a mod v or a old v bottom jon it will kinda ride in the path u have broken the day before as a flat bottom has the tendincy to ride on top of the ice then break kinda like bouncing then breaking if it makes any sense mod v will kinda push it out ofthe way

I live in wi! we break a lot of ice late season. Can be breaking ice wfo and all of the sudden u are on top of the ice not going anywhere , get out holding onto the boat and drag it till it breaks back through. I have a Phowler extreme and no problems

Typically we break ice for as much as a week before it just gets too thick. Then we're done with two weeks, or sometimes more, left. That sucks. Anyway, thanks, all, for the replies. Everyone around here wants the cheapest, used, lightest jon boat they can find, because we're not running (many) stumps and we always go slow and the water is just deep enough to to not get stuck once you get past the silted in mouth of the slough. If you get stuck there, though, you have to get out and lift/push. It's about a mile from the dock to our blind. That's enough ice to have to break through to make me ask the question. The light jon boats do okay unless you run up on the ice and then you have to jump up and down on the bow of the boat. I want something better and nicer than a beat up old jon boat.

We are always breaking ice late season. I run an old 1648 jon right now and I will have to break ice for 8 miles somtimes. It sounds like hell when your in it but it ain't gonna hurt the boat. The max seems to be just over an inch before you can't break it without working hard. The secret is hammer down and run balls to the wall. I love looking back seeing ice cubes flying through the air. Is it november yet.

I'll second that^^

I had a buddy borrow my old jon boat 2 years ago. He went out ta Horicon and had ta have another guy stand on the bow. He'd run the hill onto the ice and have the guy on the bow jump up and down ta break through. Took a couple hours ta get out but it can be worth it if ya can open a hole up bein the only open water fer miles round.

I always know its gonna be a good mornin when I round a certain bend on the WI river and hear ice hittin the boat.

Interesting. We creep through it like we're trying to be quiet. Not much chance of that! I figured it would be easy to run the whole boat up on the ice and be stuck there, or ram a piece right through the hull.

If I was running thick Ice, I'd have a Pro-Drive.

They have more weight on the back side of the pivot than any other motor that would help to keep it down in it, the FPR would prolly be better in the Ice too.
Not a cheerleader or trying to sell you on a motor, but that is my honest opinion.

It will run ice just fine until its to thick for the weight to break through..

Thats when you turn the lower unit around a go the other way..

You could mount a tractor plow upside down on a removable bracket. Attatch to a front end receiver on top and weld on a bracket on the bow, before the rake. Then you could go farther than anyone else and hunt where no one else could. You could also weld some 4" angle aluminum on the bottom or even just a pipe cut in half lengthwise. It would increase the psi on the ice and break it easier.

Yea, I know, those are dumbass ideas, but I'd have to try

Orrrrr

You could mount a flame thrower with propane tanks and some pipe, and melt the ice in front of you!

Fuck yeah!

Paint flames and a shark mouth on the boat too, that would definetly help.

Backwater lol

I think that either of my ideas is safer, less expensive, more practical, and more likely to be effective than flame throwers, although, yes, that would be a nice option to have.

Lets see.

A plow? hmmmm

How bout a Motherfuckin' Flamethrower! Hell yeah! You can burn your own hole in the Cattails too!

and a fleshlight for a stern light. Hell yeah!

Yea, JB-right on!!! And a wagon for a trailer! You make no sense.

Woodie-how long would it take for a flame thrower to melt a 5' x 1 mile hole in a 1" think sheet of ice? Tell me so I can be sure to get the right size flame thrower from my local illegal weapons depot.

A 2" pipe with 1/2" holes burning about 2000CFM should be more than enough

i think if i had to run ice id deff carry an ax in the boat juuussssttt incase... (may be a dumb idea but forgive me, Southern most parish of LA doesnt see much ice unless its in a cooler with beer under it)

What would top speed be with that setup?

For starters, don't hesitate to get a true mud boat and motor from reputable builders. You may miss some speed, but you will never regret it for hunting.

Because the mud boat hulls are typically much heavier than traditional ribbed hulls, they should break ice better. You won't experience any control issues, unless you attack the ice too fast and end up skidding onto the top of a thick patch where the boat can't break through. This is can be a problem with either hull. If you are over deep water, it can be a serious situation.

With regard to potential for damage, your hull is most vunerable in a turn when the sides are being smashed into the ice sideways.

My Phowler fully loaded will break through almost 3" of ice. However, I do not attack ice much over an inch thick at wot. I prefer to proceed slowly as navigating ice is not a prudent move (IMHO) anyhow.

The few times I have navigated thick ice, I have found a chainsaw and a splitting maul to be very useful things to have along.

I too hunt in an area where no one else has mud boats. If you purchase a mud boat, please remember that you will be able to go places (in both mud and ice) that no one else in your area can. This means that if you have a problem you may be on your own. Choose your days, maintain your equipment and prepare your gear accordingly.

Q beam would be better.

If ur huntin ice to thick to break you need an airboat.

^^ I've seen that. And I've seen em flip too and not be able ta stop on the ice.

My old man and his buddies (he's 70) used to build "scratcher boats" out of wood. They mounted side shaft Briggs motors on a pivot kind of like a long tail on the side of the boat, it had a saw blade on it, a big one from a mill or something.

The saw blade bit into the ice and moved the boat, as long as you had bare ice that the boat would stay on top of you could get around. Used a small outboard on back when they fell through.

They commercial fished and trapped fur out of them when conditions were just right. One of those you gotta do what you gotta do type deals. No way whatsoever I would do that.

They later built airboats to trap out of but times were a lot less tough and eventually gave up trapping after it iced up...

"I too hunt in an area where no one else has mud boats. If you purchase a mud boat, please remember that you will be able to go places (in both mud and ice) that no one else in your area can. This means that if you have a problem you may be on your own. Choose your days, maintain your equipment and prepare your gear accordingly."

X2 on this and it applies to mud here in La. When I first got my boat I often went places alone thinking if I got stuck it was gonna be a bitch to get out. At 58 I proceed more carefully. I got stuck that one time and I almost didnt make it back. Was resigned to spending the night in the woods. Finnaly managed to inch my way out. Until you get in that situation you don't know what it's like and you will forever change your behavior.

I'm 17 & bulletproof, If I think I can make it I'm at least gunna try.

I've been stuck really bad a few times, and I'm sure it will happen again.