Got a nice deal.
25hp kohler longtail,sat up for two years.Fired right up,150 psi compression in 3 strokes,180 in 7 strokes.

$600

Anyway I greased her up put her on a 14x4 heavy duty rivited hull.

The throttle cable touched the positive post on the battery first 30 seconds of the run melted it.

Well dn,my fault for not covering the post or paying attention.

Idled around and hand throttled it for about 30 minutes.

At idle I lost thrust.Lost shaft and prop in gator infested canal.

The top bearing got so hot it melted the shaft.
Went swimming in about 8' of water,found it.

Paddled 2.5 hours against running current.

Pulled her apart,grease never got to the bearing.

Lesson learned.

Its a go devil brand

Time for new shaft,Its my first longtail.
My brother had one when we were kids.

Gotta say I loved those 30 minutes of riding.

Ill check the tube for strighness and get a shaft machined.

Tits or stfu!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That's a rough day, new shafts from Gd are only 65 plus shipping

I was expecting to read some gruesome.

One of the first times I took out a long tail, I was driving sitting down. Hit a stump, and the handle slammed into my thigh. That was a lesson learned the hard way.

Im not too dissapointed though,I cant find just an engine for that price.

So on the go-devil brand where do I locate frame serial numbers to contact go devil for a shaft.
Its a 78" total shaft lenth.

Maybe I can decode the engine serial to find the year.

On the frame stamped under the front u joint. Be prepared for the go devil ladies asking why it's not in your name. They will usually call the recorded owner and then swap to your name. From there their help and customer service is excellent

^^ what these guys are getting at is Never put a leg or feet under that handle. Broken bones happen.

Never broke a toe but had a black/blue foot after doing that one day opening runs in the swamp.

My gdsd gets away from me the same as the long tail did occasionally. That balanced frame will whoop your ass some days.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I've had my GDSD handle rake the hell out of my shin sitting and driving. My longtail pretty much beat my ass like I owed it money the entire time I owned it. I wasn't easy on it either though. it was a love/hate thing for both of us I believe. Haha

Appreciate the tips.
Im very un experianced with longtails.
Im planning however to remove the top shaft bushing and install a greasable pillar block or flange mount bearing.

Go devil has an upgraded bearing for that too

Been there, you have to be respectful, say a few prayers, and learn to drive with your ass. Sardine can keys kept me going one time the shaft slipped. Hurrrah to GD, they were the first on the block, but right now, get a BW.

I have a heavy 14x3 aluminum hull,1/8" sides and 3/16" bottom and transom.
For a single person how sketcy will the ride be compared to the 14x4.

The 14x4 felt safe and perfect,however its not my boat.The 14x3 is.

Always hits me on the left thigh . Several good bruises thru the years.

H Finn