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Author Topic:   Go-Devil/mud motor on a whaler

Plotman posted 10-16-2004 11:35 AM ET (US)
Does anyone have experience putting a mud motor like a Go-Devil or a Beavertail on a classic 13. I have an opportunity to pick up an old 13 that I am thinking about rigging as a duck boat. My john boat is can be somewhat dicey in some of the places that I hunt, and in mid November that unsinkable thing seems even more appealing.
David
wwknapp posted 10-16-2004 05:44 PM ET (US)
I'd think you would have a problem as the 13 cannot be lifted off something you get it stuck on. At least not by yourself. The Jon Boat is much lighter. Go-Devils as I understand them are for driving a boat where there is not enough water for a outboard, even a jet version. A light boat sleds along, heavier it's going to suction itself into the mud. The 13 might become a permanent fixture somewhere.
Also that's fairly thin fiberglass for that sort of usage.
I'm sure there is no problem actually mounting one on the boat. And it's got a propeller, so the boat will move.
Walt
Kingsteven18 posted 10-16-2004 07:41 PM ET (US)
Maybe you should consider a Carolina Skiff. Cheap and stable.
weekendwarrior posted 10-17-2004 08:49 AM ET (US)
Check out these motors. I would think mounting should be no problem, but agree that the Whaler may be heavy if you're planning on getting stuck on occasion:
http://www.prodriveoutboards.com/
PeteB88 posted 10-18-2004 02:58 PM ET (US)
Whalers are shallow drafted boats but not as effective in shallow water as flat bottom boats, wood or aluminum. I know whaler owners who outfit their boats and use them effectively but stay out of the swamps and other fragile ecosystems critical to the good health and condition of any lake or river.
I looked at the devices Go Devil, Pro Drives etc and think they ought to stay off the transoms of all BWs let alone all boats. Maybe things are different in Lousiana - I have never been there except N'Orleans on biz, but I am personnly sick and tired of seeing our excellent lakes being ground to death by power boats and jet skiis. Sorry - there's a time and place for everything.
In my experience back in my home state after many years, outstanding fishing lakes have been overtaken by Master Crafts and Jet skiis esp on weekends. If you go out early in the morning and stay on the lake all day, by afternoon the water is noticably more turbid, connecting channels that are clear in the mornings are brown turbid by afternoon, aquatic vegitation is all over the surface of the water and worse. These meat grinders that can invade outstanding bass and muskie habitat for NO good reason suck and ruin habitat.
There are lots of ways to access shallow, marshy fragile areas besides chainsawing your way in with one of these rigs.
If you want healthy wildlife and fish populations we all must be responsible. save the marshes and wetlands. If they have enough to wreck in other states stay there.
bsmotril posted 10-18-2004 05:50 PM ET (US)
The GoDevils work best on a very flat hull that can be skidded around in a turn. The ability to make the stern skid out is the only way you can get any kind of decent turning radius with those things when they're on plane. On a hull with any kind of keel at planing speed, they have a very wide turning radius. Driving one is a lot different than an outboard. You initiate your turn way early, skid the stern around and get the bow pointing where you want to go. Then straighten the tiller, and shoot off in the intended new directoin (hopefully). For that reason, and the added weight of the Whaler over a wood or aluminum hull of the same size, I don't think it would be a very good choice unless you intend to operate at slower displacement speeds. Then it would work well to get you up into the shallows. It would also likley do ok on straighter courses, but the whaler will have trouble in the tight turns with that power on the back.
And to PeteB88, you are certainly entitled to your opinion, but it does little to add value to this power and performance thread. You might want to start one in the general section and see where it goes. IMHO, if you stay out of water less than knee deep, you've just eliminated 80% of the fishable water in the bays I frequent.
BillS
Cicada posted 10-18-2004 09:12 PM ET (US)
This may be off topic a bit. The 1978 Johnson repair manual for a 70 hp shows a jet lower unit. May be appropriate for some locations.
