Go to the La. Sportsmen show this year in Gonzales (I think it's in March) and all of the mud motor and mud boat companies will be there. You can pick their brains then. If you are torn on what to buy, then go test drive em'...... They all perform about the same. It's a Chevy/Ford thing. I chose the brand I run b/c I get A+++ service from the both of the two local dealers who are both within 45 minutes from my house.

I have ridden in a boat with a gator tail 35 and my hunting buddy upgraded to a 35 Go devil this year. The go devil is a beast and has gotten me out of straight mud more times than I would like. The gator tail does the same thing but we never get stuck when we use that one. Both are great motors. The GTR has electric trim which is nice. It all depends on what you want trim, reverse etc. Like Coot said just test ride them. The type of boat us use will also make a difference. My buddies GTR is on a 15' jon boat vs the other one on a 16' go devil boat wiht flotation. The go devil boat takes mud and shallow water a lot better because that is what it's made for so keep that in mind when you ride. Both run about 25 with 2 ppl and standard gear.

Pro-drive! I bought one this year and its unstoppable. The full power reverse comes in handy. The power trim is also a nice feature. The only thing I like about the gator tail is how the reverse is fast but it wont help to much in the mud. We have the ratchet reverse but pro-drive now has the hydraulic reverse which is nice. We have a 36hp on a 1848 pro-drive boat with 21in sides and it'll run 24-25mph with 3 people loaded with guns,decoys, etc...

They can all get stuck. If you have not stuck it you are trying hard enough. All in the name of fun!!!!

I personally run a 15hp longshaft mudd buddy on my 15'. But I have a friend with a GTR 45 on his 18' it will roll through anything.

I have a GTR 35 on an aldweld 18x42'. It runs 30mph with 1 or 2 people. I put a Honda 420 in it, my dad and 2 sacks of corn and still get around 22 mph. It is a beast. The reverse is quick and handy for docking etc however not that powerful in vegetation. All depends on what you intend to use it for.

GatorTail works best for me!Instant reverse,Speed,and taking off in shallow mud is what I was looking for!!I run a 35 HP GatorTail Surface drive on a 17/52 GatorTail boat and it runs 29-31!Surface drives is the way to go!!Good Luck!

http://www.gator-tail.com/

Being a duck hunting guide I hunt from a Godevil Floating barge blind equipped with twin 16 hp long tail crawfish model godevils. These motors are ultra reliable and have never broken down. Granted this rig is certainly no speedster. The boat itself weighs 1000 lbs., the motors about 350,the brush about 100 plus with 3 hunters and myself I am easily pushing over a ton at 15 mph.
Empty I run 18 mph. With two props in the mud this rig is a beast. It will get out of the stickiest situations. Just this Thursday I ran up on a flat with 2' inches of water and a hard bottom. Five minutes later after working the motors deep into the mud I was off the flat! If you want speed get a surface drive but if you want something simple and reliable get a longtail.
By the way, some friends of mine have the godevil brand surface drive and have pulled many Mudbuddy motors that were stuck in the mud. The godevil brand's shaft is made at an angle where the mudbuddy is built straight.

Go Devil Longtails ROCK! I run a 25hp Kohler..If you want to hunt anytime, in the lowest muck if need be, Geaux Longtail!

Yeah go devils are good..they are the most reliable...let me tell you about a surface drives great for the lillies bad for stumps...had a surface drive break down 20 yards from my decoys in point aux chenes opening day, the stumps were so bad the surface drives couldnt handle it...well the dude popped the belt...a longtail will never do that.. we have a 23 hp go devil on a 16 foot boat that does 21 mph with me and my boat blind and if they dont believe they can come take a ride...gettin ready to take it to the sulphur mines in pac next few weeks

i have a 23 on a 14 48 flat boat and have no problems in the mud or grass yesterday i pulled out a mudbuddy 35 and a mudboat from kirk with a subaru the mud cant stop my motor i can get on step in an inch of water the only problem i have is the compacted lillies

Good luck on this one steven. This question has been on here 1000 times and everyone has there favorite and why. My only comment is, out of all the stories that you hear saying I pull this one and that one, I never heard the story about pulling the stuck prodrive out of the mud! Hummm!!! I guess you know what I run. Go drive them. All! Good luck.

