I’m wondering what everyone’s thoughts are on these motors. Pros and Cons. My buddy wants to switch to one of these over his 40 hp outboard. He’s putting it on his 17’ Grizzly Tracker with Pods. He’s an older guy and not very spry. He wants one with reverse to make it easier to get it off the trailer and maneuvering. He was pretty disappointed when several of his spots the water was to low for the outboard. Any help would be great...
SpoonDuck
Not mentioned, but he might want to look at MudBuddys 44 EFI HDR. 17' Tracker is a pretty large heavy boat and he may need a bit more power than a stock PD or GT. With any of the surface drives he might want to get rid of the pods. Also he may want to look for the closest dealer should he need maintenance done, most dealers now have the soft ware to trouble shoot EFI motors. If he is mechanically inclined, I would recommend a carbed motor over the EFI. If something goes wrong on the marsh, its easier to trouble shoot, and you may be able to fix it, without having to wait for a tow. IMO
Gatortail no doubt. I own a mud buddy right now but from what I’ve seen and heard in the past few years gatortail is the way to go... start with the 37 xd efi. Always can mod it later if you need to. And if you do mod it do not by the bps junk. Go with delta performance hands down the best on reliability and there cons tuner service is top notch.
I really don’t have anything bad to say about my gatortail 37 on my War Eagle with pods. It gets the job done. I did like my old hyper drive mudbuddy with the longer shaft I could really dig w it but no reverse.
As a ProDrive owner, I can give the pros and cons on that motor.
Pros -
Full Power Reverse (FPR). PD reverse is second to none. There isn't a motor on the market that can replicate that kind of reverse. The FPR pushes water under the boat and lifts up the rear-end and pushes you out. No fear of swamping if you dig too hard. PD is nicknamed the "4 wheel drive" motor for a reason. If you got yourself in there, you can get yourself out. That being said, you can still get yourself stuck and really stuck. Just like a truck, 4 wheel drive guarantees nothing. Use it to get out of trouble, not into trouble.
Easy to maintain. This can be said about all of the motors. They're just lawnmower engines. Don't look at them as a nitro-fueled dragster. It's just a lawnmower pushing a boat.
Cons -
The trim system sucks. It's hydraulic and will eventually leak somewhere. I wish their system was an electric actuator like all the others.
Vertical Block. This is easily the crappiest design flaw of the whole unit. The motor is mounted by the oil sump which is just asking for oil leaks. I currently have just under 100hrs on mine and I am going to be pulling the block apart soon to replace the sump gasket.
PD is on the slower side. Out of the box, I think the GatorTail is the fastest motor stock when compared with all the others. Not sure why this is, just what the general consensus is. If speeds aren't a big factor in your mind, then ignore this one.
Tiller Torque. With the vertical mounted motor, you have more torque at the tiller, especially if you do mods. Can't be avoided, but, with hours on the tiller you get used to it to the point you don't notice it.
The only downside to the reverse is, it isn't instant. That would be my only gripe about it.
These are just a few of my experiences. I'm far from an expert and hopefully some other people will chime in on what sucks with their motors.
Pros -
Full Power Reverse (FPR). PD reverse is second to none. There isn't a motor on the market that can replicate that kind of reverse. The FPR pushes water under the boat and lifts up the rear-end and pushes you out. No fear of swamping if you dig too hard. PD is nicknamed the "4 wheel drive" motor for a reason. If you got yourself in there, you can get yourself out. That being said, you can still get yourself stuck and really stuck. Just like a truck, 4 wheel drive guarantees nothing. Use it to get out of trouble, not into trouble.
Easy to maintain. This can be said about all of the motors. They're just lawnmower engines. Don't look at them as a nitro-fueled dragster. It's just a lawnmower pushing a boat.
Cons -
The trim system sucks. It's hydraulic and will eventually leak somewhere. I wish their system was an electric actuator like all the others.
Vertical Block. This is easily the crappiest design flaw of the whole unit. The motor is mounted by the oil sump which is just asking for oil leaks. I currently have just under 100hrs on mine and I am going to be pulling the block apart soon to replace the sump gasket.
PD is on the slower side. Out of the box, I think the GatorTail is the fastest motor stock when compared with all the others. Not sure why this is, just what the general consensus is. If speeds aren't a big factor in your mind, then ignore this one.
Tiller Torque. With the vertical mounted motor, you have more torque at the tiller, especially if you do mods. Can't be avoided, but, with hours on the tiller you get used to it to the point you don't notice it.
The only downside to the reverse is, it isn't instant. That would be my only gripe about it.
These are just a few of my experiences. I'm far from an expert and hopefully some other people will chime in on what sucks with their motors.
Would you Fellas thinks about your fellow duck hunter and some semblance of Marsh etiquette.
PLEASE!!!
For 3 HP you going to throw out 30dB in EXTRA noise. Do you fellas get how loud that is on the water?
Noise = Bad Ass?..... or Dumb Ass?
And blow every roosting bird out well before sun up.:stirthepot:
Is it really worth it?
I'd rather have a noise restriction than a Horse Power one.
PLEASE!!!
For 3 HP you going to throw out 30dB in EXTRA noise. Do you fellas get how loud that is on the water?
Noise = Bad Ass?..... or Dumb Ass?
And blow every roosting bird out well before sun up.:stirthepot:
Is it really worth it?
I'd rather have a noise restriction than a Horse Power one.
I don't. May wish I did in the future though. But then I wouldn't be able to hear my music when I'm running down the river in the summer lol.
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