Well I finally did it, plunged into the world of mud motors. There have been a lot of places I have wanted to go but can't because of my outboard rig. So I ponied up $599 for a cheap Thai rig on e-bay and a $319 13hp Harbor Freight Predator motor.

After my first trial run the thing I come away with is awkward. I'm definitely not used to this kind of setup. The motor has a ton of torque and is pretty fast with just me in it (15 - 18mph) It took a while to get used to the position the prop should be in deep and shallow water but after I figured that if you lift up on the tiller handle the farther in the water the prop is, the faster she will go.

I have to say these Thai rigs look pretty durable, heavy steel and aluminum, the throttle assembly is kinda cheesy but I hope to remedy that soon.

A longer tiller will make it easier to steer.

A cavitation plate would definetly make it easier to hold underwater at speed too.

I'm interested in seeing how well an aluminum prop holds up. I think that it would be toast in one day running around where I run.

I'll find out on Sunday

Yeah, they are a "good deal" and they seem to scoot, but that aluminum prop would looked like a crushed coke can after one hunt and I'm fairly certain I'd be cussing that long ass shaft for as long as I owned it. Everybody run's different areas though, hopefully it works out well for you!

man a little bit longer and you would have reverse

Get a poling platform and do lil wrk to the transom mount and you could have a stripper pole

Question? Is the lower "bushing" just above the prop made of plastic? Looks red and that's what caught my eye.
Let us know how it runs for ya Sunday. Duckdon

All packed up ready to go. The battery is charging now. I rigged up some quick connect battery terminals, put a different board in the transom clamp, topper her off. I'll have 3 in the blind tomorrow, I guess this will be a good a test as any.

Rob

Yes, the end bushing looks plastic to me.

Rob

It is Delrin plastic bushing.
http://www.portplastics.com/plastics/tu ... lBSAI.html
link to delrin plastic uses and properties. The food industry uses these plastic bushings. Idk but let us know how the whole unit holds up. The Thai people obviously have some clue on these longtails, they are somewhat the innovators. Modern American Longtails were designed from them. Plus the Ebay seller sells all parts needed for future replacements.

In the early 70's I was an advisor to the Royal Thai military. I ran hundreds of miles in a skinny 30 foot boat with a 4 cylinder Toyota for power. It was scary fast and reverse was accomplished by swinging the 20 foot shaft around and dropping it along side the boat. The lower bushing was bamboo that was water lubricated. It was changed every 10 or 12 hours, but only took about 10 minutes to accomplish. I've seen almost every engine possible used from a single cylinder Rotax to 6 cylinder turbo diesel. The one with the V8 Olds was unbelievably fast. I never saw one that ran a muffler so you can imagine how load they were. Good luck with your rig. It brought back some interesting memories for an old man.

Went out early this morning. Saw a few Ducks but it was mostly a blue bird day. The good news is my motor worked like a champ. I was in my rig with two other guys, gear, decoys and my pvc blind. The rig plowed through the mud and weeds with a good head of steam. I had to tilt the blad up every hundred yards or so just to check and make sure I was clearing the weeds. I even managed to hit some small rocks and gravel. The prop has just a few dings in it, nothing very noticeable and not enough to effect the performance.

So far I give the rig an A

Rob

I have one of these with a 6.5hp on it. If you figure out how to add a cav plate let me know. I'd like to add one but not sure of the best way.

Very interesting! I still think we have more to learn from Thai longtails. I have seen some of their props and some have rings, kind of like our "rock guards" that may have application here but I suspect they will snag weeds and slow you down. Looking at the pic, I also suspect there is no universal joint? As was stated, a longer tiller handle, perhaps with bend up, like our mfg.'s here equip them, will make it easier to steer and tilt up as well as give you clearance with the bench seat. Those small rigs with longtails that they race over there are real fast! Stualaska, greetings! I imagine you've been getting ducks already! We start down here the weekend before Thanksgiving and we're all chomping at the bit! Good hunting to all!

So far I have been pretty pleased with this rig. In non-weedy water, she really gets up and goes. In the heavy weeds and muck it still pushes me and a all my gear pretty well. I have not made any modifications yet. From what I understand the Harbor Freight motors come stock with a governor in them. I bet if I took that out and made some modifications to the exhaust and the air intake system I could get some more hp and mph.

The only issues that I am experiencing is the fact that the rig is a bit cumbersome to move around. It's a bit bulky for my small 15 for my 15 foot rig. Adjusting the tail to the proper depth has taken some getting used to, I really have to pull up on the handle to get to bite into the weeds properly. The tail tends to travel up at faster speeds and I have to keep a good fix on the handle.

I think when I have the money I will spring for a name brand surface drive. I wold really like to get to that 20-25mph range and not have to struggle with the prop position. A larger name brand motor would be nice as well. But for now I'll stick with this.

Rob

I bet I could rig up a round tube bent handle so I could stand up and control the tail a little bit better. i think that would give me a little better leverage with the tail. No u-joint, straight connection from motor all the way to the prop.

Rob

I have the same rig but my engine keeps shutting off when I try to get up to top end . It sputters and quits? My boat is 14' and has a 17" transom. I unpluged my low oil shut off switch to see if that was it but it still shut off. Any ideas?

Thanks

Humm, have not had that problem yet. I can check out some of the cart forums. I'll let you know if I find anything. Rob

Just an FYI, I will be running the same kit and motor as you. If you feel the shaft is too long, The seller offers a shorter shaft. I still went with the long one.

heads up, better buy a couple extra props...this happend to me today. found some on ebay for $14 so i ordered 2.

I could see those little aluminum props doing that stuff since the start.

Better buy them by the dozen and keep a few in the boat.

where can u buy the thai motors from and can yuo mount any motor on them or does it have to be the clobne from harbor freight
also can you put a stainless prop on them

I have a Thai mud motor kit I just purchased and Im not a big fan. Its simple and works good, however I'm gonna start modifying mine. I have 2 props, the coupler and prop shaft I'm not using anymore. If someones interested to pick up some spare parts ill let em go real cheap. Also have the tiller handle and throttle set up. Im only using the motor mount and transom bracket. The whole kit was used for like 30 min in the water. No nicks or dings in either prop, one still has the zip tie thing on it and the shaft is 85 in. You can message me here or email me at greenhead827@yahoo.com. Thanks

No life jacket, no helmet, no harness, no rescue boat, no fear. Crazy!!!

men