i have a 1648 war eagle and i am looking to get rid of my 40 merc steering wheel and go to mud motor. the 40 merc is a 99' and ir runs great just wanting a different motor. i am up for trades or just selling it. i dont know if i should go with surface drive or long tail. i live in conway , sc. i hunt mostly the bays and all of the really good spots are almost impossible to get to with out one of these motors. i also do alot of bowfishing around lake marrion and lake moultrie. these lakes are shallow with lots of stumps and grass. need some input.

instead of taking the outboard off and selling it seperate, just sell the whole rig and start over. a MM on a hull designed for a MM is way better than a MM on hull designed for an outbaord. you picking up what im laying down?

I have a similar boat and to sell it and buy a mud hull is not an option right now. How well would a 36 pd work on a 1648 war eagle

as long as you have a tall transom itll work fine as any mud motor on that hull

i have the normal transom that comes on the wareagles. i really want to go with a mud motor. so you think that a mud motor would work fine on it? what size should i get and what kind of mud motor would you suggest? like i said i dont really know anything about mud motors except you can run through just about anything.

its all about personal preference and what your budget can allow. Pro drives FPR takes a little while to engage but comes in handy when stuck bad and Gator-Tails instant reverse is nice if you frog alot or cant drive worth a damn around boat docks . That 16x48 wont be as fast or carry a load as good as an 18 foot boat the same width, the thin hull wont handle abuse as well as a mud hull either.

I was faced with this same problem. (I destroyed my outboard in a matter of seconds on a submerged log in the channel) I had a small budget and couldnt afford a new SD rig like Id like so I looked around and found a used 13 hp longtail to put on my boat (14x42). So far, im happy with it. Ive ran it in some bad stuff and yet to get it stuck. From my understanding SDs are easier to drive and also a little faster, but these longtails can grind out of situations better because of the long reach it has. The down side is they are harder to drive and way slower hp to hp. If i were you i would by a used 23 gdlt and save up for a complete SD rig (The lt may be all you need and you might find out you dont need a sd rig)

Good luck and THE SEARCH BUTTON IS YOUR FRIEND

I have a 1648 alumacraft semi v tall transome with a go-devil surface drive and it works very well for me. I use it on waterways that are not so much muddy but very weedy.