It seems like you guys are pretty well schooled in motor knowledge. My question is, what size motor to stick on the back of my Lowe 1448 MV? It's a riveted mod v and I run a 25HP Johnson short shaft on it in the summer for catfishing but I want to get a mud motor for it this year so I don't have to depend on other guys to get out hunting in the fall. I was first thinking about a Gator Tail GTR23 but I think it's just too heavy and after reading a bunch of stuff I feel like maybe a long tail is a better option. I was comparing motors and I see that a 27hp beavertail weighs 174lbs and a 23hp go devil weighs 178lbs. That said, what are the pros/cons of either of these two options? I see a bunch of guys have said a 16hp is a good fit on a boat about this size and I have seen others say to go a size bigger. I'd like to avoid pods if I can. Any feed back is greatly appreciated since I feel like my buddies are full of BS most of the time when we get on the subject. Thanks!

May I suggest the Sport H? Or V?

Never knew of these till now. Look a little big for my boat though. How much does the H weigh? That thing looks awesome.

So back to my initial question... Just looking for a straight answer.

I gave you a straight answer man , trust me you will not regret the decision of the 25 they do not offer the 23 anymore . What kind of terrain are you running ?

Riveted tin can mod v and a surface drive aren't going to be super bueno. I dang sure wouldn't hang anything that heavy on a presumably very light boat.

I would be thinking longtail unless you want to upgrade your hull to a true flat bottom.

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i know folks that have hung mud motors on riveted boats this is why i asked what kind of terrain ... i do believe if he isnt hitting tons of logs and really abusing the thing it will hold up my opinion , but i do agree in getting a true hull that is properly braced

Not looking to buy a new boat. There are virtually no stumps where I am at. Just super muddy bottoms and lots of vegetation. We started hunting out of a 20' boat with a 35hp longtail last year and it works awesome . Just thinking a little more rationally now as far as what I can put on my boat. The GTR is a sweet motor just not a great option at this point for me. I think my scenario would be a better fit with a longtail. I could care less about flying across the water and I'm sure as hell not gonna be ramming stuff. My main question really comes down to: is a 23 or 27 HP motor that weighs about 175lbs too much for my boat? Or am I better off going with a 16-20hp motor?

I run a 16 GD on my 1448 rivited alumacraft. Get about 15mph with no load. Loaded its slow but will still crawl through the muck. I'm in N MN so I don't run true mud.

Well I run a 16hp go devil on a 1998 15x48 war eagle boat. I hunt both mud flats and flooded
timber. The trick is to try and be gentle on the boat and motor because the Hull of
my boat is. 100 thick and I have had no problems with cracking yet
But I have read that others have. So with that being said I believe no matter
What size motor port boat if you go all out all the time your going to break
something. But the 16hp go devil does float just fine on the 15x42 boat.

You could probably run the 27, but I think I would stay with the 23. If you are ever looking to get a bit more horsepower out of it there is a much larger availability of new and used parts for the 23. After running the motor on that boat for 1 year, you WILL wish you had a true flat bottom boat.

Mag10

Get a 18 copperhead

I would recommend the 23hp vangaurd. I have a 1448 riveted polarcraft with a 16, and I wish I had the 23hp.... It is the same weight as the 16hp also..

Really leaning towards the 23 GDLT after a bunch of reading. I'm still a few months away from buying but it's cold out and there's not much to do but think about stuff I like to do when it's not winter.

In my experience with longtails that 23HP is damn near indestructible.

Anyone have an opinion on the backwater swomp 23? Just was looking at these and they look pretty decent...

Most people seem pretty happy with them. They seem to run a bit faster than some of the other manufacturers according to reviews. different cavitation plate and some small differences in prop.

This is the LT forum so I am not going to recommend a surface drive unless you have long runs in big water with big loads. I will also recommend the Briggs 23- I believe it comes with a recoil start so that is a plus unlike my Kohler 27 (or 25). Both for the economy and reliability, the longtail is the ticket. Bigger loads, faster speeds, big water/chop, long runs, etc. , the shorty is the ticket. KISS I always say. My friends 35 shorty has been in the shop almost every year since he bought it. With more complexity comes more cost, repairs, etc. You have to exercise caution on that 14', turns, loads, have all requisite safety gear, wear your kill switch lanyard, after all it is a hunting tool to get from point A to B and so on. I get up early so I don't have to rush like most do or want to.

Yeah I don't run on big water. And I am pretty cautious whenever in the boat. My youth and daredevil days are fading in the rear view mirror. 2 maybe 3 guys and our guns, gear and decoys. Used to want a surface drive but I realize I will need a different boat and that's not in the budget for a while. I will use it on soft bottom swamp type lakes and the mostly muddy bottom Minnesota River. I'm pretty sure the Swomp 23 is the route I'm gonna go.

Let me know when you get it. I do some boating over that way.

I'll definitely post after I get the motor if anybody nearby wants to check it out. Probably gonna be in April.