I just wanted to do a review just in case someone in the forum wants a cheap boat motor or incase anybody does a search.
So when I was in college I wanted a boat to fish and hunt in but was very low maintenance, and in the river we hunted there were ALOT of stumps so we needed to be able to lift it out of the water. Here was my solution:
I bought the swamp runner mud motor kit. They are a long tail kit, it isn't always the most convenient but it definitely gets the job done! And after all my research I did, it wasn't the cheapest but the mount is actually pretty good quality compared to the other kits.
I think they actually went down in price since I bought it. The kit cost $400 for a 5.5 to 7hp kit without the motor. Then I bought a 6.5hp motor from Harbor freight($100) and put it all together. It's relatively easy to put together with basic tools. It took me about an hour and a half. At first I had it on a 1648 and it definitely wasn't a speed boat but in the river we hunted in we weren't in a rush.
Then I bought a 1436 Jon and a 7.5" prop($25 a prop). With 2 people in the boat I think we hit about 10mph then we hit a sand bar and got suction cupped to it because the river was low. It was getting dark and I was just testing it out so we called it a day after that.
After that run I installed a front deck with fiberglass resin, plus an old school all metal trolling motor, and added a 60 pound battery. After I added that it was pretty dang slow especially with two people(roughly 550lbs without duck hunting gear). So my solution was a go kart hop-up kit. I installed the upgrade kit($100) and it's suppose to give me 8-9hp. I added a CAI, header, rejeted the carbs, added some heavier pound valve spring, and a timing key. After that I could tell a difference but it didn't seem like enough. Then it hit me, I needed to use a higher grade gas. That made a HUGE difference.
During hop up kit phase I ran a few runs on the trinity it was about 7 miles to our spot. Before the hop up kit it took us 30 minutes to get to our spot. After the hop up kit it took us 27 minutes. After the hop up kit and 93 octane it took us 22 minutes. I also was able to jump a couple of small banks as long as I dropped off my buddy and his dog.
After duck season I took it out by myself (still with the battery) and I flew. Didn't have a long enough stretch to get the mph, but I was also able to go through 3 inches of water on a flooded road. So I figure I could probably get through 2 inches of water and mud(more water than mud) as long as I'm on a plane.
Since then I've bought an 8" prop but haven't had a chance to take it out yet but I'll clock it next time I'm out and update the post.
Outside of duck hunting its fun to drive in the spring too, to get to the bass spawning in creeks where a lot of people can't.
I highly recommend it for people who want a cheap new motor, or just want something low maintenance.
Pros:
-I never spent more than $5 in gas, even with 93 octane and running it 30 minutes each way.
-I change the oil every season just one quart.
-Props are only $20ish
-If the motor every goes out, it's only about $100 to replace.
-Lawn mower engines are really easy to work on.
Cons:
-The shaft is like 10ft long so if you fish out of the boat it sucks swinging it around all the time. (I got to where I just use bungee chord to hold it up.)
-You have to keep the ball bearings greased. (They make some grease cups that make this easier though.)
-Props are aluminum so they can't handle too much of a beating but it's always good to have two props.
So when I was in college I wanted a boat to fish and hunt in but was very low maintenance, and in the river we hunted there were ALOT of stumps so we needed to be able to lift it out of the water. Here was my solution:
I bought the swamp runner mud motor kit. They are a long tail kit, it isn't always the most convenient but it definitely gets the job done! And after all my research I did, it wasn't the cheapest but the mount is actually pretty good quality compared to the other kits.
I think they actually went down in price since I bought it. The kit cost $400 for a 5.5 to 7hp kit without the motor. Then I bought a 6.5hp motor from Harbor freight($100) and put it all together. It's relatively easy to put together with basic tools. It took me about an hour and a half. At first I had it on a 1648 and it definitely wasn't a speed boat but in the river we hunted in we weren't in a rush.
Then I bought a 1436 Jon and a 7.5" prop($25 a prop). With 2 people in the boat I think we hit about 10mph then we hit a sand bar and got suction cupped to it because the river was low. It was getting dark and I was just testing it out so we called it a day after that.
After that run I installed a front deck with fiberglass resin, plus an old school all metal trolling motor, and added a 60 pound battery. After I added that it was pretty dang slow especially with two people(roughly 550lbs without duck hunting gear). So my solution was a go kart hop-up kit. I installed the upgrade kit($100) and it's suppose to give me 8-9hp. I added a CAI, header, rejeted the carbs, added some heavier pound valve spring, and a timing key. After that I could tell a difference but it didn't seem like enough. Then it hit me, I needed to use a higher grade gas. That made a HUGE difference.
During hop up kit phase I ran a few runs on the trinity it was about 7 miles to our spot. Before the hop up kit it took us 30 minutes to get to our spot. After the hop up kit it took us 27 minutes. After the hop up kit and 93 octane it took us 22 minutes. I also was able to jump a couple of small banks as long as I dropped off my buddy and his dog.
After duck season I took it out by myself (still with the battery) and I flew. Didn't have a long enough stretch to get the mph, but I was also able to go through 3 inches of water on a flooded road. So I figure I could probably get through 2 inches of water and mud(more water than mud) as long as I'm on a plane.
Since then I've bought an 8" prop but haven't had a chance to take it out yet but I'll clock it next time I'm out and update the post.
Outside of duck hunting its fun to drive in the spring too, to get to the bass spawning in creeks where a lot of people can't.
I highly recommend it for people who want a cheap new motor, or just want something low maintenance.
Pros:
-I never spent more than $5 in gas, even with 93 octane and running it 30 minutes each way.
-I change the oil every season just one quart.
-Props are only $20ish
-If the motor every goes out, it's only about $100 to replace.
-Lawn mower engines are really easy to work on.
Cons:
-The shaft is like 10ft long so if you fish out of the boat it sucks swinging it around all the time. (I got to where I just use bungee chord to hold it up.)
-You have to keep the ball bearings greased. (They make some grease cups that make this easier though.)
-Props are aluminum so they can't handle too much of a beating but it's always good to have two props.
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