Hey guys im new to the fourm and have been a user of fourms for a long time and know how people dislike getting asked the same question over and over, but believe you me ive searched for a while and have found most of the answer to this question but still have some parts that need to be answered. i just got me a 1436 flat bottom jon that im turning into a boat blind (tired of have our blinds on public land stolen or occupied when we get there). anywho im gonna build a longtail mud motor for it with either the plans off ebay or just by looking a buddies he built. my main question is what size and brand motor yall recommend on this 1436 that will be rolling with me(170pds), another hunter(200 or so), around 4 doz deeks, battery, gas, and gear. Im not looking to set any water speed records but dont want to put-put my way to my hole. thanks ahead of time yall

here is a link to one of the motors ive been looking at but have no clue if it will suit the task. i might be way out in left field with this one but here it is. it look looks like a good motor and lifan makes a quality engine.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1 ... ogId=10053

I have a 16hp briggs & Stratton / Vanguard motor on my Godevil long tail pushing my 1436 and I like it a lot. it does really well in the shallow stuff and I like the fact that it has a key ignition for starting and a pull starter incase the battery dies or anything like that. my only complaint about the entire set up is I think the boat is narrow and the motor is heavy. other than that, I absolutely LOVE my rig. my suggestion would be to buy the biggest and best you can afford. enjoy.

any other input from the experts

thanks gee im building this boat to be ready for next duck season so im in no rush to buy, and id rather get somthing big so i can maybe even use it on a bigger boat when i upgrade the hull

Search on Ebay. There is a Duramax 16hp electric start for $299 with free shipping. I have an older model one with pull start, runs fine, they are all Honda clones, also to get extra hrsepower you can get bolt on kits on affordablegokarts.com, to increase horsepower. these are similar to gx390 Honda engines, I believe. Harbor Freight engines are Honda clones too, I have a 6.5 from there and it has been running for 2 years on a homemade cvt surface drive frame.

There are longtail plans on Ebay for a homemade build.

i recently built a longtail a few weeks ago, i purchased a duramax 16 hp w/ electric start off overstock.com for 343.00 delivered, i usually go with the branded stuff but for a compatible motor (vangard or honda) i was looking at 1000.00 plus, if it was only 200.00 dollar difference i would have bought the vangard or honda

so far it is running fine, the fit and finish is not what a honda would be but for 600-700 dollars less what do you expect, some of the metal on it is somewhat flimsy but it runs well and starts easy. instructions was very poor and had some mispelling in them, i had to call tech support to see how to wire the electric start to it as it was not installed, not obvious and the instructions do not explain it.

i will post some pictures of it at some point when i get time either here or on our web site at www.nbmetalworx.com,

thanks brianb im pretty sure i can build a longtail no problem, im just still weighing my options on a lt or a surface drive. i like the surface drive for ease of operation bc most of our hunting spots are pretty far from the boat ramps. but im still up in the air. ill definatly look at that duramax if i build my own lt.

im not pushing the duromax by no means, if you have the extra cash available the vangard would be stronger in the same hp range i would imagine and better fit and finish, after running it this week, i feel it is somewhat weak for a 16 hp, maybe more along the lines of a 12-13 hp motor

i purchased the plans from ebay only due to needing info on what and where to get the items in the shaft easily,my son and i own a small fabrication shop so building the frame was not really an issue, just needed the info on the internal components of the drive part.

we have considered doing a prefab drive shaft unit for people wanting to build their own, we would sell the drive tube, shaft, seals and bushings and let people do the rest unlike a full kit.
we have also had a lot of people interested in us building a complete unit for them.

the plans on ebay were good, and are an excellent way to get you in the right direction, they are for a low hp motor, we used the part of the plans for the shaft, where to purchase and then we went from there, ours looks very similar to a go devil type frame.

ours runs good, with 1 person we get 16mph, 2-13.7 mph and then it drops off from there, 3 people it will run about 9.5 mph with full hunting load

i plan to sell if after hunting season and build a 25-35 hp model

16 hp mud motor.jpg

16 mph is pretty good for one person on a 16hp lt

I know you already have the boat but you will be disapointed with the performance.

That 36" with a hard blind and two people will be an unstable deathtrap when ever you bobble.

Even with a 16 hp motor I doubt you could step that load up and go more than 8-9 mph.

I have a 42" with a 13 hp and with two people and 4 dozen deeks it wont get on step, take out the deeks and some gear and its a very high subplane.