Seen a stuck pro drive and pulled one out,sorry. Like I said if you have not stuck a rig you aint trying. I have pics if you don't believe me.

Go devil longtails will break the least. Also the 23 hp and under have pull start which is very reiable. There are no belts to break and you have a huge reach if get stuck on a stump. The surface drive boats are so heavy man how do yall get them 750lbs monster boats unstuck? Get you a 300 lb allwed 16ft boat with a 23 hp longtail and you will go 20 mph easy.

I own two Gator Tails, an older model without reverse and a brand new one with reverse. A hunting partner that keeps his boat at my camp has a Go Devil short shaft. I also own a mud boat made by Kirk in DesAllemands and a Go Devil 35hp long tail. We hunt in the marsh. I guess the only thing we are not using is the Pro Drive.

Here is my take on it all. First the Gator Tails. They get you up in the shallow mud easy. Trim 'em down, get going and trim up as you go. A snap, no problem. Unless...you have lillies. The Gator Tails struggle mightly in lillies. They run thru them ok, IF you are on top and don't have to go thru a particularly long stretch. Starting up in lillies is impossible as the lillies get stuck under the hull and you are done. Slow down too much in the lillies and you are in trouble. The reverse feature will NOT get you out. I've been stuck enough for a long time trying to get out with or without the reverse feature. Really the reverse is nice to get you away from the dock and to clear your prop - otherwise the reverse is virtually useless. All in all, they are great duck boats if you know their limitations.

Now on to the Go Devils. The long shafts are great, but they do tend to stop in the really shallow mud and then you have to dig your way out with them. Generally they can always dig their way out. Same in lillies. Of course, if you run in an area with a lot of stumps, they are the ONLY way to go. Very dependable units, but they will work you. The short shaft Go Devils are great. My buddy left his on the bank while hunting, the water fell out, I pulled up and just knew there was no way in hell he was gonna get the thirty or forty yards back to water. (My Gator Tail would not have stood a chance.) He put his shoulder into it and turned the front end while standing on the bank and then worked his way out in about ten minutes! I would have lost a lot of money had he agreed to my bet. The shortfalls to the short shafts are that in vegetation, lillies or thick widgeon grass, you have to keep lifting very often to clear the prop. Pain in the butt, but you do get out. Also, with my buddies model you have to go all the way to the floor with the handle to lift the motor. That can be a pain especially for those hunters over 40 like myself. I'm sure they have a different handle available or that could be made???

The Subaru mud boats are incredible if you don't have any stumps to run thru. The keels and fixed props below the boat DO NOT mix with hard objects or for that matter hard bottoms. They run thru wet mud basically, can handle just about any vegetation and get up in mud or vegetaion without really much problem. Problems...not many people making or servicing them. They need service often because they are basically Cajun engineering and the parts are hard to come by. The V8 mud boats are absolutely the best machine to run. The aforementioned hard object rule still applys, but they can carry a load of people and gear, get up and run in the shallowest of mud and the toughest vegetation and can open up any clogged trenasse or canal. They are the bomb! Problems...still Cajun engineering but the parts are usually easier to come by and you can usually find people to work on them easier. These two boats require a tool box on board, spare parts at the camp, and basic mechanic skills.

The Pro Drives. Sorry I don't have one, and have never been in one. I saw an earlier post and have heard rumor where the reverse feature has been improved thru hydraulics. Also saw where someone mentioned they pulled one out.

Hope all this helps. By the way, does anyone have some extra covered space to store a few of my duck boats...the wife is not too happy right now!

I am in the process of buying a prodrive. Now i have not been in a lot of shallow water drive boats but my cousin owns prodrive. I have been doing research on the gatortail as well as the prodrive. I know speaking to the creator of one, you might get a little biased information, but from what he has shown me the prodrive is hands down the best when it comes to not getting stuck and durability. The reverse on the prodrive pretty much eliminates getting stuck in thick vegetation. If you start to stick all you have to do is flip it around and the prop will push everything under the boat. You also have the option to travel through it solely in reverse. the prop will clear anything before the hull even hits it. Albeit the reverse is a bit cumbersome to engage (which has been minimized by the auto reverse) the ability to have full power in both directions greatly increases the amount of muck you can drive though. The purpose of these motors is to not get stuck and not break under heavy use not to be convenient. Gator tail is also having problems with their hull design when it comes to the floating models. The prodrive floating boat is better balanced and also leaves more room in the boat for gear. I'm not sure if the gatortail has the temporary forward option but prodrive has a button that puts the motor in gear momentarily. A pretty handy feature when picking up decoys or traps. As far as the belt drive on the gatortail, I would rather not mess with belts on a piece of equipment that takes so much abuse. I am no mechanic but to me the stress of putting the motor in and out of gear would shred through belts too quickly and risk leaving you stranded. Just my 2 cents. To me just having the full power reverse is enough to get me to buy a prodrive. Go to youtube and search prodrive reverse and see for yourself.

