When people are talking about long tails, why do others ask about the speed? I just don't understand it. THEY ARE ALL SLOW!!! If you want speed then get a F*@!ing SD.

Bcoonass got a lt that will outrun both of you !!

In my case, I am not wondering about speed, just whether or not they will plane the rig and how much weight they will haul. Just don't want a rig that won't get the boat on plane quickly with a reasonable load. If it will it is fast enough.

hey sfthull what kinda speeds you gettin out of that longtail ? just wondering

Hey Powerstroke kiss my ass.... but seriously, my 6.5hp will push my 1648 with 4 guys, 40mph up stream into a 15kt head wind while dragging an anchor.

Like sftull said, it's about getting there...and back. Way down here there is no significant mud, but we do have hard bottom and skinny water and the longtail does the job. I am in heaven doing close to 20 mph by myself and a hunting load and 17.8 mph with two hunters and gear and if you get up early enough, there is no rush.

thats all your squeezing outta that thing thang shit you gotta take that restricter plate off man easy 18 hp increase just with that shit you take the warning stickers off it will increase the airflow enough to create a venturi tailwind effect and you really wont have to use the throttle anymore after you get it on plane... just my two cent worked for me

Kibb, I am running a 2004 Grizzly 1648 and 27 MB Kohler longtail. It is not an ideal hull but stable and gets the job done. I put steelflex on the bottom back in 2006 and it is still slick- makes running in the veggies easier and trailering and unloading the boat easier. I've got an open floor model with rear pods, converted one of them into a storage area and put my electrical panel there. I put in an aluminum floor, with flotation underneath, and outdoor carpetting on top. Simple and workmanlike. I am awaiting field tests on the newer MB "Superlongtail". It is supposed to have a short belt drive and reduction gear allowing it to turn a larger prop and run faster and smoother. They are introducing a 35 Briggs to start and then plan doing the same with the 27 and a 23. I like the weight and performance of the 27. Eventually I'd llike to get an 1848 true "mud" hull to get the most out of the longtail.

hell ya well said

We are a nation of tinkerers and that is a boon to the consumer. There have been some notable improvements to the first GD longtail, some by GD others by MB and other mfg.'s. I like the fact that MB has not totally left the longtail market and is developing a newer gear reduction model. The jury is still out on that but it is cool. There is no "one mud motor fits all" applications, marshes,etc. I towed my friend's powerful 35 MB Hyper out of the marsh last year when he broke down- it is an earlier model and there is only one easily accessible grease fitting, and he can go a lot faster than me but can also get it stuck a lot worse sooner. When there is low water here, the hard bottom makes it tough for everyone, and the shortail is not a real advantage. The fact that you can just tweak the throttle a bit and get a 2-3 mph gain without spending a lot of $ is cool. I can't afford nor see the need to spend 4K$ on mods to go 3-4 mph faster. That said, I would love to increment my speed some more to cruise at 20 mph with my 27 longtail with two hunters and gear, that would be ideal. Sorry, I am one of those persons who admires Formula 1 and most race cars but I actually drive at the posted speed limit!

Did anybody get any speed numbers from the Beavertail Predator? The one with the SnS Harley engine.

cb5331, thank you. Very few inventions are made in a vacuum but rather there are many people working together and I salute all the mud motor mfg.'s and I am glad we have competition and not a MONOPOLY.It is inevitable, with the competition, that there are legal issues, despite the constitutional backing, Article I, Section 8 #8. thebuddrik, there was a Predator some years ago here in the marsh. I questioned the owner about its performance. He stated he hit 30 mph easily by himself and gear, but that it was a "bear to drive". It had a hearty throaty vroom vroom sound and it cost a chunk.

dont know one the preditor but my MBLT will hit 27 all day at 4300' ele. im 345 lbs to. i spin a hopkins 10 X 7 at 4130rpm and run right on the limeter when i surface it. and yes it is a bear to turn.

I'm still puttin the tub together but will get it on the water one of these days. damn honey do's and a lack of funds keeps gettin in the way. I was told by the original owner of my predator that he hit 45-47mph on a 15/54 hull and he said it was a very heavy boat. he goes by "the machine" on here. Honestly if your comin from a decently sized outboard rig to a MM of any kind, they are all slow IMO. At least they can sound cool though, are good on gas, and get you back where a outboard can't.

sloaner, that speed is on a longtail? Wow. I actually got more speed going to a 9x6 from a 9x7. I wonder if I can run a Hopkins 10x7? Is there enough clearance between the the lifting plate and the prop? What kind of hull are your running it on and I assume you are running a 35 HP?

He is running a modded 35.

I am running a POS G3 16X48 for a hull and its heavy. i am running a modded out 35 CDI its called a Black Death 4500+ some more stuff . i think its around 43 hp . and those speeds are true ive been faster but dont want to stir the pot.
sloan

That is quick! I also wish my hull was lighter- my 1648 Grizzly is around 395#. We don't really need a .125 gauge hull around here, way too heavy. A good friend runs a 35 MB shortail on a 1979 .072 gauge alum hull and does fine. I saw up close this past week an Excel 1751 hull and it is a beautiful design but weighs around 700#!! I think the 27 longtail is a good optimum horsepower and weight motor for around here. I have tweaked the throttle, added steelflex to the hull, removed the foam precleaner from the air filter, use synthetic oil and grease, and tried several different props to get the most out of it. The new proposed MB longtail with gear reduction I found out is applying a clutch to temporarily disengage the drive to get "neutral", I would rather have just the gear reduction and no clutch- these tend to give problems IMO.