Its over & i'm wore out!

[Hambone]

A longtail will do it to you Also. They usually go straight down and hit the floor of your boat but I've had mine go to the side and crack me mid thigh. Almost pushed me out the boat. It's the nature of the beast.

The two hits from the mud motor handle (12 days apart) resulted in a visit to ortho Doc, a deep thigh bruise, a special cast made to strap onto my bibs in case I forget and let my leg in the way again, getting-up @ 2:30 a.m. every morning to do stretching excercises in the hot tub just so I could bend my leg enough to sit 'in' and drive the boat. That lasted a month. All that taken into account - you gotta love the opportunities a good mud rig opens-up for you.

Surface drive? Two of my club members got hit hard enough to not hunt the following day. I am sticking with a longtail.

I have driven longtails under very extreme conditions for about 15 years. While I have had them hit the bottom of the boat and also torque sideways on a too-wide turn, I have never had one slam me to the point of injury. Apparently, the surface drives can jolt very violently upon the right contact with an underwater obstacle.

[no fly zone]

Trying not to hi jack the thread, but switching to a pro drive might eliminate that problem. Two things.. 1) can drive it like a regular tiller handle motor
2) has a bigger skeg housing protecting the prop against the sheer of it hitting something hard directly

ive run them all, love the pro drive

[Hambone]

Trying not to hi jack the thread, but switching to a pro drive might eliminate that problem. Two things.. 1) can drive it like a regular tiller handle motor
2) has a bigger skeg housing protecting the prop against the sheer of it hitting something hard directly

ive run them all, love the pro drive

You wouldn't have loved the Pro-Drive where I was on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Just ask my buddy who was following my Go-Devil with his Pro-Drive.

[Smoke68]

Trying not to hi jack the thread, but switching to a pro drive might eliminate that problem. Two things.. 1) can drive it like a regular tiller handle motor
2) has a bigger skeg housing protecting the prop against the sheer of it hitting something hard directly

ive run them all, love the pro drive

You wouldn't have loved the Pro-Drive where I was on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Just ask my buddy who was following my Go-Devil with his Pro-Drive.

Ok, thread is hijacked officially.

Why?

[Hambone]

Typical thread course: >>>main topic is that we are worn out from the season>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>surface drive injuries>>>>>>>>>>>Surface drive vs. Longtail. If we keep it up, maybe we can resurrect DU vs DW...twirlies vs. no twirlies...why we don't like people from Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina, and so forth.

[Smoke68]

Typical thread course: >>>main topic is that we are worn out from the season>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>surface drive injuries>>>>>>>>>>>Surface drive vs. Longtail. If we keep it up, maybe we can resurrect DU vs DW...twirlies vs. no twirlies...why we don't like people from Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina, and so forth.

This is true. BUT, my "why" question specifically pertained to your claim that your friend would have rather had a Go-Devil over a ProDrive the other day. That was my question.

[Hambone]

We were running in very shallow icy water filled with serious stumps and mud. He was having a much harder time getting through it than I was. It is my impression that the longtail does much better than a surface drive under such conditions, and my buddy would definitely agree. But the surface drives are excellent motors and in some other applications are superior to the longtails.

[no fly zone]

Problem was he was following!! pro drivers don't follow.... We lead got to run em wide open

You run low speed , long tail will dig a little better. far south end same way as y'all s north end and in BB..

If it was your man with the same rig as mine he should nt have problem runnin

[no fly zone]

Unless of course... It looks like this
tough sledding that morning


[img]. [/img]

[blgros1]

Thanks Anatidae!

I'm not going to get into the above discussion about long vs short but they do both serve their purposes under adverse situations. And yes they both have the potential to bust you up when you aren't expecting it.

Surface drive?

Yes - surface drive......MB 45HD Mag Sport.

The crazy thing is....we were just idling through a spot both times.....about 900 RPM's. But when a 12-1/4" Big Blade prop catches the edge of a stump, something's going to move in the opposite direction.....in this case, the end of the control handle (or 'football').

