First of all I'm a real newbie to mud boats and mud motors. I'm in WA State so we don't have many of these critters running around the rivers and lakes. I'll be in small water 99% of the time. No stumps, not much mud but sand, beaver huts and cattails. This setup will primarily be used as a duck hunting boat. Getting from point A to point B. Typical load will be 2 guys, (270 and 240) two dogs (60 and 65) 6 gallons of gas, 1 full size battery, 2 guns, blind bags and about 4 dozen decoys. I like the electric start and pull start option on the MB 23 Hyper Drive with trim and clutch but can bigger. I've been contemplating having a 1548 mud boat built with 20" transom and 21" sides and the flat bow. I'd really like to put togather a boat/motor combination that will do 20mph with the load I typically carry. Shorter boat length is better as there are some channels that have hairpin corners and the longer boats have troubles getting around them. So give me some suggestions. Will a 23 MB push any type of mud boat with the load described at 20? Or do I need to think about a 36MB? Will adding a hunt deck or pods to a 1548 be a benefit or wasted money.?

Hi, Badhabit. The load you are talking about carrying is more or less what we cart around...sometimes with the addition of a few floater geese and a second dog. I think for best performance you are looking at a 17 or 18' boat, 48 to 52 inch width, and a big block mud motor 35 / 36 hp. If you were able to search every thread on every forum that has ever discussed 15' long boats you would find many disappointed customers. 15' generally just does not scoot well with a mud motor. There are some happy campers out there with 16' boats, though. I know you want as short as possible to run up the coulees, but 15' is too short for the speed runs over big water to get out to them.

It was my experience when I was a mud motor and boat dealer that the longer the boat, the faster it planes off...plus, you have more hull surface area on the water. This is critical if you are going to load up a boat and want to run as shallow as possible over the sandy waterways of Eastern WA. I was twice able to run side by side with the same HP motor identical make and width boats with the difference being length. In both cases, we ran an 18 footer next to a 20 footer. We did this with Gator Trax 50" wide hulls and 54" wide hulls. Guess what? The 20 footers planed off faster and ran faster.

I think for your application a 48" to 50" wide boat would be best. I like it for load carrying capability but I agonized between that width and a 48" width because the narrower one will run a bit faster. Go no shorter than 16', and think 17' if possible. For running shallow over sand it is extra critical that you have a dead flat bottom boat with no crimps or keels. You probably know by now that the biggest challenge to owning a boat specifically designed for shallow water is getting them delivered to the Northwestern US. They are all built back east. With proper planning you should be able to get a hull out here without breaking the bank. You got to see the Excels, GatorTrax and my Phowler at Potholes mudfest this summer. All good boats. I've owned and / or hunted a lot out of all of them.

Unless you run a really small hull the 23 will be underpowered. If budget is not your concern here just man up and go with the big block. You will get the speeds you are looking for. I am sure you have talked to Timon and have gotten his .02 on this as well.

Good luck with your search.
idabilly, a.k.a. HaydenHunter

Ive ran a 25Prodrive on a 15 ft for about a yr and a half. It was very dissapointing to me when i had more than just myself and hunting gear in the boat. I also hunt alotta flooded timber and go thru tight canals. I now have a 1850 flat with a 36 marine Prodrive and loving it. The turns in the canals are tight but the more stick time you put in the easier it will get. Just my .02 but go with the bigger rig and you wont be dissapionted. If you decide to go smaller you will prolly end up wanting to go bigger in the near future and end up having to take a lick on the smaller rig to get rid of it.

If you were able to search every thread on every forum that has ever discussed 15' long boats you would find many disappointed customers. 15' generally just does not scoot well with a mud motor.

x2 i have a 15x48 ft boat with gtr 23 and i do 22 unloaded, loaded high teens. it is just a hair to short for a mm

i'd look into a 17x48 or 52. imo

Thanks for the input on boat lengths. How does factoring in an 18" huntdeck or pods change the performance on a 15' or 16' boat? Will they allow the boat to perform like the longer hull? or just a waste of money? I have a buddy who has a 1448 Lowe riveted boat with some mods to make it a mud worthy boat and he's running a 23 hyperdrive. Alone he's getting about 19 or 20 mph, with 2 people its very hard to plane and he's running some pods to add floation to the transom.

You don't really want pods unless you have no other option (meaning you cannot get another boat and have played with weight dist). A huntdeck pretty much is just adding length to the boat. THe HD will help keep water from coming over the back when coming to a sudden stop or when using the reverse on a GTR. The pd pushes the water more under the boat when in reverse and the tiller handle is too short to really utilize a huntdeck. If you are looking at gtr's I would look at the huntdecks. Any other motor, a tall transom will accomplish the same goal.

Most of the time when adding a huntdeck to an existing hull, they are not making it longer. They are just adding a drop deck.

Pods will give about 200 lbs of lift depending on the size but are not gonna make the boat "perform" like a longer boat. Not gonna help so much with load carrying or anything. Pretty much only used to correct a boat that is sitting too low in the back. Purchasing a longer hull is a much better option.

Badhabit, another thought...

Ask Olmsted to tell you about the time we ran a 1644 GatorTrax hunt deck boat (overall length 17'8") with new and stock 35 Sport Hyper way up Lind Coulee into the whitewater.

Our load was only me, him, cooler of beer and dog, but we were hitting 25-26 in deep water and 27-28 in the skinny stuff. That little 44" wide Gator trax is a nimble little minx in the turns and a fast runner.

If your gonna go with a huntdeck on the back of a 15 ft just a soon go with the 17ft cause you gonna have 17ft of length anyway. Then you can go with a bigger motor and i promise you,you will not be dissapointed.

Idabilly, that 1644 Gatortrax sounds like the boat I need? Now tell where I can find a cherry used one?

isnt that the size Camo has for sale?