Hello all.... I have read some posts on pods being bad for surface drives.. I have a 1750 Beavertail with a stock 35 hp surface drive. I seem to be significantly slower than other rigs similar to mine and now with a new 12.25 hammer prop when I get to 3700-3800 my prop almost looks and feels like it's vibrating or chopping threw the water. Has anyone had any experience having pods and then removing them? Thanks in advance...

1. Pods are not great for surface drive motors. They do great with LTs.
2. A stock 35 with a hammer prop? You need some serious HP to turn one of those. A stocker wont turn a hammer very well.
3. Options if you want more speed/performance - get a new boat, go LT, remove pods, weld a bottom across the pods to make it a hunt deck, get a different prop, be happy with what you have and realize that you don't have a 30mph rig, sell all and start with a new setup.....I'd honestly change the prop for starters....then go from there



B. MacDonald

Thanks! I will start with the prop. I got some bad advice from someone when I bought that one... I do understand I won't/don't have a 30 mph rig. Just wanting to optimize what I have right now within reason... Would you remove the pods no matter what?

I should fix my first post my prop is the tiger prop not the hammer... I think the hammer is 12.75 and the tiger is 12.25

Tiger props are for long tails. The big blade is the 12.25x10 for surface drives.

on a 1750 what advantage would pods give you?? most ppl i know that have pods do it because the boat is too small and they run too much weight (mostly motor). i can't imagine that issue being relevant on a 1750 boat!?!?! that's a decent sized rig. Have you looks for hooks or anything like that on the bottom that's robbing your performance??

That's how the fucktards at beavertail build boats...they also run their bracing opposite of every other mud hull on the market.

^ this

Like stated above all Beavertail boats for some reason come with them... This would not have beens first choice I aquired the boat on a great deal.... So that said I'm trying to optimize what I have.... Would you guys for sure remove the pods? What would I gain for performance by removing them versus keeping them?

When you're in mud and that sob bites and turns and slams against the pods you'll be wishing you cut them off..

I removed the pods and it has made a huge difference gained significant speed and handles much better

I ran a 1748 for a couple years with a 27 PD, some of the short comings of the hull is the sharp rake angle and extra bracing between the Longitudinal bracing "it contacts the bottom and creates washboard" Even with only a 27 It still ran mid twenties with two people. The pods limit bow rise and kill the speed approx 1mph, the bow rake when heavily loaded really hinders getting on plane. As others have said a Lt works best and high HP never hurts.