There's a learning curve with driving these things (at least for me).......After the 2nd hit in 12 days, (and the following month of re-hab and sleeping on my back, only) I learned never to put my left leg in that position again. You'd think I would've learned from the other times the previous year I got whacked. But an injury on top of an injury 12 days apart makes a lasting impression....especially when they were both 'hard' hits, this time.

Anne told me I might need to paint a white stripe on the floor. She watches what I'm doing while I drive though, and helps remind me to keep my leg out of harm's way.

BTW, Barry.......Happy Birthday!

[peewee]

I'm wore down too. I mainly deer hunted with my 9 year old daughter. This was her second year actually hunting. When it was all said snd fine she killed 4 doe and a nice 8 point. She let a many 2 and 3 yr olds go (I'm proud of her). I duck hunted this year more than the last few years. Had some slow hints but had a few good hunts also. Learned more this year than I have ever learned about duck hunting. Also got to take my daughter and her best friend on their first duck hunt. The group only killed 5 but 3 were canvasbacks. I'm ready for a rest but am also already planning on getting my girl a gobbler thus year.

[no fly zone]

Def wasn't trying to get into debate on engines. I know hambone wasn't either. They all got their own set of pluses and minuses..Were both boat hunters and know the grind a season in the boat will put on you and the body. Longtails will work you over. mud buddy s set ups , for me anyway with the longer handle seem to body shot me the most from the ones I've run.. just figured Id throw out a set up that might keep anat out of the docs office during the season cause there s enough that will beat you down as it is.

[Anatidae]

......and I appreciate that.

I've gotten to where I sit down to go through stumpfields with hyacinth and cuban bullrush - at idle.......and use my right hand/arm/shoulder to keep the handle pushed off me when the prop grazes the side of a stump.

I never really have a problem getting whacked at WOT with prop trimmed-up when running 'skinny' as Hambone described or in open water (with a few stumps and obstructions where you can see) because you're up on top of everything. If the skeg hits the top of a stump - that's not a big deal.....it's when the prop rotation hits the side of a stump that IS.

The biggest pucker moment (with the SD, for me) comes when approaching skinny water with stump fields on both sides. During the run-up to get your hull higher in the water, you always run the risk of hitting something at higher RPM's that promotes the hard body shot (I like that term, btw)......or tear something else up. I believe that's where the LT has a definate advantage over the SD - as long as you can keep the LT's prop dug-in.

I've had several bruises from my wrist to half-way up to my elbow from glancing blows, but I'd rather that than another deep thigh bruise.......never again (hopefully). I really don't think I could've handled another hit on that same spot after the 2nd one.

The only time I stand-up to drive now, is going through a stump field (at idle or 1/4 throttle) with NO vegetation. I only do this on a very limited basis......when can see the stumps either with a spotlight or during daylight hours (provided there aren't any ripples or motoring into the sun which prevents good visibility) and Anne and I both make sure my leg is forward of the football.

It's part of the learning curve and part of duck hunting. 'Can't imagine not being able to access those spots or trying to use an outboard........'just isn't sane.

[driveby]

I'm glad this season is over for a number of reasons. It has been one of those seasons that makes you question why you even bother hunting a stinking duck.
On a side note. I too have felt thw wrath of a surface drive handle to the thigh. I didn't go to the doctor but limped a few days. Mine happened when I hit a stump wide open in a shallow channel. I was sitting with my leg under the handle and it slammed into my quad. I never sat like that again running it.

[Hambone]

Def wasn't trying to get into debate on engines. I know hambone wasn't either. They all got their own set of pluses and minuses..Were both boat hunters and know the grind a season in the boat will put on you and the body. Longtails will work you over. mud buddy s set ups , for me anyway with the longer handle seem to body shot me the most from the ones I've run.. just figured Id throw out a set up that might keep anat out of the docs office during the season cause there s enough that will beat you down as it is.

Nope, no debate intended here. I have never been hurt by a longtail, but based on what I have heard from friends and seen in a couple of these posts, the surface drives can do some damage in the wrong situation. Back to the original premise of the thread, mud motors can wear you out over the course of a season!