I know this may be a wierd question but here goes.

I am driving a Boat with a Surface Drive Motor in an area that is unfamiliar. This most likely holds Stumps but unknown.

Is it best to go dead slow or better to get on plane to draw less water?

Get it up on top if you have the boat to handle it. The motor is not the big factor here. Thats what the motor is made to do. Use common sense and your fine.

On Plane bc momentum will save your ass on the big ones!

Let's see......you can idle through the area first, and find out if there are stumps under the water, where they are, and how bad they are.

OR

you can run wide open and risk hitting multiple stumps with the possibility of flipping the boat, or getting thrown out of the boat and hitting your head on a stump.



You choice, but if you have a family, make sure your life insurance is paid up first.

I'd rather find stumps while idling than on plane. And hitting one stump on plane, and being done is not a big deal, but it you have stumps every 10-20ft, expect a hell of a ride and a hell of a landing.


Signed: I run a 37,500 acre stump infested reservoir.

WTFO- i have never seen a mud boat flip hitting a stump underwater. just make sure you hold the grab bar and you left leg is clear of the tiller handle. Wear your kill switch

its the ones that stick out of the water that u gotta watch out 4.

If i know there are stumps, i ride on step but slow. Its not going to hurt the boat or motor. But the tiller will put a hurtin on leg

Reason I was wondering is that I have a lot of places that is shallow with nothing above the water but has trash and stumps below. My Long tail planed out very quick and maintained a plane at a very slow speed. Just got my Surface Drive mounted and have not tried it yet. I am betting that the Draft on my Boat on plane might make it safer than plowing along. No idea what speed I will have to maintain. The Boat is a 1540 with a GD23 on it.

If ya skered say ya skered --- RUN IT LIKE YA STOLE IT

Wot blind folded with a tallboy in hand....don't worry about anything just use the force...

Never run a new place in the dark, go scout the day before.

When in dout punch it out.

Last time I went to favorite spot, I found a bunch of people already there on foot, and in Kayaks. The best spot was across a shallow spot that no one could get to because of the shallow spot combined with the swift water. This included the Kayaks. I asked them if they minded if I came on through, and they looked at me like I was crazy. Mud boats in this area are as scarce as Hen's teeth. I got my boat on plane and zipped across like it was nothing. Coco most likely owes me a sales fee now.

I agree with bbb. No shame in checking it out first. I'm don't know if you can flip your boat on a stump, but I sure don't want to find out! I like being alive, so I tend to scout places before i run them WFO, especially during hunting season. That cold water's a killer.

I don't usually run wot through new areas that are filled with stumps, but I do usually run on plane. You hit a lot less stuff and you're more likely to tear your boat up crawling over stumps. Better off sliding on over them at a decent pace.

I trim up on the high side, jump on plane then back off of the throttle til it's nearly falling off

hittin a stump on plane will most likely not hurt your boat but you have got to come off plane sometime....thats when a stump can ruin your day

AMEN!

bbb you hit the nail on the head. Check it out first then run it. Id like to see some of these fools run it wot through that area north of RIP pops island or outside of the channel markers through spring creek.

boat knows only 2 speeds woah and go.

go slow front boat goes up back of the boat will go under tall transom saves me every frogging trip.

The lake I run is extremely stumpy, and I've always ran WTFO but I also had a 23 longtail so it was about equivalent to a surface drive
Just barely on plane. If there are no stumps visible then hop you ass on plane and hold on. I know where the creeks run, so stumps aren't that big a deal for me on some spots, others are clear of any of
The creek channels and full of stumps. Either way I'm on plane running
Through it. It seems to be way less of a hit when you do hit them, and not as bad due to being on plane and being able to slide over instead of crawl and make the boat lean and rock, etc.