Mud Skipper Longtail Mud Motor Kit Test Run
These are my experiences with a 2016 Alumacraft 1436 LT riveted jon boat with a Predator 13 hp 420cc engine. Your experience may differ from mine depending on your boat and motor. Please subscribe to my YouTube channel and watch the videos that go along with these reviews!
This is the Longtail Mud Motor Kit Comparison series! Onto the Mud Skipper longtail mud motor kit test run! We tested the CKS Mud Skipper longtail kit second after the Beaver Dam Mud Runners (CLP) kit didn’t perform well. In hopes that the Mud Skipper Kit would ride better than the previously tested kit, we went to it!
Testing the Mud Skipper Mud Motor Kit
Testing the Mud Skipper Longtail Mud Motor Kit on the water
The water test for the CKS Mud Skipper Kit did not impress. The kit did not perform any better than CLP Beaver Dam kit. I had the same results that I experienced with the Beaver Dam kit. The kit would run okay up to 12-13 mph but any faster, the prop would shoot out the wake. I did how ever experience fewer issues with the Mud Skipper kit compared to the Beaver Dam kit.
The Issues Experienced
- Transom Mount – The engine base would bottom out on the transom mount.
- Tail Weight – There is no adjustment for the tail weight.
- Hard to Control – Multiple adjustments made with prop size, and skeg adjustment and no change.
Tail Weight Issues
The one MAJOR draw back of this kit, is not being able to adjust tail weight. For long-tail mud motor kits, that is what makes the kit. It is the difference between wanting to go back out on the boat or selling your whole rig because you hate how it rides. This kit is not balanced for speed. Once you go over 11-12 mph, the prop wants to jump out the wake. It does this, because it doesn’t have enough tail weight to keep the prop in the water. The other kits, Swamp Runner and Beaver Dam, allow you to adjust your tail weight. If you want speed, maybe you favor more tail weight. If you do more idling and maneuvering through obstacles, you may favor less tail weight. This Mud Skipper kit does not allow you to do that.
Transom Mount Issue
The transom bracket is meant to have the gimbal hole positioned outside of the boat. With the Alumacraft riveted jon boats, the transom has a steep angle. With this steep angle, the engine base bottoms out on the transom bracket. The problem you experience with this, is that you are not able to get the prop out of the water. When you go to push down on the handle to raise the prop out of the water, the engine base bottoms out on the transom bracket and prevents you from getting the prop out of the water. You need to get the prop out of the water to start the engine and to slow down and stop forward movement.
Hard to Control
I spent multiple hours on the water to try and get this kit dialed in. No matter what I did, if I went over 12-13 mph the prop would jump out of the wake. I tried bending the skeg to help correct the prop from jumping out of the wake; I tried a smaller prop; I changed where the motor sat on the transom; and you can’t change the tail weight. The kit was easy to control up to 10-11 mph but as soon as you went over that speed, the kit became increasingly difficult to handle.
Conclusion
The Mud Skipper longtail mud motor kit test run was a little bit of a let down. I thought this kit would perform better than the CLP Beaver Dam kit because it had the 100 inch shaft, but I also forgot that I couldn’t change the tail weight on this kit. The handle was fine but sat a big low. I didn’t mind it though. The throttle had full travel so no problems there. One thing that made me a little uncomfortable with the kit was the way the transom bracket mounted onto the transom. You can look at the way it sat on the transom here @ my YouTube video. This is the cheapest kit and compared to the others it shows it. Now onto the next kit!
Beaver Dam Mud Runners – CLP
- Most expensive kit at $549 + shipping
Swamp Runner Mud Motors – SPS
- Middle Price kit at $499 + shipping
