I have a 16/42 boat and currently have a 16hp godevil, which gets the job done but not with very much speed. Im interested in getting a surface drive, but im not sure what hp/weight the boat could handle. I would be running most of the time with two people, hunting gear, and a popup blind. i was thinking about a 27hp mud buddy mini bc its light, but after reading into it seems like it doesnt handle a load very well. any suggestions?

build it up to a tall transom and put a 35 on it.

That way when you are ready for a big boy boat you already have a big boy motor.

I was looking at getting a 27 mb as well but after a lot of research and talking to a lot of great guys on this forum I ordered a Gatortail with the new 25 hp subura motor. Putting it on a 15 42. Motor has more torque than the 27 or a 23 modded out. Plus it has reverse. Only bad thing is will be 6 weeks before it comes in.

i saw people talking about the 25hp subaru, but i couldnt find it on the gtr website. all they have is the 23hp and the 35hp. am i missing something?

The 23 is not in production anymore and the site hasn't been updated to reflect the motor changes just yet

Take woodies advice and get a big block, unless you have a hp restriction in your area.

You'll be fine, 42 is narrow but then again i've seen them on 40" wide boats.

My lill cousin just put a 36PD on a 15x42 all weld. He had a 23 go-devil. I haven't seen it but he claims with the tank in front it sits the same as the go-devil. He also hauls ass! It runs 30 stock...

Stay away from the mudbuddy mini. Some people have had good luck with them And ,some have not , but just let me say , I'm 6'1 and weight 220 , My buddys bigger than me , and my mini on my 1542 would run 22 to 24 depending on water depth.

Also the 27 is fast with a very small load , sometime I could see speeds of 27 to 28 empty , and just adding a little weight I would lose 3 to 5 mph now On my new boat it will haul a bigger load faster than the little boat.

yea i definately think ima stay away from the 27hp mini, the more i read about them, the more i hear people saying that they just cant take a load. im thinking the 35gtr will be my best option