I just got a 17x46 Gator-tail boat with a 21 inch transom on a hunt deck, and my 25 long tail doesn't push as well as I thought it would. I bent up the cavitation plate, so the problem is not that the motor wont stay in the water. I think the problem is the angle of the shaft, because it seems to push the bow down and will only reach about 2700 rpms. I was wondering if there was anything I could do other than cutting the transom down to make it run better. And if I did end up having to get it cut could it ever get close to how strong it was originally if I want it built back up for a GTR.

Hey, I run a 1644 tall transom gator trax with a tall transom 84" drive mud buddy.

You're problem might definitely be the angle and the drive length but your rpms are really low. I turn my prop at close to 4000 at wide open. What are you running for a load when your only getting 2700. I've run a few different props on mine.

A fresh 9x7 I get 3300rpm and the motor bogs hard in the mud.
9x6 I get 3600rpm and as it wears I get 4000

I just ordered a 9x5 and going to see how that does.

I've only ever tried mud buddy tiger props

Been there done that. Wouldn't do it again. Thats a nice boat. If you are thinking about possibly putting a surface drive on that boat one day, then don't cut the transom. Its not gonna be cheap if you cant fabricate/weld aluminum on your own.

Id put up with the bad performance until i had the funds and sell the longtail.

Something is definitely wrong. You're at least 1000 rpm's low. What does it turn out of the water?

1744 Phowler Prowler, 23 Dixie

I have to agree with Bigbend, that GT 1746 is worth investing in a surface drive rather than cutting the transom, although that will improve the performance...if you absolutely need a longtail motor if your area, sell the GT and get a short transom hull.

Thanks for all the help. I will probably just keep the boat the way it is this season and hopefully get a surface drive next season. Also, I am not sure what the rpms are when it is out of the water, but for a few weeks I had the long tail on a 1436 G3 and the rpms were fine. It would plane off 4 people, but with the gator-tail boat it won't. So I have a feeling it's not the prop, but instead the tall transom.

Transom is too high.

If you can deal with it, run it for this season and plan on buying a surface drive for the next season and leave the transom alone.

If not and you plan on leaving the longtail on it, take it to a fab shop and let them cut down the transom to whatever your motor manufacturer recommends.


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If you didn't already have a longtail I'd say build a longer one with less of an angle. Like a 10° angle and 84"long

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