What can I do to get some performance gains? Im wanting some sort of muffler for sure and a lil speed would be nice. I dont know much about these motors as it is my first. My motor is a little hard to turn to I didnt know if that was normal or not and it is mostly at high speeds. I keep it maintained and greased I just didnt know if it was something else. Any and all information would be appreciated.

any info?

You didn't say what boat you have this on and the 25 longtail can be fussy about boats. They don't run as well with boats over 48 inches wide at the bottom. The best boat I've had one on for load carrying and speed was a 24' X 42" Duracraft that was at least 30 years old. I've tried them on wider boats, but the 25 seemed to lack the torque necessary to push them up on step and with a load it would just plow. The best compromise i've found is an 18' X 48". The higher HP longtails, like your 25, the 27 and the 35 are definitely more difficult to steer. You can't throw the tiller around at the last minute to make a turn like you can with the SD or an outboard. When you get into a situation where you have to make a lot of sharp turns start thinking ahead. have the grab bar in your right hand for stability, plant the tiller against your hip and lean into it. It will come with experience and since I'm an old man I equate it to trying to seduce an inexperienced lady. Plan way ahead, be aware of feedback, move slowly and positively and don't try to rush things. If you rush and jerk things around you probably will be disappointed and not get exactly where you wanted to go. Also there is a good chance it will beat the crap out of you.
Welcome to the mudmotor world. I hope you enjoy going places you never dreamed of reaching with an outboard.

I would offer up a little more information.

What kind of performance are you getting now?
Speeds? Load? W/o Load?
What kind of boat is it on?
What are you running in?
How is your prop riding in water now?
What are you looking to get?
What is your budget?

There are some recent threads with some really good advise for tuning the cav plate and skeg on a LT that would be good for you to read thru. That alone may help you out without spending any money.

As far as mods, it really depends on your budget. You can do everyhting from as simple as exhaust to rebuild the whole motor with upgrade parts depending on what you want to spend.

Post up some more info, and you might get a little better feedback on where to start and what to do.

Good luck..

I do not know the current speed as I dont have a gps on my boat. Im running a 2052 flatbottom jon boat. The load it has is a generator and an aluminum platform. Its set up for bowfishing. It isnt super slow, but I do think it could be faster. My prop rides pretty low, but it does want to hop up some. Im looking to get some speed out of it and quiet it down some if possible. Not really concerned with budget, but I do want to know some of the prices and what I can do. Also any more info on the skeg and easing the steering could be helpful. Thanks let me know if you need to know anything else.

Sounds to me like you're running that thing on too big of a hull. Just my $.02.

maybe a 2048, but I doubt that makes much difference. Id have to measure it.