I want to hear about the durability of your motor and how much maintenance on each brand! Had a airboat until a month ago but sold it. Lots of up keep and lots of money spent on fuel and a baby on the way so im going to build a mudboat and wanting the most reliable and least maintenence possible. Had a 27hp LT a few years ago so for the past 8 years i havent had reverse and dont figure i need it, just something else for me to tear up! Lets hear it!

find a good friend with one...cheap fuel...no maintenance

i forsee giga jacking this thread

I think you just described a GDSD

i want power trim tho.

Build you a mini airboat. Same maintenance and cheap on fuel.

Its going to be a fishing/bowfishing/duck hunting boat. I do some guiding so need a bigger boat and to be able to haul gear. I have been looking at some mini airboats and may buy one of them too. Im going to build a 1660 with a motor mount like a excel f4. so total length will be about 17.5

Its not that i dont expect to do maintenance, i am just hard on stuff!! Im use to all that, oil changes, belts, props, just use to them being alot more expensive! haha i have been looking at mud buddy but dont have any friends with them so i dont know much about them!

Gatortail sells a GT model, no reverse, the GTR has reverse.

i have been looking at all the motors, just wondering about the durability and maintenance of each

I have been running 3 PD's on my lease for the past 5 years and will not own anything else. None of my motors have mods and I have one engine with 900 plus hours. Good general maintenance and the PD will not let you down.

thanks for the info!

anybody else?

I've had good luck with the prodrives. Customer service is top notch also.

Come on guys, needing some help with this! Looking to order one before too long, boat is getting built in april

I've had a PD for 3 years and will not own any other shallow water motor. The service after the sale is awesome.

I have been extremely happy with my Gator-Tail excellent service and quality product. Easy maintenance on them take me 10-15 min also gives me a chance to do a once over on the motor etc. I hunt, fish & gig off my boat it does everything & goes anywhere. The reason I bought a Gator-Tail is because of the instant reverse and the ability of the motor to trim down VERY deep. Where I run the Gator-Tail shines some motors trim down deeper than others that's why you need to test drive each one and make an educated decision based on the conditions that you will see. We all get behind our brands that we choose however we all for the most part run different areas. Good luck on whatever you decide you can not go wrong with any of the 4 main MM manufacturers.

I will be running in everything from the Flats in Laguna Madre with hard packed sand, to stump filled lakes, to the trinity river, to flooded timber in arkansas and muddy swamps in Louisianna. HAHA Thanks for the help so far. More comments will help

Get what you want, if you want durability buy a GT! I ran them all and the GT has less maintenance. On one note i rather pop a belt that i can change, then buss a gear in a PD and a GT is faster, but get what ever you I'm just tell you what i know...

oh sh*t here we go!!!

No pissing match intended here.

Do a search in the props and lower units section. Type in gatortail, prodrive, Godevil, mudbuddy. See the posts the come up with stuff broken. May surprise you.

With the way I run stuff, I expect problems! Changing a belt is no big deal. At least it won't be like changing it on the airboat and it takes 3 hrs.

Thanks for the info guys! I searched around but figured I would ask. I don't have many friends with surface drives so I don't know much about them.

If you running hard sandy bottoms then a bet drive is the way to go. Those PD's don't run to shaow in that stuff and have a he of a time getn up in it.

It's going on a 60" wide boat with full floatation! Should draft shallow and get on plane way fAster than most boats since it has so much surface area.

Go ride in pd and GTR and see . I had both of them

Nobody has said anything about mud buddy, I have heard they are good motors?

Never run one I dont no

31hp briggs 1900 hrs GTR 2005
35hp cdi Briggs 47 hrs GTR 2010

Do a search on mud buddy