Still looking for boats, and still contemplating the custom option to go with my 23 Go Devil

We beat up 3/16" hulls with way more bracing than most manufactures use. .100 should not even be on the table.

Willett is up in NETX. Check him out too.

I try and talk everyone into .150

Uncle J - do you use .150 on the hull, and if so how does it effect total weight?

I assume that hes probably rounding to .150.


Sent using my bag phone

Rounding to .150 from what? Do they even make 5/32?

I have 16/48 F and F flatbottom. Damn fine built boat

thanks much for all the posts and info

negative on the .100 with horizontal bracing. too thin and h braces will catch on stumps and make the bottom look like a washboard.

longitudinal bracing only, unless you never go over logs or stumps.

I'm sorry. I was supposed to type .187 as the thickness. With is 3/16. Boat will weight approx 75#'s more throughout complete hull. You will lose 1 mph if that, but gain longevity In your hull.

Uncle J

If I lay off the biscuits and gravy get a Boyken instead of a lab, there will be no drop in performance.

That 70lbs he is talking about is a lot different than carrying 70lbs on your body or bringing a 100lb dog vs a 30lb dog. Your body or dog's weight is all in one spot, the aluminum weight is spread out evenly across every inch of the bottom of the boat. It will not make that much of a difference.

Earlier, I wasn't necessarily saying that you need a 3/16 hull, but I would definitely not go less than a well braced 1/8. Don't let anyone talk you into a .100 hull. And no horizontal bracing touching the bottom!

"no horizontal bracing touching the bottom"

why?

and another question. A normal jon boat has longitudinal ribs or keels that run the length of the bottom of the boat. I assume these help it run strait in the water.

Does the slick bottom boat run different, and does not having those ribs make it harder to turn or handle different in open water?


Still not sure I understand the difference in round chine, square chine, and what differnece it makes.

Underwater obstructions...stumps, rocks, logs, etc, will "catch" on the horizontal bracing, driving upwards, and causing hooks...dents that create a lot of turbulence and will dramatically affect how the boat performs. You want the cross braces, but you want them on top of the long runners, not sunk in, or touching the bottom.

The runners or ribs on the bottom do have some affect on how the boat will turn in deep water, but they also create drag. Stumps will catch on them and not slide right off, it will be harder to turn around if you are stuck, etc. They all slide in shallow water, even with ribs. In deep water, it won't take you long to figure out how to take turns with a mud boat. Round chine boats turn the best in deep water, but draft the most water. Square chine turn the worst, but draft the least. There is also many variations of tapered and stepped chines that will turn better than a square and draft less than a round. Lots of options. I wouldn't put a mm on a ribbed bottom boat... but lots of other people do.

cb5331

Thanks for that info

Please take my advise and get a mudboat built right by someone that knows what they are doing, Legend Craft and F&F both make good boats.... for 40 hp outboards, they don't have any buisness trying to build you a mudboat.

Get no less than 1/8! This is coming from someone with a TRASHED .100 hull

Woodie,

"Please take my advise and get a mudboat built right by someone that knows what they are doing"

Please define those that know what they are doing.

My assumption is that Uncle J, Go Devil, Gator Trax, Gator Tail, Beaver Tail are all suitable, real deal, slick bottom, mud boats. Am I leaving any out?

lol yes

here is the sponsor page
http://www.mudmotortalk.com/sponsors.html

All of those except for beaver tail LOL.

x

spend time here

viewforum.php?f=5

Dude, just go buy an 18x44 go-devil boat from your closest dealer. Later down the road if you want a surface drive, then sell your longtail rig, and build a SD combo.

x

Gear reduction and a bigger prop.