Ok, so this subject has been discussed before but there were few specifics and I figure it does not cost anything to dream big, so, how would you build your dream longtail hull?
Let me start, since 1986 have morphed from a leaky 1436 w/ 18 HP GD to a 1544 w/25 GD to a 1648 27 MB..I hunger for a 35/37 EFi!! 1848, .125 flat bottom pointed bow, .100 all else except floor can be .090 lighter and it works, I want the lightest hull possible, two small pods in back, some flotation is better than none IMO, no boxes of any kind, short front deck underneath space for gas tank and/or batter, trolling motor base front side, gunwale channel (like on my grizzly) for easy addition of accessories, 16" transom, no side plates under gunwale (unnecessary weight), steelflex undercoat, hydroturf on floor and deck. Is this feasible from a custom mfg.? Approximate cost and weight of hull empty? This is an open hull plan, no frills, I'd even do the floor myself and electrical to save cost. What say yea?

Man, my 1648 2004 grizzly weight 395#, the 2015 1648 MVX model lists in the spec sheet at 587#!!! That is too fricking heavy! I could carry the strongest winch in the world and it would barely nudge that sucker if I stuck in da chit here! Stu, I know you are out there, and you 1848 is about ideal in my book- is there anything you would have done differently as to the build? For a factory hull, the WarEagle 1848 seems about the closest to what I am looking for except it is not a true flat bottom hull and I am not sure about the weight.

My 1648 .100 weldbuilt is right at 500#

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Ranger,
My conditions and requirements are different than yours, but I've had wonderful luck with a 24 X 40 Duracraft. These were old boats and I don't know if anyone makes anything like it now. The length gave it a lot of hull in the water to carry a load and the narrow width played well with the longtail. It was very stable because the length kept the off side from raising when a load was heavy on one side. With a 25hp longtail, 2 people, a hunting load and a lot of fuel it would consistently run over 20mph. I've had it on a lot of narrow streams that were so curvy you could meet yourself coming back and the only restriction was to make a 180 turn the point in the stream had to be wider than the boat was long. I never had a problem on tight corners. Alweld makes a good boat and they used to make a custom one to your specs, but any competent builder can do that if you have the cash. My personal choice for a motor for the longtail is the 29hp Kohler with EFI. I've run one for 3 years and it is simply the finest engine I have ever had. If Kohler would install that EFI on their 999cc engine I would have it on a surface drive yesterday.
Stu

Stualaska, good to hear from you! Yours is the stuff of legends! I value your input as you've probably made some of the longest LT runs that I know of. I will probably have to go custom mfg., although I see that Phowler boats makes a 1848 in .100 flat bottom- kind of pricey at $5400. I've also found both the previous two 25 HP and my present 27 HP Kohlers to be super reliable- the Briggs 35 and 37 EFI look to be my two personal choices right now for cost/ torque/ speed in a LT format. As I'd like the hull for both ducking and fishing, I believe 44" width is the narrowest I would go. Would a 1844 be a better performer over a 1848 if they were both .100? Weight-wise maybe only 40-50 lbs. difference? I did have a 1544 with a "tweaked" 25 GD Kohler that ran 22 mph with just me in it. That was an Alumaweld (now Xpress) that was solid but not flat bottom. I believe you switched to the 35 GDSD?? I have read those are very reliable as well. Because of where I run, the SD is not a particularly good fit.

Glades, so far I'm happy with the boat. I had it built heavy because I do hit rocks and malalucca stumps, where I hunt. I know you want an open layout but I like the extended deck and gun box for the storage and fishability. In hindsight, I should have gone with a square chine. I'll probably be at Holiday this weekend if you wanna take it for a spin.


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10-4, Stu, hope I can get away for that! I am rewiring my trailer lights and going with LED's. We had a heck of lot of rain up near Tampa while camping- had to quit early in fact- some now down here but I bet you can't get too far back in the marsh just yet.

The LEDs are great. Got em on both trailers. With the rain I'm hoping the waters come up. There's a few places to ride and fish. You up in Tampa area for scallop season?


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Stu, the family and I were camping with the popup in some state parks up that way. The Hillsborough river was a chocolate torrent after all the rain. Grilled scallops sound good right now, we had a good rain two days ago and just today down here. I got tired of the incandescent bulbs frying and wanted something brighter for safety's sake. I'll be there at HP, let me know which a.m. Good selling point for my wife if I tell her I am getting a test drive with the proposed new motor.
In the round versus square chine, is this because the round slides too much? Anyway, looking forward to the ride!

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Glades, the current godevil 18x44 hull is $4600 and weighs 500 lbs.
I recently sold mine and it was a very easy to maneuver boat with a 25 Kohler LT and was easy to get unstuck. I could beach it and put it back in the water alone in seconds. It really carried a load great too.
A lot of people over look godevil bc they aren't the "cool" brand but they're tough as hell and very functional boats.
If you could find an older one they used to make them in .100. One sold not long ago on here and was in excellent shape. I highly recommend that size godevil boat and others here do too.


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Thank you, flint87. By all means, the GD 1844 at that weight is a good build. I've never had anything but respect for Coco and his products, he was the first on the block so to speak..my first two mm's were GD's and they were reliable except for the grease loss but I always traveled with my grease gun. Like many here, my first boats were light riveted hulls so anything over say, 300# was a handful. The only complaint I've read before was some flotation foam that got waterlogged... when I removed the foam from one of my grizzly pods, it had some water in it but not much and the whole mess did not weigh much. When I make the hull move I will certainly look at that model; a good design is the one Paul Dixon of Bainbridge, Ga. (Airboats Unlimited) came up with for the LT in both a fiberglass/composite and aluminum. Did you have a slick undercoat on the GD hull? Steelflex (Fasco) is nearby so I've used that with success on a couple of hulls.

Ok, I saw your boat in the classifieds, good deal! I bet a 35 HP on that would scoot good. If I may ask, what did you morph to? I'd go SD in a heartbeat if the conditions dictated it, but they do not.

Good, I have to stay narrower 44-48", though it is open marsh with sawgrass mostly, many trails are narrow and I many times hunt alone or just two hunters so the aforementioned size is plenty. A narrower hull is also easier to push pole/ reverse when you have to.

I would love to have an 1838 and slap my 27 LT on it! Truth is, we all need at least two duck boats. I'd make room here at home, but the missus will be difficult to persuade I need two. It was hard enough a number of years ago to make the argument for more than five scatterguns. I believe a 35 Lt might work on that 1838 as well but it might be pushing it...so that is why I want an 1844 at minimum/ preferably an 1848, to run three hunters and gear if the need be. For solo hunting (dreaming again) I bet the 1638 with a 23 SD would really scoot.

I just want to thank Stu for letting me ride along today and test drive his 35 Swomp LT. That motor is impressive, great throttle response, smooth tracking, little vibration, and with the three of us (@c.200# each) , we hit 17 mph no problem and that was not quite full throttle. Needless to say, that motor will be great on my 1648 grizzly and future 18' hull. The different adjustment points are great features on the Swomp series. I am a believer and in a season or two I hope to make the purchase. If you are looking for a new longtail, the quality product from BackH20 is a solid choice!

It was great to meet you Glades. Enjoyed talking Mud Motors and duck hunting with you. We ran down the 67 and managed to dig up a Peacock bass. Good times.


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