Hey guys I need some help/encouragement.

My dad and I got a Mud Skipper KKK 100" long tail motor setup. 2-piece shaft. Using a 16HP Duromax electric start engine.
Got it all hooked up, everything runs and works great. $700 for the complete setup.
I have a 7.5" prop and 8"

The problem is the boat. We told it would work well on my dads boat which is a 14' aluminum V boat. (Not sure of the width, not real wide)

He wanted this setup for the boat for fishing. Get into shallower spots he could not get into with an outboard.

I Took it out for the maiden try today. Did not go so hot. I was sitting beside the handle well I am 210, boat leaned a lot. Also can't turn well due to being on the side of the handle. Obviously I need to be in front of the motor/steering shaft.
It was uncomfortable and made me nervous. Could not plane off either, even though I was moving at a pretty good clip I thought. Also when I let off the throttle some of the wake came into the back of the boat. Maybe I just chopped the throttle to fast?
Ideally standing up would be the best I think. Not possible in this boat. Ideally a flat bottom boat would be the best as well. Well we do not have one.

What boat should my dad be using? Problem is can't afford to spent to much on a boat.

Can this setup work well on this boat? If so what do we got to do?

I feel so bad my dad got $700 out there into something that does not work right. I am disappointed.

Any help would be great.

Or everything is for sale....I have pics, been in the water for 10 min.

Thanks

Them v bottoms don't really "plane" out. Just kinda push the water to the sides....

What day do they pick up your trash?

Anyone else?

Before you get to discouraged..

Understand what you have and what you don't have.

That boat with that motor is only going to do so much.

Spend some time on the tiller and you will learn more how to handle and get more comfortable with the feel of it.

First time driving a small longtail (or a big one for that matter) on a small boat can take a minute to get used to it.

There is a big difference between this and an outboard. Two completely different animals.

That boat is not idea for a mm, but you can make it work as far as putting around and getting to where you need to go. Thinking you are going to get up on plane and go with any kind of weight in the boat is a little much to ask. That said only one person in the boat works against you in that the rear end will squat on you. Moving the battery and gas tank (if there is a remote one) and anything else in the boat to front of boat will help. Or at least moving to center.

Weight distribution on a boat with a mm is critical to how it performs. Note I didn't say performance because thinking about "performance" on this set up is a little too much to ask. But try to get your weight distributed equally both side to side and front to back. Sometimes (even on the bigger motors) moving an ice chest a few inches side to side or front to back can make a significant difference. Smaller the boat, the more important it is, and you having a v on that 14 makes it even worse-think 10 or 12 footer depending on v you have.

Even with my big block on a 18X48 I found that my standing in front of the tiller and driving behind me made a difference. That is a little dangerous sometimes as you need the leverage, but don't think on that little set up it is much of a worry. Get you a grab bar if you don't have one so you can stand and drive and be comfortable.

Small motor, not idea (read wrong) boat.

Sure it will work and the motor will push the boat forward, but too much more than that is too much to ask of that set up.

Even with the right boat, you will be limited in what you have there. It is a 16hp motor.

Good luck!

Thank you for taking the time to reply to me.
Don't get me wrong we are not looking for a speed demon. He wants something that can carry him a couple young grand kids and my mom so they can go fishing. Maybe get into a little shallower places due to having the MM.

I took it out on his 14' aluminum V. To try it. We weren't really setup right. We need to come up with a seat to be in front of the motor. I need to fab up a better steering handle and throttle. The stock One sucks. It is short and heavy. Throttle position is weird on it too. I think getting me a piece of pipe put a offset in it with more comfortable throttle setup will help a ton.
Wish we had the money for a better boat for this setup.

Any thoughts on a better "cheaper" type boat to put this setup on. Maybe find somthing on Craig's list.

Also FYI I am located in central Maine.

Well we are working on a longer offset handle with a better more user friendly throttle setup.

Should I be concerned about turning to quick and the boat wanting t flip? Like if I moved the prop to quick one direction or the other?

What make and model of boat? I don't think you need to worry about it actually flipping the boat, but be careful while you're getting to know it.

Making it comfortable is what you ought to do first. Maybe a longer tiller, a bucket or cooler to sit on further forward and a throttle that works for you will make a lot of difference. After that, time at the tiller will get you and your dad comfortable with it. When I went from an outboard to my first mudmotor, a 25 Go Devil long tail, it took some getting used to.

I'd keep an eye on Craigslist, there ought to be a true flat bottom on there at some point you can get, no bigger than 14 foot for that motor and no wider than 48 inches on the bottom. The prop should be in the tall part of the wake, if it wants to walk to one side bend the skag that direction so it will push itself to the center, but not too much or it will push too far the other way.

Hope you get it good enough for your dad and his grandbabies to go fishing, watching my dad play with my boys is something else.

Thanks for the info.

I need to brush up on some boat terminology lol

Tiller- steering handle?
Skag?
Transom - back of the boat?

His boat all I know is just an aluminum V hull 14' long. Not sure if width, 48" sound right? Across the top side (not really sure of the width to be honest. I am guessing). It Has three Bench seats in it.

Dumb question. How deep typically do want the prop in the water? FYI my shaft is 100" long I have a 7.5" prop on it right now. I have a 8" prop as well. The engine is 16hp (I heard some say it is really 11?)
How do I choose the right size prop?

I will keep an eye out on Craigslist I have not had much luck yet finding anything.

Thanks all!

skeg = flat piece of metal that runs in front of the prop that aids in steering and helps to protect the prop.

skag = common misspelling of the word skeg.

tiller = steering lever for an outboard

transom = rear of boat where the motor mounts

transome = another term that is commonly misspelled by some mmt members when they really meat to type transom.

use a mudskipper on my v boat and it works fine but it is a 22 hp predator have any other questions just ask me I might be able to help you


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I have a Mudskipper setup with a 420cc predator on it. I have it on a 14 foot fiberglass boat that has a modified v hull. I had issues at first with the straight handle. Tried to order z-handle for stand up running but had to make one from 3/4 pipe due to backorder on handle from Mudskipper. Trial and error are involved with the longtail learning curve. But fighting that straight handle sucks no matter what boat, and any longtail will work you. So having your whole body standing helps. Trust me, I am a little guy. Also with some experimentation you will find that elusive "sweet spot" combination of trim(angle of prop) and throttle that will give you the best results for your boat.