hey guys, I am going to be buying a boat with a 20 inch transom this spring and want to put a long tail motor on it. Do I have to look for a special mount or long tail? Or can I just buy any of them and mount it up fine? I am working on a very tight budget so I am going to need to find something used and dont want to buy something that will not work.

Sorry for the beginner questions, this will be my first ever boat.

you will probably need a lt with a tall transom mount, they are supposed to run on boats that have a 15-16 inch transom...give coco a call at go-devil and he will tell ya what you need

Check out backwaterinc these motors are designed to run on a 19 to 21 inch tanson backwaterinc.com

I have a 20 inch transom on my boat as well. I just told the boys at MarshMonster that I had a 20 inch transom and they build the shaft of the motor longer and it works excellent. I got a 25hp honda on it. Might want to give those guys a call they know what they are doing!

Mud Buddy also makes a longer LT for the higher transoms. I think mine is 83inches instead of the standard 73 inches long.
I have never personally used the "tall transom" brackets, but its all about angle. If you put a shorter LT on a tall transom, your motor will be pushing up against the boat in the front and kill performance.

The Mudauber will work fine on a 20"

I bought a GDLT for a short transome. I re worked the cavitation plate and put it on my tall transom boat. It works just fine and drives great! No complaints about it.