Watched the great videos.
It seems like the boats they use are long and narrow. Maybe that's the preferred profile for that type of use. Boats offered on the prodrive outboard site typically have 48" or 54" beam for 16' boats. The 13' Whaler's beam is 65". With the hull design tight turns would be limited if not impossible in mud but would it be adequate for reeds and some other aquatic vegetation?
Paul

Over the LINE posted 10-19-2004 08:49 AM ET (US)
I don't think you are going to be very happy with the combination. I duck hunt southern Louisiana with my 13' (50hp Yamaha) and I have some time in Go-Devils. The two are completely different concepts. The Go-Devil uses a propeller that is actually more like an auger. They are great in no water, just sloppy mud, if your boat is light, slick and you can get that prop to bite in the mud.
If you want to get a 13' into really shallow water, get the outboard as high as you can and get a push pole. Mine is often run in less that one foot of water, push poled in less than that.
If you do decide that you like the Go-Devil concept, try before you buy. They are probally very different than anything you have every driven before. You may not like it.
PeteB88 posted 10-19-2004 11:58 AM ET (US)
I respect all the opinions and editorial comments I have read on this site even the ones I do not agree with.
I totally agree that best fishing is is shallows. For those times when I want to fish that water with big weedless poppers and King Rats I sometimes anchor up and deploy the float tubes over the side - works great and Triton drivers freakout. NO Gators or crocs in Michigan. OR I leave the Whaler home and use a flat bottom pram or wide beem canoe.
But like DaVinci said - "nothing can be loved or hated unless it is known . . ." I guess I should go for a ride on one of those rigs.
Best!
jshell posted 10-19-2004 04:22 PM ET (US)
Plotman,
I ran a 16hp Go-Devil on a 14’ Alumicraft for about three years. This was when we used to hunt the lower Mobile Delta. This was back when there were ducks in the lower Delta and before every hard leg with a boat and a shotgun started hunting down there. I now use my 13sport to hunt the upper delta. The mallards like to hide in the hardwoods along the rivers!
Anyway, that combo or even a complete Go-Devil rig worked great. The boat would run on wet mud. They run considerably slower than an outboard (18-20mph on my rig), but, once the water got shallow, you would pass all the outboards as they are polling to their blind. You also got to stay and hunt without worrying about an outgoing tide.
I would discourage you from putting a Go-Devil on your whaler. Not only is it hell on your transom (I had to weld reinforcing braces); the boat needs to be able to slide sideways. There are sometimes when you will have to turn the motor almost parallel to the transom in order to move the boat out of the mud. The whaler hull would dig into the mud and defeat the purpose of the motor. Just my opinion.
Do not get me wrong. I loved hunting with that motor. If I were still hunting the lower delta, I would still have that rig. Also, be careful driving the boat with that motor and always wear the kill switch. As you know, you stand up while driving. Everyone I know that has had a Go-Devil (including me), has a story of it getting away from them. I ended up in the water. I was lucky that it was during the early Teal season in September.
Good luck in your decision,
Jeb
Plotman posted 10-20-2004 09:56 AM ET (US)
I probably didn't give enough imformation in my initial post. Since I moved two years ago, my main duck hunting area now involves crossing a fairly large stretch of open water before getting back into the sloughs. My current rig is a mud motor (beavertail) on a john boat, so I'm familiar with their quirks.
My thoughts about switching to a whaler stem from the fact that coming home across this stretch of open water in that boat can get rather nerve wracking if the wind kicks up. I'd feel a lot more comfortable in the whaler given that I could just pull the plug and not worry about swamping. This might very well offset the loss of manuverability on quasi-dry land (the really thick mud).
I have a handshake agreement to buy the boat (I figure I'm not taking much risk buying a clasic 13 for $500 given I can tell from how light the boat is that the foam is dry) - I'll report back how it works after I try it. I'm not going to sell the john boat yet.
