Hey guys I'm new to the forum as well as mud motors. I've narrowed my choice down to a backwater 26.5 or 35. I'd like to mount it on a 1546 Lowe roughneck all welded boat. It's rated for 25 but could I get away with adding the 60 more pounds with the 35? Would I need pods? Heck would the boat even work well paired with a long tail. If I could get 20mph out of it id be happy. I know the boat is fairly heavy so I'm just curious if it would work well. Not looking to spend a ton but open to suggestions. Thanks guys.

That horse power rating on your placard is for outboards. These things are a little different animal. It says the 35 swomp is 225. A 25hp Suzuki 4 stroke is 136 lbs. That's more like 90 lbs. I know other people that have put the 35 on 14 foot boats. Never been in them so I can't say wether it's safe or not. maybe someone can chime in if it's safe to hang an extra 90 lbs on a transom rated for around ~140lbs
And you may not get 20mph out of it. Will be close though

It's simple. get a mud motor. shoot ducks in the face.

I planned on getting a set of pods and welding them on. Also beefing up the transom. I'm just hoping it would work so I could get a little more speed out of it.

I have a 22hp longtail and I get 15mph with a 1648 mod vwether it's loaded or unloaded. These hulls hinder the performance of longtails. If your roughneck has a v nose then you probably are not going to break 20mph. You probably won't see much difference from the 26.5 to the 35, load carrying might be better. My buddy has a 35 on a 1448 and it still only does right at 20. I'd save your coin and get the smaller one. Pods will slow you down too just fyi. I haven't seen a boat where they helped speed performance yet, they just make it more stable.

It's simple. get a mud motor. shoot ducks in the face.

Get the 35 and don't look back. Got a buddy with a 35 on a 1444 and it will run 24 all day long. Better to have the power and not need it than to need the power and not have it. Besides you may upgrade eventually.

Your Lowe 1546 is 290# (dry hull weight) per the mfg. website. With a BW "27" HP LT, I think you can realize 20 mph by yourself and gear. I get that with my 27 HP MB LT on a 1648 grizzly. Like Wad Shooter says, a 35 will get you 24 mph maybe with two and gear. If you morph to a bigger hull, the 35 can run great on a 18' hull. Do you absolutely need a longtail? I use one because of shallow water, hard bottom, very little mud, plenty of veggies, moderate distance runs...if a shortail is applicable, a 23 HP SD is an absolute fit on that 1546 as far as speed and weight is concerned.

If you put the 35 on that boat, dont put pods untill you see how it sits in the water.


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Yes long tail is a must. I have run my outboard on the backwaters and it's a nightmare. The Mississippi River here in Wisconsin is constantly changing. There is always mats of lily pads, mud and sand. It's not uncommon to be running the backwaters and have 6ft of water go to 6inches and it's just a nightmare to run a outboard on. Atleast where I hunt and fish. I'm sure I'll upgrade down the road, I'm thinking the 35 would be better for that option. Unless you can upgrade the 27 to get close to that 35 yet keep less weight off your transom. Like I said I'm new to mud motors but have read up and seen and had guys pass me while I'm pushing my outboard through the sand and mud with there long tails and I feel as though if I'm gonna buy a motor it should be a longtail. Not totally worried about speed. Just as long as I can get through the backwaters without having to push my boat. I hardly will ever have more then 2 guys in the boat also.

Might as well get the biggest sum bitch you can find.

It's simple. get a mud motor. shoot ducks in the face.

Get the 35 so you can put that new supercharger that is coming out soon lol


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Okay will do. Thanks a bunch guys. I'll keep you posted and post pics. Thanks again.

Where are you in wisconsin? I run the Mississippi and hour north of lacrosse and i just purchased a 26.5 Backwaters two weeks ago. Put it on the back of a 1542 Crestliner Mod V all welded. It moves well...no speed demon but serves it purpose and i don't get stuck. I purchased for the same reason as you. I told Jake that if there was anyone in the area interested i could take them for a ride...if your somewhere nearby i could show ya.