ok so im looking to buy a new rig and my first ever mud boat rig. ive wanted one for a couple years now but kept putting it off. i will use the boat for bowfishing, duck hunting and running shallow rivers. my idea boat size would be a 18 foot with 16' being the minimum. im caught up between 54 and 60 inch bottom. i want a stable platform becasue i plan to use the boat on lakes going to and from grassy coves and rich gated communtiy personal boat docks to snag those fed carp! haha

i have not decided what brand boat i wnat or just go with a custom boat. i do have a pretty nice boat built in my mind so thats not a big deal at this point.

the part i can not decide on is what motor will work best. i really like Prodrives. i dont expect to hit 40mph or anything but i dont want to do 12mpd like my buddy who has a longtail. at this point speed is my primary concern in deciding what size boat to go with. if i was to get a 1860 or 1854 what speeds would i be looking at with what size motor?

any help would be highly appreciated!!!
thanks guys!

prodrive vs gator tail??

anyone????

i need some input from people who have had these setups!!

please!!

Have you tried the search button to find any of these answers? All of your questions have been discussed in length on this forum..

Once everyone wakes up today you'll get plenty of opinions. Most of it comes down to the reverse and personal preference. If you're going to be doing a lot of bowfishing, I'd recommend the GTR because of the instant reverse feature. I'm fairly certain you're not going to want to slam into one of those docks. The pro drive takes a little longer to engage the reverse feature.

yeah i have to keep reminding myself that its the middle of the night and im stuck at work LOL

thanks for the input! i def will be doing a lot of bowfishing, and even in duck hunting that would be more handy.

Test drive them both if you can. I have a PD, but don't have anything negative to say about GT either. It is going to be your personal preference. PD is supposed to drive most like an outboard and has FPR, but GT digs deeper in mud and has instant reverse. Whatever you do, get one with reverse and test them both.

Hey Carpkiller,
In my personal opinion I have been running the 36hp with an 1860 Phowler Extreme for 4-5 years now and it's my favorite rig to run 1-2 people im hitting mid 20's and 3-4 im hitting upper teen's I would be happy to write up a quote for ya and let you know what your looking at for this set up we also offer bow fishing decks built to your specs. PM me if you want to know more.

This weekend i wondered how i would have retrieved our ducks without reverse....The ducks were against the bank and the tide dropped and they had about 10ft of mud to get to them,,,had to run up and woudnt have been able to push off for sure...

it looks like any of the motors out there would fit your needs....now decide if you want instant reverse or 4 second fpr reverse or no reverse. If you are only running shallow water any will work well. if you are running mud, the gtr will perform better than the pd. 54" bottom is very stable. there are a couple of very nice used rigs for sale right now and that will save you several grand over new and you could spend that money you have saved to mod your motor.......There is no "right" choice. Look at the options each company offers and see what will fit your needs the most.

Thanks for the help guys! I don't know if I would be able to test drive one unless I did buy a used rig. The only thing I have the option to drive is my buddy's long tail. So lol after driving it I'm sure I would be very satisfied with a pd or gtr. A quick question though.. Would you see a significant difference in a 1860 vs an 1854 (let's say both with with a gtr35) when it comes to mud or speed?

The reverse on gator tail suits my needs better then Prodrive reverse.

tchauvin, is that mud too thick for a dog? I'd lose half my birds if I didn't have a dog, whether I had reverse or not.

the 54 would be lighter and have less to push in the mud.......my 54 was plenty stable.....

