Got stuck in water hyacinth today. I know that I am underpowered, but would an actual mud boat go through that stuff ? I am going to upgrade my motor to a 35 but I want to get the most effective one. I have learned more on this site than I ever imagined, and once again...... HELP!

Longtails struggle through the thick hyacinth because you have so much pipe hanging in the water.
The Subaru boats and the surface drive are better in the thick hyacinth

Well that us actually the reason I got rid of my surface drive because it wouldn't do it either due to the massive chunk of housing sticking strait down. Once that crap rolled up and high centered my boat hull I had no reach. But I could haul ass when I got pulled out, LOL! Maybe I should try a different brand of surface drive.

I run a 23 GDLT with a little head work on a 16x42 hull. I have been stuck a few times in the thick hyacinth. My boat climbs up on top of them. I have enough power to bust through if they are not packed thick. I was in some the other day that was so thick I had trouble busting threw just to get my prop in the water. Took me a few minutes to get out.

Get an air boat with 500+ hp!

I have a friend that has an airboat with 400 hp and he can't do it either for any distance, he has to run over logs and stumps on purpose to get the stuff to let go of him. No doubt though, he goes further than I do! I can probably get where I need to be without getting into any more really thick stuff like that, I was actually doing a test run to see if I could go through it. But what if one day for some reason I have to, then what?

Where I am located on our farm is connected to the arkansas river and the hyacinth has got us completely cut off from the river and public hunting ground and everything to do with the river. I don't like that feeling, and I'm to the point now I wanna figure out what is my most effective power plant option and friggin get it here!

What surface drive did you previously own if you don't mind me asking? GDSD?

I run a PD and in reverse it will eat through it, But you will work for it. How many yards of hyacinth do you normally have to bust through?

I don't mind at all, it was a 24 Honda mud buddy hyper and for lack of better terms it was useless. I enjoyed it for awhile but when I really needed to get somewhere there was always something else it wouldn't do so I sold it and got an outboard and built me a longtail. The one I built was 11 hp Honda with 8x6 prop and it was an animal I could go twice as far with half the horses.

Its funny I saw this thread tonight. Today myself with two of my boys in my 14x36 crawdad pushed by a 16 hp godevil longtail were back in the stuff this afternoon. This stuff was so thick and tangled that it moved in like 50 ft chunks. And stunk, whew it stunk. Went through it slow but it went through it. On the way back through it I snapped this. Not the thickest part but it also only about 8 inches most of the way so on half proping it

That's a cool pic man. That is what most of our stuff looks like. Except today, that crap was like 15 inches above tha water. It can be up to 100 yards at a time that we have to go through.

That sounds about what the bad parts were like. It was stacked up pontoon of itself and the top 6inches or so was dead and dried out and what was underneath was decaying. Not to mention its sand stone bottom so there was no digging in and the prop is supposed to be 9x3 its about a 7.5x3. Its worn out so maybe the smaller prop size actually helped me. Idk?

That may be true, buddy! At this point I don't know what I don't know because I'm only just a little less stuck than I was with the surface drive and much slower. If I'm gonna need a winch no matter what I'm drivin, I think I'll build me an sd.

This hyacinth is pissin me off.....

If its too thick you'll have no hope, but up to that point the key is to keep the boat on step and not full throttle. Going fast enough keeps you on top and not plowing, not going wide open helps you keep the prop down and not blowing out. Blow out in the middle of a thick piece and you will definitely be working you ass off. It just takes stick time.

That's great stuff, what you are tellin me is I need more practice! I will do that, whether I want to or not. I'm not going to get rid of my long tail because it's soooo simple cause it's one of the older ones that takes 36 minutes and 84 dollars to completely rebuild it but I will probably find a 35 something later on. But for now I'm gonna finish my latest project. My brother in law had brand new predator 11 hp engine given to him. We're workin on a lightweight surface drive for his extra boat.

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://youtu.be/3nu6f5jT3iA

Get a 35 SD

That's a cool video fella, but that's not water hyacinth. I do that all the time with my longtail. Water hyacinth sticks to the bottom of the boat. It doesn't lay down like that other stuff does.

That's a cool video fella, but that's not water hyacinth. I do that all the time with my longtail. Water hyacinth sticks to the bottom of the boat. It doesn't lay down like that other stuff does.

You might want to look into a slick bottom boat or even a slick paint like gator glide for your bottom

I notice a big difference with my new slick bottom rig vs my ribbed boat

Airboat is the way to go but if that's not an option you want a 35 sd with reverse on a skiff with minimal rake. Your gonna have to bust a run and then keep it open. If you don't have any stumps and logs to worry about you want a mud boat with a 350 Chevy but a e82 Subaru will work.

No dice on the airboat to many low bridges to get under and i can't afford the gasoline. My family and I eat what we kill and catch, kinda defeats the purpose if it costs me 40 dollars a trip. I have heard several guys say I need a35 sd, are you saying that because of the added power of the 35 vs smaller v twins? The 24 surface drive I had didn't work, so maybe it's the extra power and reverse that I need.

Where do I get gator slide from?

I have a super slick steelflex on my bottom and it helps some but when it is so thick you can't keep the prop down to keep moving it gets tough. You have to keep picking up and moving a little at a time. I have seen some inboard Subaru boats go through pretty good.

I'll have to check that out.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv_wd3tJeP ... v_wd3tJePY

See if this link works.
Kirk inboard mud boat from DesAllemands Louisiana

Those old mud buddy hyperdrives like you had were the old balanced frame which is hard to keep down in the chit.

A motor like a Pro-Drive or Gator-Tail is weighted back and they hold the prop down better. I personally think a PD would fit the bill best

That is impressive.

I didn't go looking for a mud buddy, it just ended up the money was right. I think I will look toward a slick bottom boat before I try an inboard mud boat.

Will a pro drive on the right boat do what the inboard mud boat will do? Or at least get close

No. You will need to get you a paddle boat!

The matted lily hyacinth is bad chit. I don't like herbicide but might be one solution. da go get'r is right about busting a channel and then keeping that open. I still run my LT because we have shallow areas with hard bottom, and I've added steelflex (fasco corp.) which helps but no way in hell is that going to let me run through those walls of hyacinths!

Once again, I appreciate everybody's input. Learning some chit!

you need ya a gtr or pd, something with reverse and gatorglide would help also

Problem with the thick Hyacinth is that is doesn't separate like duck weed or Lillie's - it clumps together. And it's high, so it's tough to get on top of. You can hit it at full speed and stay on top of it, but for Christ's sake, don't stop in it where you can't get on plane in open water. Problem is, unless you're on plane and on top, the boat ends up trying to push a 50'x50'' mat of it. I don't know of any surface drive mud motor that would help that. Now if its thin enough, and you have the help of some Gator Glide, that would help, but I don't believe that going to a 35, 45, or even 55 HP would help you any.


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Your exactly right about the hyacinth not separating

Thanks for the input fellows. I am really enjoying this.