I was dead set on a 1236 sneak with a longtail until talking to a very reputable custom boat maker this weekend. After more searching, I am left with one deciding factor that will end the debate. I was also told for the typical east coast marsh mud, a surface drive can dig out very well and that longtails arent gonna be fun in straight muck. so lookin SD here i guess

I want a boat that skims across mud and sheet water the best, most importantly the easiest to get moving in these conditions. This is all i really care about. Idc how much my ride will suck in open water or how unstable she is. So my question is, with weight, engine size, transom heights, rakes, etc equal, am I looking for a wide surface area to distribute weight, or a thin surface area to minimize friction with mud? From 1236 to 1250, what would be your poison?

Two other questions i have that I care less about involve some reputable makers' use of skegs(could be wrong term, rounded pieces running parallel like a keel) and also the length of surface area contacting the mud. Better to have a lot of surface area length wise? and if a flat bottom is desirable for mud boats, how would skegs benefit at all? Thanks to all

Unless you plan on carrying it around or dragging it long distances id go a little wider than 36. You would be amazed at how much better something just a little wider will float. As far as the motor, if you're looking for the lightest possible I'd either get a swomp longtail or maybe a small copperhead surface drive. Depending on how much motor you want hanging on the back.

Dragging a rig is exactly what I don't want to be doing. I'm young and can maneuver a boat around but I'm not dragging much more than a kayak through hundreds of yards of thigh deep mud.. And ramps are accessible. I'm looking at the copperheads or a swomp, depending on style I gonwith,they are the only manufacturers I'm interested in anyways. Swomps are actually lighter all around in 15', weights arent posted yet. In regards to the 1236, phowlers sneak seems pretty darn stable from what I hear

1242 with a Copperhead... That's a sweet little combo.

I had a 1338 custom sneak with a 12 hp copperhead, with a little tiller time I learned how to get up on plan with 3-4 inches of water over hard bottom

One issue will be starting again with that small sd. My buddy has a 12' phowler sneak with a small like 10 hp copperhead and can't start in the straight mud like I can with my 24 hp longtail. Granted I have double the hp but my boat is a lot heavier to. The small surface drives just have a tough time digging in and getting going. Im talking half inch of water and mud up to your waiste. If he stays on the gas he is unstoppable in that thing but one he stops he has a hell of a time.

Md, I'm glad you shared that story because that was a potential setup and I always questioned how that hull would get up and go beings its a 1236. I've heard that certain small boats like the four rivers ebads can handle a 18 or even 23 copperhead(owner suggested it himself) and that them motors can be trimmed down to dig out... But that hull has A LOT o surface area and I question its ability to get going even with a 23 Sd.

From what I'm understanding, there's a happy middle for length and width for maximum propulsion across mud?

A 1236 boat does not have a lot of surface area. It's really too small for a 23 hp surface drive or longtail. Where are you going to use the boat at? What is an average load you plan to have? These all factor into picking out a boat.

Those little phowler sneak boats powered by a small copperhead can run, theres no doubt about that. 2 guys, dog, and a rig of cork decoys and that boat of my buddys will still be cruising 20mph in deep water. Where it runs into problems is if he stops in just an inch or two of water with mud under and has to get going again. The small surface drives seem to have problems digging to get propulsion through the mud. I don't know if it is the prop size/cup or drive length or a combination but they just don't handle the mud like the big surface drives and longtails.

The smaller sneaks will do well in mud, but we recommend going to the 12 hp copperhead, vs. the 6.5 or 10 hp models. The 12hp will pop that boat out of the thick mud pretty well. The 6.5/10hp have a little more trouble in the thick stuff, it works the motor pretty hard. The 14-1536 will actually get going easier, particularly over harder bottoms. There is no need for runners on a sneak boat. We put them on our larger boats ( AA C channel) to minimize sliding in very shallow water at speed. Round ones will do no good to avoid sliding. On our Prowler sneaks we never felt a need for them, they will slide in very shallow water, but you can keep them going at very slow speeds vs. the larger boats to avoid major sliding issues, just trim motor down a little in the mud and it will minimize the sliding. We have a number of customers running the 18hp and a few running the 23 hp on 14-1536 sneaks, they like that combo also, but IMHO opinion, a 12-1436 with the 12hp is great combination in soft mud and veggies. The only time I have been stopped dead in that combo with two men is either on dry ground (my bad, wrong turn) or 1-2" of water over hard, hard sand or clay hardpan. In the later situation it was like walking on a sidewalk to get the boat to 4-5" of water to get going again, no mud.

PW

My 15 x 36 Phowler sneak with an 18hp Copperhead has about the same shallow water capability as my former 15x46 skiff with a 35GDSD. The Phowler has the advantage of being lighter and more narrow and that really helps when you do stop and need to go again. I also think that the hull design that they use is just really well matched to the smaller SD's. It pops out of the hole really nice. The trim design on the CopperHead means that it can be hard to dig out, like the older GDSD I had.

Having stick time on both LT's and several different SD's, I much prefer the SD. But that's just me..
Good luck..

Thanks for all the help guys, its much appreciated and now the only real thing im torn between is a 1236 sneak with a 13 longtail or a 1436 with an 18 copperhead. I think a test drive might be in order

If you are close to jackson MS, PM me and we'll ride mine. It's a 15 x 36 with an 18 Copperhead.

If you are close to jackson MS, PM me and we'll ride mine. It's a 15 x 36 with an 18 Copperhead.

Thank you for the offer WW, but I am a good ways from you in Southern New Jersey. The copperhead boys sure are good to their potential customers though, and Im pretty close to pulling the trigger now