Gator Tail does have some problem. I have the 35 hp. This thing is a mean machine. It takes you places you only dream about going. I do wish the reverse was stronger. Once you use it alot you get better with it. The reason i did not get the ProDrive was I frog alot. I did not want to have to turn lower unit around 200+ times a night. As far as the belt goes. It has a life time warranty on it. Everyone just likes different things, just like trucks. You just have to buy what you want.

You don't know what you are talking about in regards to a belt shredding and not holding up. I have OWNED both a pro-drive and a mud buddy. Put 200 hours on the pro-drive and I have 400 hours on my mud buddy which I run now and it has the ORIGINAL belt. I have seen pro-drives with busted gears to pieces. With proper maintenance, they will all hold up just fine. Again, It's a FORD - CHEVY debate. Best thing to do it test drive em' and talk to your local dealers to figure out who will give you great after the purhcase service. I have also owned Go-Devil long tails which if I was hunting timber still with a lot of stumps, this would be my choice of motor, but for hunting coastal marshes with long runs the surface drive is the way to go for me.

How do you figure that it's a chevy ford thing when one has a distinct advantage with full power reverse. The belt thing I understand and if you read my post it says that is something I would be concerned about. It's more like a 2wd vs 4wd if you ask me.

It is all personal preference. No need to get into an arguement here. Just wanted to correct you about the belt comment you made. I have seen broken gears in the ProDrive and broken belts on the others too. Reverse may come in handy, but I promise you no matter if it's a Go-Devil, ProDrive, Mudbuddy or Gator Tail Surface Drive I can take any of them and get into the same areas. It has more to do with the operator's experience than the motor itself. I have driven them all and have over 600 hours of stick time. Enough said!

BTW, Mudbuddy is offering a 32' outdrive and Go Devil has a long drive too compared to Pro Drive and Gator Tail which have about 27' outdrives I think. I have the 27' outdrive right now, but plan to upgrade to the 32' outdrive this summer. The folks that I have talked too said the extra 5' really makes a huge difference when in the muck. Longer drive = more reach down in the mud which will help you get out of the sticky situtions regardless if you are going forward or reverse. Just more food for thought!

Jacomo you might want to listen to Coot rather than the owner of Prodrive. They all have their pros and cons but if you buy a prodrive you better keep your tools in the boat at all times. They all breakdown but that belt gives way more than all those bearings in the prodrive. We run mudbuddy's because of the simple design and the 32' shaft is the way to go. Good Luck with your search.

You mean I should take the advice of someone I never met online over my cousin. Riiighhtt. He built the first ever surface drive. Gatortail copied off of him. I'm pretty sure he has a least some credibility. Once again, the belt thing is out of my league i was just speculating. but I would bet a prodrive with reverse can travel through thicker caca than a gatortail.

Hey do what you want, my experience has been very similar to what Coot stated is all I was trying to say. It's your money spend it how you want!

the debate is settled....

Go with a Great White Saltwater Series trolling motor in that marsh muck!! About 100 lbs of thrust ought to be plenty enough.

btw....don't forget your winch!!

Really all the surface drives i dont know much about except that the belts tend to break on them. Huntnut is right a go devil can just take a punching all year its ridiculous you can jump over stuff a surface drive would not be able to...however surface drive = faster..go devil= reliable, call it a stump jumper lol.

GO-DEVIL HAS NEVER LET ME DOWN . PERIOD.

How is the ProDrive for turning around in reverse when your in stumps or shallow water with a hard bottom?

