I recently bought a 24' pontoon and am in the process of making it a hunting rig. Check out my post in the blind forum for details...

I am considering buying a console prodrive next season for it. I will definatley fab up a transom capable of withstanding a prodrive...that will not be an issue. My question is performance. How do you think a prodrive will work on a pontoon? I mainly hunt a wetland that is fairly deep, but want to be able to rip thru cattails and thick surface weeds.

I'll leave this post at that, as I want to hear any and every aspect.

I think the hardest part is indeed the transom holding up to it. Prodrives are heavy.
It'll be different for sure, but I don't see why it wouldn't work. You wont win any speed races though.

It'll do what you're asking, but you'll likely want to mod it. I would suggest maybe see if you can find a pd frame and put a kawa on it. You seem quite resourceful, so a project frame won't be difficult for you at all, and that kawa is a stronger engine stock, and doesn't require the same financial or mechanical investment to get good power with mods. It take some research to make sure you get it all correct, but it'll bolt up without much effort.

I dunno??? Would the waves from the pontoons come together close to where the prop would be....giving you very disturbed water??

I've thought of similar with like a catamaran hull....just ever so slight of a cat hull. Just enough to give you serious turning ability in the mud....and just enough to get the middle off the water at WOT.

why don't u just put a outboard on it and run a lilly keel ?


google ultrajack, and make u something like it. if u got shallow water/stumps, go with something else.

som pontoons have 25" shafts or the motor is set where the cav plate is close to same level as bottom of pontoons, if the prop is not deep enough then when turning you will suck air and loose your bite in the water. Most toon transoms have a "box" to help the water flow to the lower unit, I would think that if you modify the "box" and transom it would work. BTW I had a pontoon with a 90 merc on it 385lbs according to the manual, it was rated for up to a 115hp, 35 gtr comes in at 265 lbs. I think it would be more of a torque issue and a water flow to prop than a weight issue. IMO.

On the west side of Illinois there are a few toons being pushed by longtails, might even be a few pushed my a PD just because Phowler is just over the river. Biggest thing is to get the transom right.

I don't want to run the outboard as I have already clogged it once already. This one is an 87 and have thrown $5-600 into it already. The surface weeds are so much an issue as I just kick it into reverse, but if I run thru cat tails it will wrap around every time. No power trim so it's a pain.

Reverse is worthless if the toons are in the cattails or in thick weeds.

I will be building a new transom, so my options are open on how I need to design it.

I will have to look into building one. I definitely want the FPR though.