David

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Author	Topic: Go-Devil/mud motor on a whaler
Plotman	posted 10-16-2004 11:35 AM ET (US) Does anyone have experience putting a mud motor like a Go-Devil or a Beavertail on a classic 13. I have an opportunity to pick up an old 13 that I am thinking about rigging as a duck boat. My john boat is can be somewhat dicey in some of the places that I hunt, and in mid November that unsinkable thing seems even more appealing. David
wwknapp	posted 10-16-2004 05:44 PM ET (US) I'd think you would have a problem as the 13 cannot be lifted off something you get it stuck on. At least not by yourself. The Jon Boat is much lighter. Go-Devils as I understand them are for driving a boat where there is not enough water for a outboard, even a jet version. A light boat sleds along, heavier it's going to suction itself into the mud. The 13 might become a permanent fixture somewhere. Also that's fairly thin fiberglass for that sort of usage. I'm sure there is no problem actually mounting one on the boat. And it's got a propeller, so the boat will move. Walt
Kingsteven18	posted 10-16-2004 07:41 PM ET (US) Maybe you should consider a Carolina Skiff. Cheap and stable.
weekendwarrior	posted 10-17-2004 08:49 AM ET (US) Check out these motors. I would think mounting should be no problem, but agree that the Whaler may be heavy if you're planning on getting stuck on occasion: http://www.prodriveoutboards.com/
PeteB88	posted 10-18-2004 02:58 PM ET (US) Whalers are shallow drafted boats but not as effective in shallow water as flat bottom boats, wood or aluminum. I know whaler owners who outfit their boats and use them effectively but stay out of the swamps and other fragile ecosystems critical to the good health and condition of any lake or river. I looked at the devices Go Devil, Pro Drives etc and think they ought to stay off the transoms of all BWs let alone all boats. Maybe things are different in Lousiana - I have never been there except N'Orleans on biz, but I am personnly sick and tired of seeing our excellent lakes being ground to death by power boats and jet skiis. Sorry - there's a time and place for everything. In my experience back in my home state after many years, outstanding fishing lakes have been overtaken by Master Crafts and Jet skiis esp on weekends. If you go out early in the morning and stay on the lake all day, by afternoon the water is noticably more turbid, connecting channels that are clear in the mornings are brown turbid by afternoon, aquatic vegitation is all over the surface of the water and worse. These meat grinders that can invade outstanding bass and muskie habitat for NO good reason suck and ruin habitat. There are lots of ways to access shallow, marshy fragile areas besides chainsawing your way in with one of these rigs. If you want healthy wildlife and fish populations we all must be responsible. save the marshes and wetlands. If they have enough to wreck in other states stay there.
bsmotril	posted 10-18-2004 05:50 PM ET (US) The GoDevils work best on a very flat hull that can be skidded around in a turn. The ability to make the stern skid out is the only way you can get any kind of decent turning radius with those things when they're on plane. On a hull with any kind of keel at planing speed, they have a very wide turning radius. Driving one is a lot different than an outboard. You initiate your turn way early, skid the stern around and get the bow pointing where you want to go. Then straighten the tiller, and shoot off in the intended new directoin (hopefully). For that reason, and the added weight of the Whaler over a wood or aluminum hull of the same size, I don't think it would be a very good choice unless you intend to operate at slower displacement speeds. Then it would work well to get you up into the shallows. It would also likley do ok on straighter courses, but the whaler will have trouble in the tight turns with that power on the back. And to PeteB88, you are certainly entitled to your opinion, but it does little to add value to this power and performance thread. You might want to start one in the general section and see where it goes. IMHO, if you stay out of water less than knee deep, you've just eliminated 80% of the fishable water in the bays I frequent. BillS
Cicada	posted 10-18-2004 09:12 PM ET (US) This may be off topic a bit. The 1978 Johnson repair manual for a 70 hp shows a jet lower unit. May be appropriate for some locations. Watched the great videos. It seems like the boats they use are long and narrow. Maybe that's the preferred profile for that type of use. Boats offered on the prodrive outboard site typically have 48" or 54" beam for 16' boats. The 13' Whaler's beam is 65". With the hull design tight turns would be limited if not impossible in mud but would it be adequate for reeds and some other aquatic vegetation? Paul
Over the LINE	posted 10-19-2004 08:49 AM ET (US) I don't think you are going to be very happy with the combination. I duck hunt southern Louisiana with my 13' (50hp Yamaha) and I have some time in Go-Devils. The two are completely different concepts. The Go-Devil uses a propeller that is actually more like an auger. They are great in no water, just sloppy mud, if your boat is light, slick and you can get that prop to bite in the mud. If you want to get a 13' into really shallow water, get the outboard as high as you can and get a push pole. Mine is often run in less that one foot of water, push poled in less than that. If you do decide that you like the Go-Devil concept, try before you buy. They are probally very different than anything you have every driven before. You may not like it.
