Hey guys. I am new to MMT, so please be kind...

I just purchased a 27hp MudBuddy LT and I am running it on my 1448 Grizzly Tracker. I have researched through here and I am aware that the [mentioned] boat isn't the greatest for the LT even though the transom height is 16". I still have to redistribute the weight as myself, the 6 Gal tank and the battery are all in the back as of right now.
The whole setup (boat and motor) has only 10 hours on it as well.

My question is, when I ran it this weekend, I played hell running it. I had to force the skeg in the water and it ran rather deep and was a bitch to control. By myself I ran 22mph and with my wife we ran 20mph with no gear at all in the boat (which still seem, pretty damn good speeds for the mentioned boat) .

This is not my first MM and I have noticed something a little odd, rigged on the cavitation plate.



Should I take this off and do you think this will help with a little easier operation as my other LT motors were?
I was just unsure if this is "NEW" mods being applied to newer MB LT's?

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

(NOTE: The Paint job is hideous and from the previous owner)

They take some getting used to! I run a 29 Mud Buddy and it handles great compared to the two others I have run. I can actually sit on the seat next to it when in clean water. You can adjust the depth of prop by tuning the cavitation plate. If it is too deep flatten it some (bend it with a crescent wrench tightened down) and it should come up higher. Move it in small amounts until you are happy with it. Your speeds sound about right for no load with that boat but what are your RPMS at top speed? They are not speed demons but will eat through some vegetation!

Thanks for the info LB200.

Again, this is not my first MB LT. I'm just unsure if this "extension" to the cavitation plate was an add-on from the previous owner or if this is something MB actually offers?

I'm contemplating taking it off and just bending the cav plate itself. Any thoughts?

(SEE FIRST PICTURE - Stainless tab with SS bolts)

Pretty sure that is how mudbuddy sells them. My 24hp has it

No don't take it off... Don't take this the wrong way, but it sounds like you are starting off wrong. The prop should be all the way down in the water, then give it gas and the cavitation plate should rise up. You want it running right underneath the surface of the water (right before it pops out). It sounds to me like you are opening it up out the water, then dropping it in. That's why it's so hard.

To play the Mudd Buddy Devils Advocate- because unlike a go-devil that has an adjustable tab at the end of the cavitation plate, mudd buddy didn't include that on their design, it was just flat and not adjustable. Then they realized that you will always need to make adjustments because all boats ride different. So rather than redesign the cav plate they added that. This last part is just my 2cents, that's the best explanation we could come up with.

LH, I have the same motor, a 2004, on a 1648 grizzly. I run 20 mph by myself; 17.5 mph two hunters and gear. Good damn motor. I suggest you get a tiny tach to monitor rpms. You can tweak the throttle up to 4200 out of the water. After your first 40-50 hours I suggest switch to synthetic oil and I use synthetic (Mobil 1) grease as well. I put steelflex on the bottom of my hull- sure helps in the mud/veggies and makes trailering/untrailering easier. I am running a 9x6 prop right now- runs a little better than the 9x7 it came with. Do you have a kill switch lanyard- can't see it in the pictures? Is that a MB grab bar? That gunwale channel sure makes installation easy- I use it for a bunch of items. Can you push down the tiller all the way or do you hit the bench seat? I have the split pods in the back so it does not touch. The grizzly is not ideal but it works fine enough for me! Enjoy!

10-4, LH. The grizzly definitely "plows" with the LT but it gets the job done. Down here we have shallow water with hard bottom (coral rock), very little mud. Some have morphed to surface drives but they are heavier and need a bit more water to operate, and are costlier, so the LT suffices. My GD never had that "trim tab" on the cavitation plate; my 2004 MB came with it and it makes adjustment easier than having to bend the whole cavitation plate. Nothing against GD, they were the first on the block; more recently, BackH2O has brought an improved LT to the market. I will probably have to go custom for my next LT hull- the mfg.'s you mentioned make fine boats for surface drive motors, they are definitely heavy. If I was going the SD route they would be the ticket. I would love a .100 gauge 1848 short transom hull for say, a 35 LT. Rivetted boats have sufficed down here for years with LT's. Have fun!

I've seen one of those H2Os, I was being pulled back to the landing..There are 2 guys at my camp that have 35 mud buddys. They have had engine trouble since the day they bought them...and they keep sayin "yeah but it's the same engine as go-devil" they are the only ones broke out of 15 go-devils..lol

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Sorry I guess I misunderstood when you said the you had to force the skeg in the water, sound like you have it going.

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Sometimes it is luck. I had three GD LT's, an 18 HP and two 25 HP. At the time it was the only LT mfg. Beavertail and others followed. The 27 MB was a step up from my last GD. It definitely uses less grease and has less vibration, though I've heard GD has improved their seal setup considerably. All independent field reports on the BackH2O LT have been very positive as is their Customer service. Surface drives are an improvement in most situations but not mine. They definitely cost more to maintain and have more issues because they are more complex. I'd be driving one if I could justify it. Best bet would be to test drive you next motor, whatever its format.

I have a MB 5500 mag on a grizzly 1754 and had to cut back seat out for tiller handle.....best thing i ever did



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So I installed the Tiny Tach last night. When I started the engine, It idled between 910-920 RPMs...

Seems to me it's idling a little too low.

When I ran the throttle, It ran a max RPM of 3450 out of water.

What says the hive?

Thanks.

I set mine at around 1100 rpm at idle, it varies. I tweaked the throttle to 4200 rpm out of the water...That threaded bolt that pushes the tab on the throttle plate can be moved up by loosening the little lock nut and then right amount forward you determine with the tach. With the 9x6 prop I get 3600 rpm in the water top end- I was actually around 19.7 mph (GPS) last time out, the prop has worn some and my weight was not distributed right. I don't recommend running it wide open all the time but since 2004 no problems to the motor. I debated getting the fancy SS muffler- supposed to get some more rpms but it is too expensive and I doubt it will do much. I did notice less friction, vibration, etc. after switching to synthetic oil/grease, though many are skeptics. The synthetic oil holds level and I recall only adding a dram between oil changes. I've been using Mobil 1. I also took off that air filter foam "pre-cleaner" and the motor seem sto breathe better.

Does anyone know where this grab bar came from on the first post?

Looks like a mud buddy/excel grab bar