When is a longtail better then a surface drive ? I am getting a new motor and never own a longtail just thought i would ask thanks for any input..

Shallow water with a hard bottom and cypress/tupelo swamp. Also, anytime your crossing logs and get high centered.

What da go get'er said., plus, you are the type of hunter that gets up earlier than most; you enjoy the ride not necessarily speed; you still have a rotator cuff; your idea of reverse is a good stout pushpole; you take sides, neutral is a no-no; you can always say "my shaft is longer than yours"; you are on tight budget and your wife has said no to a surface drive upgrade for the past two decades; you fancy yourself the master of a glorified lawnmower engine and enjoy driving standing up; you fancy yourself Bigfoot of the swamp and need a prop; you have limited mechanical skills and your reigning philosophy is KISS (keep it simple stupid); you are a stubborn s.o.b....

Is a long-tail faster or slower ?

Slower. Longtails are direct drives. 1:1 ratio. Most surface drives are around 2:1.

Long tail is the 4x4 of the swamp! Did deeper, has farther reach, has more turn radius when stuck, easier on shoulder, way cheaper on the pocket book!


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We run in hard bottom not a lot of mud . We also run 75/25 shallow deep . I was just trying to get things right this time Can you mod a long tail like u do a surface drive

Lt is better for shallow hard bottoms, as for modding yes but being a 1:1 drive you won't gain speed but load caring ability will rise

Long tails are outstanding for many things but lack diversity. You can own a surface drive and it will do just about anything you want. It has the speed and ability to travel a long distance with out wearing you down.

Ran a long tail for years and recently changed to a surface drive. So far I can not find one reason why I should miss the longtail. Unless, you count the cost because you can definitely pick up a nice used longtail for a heck of a lot cheaper than a SD.
If my LT was a 4x4 then the SD is a 6x6 with tracks because I go places I never thought of going before faster and easier!

Schmidty, sd gears are smaller on top larger on bottom as you said. if you have 1.5:1 gearing, the prop turns 1 revolution to 1.5 revolutions of the engine. Hence the 1.5:1. So you can turn a bigger prop but slower(assuming a standard rpm). And yes about modding an lt. You can add more power to go up in pitch/dia on a prop, but it will take more to go up a pitch and turn it the same rpms as a size smaller because of the direct drive

Never mind, is see what your running.


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It has been said before but bears repeating- the surface drive is a better fit in most areas and as an upgrade, one should never have to go back to an LT. That said, in marshes with little water and hard bottoms ( little mud, no beaver dams, etc.) the LT shines- only outshined by an airboat...but those get very expensive to own and maintain and will get stuck too. I was hunting by myself last time out, fairly stiff breeze, and picking up decoys was made complicated but I've been using one long enough that I could trim and feather my 27 HP LT and make relatively short work of picking them up. For heavy loads and long distances a surface drive is the ticket and there expensive mods pay some dividends...I would not waste money on mods for my LT. It is not built for speed but it is a very reliable hunting tool. I usually hunt 2 at most in my boat, the distances are not long, and speed is not essential. I cannot justify nor want the expense of a surface drive. I apply any "mod" money to shotshells, hunting gear, and libation. My wife and I were at the store yesterday and I pointed to the Yeti cooler and told her I could buy another good quality pump for that price; my wally world improved Coleman cooler is doing fine.