does anyone have this set up? i have a 1548 crawdad with a 18hp copperhead. im very happy with this set up. i am thinking about upgrading and extending the front deck to fish off of so i can get rid of my fishing boat. the other set up i am considering is a 1652mv weldbilt with the 23hp copperhead. i like the crawdad more because it is a flat bottom for shallow water but still has a v front to snake through timber.

im not trying to break any speed records. im just wondering how that 1748 w/ 23hp will do with a load. 2-3 people, gear, dog. the 1748 is 320lbs and the 23hp copperhead is 140lbs


thanks

My first rig was a weldbilt 1748 (flat front not crawdad) with a 27hp mudbuddy. Empty boat would run around 22-23 mph deep water. With the load you described it would run about 17-18 mph if I remember correctly. Hope this helps.

thanks, i saw a review on a phowler 1848 with 23hp copperhead, in the review the phowler weighs about 600lbs..

"One man 23 mph
Two Men 20 mph
Three Men 17 mph
Four Men 14 mph with motor struggling."

figured i may see about these speeds or a little better with a lighter hull

I've got an 18hp copperhead. what kind of speeds were you getting with your 1548? I'm trying to decide what size boat I should get for my motor.

2014 weldbilt crawdad 1548, 2012 copperhead 18hp

one person (200lbs) 22-24
two people (380lbs)18-20
three people (530lbs) 12-15
four people (690lbs) 7-9

tack onto the weight above:
3 gal of gas 20lbs
battery 20lbs
cooler 60-80lbs
dog 80lbs

ive only had that big load of four people in the boat once but it was right at 900lbs.
we were just riding across the lake to drink some beers so it was like a 5 min ride in semi choppy water. i wouldnt normally load that boat down like that but for a short trip it was no problem