If KP is your cousin, then you should absolutely get a Pro Drive with a good family discount too I would assume. KP and Brian are good people. I bought one of the 1st 100 Pro Drives to be issued (# fifty something)when they first came on the market. Again, they are all good motors and are all realiable, but each brand has had their issues with something breaking too. I have nothing bad to say about any of the other brands, but I will step in when folks make comments (i.e. your comment about belts breaking) about the other brands when they don't know what they are talking about. When I decide to part with my MudBuddy I will look at ProDrive and Gatortail too as my next option. I will not look at GoDevil unless Warren puts neutral and power trim on his motors which he does not have now. These options are a must for me. I hunt in SE La. and what I see is mostly MudBuddy's. Probably has a lot to do with the 'OUTSTANDING' after the sale service you get from the local dealers in SE La. who are the Boat Doctor and BFC Marine (Gator Trax). Happy Hunting and Good Luck!

Hey coot let me know if you get better service than go devil manufactures theres no way warren coco will go out there and troubleshoot a problem himself..he looked at my motor for me real nice and helpful..we are not talking about comparing go devil surface drives to gator tail or mudbuddy..we talking the reliablity of a surface drive(any for that matter) compared to a go devil LONG Tail motor.

Warren is a great guy and offers great service too. I'm not disagreeing with you. I also agree that long tails are more reliable than a surface drive if that's what you want. A long tail has the least amount of parts that can break. The Asians have been using long tails for a very long time due to realibility and they are economical to run. I have owned several GoDevil long tails, but for what I do and where I hunt, a surface drive is the way to go. I can carry 4 men, dog, and gear and still run well over 20 mph.

This gets into a pissing match, I think Steven23 should clarify if he wants a surface drive or a long tail.

theres the stories about pullin the PDs, been waitin...heres one. My brother had a GT, got it stcuck in some muck, I went in with my PD, tied up to the front and pulled it out. Anyway...

Coot, jacamo is partially right about the belts. I friend of mine has a 35 GT and can't keep a belt.

Yep this is turning to crap, test them out and buy what works best for you. Nearly 700 hours on a belt without a shread,I'm not going into the rest of it.

It's all good stuff here. I think everyone gave their best opinions and take it from there. But, for one, I've become a little more educated. I don't know about you guys...I can't wait till next season. Man it went fast!

This is a good thread. I think the advice to go and test drive what you are interested in is very good advice. Both Gator-Tail and prodrive are located next to each other. They would be more than happy to accomodate you. Right now until summertime will be slow for them. Any dealer that won't accomodate a good test drive....I would look elsewhere. If you call with questions, any of them will talk your head off. I know, I have been there.

If you don't like the hulls you see....there are countless boat builders in South LA that do very good work, you might even save a few $$$$ by going that route.

If you care to wade thru pages and pages of debates over this issue, go to mudmotortalk.com. But as Coot said it comes down to opinion and likes. You have to find the boat and motor for you that covers your terrain and needs.

Good luck....sometimes the decisions can be a little overwhelming.

Everyones post has been great. I am going to take the advice and test drive the mudbuddy,GT, adn PD. I am almost set on an Excel F4 hull. I decided on not to get a long tail. Also decided I do not need reverse. Is there any applications where reverse would be needed?

If your ever gonna use the boat to frog trust me you want reverse. There are many other instances where it will be extremely handy but if your gonna frog its a must. Also as far as hulls check out Uncle J in Stephensville. You can find his number on Mud Motor Talk. He builds some really nice hulls for real good prices.

HydroFlat

I know there are probably plenty of people telling you to not go fiberglass... Fiberglass is indeed very durable we have hunted out of one for the last two seasons and not a scratch we jump land with this boat and no cracks or anything yet.. if you are looking for something light and durable check out these pics maybe it will change your mind about going aluminum.... If you have any questions or concerns call evan at 504-559-9943 or if your in town come check out Team HydroFlat at The Sportsman Show March 11-13... Tell Them Lacey Sent you... here are the pics and let me know what you think....this hull will definitely give you the maximum out of your MudMotor No Matter which one you go with....

Try Kurt in des allemands. He'll put a 35 in a mud boat for you. If your only hunting 2 or 3 people it is hard to beat the ease of a mud boat with a transmission. You won't go 30 mph but you'll run 22-23 mph with two people.