PeteB88	posted 10-19-2004 11:58 AM ET (US) I respect all the opinions and editorial comments I have read on this site even the ones I do not agree with. I totally agree that best fishing is is shallows. For those times when I want to fish that water with big weedless poppers and King Rats I sometimes anchor up and deploy the float tubes over the side - works great and Triton drivers freakout. NO Gators or crocs in Michigan. OR I leave the Whaler home and use a flat bottom pram or wide beem canoe. But like DaVinci said - "nothing can be loved or hated unless it is known . . ." I guess I should go for a ride on one of those rigs. Best!
jshell	posted 10-19-2004 04:22 PM ET (US) Plotman, I ran a 16hp Go-Devil on a 14’ Alumicraft for about three years. This was when we used to hunt the lower Mobile Delta. This was back when there were ducks in the lower Delta and before every hard leg with a boat and a shotgun started hunting down there. I now use my 13sport to hunt the upper delta. The mallards like to hide in the hardwoods along the rivers! Anyway, that combo or even a complete Go-Devil rig worked great. The boat would run on wet mud. They run considerably slower than an outboard (18-20mph on my rig), but, once the water got shallow, you would pass all the outboards as they are polling to their blind. You also got to stay and hunt without worrying about an outgoing tide. I would discourage you from putting a Go-Devil on your whaler. Not only is it hell on your transom (I had to weld reinforcing braces); the boat needs to be able to slide sideways. There are sometimes when you will have to turn the motor almost parallel to the transom in order to move the boat out of the mud. The whaler hull would dig into the mud and defeat the purpose of the motor. Just my opinion. Do not get me wrong. I loved hunting with that motor. If I were still hunting the lower delta, I would still have that rig. Also, be careful driving the boat with that motor and always wear the kill switch. As you know, you stand up while driving. Everyone I know that has had a Go-Devil (including me), has a story of it getting away from them. I ended up in the water. I was lucky that it was during the early Teal season in September. Good luck in your decision, Jeb
Plotman	posted 10-20-2004 09:56 AM ET (US) I probably didn't give enough imformation in my initial post. Since I moved two years ago, my main duck hunting area now involves crossing a fairly large stretch of open water before getting back into the sloughs. My current rig is a mud motor (beavertail) on a john boat, so I'm familiar with their quirks. My thoughts about switching to a whaler stem from the fact that coming home across this stretch of open water in that boat can get rather nerve wracking if the wind kicks up. I'd feel a lot more comfortable in the whaler given that I could just pull the plug and not worry about swamping. This might very well offset the loss of manuverability on quasi-dry land (the really thick mud). I have a handshake agreement to buy the boat (I figure I'm not taking much risk buying a clasic 13 for $500 given I can tell from how light the boat is that the foam is dry) - I'll report back how it works after I try it. I'm not going to sell the john boat yet. David