# Mud Motor Durability without the Mud Motor



## Cubman (Aug 14, 2008)

I was watching videos of mud boats on youtube the other day; call me crazy, but that looks like alot of fun. Running over logs, jumping beaver dams, running up on the shore. I would never do that in my boat, I like it too much , but I am curious. Could a normal outboard take that kind of abuse? If you left the trim unlocked, and found a way to protect the prop, I would think it would handle it, but for how long?

My cousins have a beat up 12 footer, i wonder if they'd sell it... :-k


----------



## Quackrstackr (Aug 14, 2008)

It won't last long at all.

Your lower unit will bust if it takes very many hard strikes. Something would inevitably make it's way to the prop and screw up the internals as well.

Running in the mud will clog your cooling system in short order, too.

Those mud motors are air cooled or closed loop, the lower units are steel and the props are of a different geometry. More like a trolling motor than an outboard prop.


----------



## Riverjet502 (Sep 25, 2008)

Maybe you should look into a 15ft Eagle with a 383 stroker motor??? If ya wana do some beaver jump'n.....

https://www.outlaweagle.com/media.htm Click on JetMov6


----------



## ben2go (Sep 25, 2008)

Check this out.There are step by step directions with material list, in this forum thread, to build a mini mud motor on the cheap. https://www.boatdesign.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1681


----------



## dedawg1149 (Sep 25, 2008)

they also show you how to convert a weedeater to a outboard but whu wants to go 2 mile a hour


----------



## Cubman (Sep 25, 2008)

Thanks for the replies. I was really considering it (would have been alot of fun), but I decided it would be completely useless where I live. If I were to build one, it would be a longtail mud motor. Put a go kart engine on one end of a couple pieces of angle iron, use a couple of pillow blocks to support an extended shaft, directly to mud motor prop. Add cav. plate, handle, and pivot, and thats the whole motor. If I ever move to MS, LA, or FL, I would definitely look into it again.


----------



## Specknreds (Sep 26, 2008)

They are very popular around my neck of the woods. Mudmotors have have their purpose and are fun to drive, But every one I know does not use them for every day running. They use them for duck season or when the reds are in extremely shallow ponds and then they swap it with a outboard during everyday use or have another boat.
We did find one advantage to a "Go Devil" mud motor. We were fishing a mud flat and this idiot came within 20'-30' from us at WOT and did this about 4 times. My buddy said the next time he would solve this problem. A little later here they come again. He cranked the Go Devil (23hp I think), raised it out of the water at WOT and when they came by he lowered it a few inches into the water. It shot a rooster tail about 50'-60' back almost knocking them out of their boat.
Before everyone starts knocking me, I do not condone this type of behaviour, but the idiot deserved it.


----------

