Bought my first mm 2 weeks ago and was told it was beavertail. It came off a boat with a 20" Transom and my loweline is the same. Has a 23 vanguard motor.Ran the boat for the first time the other day and gps said 13 mph with 2 guys (480 lbs) and fuel. So my question is what brand is this or is it homemade and are these speeds to be expected or should I change/adjust something. It seems like I'm have to pull up on the handle pretty good to get the most out of motor.

What size is your boat

Congrats on the purchase and welcome to MMT!

What size boat is the motor on? What does the bottom look like, is it beat up or have a hook? That seems just a touch slow, but close to what is expected. How long is the shaft, it looks like a 72" shaft?

looks like a bt, length and width of boat affects pereformance big time on a lt. they like long and narrow. im gettin 18-20 out of a 23 backwaterinc on a 1642 weldbilt with 2 guys, fuel, bat, and a cooler full

My boat is just a loweline 1646 or 1648 riveted Jon. Wish I could afford a true mud hull but not in the budget at the moment. I have 1800 invested in the boat motor and trailer so peak performance will suffer I'm sure. Bottom is a true flat in decent shape but it is not smooth obviously. I have the hull gutted and ready for paint at the moment and I'm really just looking to get into some areas I'm too scared to take my much more expensive outboard set up. Not sure on shaft length can check that tomorrow. Near the Transom mount there is a large nut that appears to adjust trim. Should I mess with this? In my mind I shouldn't have to because the boat the previous owner had the same Transom height.



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To keep the prop in the water you would need to bend the cavitation plate up near the end.

That and a slow boat are sure indicators of mismatched transom and motor, I would suggest cutting the transom down to 16" before you paint it

you should be getting better speeds than that. the nut on the back isnt really a trim its more to keep the motor from going vertical if you let go of the handle. if you set that bolt to youre running depth you wont be able to dig deep if you get stuck. if your having to pull up on the handle to keep the prop below the surface try bending the end of your cav plate up just a little. may take some tweeking but only bend it a little at a time till you find the sweet spot. your transom sounds like it may be too tall also

I would rather not cut the Transom. I have a 16" Transom now on another boat that flirts with the water a little more than I like. I think ill try tweaking the cav plate and just live with what that gets me. Thanks for all the quick replies to a newbie!

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The transom height is more than likely what is causing the low speeds. Your prop is entering the water at a less than optimal angle, the motor you have is made for a 16" transom. If you are ok with the speeds and fighting the motor then keep your set up the way it is. I have the same boat you do, except I have a 16" cut down transom and have never had water come over the back, FWIW.

I have a 14x42 with a 24lt (considerably heavier than a 23) my boat has a 16" transom.
With me, a heavy battery, the motor, and the area behind the bench crammed with water soaked burlap. I've never taken a splash of water on.

I've seen it before and if the transom is your problem, it will rob your speed and make it difficult to drive.

P.S. My rig runs 17-18 with the load you listed and 13-14 with 3 small guys, 4 dozen deeks, gas, blinds, and other hunting gear so you aren't missing much speed, but it is worth cutting it down IMO

IM RUNNING A 23 LONG TAIL AND I AVERAGE ABOUT 17 MPH TWO GUYS AND 18.5 ME AND A DOG ITS ON A 1448 PRETTY LIGHT BOAT.....DEFINATLY TWEEK THE CAVITATION PLATE CARRY A CRESENT OUT WITH YOU AND ADJUST IT THOUGHOUT YOUR TRIP TO SEE WHAT WORKS FOR YOU...BEND IT DOWN AND THE PROP WILL COME OUT OF WATER WHEN RPMS GET HIGH AND BEND IT UP IT WILL DIG DEEP AND BITE....WHAT SIZE PROP DO YOU HAVE IS IT IN GOOD SHAPE TRY A NEW PROP 9X5 IF YOU DONT HAVE ANY MODS DONE....BUT LONGTAILS ARE NO SPEED DEMONS THEY ARE A BULLDOZER ON A FLATBOTTOM AND CAN CARRY THE LOADS...IF YOU DONT LIKE IT ILL BUY IT HOW MUCH YOU WANT FOR IT

Haha...never said I didn't like it or even that I was unhappy. After looking things over I'm going to cut down the transom and tweak the cav. Transom could stand to be rebuilt anyway and I would like to beef it up a little. Hell if I don't like it ill just rebuild the damn thing I got $400 in the entire boat....again I'm not expecting a miracle just want to get the most out of my set up.

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WHY IS HE YELLING

Well the wood is being glued but all should be back together in the morning...

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looks good,,,,,

Still need to fab up a cap but we will see how she runs in the morning...

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looks good man keep us posted

the only difference between the go devil for a 20" and 16" transom is the cavitation plate on the 20" is 6 degrees higher than the one for 16".....

Well ran the boat Saturday and have some observations...boat speed increased from 12 to 15 mph in deep water. We are still learning the best placement of weight and contemplating a new prop so that may creep up some. Moving the boat through shallow water took much less effort and we are not fighting the motor at all when doing it. Zero wash over transom in any condition we could create. The only negative change I noticed was handling is a little tougher through tight turns. This is just going to take some getting used to and may just be the nature of the beast with the prop biting better. Thought the cav plate over pretty hard and I wish I had a picture but basicly there is no tab to bend on the back edge. This edge is just flat. There are tabs on both side edges but from what I've read on here it is the back edge I should be concerned with. Either way I'm much happier with performance on the lower transom.

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Those are good speeds

I'd be happy with those

Post paint...still working on transom cap.





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Paint looks good, where did you get it?

I see you inserted a rectangular metal piece to beef up the transom where the motor clamps on. I suggest an inverted U alum. piece, 1/8" thickness, would work a little better. This can be screwed on or welded and provide better bracing. Check the prop, any nick or wear can really affect performance. A new prop would be a good investment and you always need a spare. Down the road, when you can afford it, install an alum floor an avoid tripping on those ribs. I like the seat base up front- is that a homebuilt, if not, who is the mfg? My bird bucket seats are a little tipsy and I think the sloping pyramid base would be more stable. Good mudding!

ok so I have had a little time to run my setup and make some observations. Im currently running a MB prop that seems to be in good shape as far as nicks and such but the ends of each fin are very bladed while the bases are considerably thicker. is this normal or prop wear?

Someone asked about the paint I used. It was just the Camouflage paint from a local farm supply store.

Third and most important is the fact that this motor (23hp Van) has no kill lanyard. Where can I find one asap? Going to call BT tomorrow.

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the blade edge on the prop is due to normal wear. kill switches are available from all the mm manufacturers.

only submerge half the prop in the water in very sharp turns, takes longer to get turned around, but alot less effort because the prop doesn't bite.

ok...so it sounds like I need a new prop if nothing else to just have one on hand.

The kill switch I will just call BT because I have nothing. I need the entire set up not just the lanyard.

The front seat came with the boat and is removable. its hollow so it works good for storage and is very stable. Ill add some pictures of it. not sure if it was from lowe or it is homemade.

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