Hello from Illinois. I am trying to determine which style engine to go with. I live on the Fox River and will be the primary body of water I will be running in. The boat is a 1648 with a 21" transom. Just a flat bottom SmokerCraft riveted jon boat with a 35hp 4 person rating with a beefed up transom. The river averages around 3 feet of depth but has plenty of shallows that that get low in the summer. The bottom is very stony with mud and occasional boulders. Any suggestions and opinions would be appreciated.

How far do you run on average? I run a 23 GDLT on a similar hull and it runs upper teens with 2 people. I'm not familiar with running on a tall transom but there are motors designed for it. Long tail will be slower but I think better on a hard bottom.

I usually run 5 to 8 miles max. Its a pretty hard bottom. I ran a 25mblt last year on a heavier boat and it held up great other than the prop took some beating. But I could only get about 14mph going with the current

Short shaft wouldn't be recommended for 21" transom. Long shaft will be the way to go. Better performance


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If you are set on a longtail (this is the longtail forum after all), that high transom will pose problems for standard length 72" LT's. You might seriously consider cutting it down to 16-17". Thereafter you could go with a 72" or 59" SS BackH20 product (25-35 HP). Perhaps the 72" BackH20 motor could run fine on the high transom- I will wait to see if some owner posts on that setup. My 1648 short transom grizzly, not particularly suited for an LT, stlll does the job with a 27 HP LT (72"). I typically run 12 miles roundtrip in the marsh with shallow hard bottom and I get 17.5 mph with two hunters and gear (20 mph by myself). A conventional outboard would get beat up and get the intake clogged up and prop fouled by weeds. I love my glorified "lawnmower" motor- it is slower but better.

Well on that note the transom has a section cut out of it that is 17" for the regular motor that's on it now. But I imagine I would have problems swinging the motor back in the boat for transport i don't cut the majority of the length of the transom?

Hey, Killer, get an LT, slap some Gatorglide or Steelflex on the bottom of the hull, make sure your kill switch works and wear the lanyard, and have some fun! My "grab bar" consists of my Igloo cooler which I raid after the hunt.

Get the LT they are great motors, I ran a longtail for awhile and it was great I now have a SD rig and its great but I'm gonna get another smaller rig with a smaller LT on it, for where I hunt in central and south florida. There very tough, will go through anything , but where I hunt there a lot of hard bottom , and they will get skinney and get you out.

Thanks for a the good info. Personally having a mudbuddy Lt in the past I find them to be the more dependable rout with less mechanical. It never stranded me once!

Now which one is the tough choice. I like the features of the Backwater but they are heavier. I like the mudbuddys weight wise but they don't seem to offer a 25hp anymore.

Been thinking of a 35hp but I would have to distribute the weight. The Backwater weighs in at 225#

The weight is no problem at all. I run a 35 Backwater on a short transom 1648 War Eagle. I've never been in danger of swamping the boat.

There you go, Killer! Frank's report is genuine, and I am all smiles at 61, because in a couple of seasons I intend to make the move to the big block BackH20! Thank God, I can still man the tiller of the LT and duck hunt! I do suggest you get a good quality push pole, I've been breaking mine about once a season so I have to get a new stouter one. That closet rod goes rotten quick and the Avery aluminum one did not last long. So all I can whine about is my present lack of reverse gear!

Hell yeah a 35hp I imagine could push some gear!

Hell yeah a 35hp I imagine could push some gear!

I started with a 23. Mainly because I was afraid of the weight and also because all I had ever heard was how difficult it was to drive a 35hp longtail. I upgraded to the 35 and never looked back.

If you going a 35hp check out the MB SLT I heard they may be offering a smaller motor not sure if 35SLT would be to much weight