Hey fellas and gals,

I'm new here and have decided that I am getting a surfacedrive rig by fall.

Here's some criteria:

Because I am a trapper, and a fairly avid one
I need the rig to carry larger loads, make reasonable speed and be able to handle some rougher water at times on inland lakes.

The boat also has to be small enough to get me into where I need to go and has to be able to be handled by myself.

I was thinking of a 27hp go devil sd on a 16x56 go devil duck boat or the 16x60 go devil surface drive boat.

I'ld probably put this together used. Don't wish to go over $8,500 for the entire set up if I can help it...don't want junk either though.

Thoughts??? Any help is appreciated.

Also,

What is the difference between the Go Devil duck boats and there surface drive boats? Would a tall or a short transom be better and why. Please forgive my ignorance.

Thanks for the help,

Teal

Rough water the higher sides are nice - downside is more area
for wind to push on....

Both hull you mentioned are available in standard or tall transom
and both versions have the same height sides....

Both hulls you mentioned work better with a 35 GDSD than a 27 GDSD
and for loads the 35 is a much btter choice....

In the GD hulls the 48 and 60 wide versions are tapered chine which
drafts less, runs faster, but slides a bit in shallow water turns...

In GD hulls the 38 44 and 56 wide versions are round chine which will
draft a bit more, run a tad slower, but turn much sharper in shallow water...

The 54 wide GD is a high sided tapered chine...

Your 8500 budget is very doable in a good used rig....

Another detail - every 1660 they have ever built is .125 gauge metal...

Newer - post 1999 - 1656 models have a side crimp and are .125 also
but the pre-1999 versions were .100 gauge... The greater speeds of the
SD motors need a .125 thick hull to hold up well - that was the reason
for the obvios change in thickness.... They also made subtile changes
to the 44 and 56 wide versions that were initially tuned for a LT...

GD has revised all their current hulls to work well with either the LT or SD
motors so it is just a matter of subtle handling characteristics when you
choose your hull...

Both hulls you mentioned should work fine - the 1656 will turn better and
the 1660 will be faster and carry a bit more loads....

Not to down go devil but of your a trapper your going to be making alto of stops and go devil doesent have a clutch (neutral) or reverse. You'd have to kill it each time you wanted to stop. There all pretty good motors, pro drive is one of my favorites because of how easy it is to drive, and it has a "pulse" button on it that you can hit while your in neutral which basically makes it go forward while you have it pushed, but stops as soon as you let go and returns to neutral which comes in handy also. Gator tail is right there with pro drive in my opinion, and is also faster in most cases on the right boat. And unlike prodrive, it's got instant reverse where you only have to pull a lever and throttle and your going backwards, pro drive takes about 2 seconds longer because the whole shaft swings aroun and under the boat. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, it's just your preference on what suits you better.

As far as boat goes, Seein that your wanting to go a cheaper route, find a used one on here, and try and Find a boat the same
Brand of whatever motor you decide to go with, it woll perform best on that hull. Make sure whatever boat you get is made for a mud motor. You'll lose a lot of performance on a hull not made for one. If your crossing big water, don't get sides any shorter than 21" and yes get a tall transom. Reasoning on tall over short is basically jis more freeboard.

You won't really know what suits you or what you favor until you actually get out there and try them out. Test drive as many as you can so you can form an opinion on what your gonna want.

Thanks for the opinions guys...keep them coming.

I don't have much opportunity to test-drive boats here in central WI.

What kind of speeds and sea worthiness could I expect out of say a 27hp GDSD on a 16x56GD duck boat tall transom?

Will the 27hp be under powered on a 16foot? Some people said get a 35hp but that just seems too big of a rig. I will need to be able to pull this along sometimes in waist deep to knee deep water.

What about an 18ft boat over a 16ft?

18ft with a 35 will be a much better all around set up.

If you are comparing hp for speed and load to an outboard, you will be disappointed with the 27.
A 35 mm is close to the equvilant of a 25 ob. Get a 35 and save money in the end.

I'd also recommend a 18' boat and a motor with neutral/reverse.

What is the difference between the go devil duck boats and the surface drive boats??

The duck boats seem to have a better payload...can you use a surface drive on the go devil duck boats?? Why does go devil reccommend only up to 27hp and twin motors for the duck boats and not the 35hp?

Sorry for all the questions, just trying to learn

Thanks

I know that you guys are reccommending the 35hp for my needs

But, if i could get a 2009 gdsd 27hp short transom with low hours in the $2500-3000 range would this suffice on and 18x44 gd boat? What kind of performance would I be looking at when pushing 2 guys and 600-800lbs?

Is this price range for that motor a good deal?

Are you looking at the gdsd that's for sale in Kaukauna? If so that's not a terrible price on that motor, I talked to the guy a little bit but decided I'm gonna go with a 36pd for reasons like others have said, neutral and reverse. The 27 will suffice on your boat, but there's a reason that guys selling that motor to get a 35 gdsd, because it's underpowered on a boat that size.

I believe that everyone has given you some good advice on here....I would have to say that i woulld go with 35 hp......I think if your going to be in rougher water at times and want to run a fairly larger boat than your gonna want that 35 hp........I have only owned one mud motor rig,it was a 1748 sdb with a 36 hp prodrive and i would not had been happy with anything less than that 36 on it......But in the end it is up to you...Hope you enjoy your first mud motor rig....its hard to think about going back to an outboard once you have ran one for a while...

1848 with a 35 GDSD

We did 4 guys and a dog - moves along very nicely.

Good luck with your decision

Just to note - I bought a 1856 built in 1996 with .125

I believe it was said but I would look for something with neutral an reverse. $8,500 should get you there.

Don't do it run don't look into the light run stay on shore

If you are trapping get a 35 if you can. The 27 is nice but a 35 will carry a load with ease. I have a GDSD. I crab out of mine. I took a rope and hook and I pull the tiller handle down and it pulls the prop out the water. The motor is balanced and really light. I like the GDSD. If you choose to get a model with a clutch get the Gator Tail. The GDSD is a smooth machine. It is cheaper than others because it is a simple made model. The three bladed prop works wonders. I use the shit out of my motor and it never gives me problems. There is give and take with every model. Some on this site will bash the shit out of different models. I would strongly suggest going to Go Devil in Baton Rouge, meet CoCo and checking out what they have. Then after that go to Gator Tail and check out what they have. Make your own decision. Get what is right for you financially and performance.

I've owned a 23hp MB Sport, have two different boats at work rigged with GD 27hp SD, and own now a 25gtr. I recommend you get a 35, cause you can't find a used 25gtr. Hell the 27's are such turds with a load I bet a highly modded out 23hp would perform better than one. Buy one with neutral for sure and I recommend reverse. Take your time and find a nice used rig with low to fair hours.