I thought I would ask the obvious question. We often have posters here who use surface drives, and I know that is the "bread and butter" nowadays for the major mfg.'s, but I strongly believe there is a place for the tried and true longtail. I have relatively short runs in a sheltered marsh, shallow water, hard bottom, no extensive mud but a few mud "rafts", the usual "veggies". I know the longtail has been used as far north as Alaska, and south in the Amazon. In many parts a "duck boat" is used only to ferry hunters to and from built blinds, but we use our boats here as our floating blinds. Frankly I am tired of the nouveaux surface drive owners putting us down categorically.

Long tails have reach..... I miss that.....sometimes.....

where i hunt there is no other option than a longtail unless you want to stay high centered all day. Had a 35gdsd and got rid of it.[/quote]


x2 the reach is also a big part of why we use em.

I have a sd and i am convinced that when i pull up to a landing and only see long tails, I am up shit creek. They have their place especially the maurepaus swamp. I have land in clio off the amite. i only made the mistake of taking a sd in it once.

Thank you, gentlemen, for corroborating what I thought. I've often seen pics and videos of your "promised land", that being Louisiana. Maybe some day I can hunt there once. My waterfowling mentor hails from Lafayette and it was he that "ruined" my life by introducing me to duck hunting. The last few years we've had a water shortage so the shortails have been a bit of a liability and some have sold them and bought airboats. I am glad that companies like MB and Backwater for instance, are still trying to tweak the longtail design and make improvements. I like the simplicity, reliability, and durability. It sure is easier to drive a shorty, which I've done, but given my circumstances, I'll stay with what I have.

In 90% of situations I will pull a longtail trough more shit than it will take itself!! Before you go saying I don't know shit I owned all of the longtail from a 16 hp to a 31 hp!! The only place they excel is in stumps as for what y'all talking bout getting high centered!!

Yeah a SD can run that with nor problem

Can't hardly see this video on the phone but if it's the one I think it is the water is two foot high. Just getting to that spot requires a lt.

If I can't get through then I back up s with the old prodrive and cut some of them down lol

And I drive a pd and approve this message

I drive a lt cause I'm poor and can't afford a sd. That is the only reason I don't unbolt the piece of shiat in the middle of the lake and turn it into a fish habbit

I could understand an 1860 not running that. A SD drive on a skiff will eat that skit up. I am firm believer that longtails have their place. However, The trail in the video can be ran by a SD.

Not only will I run it I'll do it at 35 mph
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNysEfXU ... ata_player

Before you go and say that ain't shit I pulled a 31 longtail off that boat yo put my Gtr on it . The guy who bought the LT put it on the same size boat as me and we went ride in that same place !! Was a total joke I actually ended up having to pull him across shit cause he couldn't get up enough momentum to cross shit with the floats we was on!!

Before you go to for they got 10000 crawfisherman in la. That run worse than that in outboards!!

^^^^ that's what I was going to say. Come to La. and we'll teach you how to drive a boat.

Only thing making down my ditch is a long tail. This is a high water photo. Btw that boat is 38" wide, a 60" is a barge an won't fit. Taken not far from barnes_53's video.

1st time adding pic from phone. Lerlts see if it attaches.

I stopped it puposely. I was removing a log that fell from that rotten tree. I could have easily went over it but when the water gets low it would have been a pain to jump everytime. I try to make things easier on me and my boat it's rough enough without any new hurricane debries in the ditch.

This is why

I still run a longtail less parts to break, hard bottoms and barely enough water for a 9-10 inch prop let alone an 11 or 12 inch prop If all I had was slop mud and veggies I would probably have a SD

X2 woodie

It takes a man to drive a Long Tail. Sissies and city boys drive shallow Drives.

All BS beside, and I may just be filling myself full of shit.

I think there are some places I run that a SD can't follow me. There are several little beaver dams I jump and you can't really get much running start on them, thats where the extra reach comes in handy.

there is places SD can't go. woodie you gotta remember we plane out a lot quicker

1 reason why i run a longtail. I'm broke. If you're running a longtail you're also broke (or don't know any better).

Hey boys, just kidding. Sho is alot of SD boys in the LT forum.

Longtail can not be beat going over lenghty log jams in the swamp. I'm talking about 30 yards long, having to push over each log. Being able to move the prop into a hole and then into the next is unmatched.

A surface drive will follow...


...with a winch and two fully charged batteries.

A surface drive is superior in all other situations. I have, and will always have, both.

I reckon the reason is the shear simplicity of a longtail. less moving parts means less trouble. 90% of issues with lt's seems to be adjusting cavitation plate, "god bless'em" the other 10% u-joint bearing/bushing. Cant beat that.