The RIG

MM Brand:Beavertail Long Shaft
Horsepower:24 HP
Boat Brand: Go Devil
Boat Size:1644
Boat Layout: Open layout, split seats, front deck

Speeds | Shallow Water:
Speeds | Deep Water: 15-16 mph
Total Boat Load With Gear Etc: 2 guys (370 ish total) 6 gal gas, and misc. gear (30lbs or so)

Conditions Tested In: Boat was tested in a shallow lake (for up north) a max depth of about 8 feet or so. There was a slight minimal chop, but nothing I would call waves. Running pretty steady 15.5 mph or so in depths varying from 2 to 8 feet deep. Speeds based on a Garmin Oregon hand held GPS laying on the boat seat.

Comments: I spoke with the dealer who sold me the boat (brand new boat) and he thought that with a 24hp long tail I should see speeds around 20mph. I thought that 15-16 with two people was maybe a tad slow, but right in the ball park. The motor comes standard with a 9x7 prop on it according to the website and although I bought the motor used it has the original prop which looks close to brand new. I have not measured the prop yet to make sure it's not worn way down. Should I be seeing speeds around 20 mph? Should I consider looking at a 9x6 prop to see if it performs a little better at higher RPM's? I don't have a tach on the motor yet to see what RPM's i'm running at in the water. What do you guys think about these speeds, I've only had the boat out a few times and haven't had a gps in the boat with just myself. The boat dealer said he would expect to see 16-18 mph with 3 people in the boat with a 1644 GD and a 24hp longtail. I'm not unhappy with what I'm getting from the boat, it seams to do fine. However if there is an easy fix to make the rig a little quicker or more efficient I would be all for it.

I am no pro by any means but Wat these other fellars say is that after the break in period it'll gain some mph. Maybe weight distribution? I had a 20hp mblt on an alumacraft and it was okay but moved gas tank, battery to front and the best i hit according to my smartphone gps (i know its not the best) was 23 with no load beside the beer cooler

If you run 20-22mph solo, then that sounds right . Run it with just one person. The smaller the motor, the lesser the loa it can carry.

Sounds good fellas, I'll go for a ride alone and post back. What is the shaft length/angle that is recommended for the Go Devil boats? Any chance that the beavertail isn't hanging in the water at quite the right angle?

Well - the 9x6 will definitely work better - but your dealer is
mis-informing you on speeds with that combo.... When I ran
a 9x7 solo I got maybe 1 mph faster but under loads more like
2 to 3mph slower - cause the engine did not "wind up" into
it's powerband....

I had a 23 GDLT with 9x6 on a 16x48 GDSD hull and got 21 mph
solo - 19mph with 2 200lb guys and 17mph with 3 200lb guys...

Same motor on a 16x44 yielded 18mph solo / 16mph with 2 guys
and could not break plane with 3 and only ran about 12mph....

You would run faster with an 18x44 --- see if the dealer will consider
a quick trade since he mis-informed you --- the 18x44 is far more
likely to hit the speeds he advertised to you under loads..... It
will also run faster later on with a bigger 35 GDSD too....

Had the boat out this weekend and was running about 17-18 with myself and a cooler (plus gas, battery etc). I'm hoping it won't plow with 3 people but I'll have to see. Anybody else have a rig set up like this? How does it carry a load? I know Giga said his wouldn't break plane with 3 people in it, is this the case for others as well?

Thanks,

X2 on what Giga said. Your dealer obviously doesn't know what he's talking about. Go with the 9x6. By the way, they all pretty much run like turds with a load and three people.

I've found that with not many people having these boats/motors up here, there isn't too much in the way for good advice. Like I said above I still really like the boat, and I'll almost never have 3 people in it so if I can stay on step with 2 people and a load I'm good with that. Even though they are slow I still really like the longtail, it fits my application aside from me hauling to much gear when I go hunting. I'm sure eventually I'll feel the need for speed like everybody else and start shopping for a surface drive, I just hope that's a few years down the road.