Good morning guys, just bought my first surface drive mud boat. Bought a 2017 SeaArk Mudrunner 170, with the Gator Tail 37EFI. I was in the Coast Guard for 13 years and ran tons of Search and Rescue and logged over 2800 hours at the helm of a small boat, but these things are a different animal!! So if you have any tips please feel free to chime in here. First thing I noticed was trimming down to get on plane, then trimming up doesnt work, also these dont get up and on the water like the boats I used to run hahaha. Dual 225's, triple 300's, and numerous other power plants.

My question is, the boat came with the big flip style drain plugs, and I feel like when I'm backing down, the mud, stumps, and crap are going to rip them out because of how big the flip handle is. Are these standard plugs for these hulls, anything else you would recommend? I hunt Wisconsin, so ice will be a factor later, but for now its mostly vegetation and muck.

Point the handle up and you should be fine. Never had a problem with mine and have used this type of plug on many small boats.


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They make one that screws tight. If it's the flip style, we only use those if they're inside the boat. They're probably fine outside it (as stated above), but we always use the twist tighten when theyre outside. My boat has 2 drains, and I haven't lost one of those yet.

You got 2 options to choose from, but I bet you'll be fine with the flip.

#CFFITR
#TheGhostBoat
#whoneedsphysicsihaveamudmotor

I agree with Russ, I have my plugs on the inside and eve rhad an issue. The wing nut screw in ones are really good as well

Put your plug in from the inside and never worry about it.

Yes you have. You hunted out of my boat, and I didn't put them in until we were about to put the boat in the water. Nubby put one of them in.

#CFFITR
#TheGhostBoat
#whoneedsphysicsihaveamudmotor

Or him lmao

Nah, mine are the twist tighten type.

#CFFITR
#TheGhostBoat
#whoneedsphysicsihaveamudmotor

as stated..

I would only use the flip style inside the boat. It only takes one time to have a pretty big problem. The ole "I ran it that way for years and never had a problem" won't be much comfort to you if you happen to rip that thing out. Mud boats tend to get in situations where all kind of things "that never happened before" happens. Foolish to not address things that can be foreseen even if unlikely. You put yourself in dangerous enough situations (cold, remote, logs, ,stumps, etc) as it is, so do all you can to be prepared for the unexpected.

I too have to use outside due to accessibility, and would not even consider anything but these...

https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/attwoo ... atid=12546

I do carry 2 flip style as back up in case something was to happen somehow with the others....

Also as stated, stick time is the key. I would also try to meet up with experienced mudboaters. They can help you acclimate away from the outboard (the only thing in common with the outboard is it has a motor and pushes the boat forward-other than that forget what you know and start over) and learn how these handle from weight distribution (very important) to trim and everything in between.

Good luck and enjoy!

That's what I'm using. They sit close enough to the boat, and there's a little extra aluminum sticking back on my boat that, while anything is possible, its protected enough it would take Murphy being pushed at me for them to get pulled out.

#CFFITR
#TheGhostBoat
#whoneedsphysicsihaveamudmotor

just use the screw in kind and you won't have any problems. keep a spare ziptied to the boat by the battery in case one ever comes out.
I've had the flipstyle come out before when mounted from the outside.

good luck!!!

Puddle jumpers! Having trouble in the shallow water? Might need to call the Navy to help you out! LOl

Welcome to the world of surface drives. What you are explaining about trimming up and down I went threw the same thing. Bought mine a little over a year ago and the first ten hours I hated it. I grew up with outboards on jons, pontoons, and ski boats. One sunday my kids and I got in the boat when river was up big and ran in the backwater all over the place showing them how things look in the bottoms when the water is up. They loved it and I got about 6 straight hours of stick time and figured it out. Love it. When I take off with mine I trim down just a little and I know where that is in boat and that is also same postion that I top end the best. Good luck and dont be afraid to PM with any other questions.

I'd either put the hard to get to plug in and leave it in, or tap the plug hole and put in a brass plug. Congrats and have fun learning your new rig!

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I have two plugs tied to the PD ram. One is the twist kind tied to a string that’s just a few inches longer than it needs to be. That’s the main one I use. The other is the flip style tied to a little longer string. The flip one is for an emergency. They are quick and easy to get in the hole when your freaking out but don’t hold as good.

Who the hell woulda thought there would be a serious thread on MMT about drain plugs......

Oh well I guess.

OP, where will you store your bow rope?

LOL. In all fairness though, I've seen some other threads that are pretty lame as well.

Since you asked, I store my bow rope IN THE BOW.

Case in point

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=72733

To run into something would require casting off all lines and setting the special sea and anchor detail.