Where area are you from? If you're not running a lot o mud I say go with the 0" bottom. Easier to add mods to a motor for speed if you need it later than it is to add width to a boat. If your looking at used rigs buy the one you get the best deal on because it sounds like PD it GTR will both work for you

I recently built a 1754 with 24" sides that is pretty heavy and mostly used for bowfishing. It ran 25 stock with a worn prop
Not sure what it's gonna do with the new prop but if you're not looking to set speed records you will be happy with either width boat

It would run 27-28 at 4100 rpm in deeper water good prop.....when i sold it we gpsed it going out that morning 3 guys, and gear we ran 19 in a light chop.... and thats with 330 something hours on the motor.

i live in east TN, so we have a bunch of TVA lakes. there bad to drop the lakes wayyyyy down in the winter so i would be running mud often in duck season going to our blinds. as for bowfishing i run deep water from boat docks to get to shallow coves where we fish. yeah i know i wont be no where near as fast as my buddys bass boat, but id rather fish where he cant LOL

what would be a good price for a used boat, 1860 with a GT35? seems like the ones i find are nearly as high as a new one? do they hold their retail that good or are people just trying not to loose their tail when it comes to upgrading??

I have a 18'50" with 24" sides with a 36PD, I haven't gps'd it yet but i have had mine look like jed clampet going to the camp and ran with no problem. PD to GTR is like Ford and Chevy. Each has its followers and each really does have a unique thing they do which sets them apart. Fishing, frogging and other water sport activities, I might have chose a GTR. The reverse is similiar to a boat reverse and is pretty quick. I chose PD due to the fact where I hunt. I really needed the full power reverse, and it has gotten me out of a jam several times. GTR's are a little faster, but some PD owners will never agree to that. Depehding on your boat options, you could get a custom built hull around here for about $5000-$6000, some cheaper, some more expensive. The motor, also depending on the options (performance mods) can run from $7000 to well over $10,000. After hunting season is the best time to look around, there is always that person that needs the next best thing and will dump a perfectly great rig for a good price. Just keep your eyes open.

Very pleased with my rig. Was purchased used from this forum. Has enough room for 2 which I mainly hunt plus dog and decoys. Been windy and have had no worries crossing parts of the open bay. Always run 29-31 mph, by myself or with the wifey!

I'm a Prodrive guy all the way. Even though reverse takes longer to engage, It is far more powerful than a Gatortail in the thick stuff. But, it sounds like you will primarily be in clean open water. In that case I think the Gatortail would fit you well with its instant reverse.

18x60 3/16 bottom 24" sides two people 13 gallon fuel 300# of other miscellaneous weight... 23.4 mph stock motor.

P.S. I love it!!!

Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk 2

"[/quote]the thepart i can not decide on is what motor will work best. i really like Prodrives. i dont expect to hit 40mph or anything but i dont want to do 12mpd like my buddy who has a longtail. at this point speed is my primary concern in deciding what size boat to go with. if i was to get a 1860 or 1854 what speeds would i be looking at with what size motor?/quote]"

My boat would do faster than 12mph if i didn't have you and 2 other lardasses riding in out

I run a 1754 Prodrive with a Stock 36 Prodrive with FPR. I run around 29mph with just me. And run mid 20s with 2 a dog and hunting gear. Like it has been said Ford and Chevy. Drive all of them if possible then decide. Good luck.

I run a 1754 with a stage 1 GTR. I run 31-32. I love my boat. Perfect size and setup

Just sold my 1852 extreme V Phowler, was a very good boat, it had a stock 36 PD with PBS muffler and would get 28 mph with me, dog and 12 gallons of gas but when loaded dropped to about 20-22mph.

Do you ever get to west TN? I am near Memphis and could take you out to corps of engineer lakes we have here. Sound similar to TVA lakes. They are part of the reason I had my boat built the way it was built. Could let you go out for a ride and see if it is what you expect or not.

Probably not a whole lot of MM rigs out that way, but your best bet is to try and find different rigs and ride in them.


Sent using Morse Code from my not so smart phone.

thanks for the input guys! due to recent floods no one in east TN has to worry about water levels being too low at this time. blueshamu i try to stay away form memphis lol im looking to go to LA here in next few months on a road trip. maybe bring a boat home?? not really sure at this point in time, but if and when i start ill post a thread and maybe see if i can ride in a couple rigs?

thanks again for the help fellas!