Hi,

Mud Boat Newbie here. I want to sell my 24' SeaPro Offshore boat to get into a Mud Boat. However, I do not know what I need, and I want to be economical about it. I reviewed the forum and several folks have posted comments that a custom builder can make a boat a lot cheaper than buying one from a dealer.

So I am reaching out to custom builders to find out more. Specifically sent a request to Custom J and WC. Any others? I will fish 60-70% and hunt of the time in the Upper Texas Bays and back lakes. Duck hunt the same although I do want to try and do some lake and timber hunting.

I will typically have 2 kids and a wife in the boat for fishing. Duck hunting will have no more than 3 hunters and a dog. I will run in shallow water with mud bottom and scattered oyster shells and occasional surprise reefs. Bottoms will range from hard sand out in the bay to boggy mud in the back lakes. Sometimes if the boat could do it, I would like to cross low tide mud flats to get to back water where the ducks are congregating.

I really am clueless on what I need, especially on length, width, rake, etc. Speed is nice. Main driver for me is total drive away cost. I see I can get a canned new boat, trailer, motor for around $18K (Gator Trax Bas Pro or Excel for example) which is well past my budget. I am willing to consider a used boat or motor or both if it will do what I want and is reliable. Just don't know what I need. Boated all my life, but mud boats seem to be a whole new language.

Any helpful advice for me is GREATLY appreciated, especially what I should expect to spend and how to go about it).

On a side note, if you know of anyone in the market for a strong running 2000 24.5' SeaPro Offshore boat and 1995 SW Series II 250 for ~$16K loaded, let me know as that would fund the Mudboat.

check out the advertisers of the site. Prodigy is another boat builder to look at.

but before i go on. do some more research on motors, ProDrive, Mud Buddy, Gatortail and decide what you want.

youll want something AT LEAST 18 ft for carting 4 people aronud fishing all the time. If predominately a fishing rig i'd look at 20 footer but it will be tough to get speed out of a mudmotor with a big boat.

Im very happy with my Deadfowl custom boat. He's down your way.

Thanks for the replies. I really like Deadfowl's stuff after looking at a few things here and there. Another couple of quick questions:

1. Motors - 35 GTR - How reliable are these things or what is the normal cost of ownership? Do they require rebuilding or major maintenance very often?

2. What's the fuel burn on these with a duck hunting load (3 guys, dekes, dog, etc.)? 6 gallons, 12 gallons?

3. Do you need to mod them out to make them run best, or is something like a stock 35GTR good to go on a 17-18x48-54? Whats the cost to add performance to the motors?

4. Can you get a good used boat rigged out for around $14k? Since I like Deadfowl and the idea of a custom boat, I wonder if it makes more sense to find a value on a MM vs the boat?

Thanks to the responses so far. Like I said, been boating all my life, just not in one of these setups....

You do not need to mod a motor. Especially if you are just using it to fish or hunt.
You can get everything you need from a dealer. Custom boats are very nice but they are not cheaper than getting a boat made from gatortail or prodrive. By the time that you buy everything that comes on a gatortail or prodrive boat it will be the same price. What is nice about a custom boat is that the builder will build it exactly how you want it. I think you can get everything you need from prodrive or gatortail dealers.
If you choose to go used, be very smart and careful with your purchase. The majority of the people selling used are trying to rip people off. Look at the used price, then price what that exact rig is new. If it is of value then go look at it. Make sure they have maintained it well and there is no leaking oil etc. some people abuse these motors and sell you junk. Do not let a guy sell you some thing used and try and tell you that you are saving on taxes. You are not because you will pay them regardless. They have some first class idiots selling rigs these days

For what it's worth, I have a 1754 Gtrax with hunt deck (so 18'8" OAL and the Gtrax's 54" is more like other's 57" or so) with a pure stock GTR. You have my exact hunting load and my boat does great. No problem getting on plane. I'm in shallow water and weeds, so I can't comment on how it would do in pure mud. Remember, you can always get the rig then see later if you need/want to add mods after the warranty runs out.

A lot of guys on here spend $2,000 to go 1.6 mph faster...these are also the same guys that buy $400 coolers to keep their ice for 5 days instead of $70 to keep their ice for 4.95 days, so take some things with a grain of salt.

Check out my WC custom build. Came out awesome. I went with 3/16 bottom, 9 stringers and 24" sides. I deer hunt the cypress swamps and built it for running stumps. Also duck hunt Lake O so I wanted stability and speed. Turned out to be a great boat. Final dimensions are 19' x52" Flares out to 78" at the top of the catwalks.

I highly recommend Pete. Great guy to work with. Very detailed.

Best of Luck !

Don't over look cottonmouth

GD 18x60 is a great setup.... Will hold 4 people comfortably, plus, will handle open water with no issues. Mud boats don't have to be tricked out to perform! A GD 18x60 wit Godevil 37efi surface drive, NEW can be purchased under $16k....... Remember, u don't have to spend $20k to get the job done


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Awesome feedback. This forum really is helpful and I appreciate all of the comments. Looks like I have a little time to make a decision. Years ago I had a 16' johnboat and it ran around 25-30. Seemed fast enough to me. I like the durability and simplicity of the mud boat though.

How hard is it to stick a surface drive in the marsh? Typical running up sloughs and the like. I always see some nice areas holding birds, but you gotta get across low tide mud flats to get to the back areas.

Also, how do the props handle muddy bottoms with scattered oyster shells or clusters?