Im considering a 23hp long-tail for my 1436 jonboat , havent decided on what brand yet but i have always heard that they give alot of resistance when runnin in open water. I was just wondering how much you gotta fight the tiller cause i got a 6 -12 mile run depending on where i want to hunt that day

They are a handfull at all times, when you are in shallow water the prop tries to walk on the bottom and jerks the tiller away or into your ribs.

It really takes a while to be able to drive one and be comfortable, predicting what its gunna do.

Also a 1436 is a small boat to have it on, its probly a rivited thin alluminum boat and a mm takes a toll on a boat.

What conditons do you run in?

the first 5 miles are open runnin down a canal after that it between 2-8" of water over mud bottom im lookin at a long tail mostly for budget reasons i plan on upgraded my hull after either this season or the next. i plan on gettin a 1644 custom boat and want something that will also push that fairly well

If you know what your doing they aren't chit to drive. Besides being a lil slow, long rides aren't bad. You just need need to make sure your load is balanced and you're good to go. On long runs I sit down and just hang my arm over the tiller. Wind can be a pain in the ass but if you shift some weight around you can fix that too. If somebody try's to tell they are hard to drive they are doing something wrong. After you get it PM me and I can give you tips on adjustment and running.

Any stumps, does the water get rough?

I agree with kibb, once you get one tuned in it will drive itself in deep water, still nuthin like an outboard though.

no stump the water can get a little rough when the tide is up and the wind is whippin. i always heard you gotta pull up on the tiller alot to keep the prop in the water.

Not if it's adjusted correctly.

Not if your trim tab is set right, in shallow water it does take some movin around.

Is there any real difference in the brands? I've been lookin at pics and they all look about the same other than some minor differences in the framing. Am i missin something?

Where you from? What dealers are closest to you?

Galveston County, Texas the only dealer i know of is a mudbuddy dealer. But the last time i was over there the guy i spoke to said i would have to buy and motor and it would be shipped there. they didnt keep any in-stock...

I've only used go devil but I'm sure that one is comparable. I'm sure you can get any shipped to you if your going to have to pay shipping for that one, anyways. You wouldn't need oem parts often so don't let that part deter you from other options. I can't tell you first-hand how the others stack up.

your avatar is awesome

Thanks it took a long time to trim it down so i could use it. Gotta love pintail!

My superlongtail is called Mudauber.

i understand you want another boat but i dont think ide put that on that boat for the time being. its alot of motor on that boat. most of those 14x36's have low sides to start with. i dont think you will have a chance of floating it.

maybe you outta consider putting pods on that boat, help out with some of the weight in the back, help it float a little higher. i have a 13 h.p longtail on a 14x38 boat and trust me,the water gets pretty close to comming over the back on sudden stops and on turns...so maybe you should consider putting pods..

Ive looked at adding pods, anyone know what it costs on average to have them put on?

I put pods on my 1436 rivited boat with a 16hp godevil longtail pushin it and I think it made a world of difference. any compitent welder can usaully put them on for you for less than about 300ish bucks. I bought my pods from a weld shop somewhere in florida, and lemme tell ya, if their welding skills are anything like their love makin skills they couldnt hit the Gspot on a 15 pound snatch! these things were the most ass backwards, wrong angled, over priced POS's i;d ever seen, but luckily I found a good local welder to salvage them and weld them on my boat and save the project. I wish I could find the guy that welded those suckers up and kick him square in the balls! so yes, just save yourself a headache and have a local shop or welder make some up for ya. shouldnt be to pricey.

If your looking for pods, boyd welding is about the cheapest ive found. i bolted mine on my 1442 and they worked so well i had to shift batteries and fuel tank to the rear of my boat. btw i run a 16hp gdlt
http://www.boydwelding.com/

check out D&A welding and Fabrication there over by the dog track in La Marque on FM2004 he does good work i dont know price but he has done alot of pods (409) 330-9353.

I'm 225 and my Bol 185 we rode my 1436 cajun special at 19mph and my 1440 same speed with same people and 200# of load just gotta get the weight spread good ( not to much in the front) that's with a 23 gdlt . Don't know if this helps but that's my experience

Geeledoeche...I just spit a mouth full of beer all over my lap top while reading your post. Dude you should be a writer or a comedian. lol

If ur talking about me I have no reason to lie just simply letting the man know what my experience is with a rig similar to what he wants. Ive been out plenty with this little boat and speeds are consistent with loads and light using my handheld garmin so believe it or not it is what it is

Not talking about you Scott. The way Geeledoeche wrote his post is too funny. lol

fyi - i routinely make 15-18 mile runs with my long tail (25 gdlt). sit back, relax and don't miss your turn. long tails get a bad reputation from folks that don't have much experience running them.