First off I am new to the forum. I appreciate the work of the admin folks and posters as y'all have created a great resource. Thank You. I am a long time boater, hunter, and fisherman but I have never owned a mud motor. I am leaning toward a longtail as I believe it will suit my needs best. I have a 1648 weldbilt flatbottom that it will be used on. I need advice on hp and even brand choice. I am primarily concerned about weight on my transom and a semi long run. I have to go about 6 miles up a river but must go through some real bad stuff when I get there, hence the longtail. I appreciate any advice.

35 swomp if your going to hunt two or more

Either the go devil or swomp will do on that boat. Both should do well and not beat up your transom.

Back Water all the way. 23 will work, but if you can swing it, get the 35!

X 2 on the swomp. , I have a 23 swomp on my boat and there is no comparison to my last godevil . If you want to run mid twentys get a. 35 if you want high teens low 20' s get a. 23 hp. . I'm sure frank theTau will chime in he has a 35 hp . With that being said , there is nothing wrong with the tried and true godevil longtail . It's proven and will get u there and back just not a speed demon. . There are a few noticeable differences. , first a tube frame that is foam filled to reduce ( eliminate) felt vibrations. , a unique surface tracer cavitation plate. , replacement props are less expensive , to me it is a better thought out. , better engineered longtail. .

H Finn

I ran a 35 on a 1752 Lowe and it pushed that boat just fine with three people in it. Call the guys at Back Water.


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Huck took the words right out of my mouth. But if you have any specific, thoughts, questions, or concerns with the Back Water, I'll shoot you straight and give honest answers and opinions. I've owned and/or ran several different size longtails from GD, MB, and BW so I can speak from real world experience.

All good advice! I run the "compromise" motor, a 27 HP MB LT. It is a Kohler and has been a solid unit. BackH20 makes one and that would be my choice, but having run the 27 on a 1648 grizzly since 2004, I would opt for more horses and get the 35 BackH20. A little more weight but the added torque and speed are worth it- if you don't mind a little effort the LT is the way to go in many marshes. I typically run 12 miles round trip in a hard bottom shallow marsh and it's a sweet ride.