I've seen several posts on this topic.
For those of you that don't know me my name is Corey Crochet owner of Cottonmouth Custom Boats. I don't post a lot but this topic is the whole reason I build boats so Here goes......
I'm the guy always trying to make boats go where they are not supposed to. Two of the rivers I love to fish the most "Amite and Comite" are very challenging mixture of current, sand, rocks, shallows and lots of trees. Throughout the years we've ran:
Outboards w/ tunnels in my evil knievel days
Jets w/ notch tunnel-too slow and heavy
Airboats- an expensive headache

And then came surface drives.....
They were descent but still lacked some key ingredients for this application as stated in many of these posts and the whole reason for the xlr8 and cottonmouth. After many trial and error attempts we combined a 14-16' self lifting hull design with our recessed transom and a 23 copperhead and the results have been awesome not just in hard bottom but also heavy vegitation and thick mud and stumps. I know the small engine don't accommodate everyone so we have been testing the xlr8 in larger hulls with the gtr. Hope my boats can help people reach those "unreachable" places.

How is that design going to help it take back off on a shallow hard bottom?

You are on to something to keep grass from balling up on the belt housing but I see no advantage with a hard bottom.

Looks like it helps keep more weight forward. Kinda like pods with a longtail.

Nice post...

Nice looking hull too - pointed bow option sure might be nice in tight timber...

Good to see guys trying new inovations like that unique transom / huntdeck design...

Riverrat it does help keep weight forward but also keeps it from squatting when planing. It basically shoots out flat.

Size of that first hull with the Copperhead ?

What speeds with 1 2 or 3 guys ???

I would run a longitudinal brace or two all the way to the back of that opening and then a cross brace on top of that from pod to pod.

That will get cratered up in a heartbeat when in the stumps IMO

subscribed.

Giga it's a 15x48 stock 23 and 28 light and 24 w/3 men 200-240. Woodie the plate in the opening is part of the transom and 3/16" on top of 1/8" with circle welds. I've made it flex being retarded and jumping on it but it returns flat. I did start adding one crossbace for the bigger motors but don't think it's necessary just being safe. I run six hat channel longitudal braces, four go to back wall and two tie into transom/recess with cross brace 8" in front of transom/recess.
Blue we actually get more dig in the slop because our transom height is lower and can still trim all the way down. Plus there is no void for the thick mud to pile up.

Guys I've beat myself up working my ass off for a year and a half getting the xlr8 just right...... I would not put my reputation on the line with some bullshit. This thing is an animal and has gone places in the spillway I've tried to access for years.

You taking it to SETX??

Subscribed

Giga I don't think they do. Might have to borrow a gd serial number so I can buy one and try it. I've been looking into other prop options a lot lately. Josh had
a one off test prop we ran on 1548 and pushed 30-30.5. Their new prop pushes 28-28.5 out the box but gets faster as it wears in. It's very thick and has a heavy cup.

The guy that owns this one did carb, exhaust and heads after he got some hours on it. He carries the heaviest 3 man plus dog load I've ever seen..... Like he lives in it. Says he runs 27 consistent. I asked him what it ran empty....... He said I'm a duck hunter it's useless empty lol.

I'm not for sure. They have been forced to change prop suppliers multiple times because they can't fill their orders.

The sd outboards have a terrible weight to hp ratio . 35 GDSD go about 270 lbs and pro drives about 340s lb with two pumps.

Moving that weight forward is a positive thing. Your little boat is attacking the water very well in the photo.

When I updated my kevelar hull I wanted to make the new boat longer so I added 6" of foam to the back of the boat to make a fake transom with the intent of removing it after making the new mold. I got he idea of notching out the foam to work with my gdsd. I added 3 " of width to the back of the boat with a 11/2" spray rail a little above the chine. And 3/4" pad height.I added 200 lbs to the hull making the changes. I used to draw 10" I am floating 3" or 4 "higher with out any weight up front to counter ballance the motor. I know I increased displacement ,but believe that moving the weight of the motor just 6" forward is very positive. The boat runs much higher and leaves much flatter when starting off in deep or shallow water, and it breaks suction in the mud much better.


They have been moving outboard forward on the great lakes going back to the 60's, and Fla style flats boats and texas schooters for 20 years. Why would't it make sense with heavy mudmotors. Pods do the same thing and work well if you you don t have reverse

I solved the squatting problem with a longer hull......I like the experimental design....I dont think it would be good in the marsh around setx.... seems like the mud would pile up in between the pods adding weight. maybe kick the bottom between the pods up to push mud underneath the hull when using reverse. Im not sure what could be done to keep mud from building up in the recessed transom ....... hard bottoms are not much of a problem if the boat floats.

Just keep going ---- Just keep going ---- Just keep going....

A MM doesn't need reverse ---- if it just keeps going....

Never killed a single duck - or caught a single fish - stopped in the "thick stuff" - that
happened in the clearing on the far side ---