SPS Swamp Runner Mud Motor kit Out on the Water! S3E3

Testing out the SPS Swamp Runner Medium Longtial Mud Motor kit on the water! Comparing it to the CLP Beaver Dam kit and the CKS Mud Skipper kit. Head over to www.jtgatoring.com/ for the articles relating to this TLT Mud Motor Kit Comparison!
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#tltmudmotors
Comparison videos:
Transom Bracket - • Transom Bracket Compar...
Engine Base - • Engine Base Comparison...
Coupler Housing - • Who has the best Long ...
Props - • Prop Comparison - Thai...
Throttle Lever - • Tiller Handle & Thrott...
Tiller Handle - • Tiller Handle & Thrott...
Long Tail Shaft - • Shaft Comparison Long ...
Facebook Group - / 1159407327494878
Beaver Dam (CLP) - www.beaverdammudrunners.com/p...
Swamp Runner (SPS) - mudmotorkit.com/mud-motor-kit...
Mud Skipper (CKS) - mud-skipper.com/index.php/long...
Facebook - / jtgatoring
Instagram - / jtgatoring
Website - www.jtgatoring.com/
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Thank you for watching!

[@JTgatoring]

Article is up, along with all the other articles! SPS Article - www.jtgatoring.com/swamp-runner-longtail-mud-motor-kit-test-run-water/

[@walkertongdee]

I've been longtailing 30 years here in Thailand this is the place to look and the website is one of the best I have ever seen about this subject. What I like is he is knowledgable, correct and an honest reviewer.

[@rik4369]

Great Work! Young man. I worked with youth and lead Marines for 22 years. In both roles I would get tired of my generation always critizing the " younger generation". KZbin is full of young people sharing and doing amazing things. This is my next project and people like yourself motivate this " Ole Marine". Thanks and Appreciate your sharing.

[@JTgatoring]

Thank you very much! I really appreciate your input. I hope your project goes as well as mine did, and I look forward to hearing about once you get it done!

[@edwardwells5864]

Hands down you got the best vids out there on these kits and their performance, hats off to you and keep "turning and burning" as we say in the Naval Aviation Community! I think you have talked me out of that Hobbie Outback and into a Jon Boat and SPS kit and Predator motor instead.

[@JTgatoring]

I really appreciate that, thank you! I'll still plan on "turning and burning" and running all the different mud motors I can. That is one expensive kayak... my goodness. You may have more freedom of being able to drag a kayak to the bank to launch it, but I feel like you could go many more places with a jon boat and mud motor with as much gear as you want

[@GetOutTheHouseGoFish]

Love the channel. Keep up the great work.

[@JTgatoring]

+GetOutTheHouseGoFish Thank you!! 👊

[@hotdogfansonly9249]

awesome kit im glad i bought one

[@kirkfrodslemow8797]

Awesome videos JT, I have learned a lot

[@JTgatoring]

Thank you Kirk!

[@kansaslongtails]

You have put together a very nice series, with a ton of good information. Thanks for taking the time and effort to put all this info in one place, along with your experiences, and observations. I have to agree SPS is the way to go for the longtail kits. I have the small and the large kit, both have been reliable, durable, and loads of fun.

[@JTgatoring]

Thank you very much Kansas Longtails!! I hope you enjoyed the content so far! Still a little bit more to go. I see that you have a Backwater kit. How would you compare your SPS to that?

[@kansaslongtails]

JTgatoring My large SPS kit with 22hp predator is not completely fair matchup to my friends SWOMP lite with 37hp.... I can not say from experience, as we have not driven one another’s boats. We are able to get around in the same areas at similar speeds so far. I will say he has a distinct advantage really digging in the mud with the extra hp and stainless prop. That being said I don’t mind sacrificing my $20 prop to go play in the mud. My friend may have more to say on the topic.

[@kansaslongtails]

Backwater owner here. I'd say it's really comparing apples to oranges with our setups. He has a much lighter boat (riveted) also his is a true flat bottom vs a mod-v hull that's much heavier (welded). Like he said, we get everywhere the other does and at similar speeds. Bang for the buck if you're running a light boat and don't intend to carry a lot of weight, SPS is the way to go. If you have a heavier boat and want to carry more load, Backwater is the way to go. Now with that said, he could have built 3 of his longtails to my one so..

[@JTgatoring]

Awesome! Thank you for the info! That is a hard comparison to make with those two on different boats and sizes. I have a few projects lined up right now, but after those are done, I may look into seeing if I can compare the Backwater kit to the SPS kit. I never thought of comparing the load carrying capability between the two... that would be interesting. Thank you very much for the input!!

[@linbluearrowmusicchannel6508]

JTgatoring That's good fun, like #12.

[@jonboyd4094]

Well this is the one I have been waiting for.. I figured you would have some good results. I love my SPS and wouldn't trade it for another brand , great videos :)

[@JTgatoring]

It wasn't looking good with the CLP and CKS not performing. I was starting to think it was the boat, but the SPS pulled through.

[@bryanmcpherson3576]

Just received my 8 to 16 horse swamp runner sps kit today . My 8 horse predator motor will be here Saturday. Can’t wait to assemble it and get going . We will be getting a 16 horse predator engine for it soon . Thanks for the informative videos on the sps . Thanks to your reviews and others I chose swamp runner instead of mudskipper . Thanks 👍🏻

[@JTgatoring]

Congrats! That's awesome @Bryan Mcpherson! Thank you for stopping by and letting me know! If you have any questions, please feel free to get at me. I truelly believe the SPS kit is soo much better than the Mud Skipper kit. You will enjoy the Swamp Runner kit

[@drakesteel419]

I am currently looking at the medium sps kit and want to put the 8 hp predator on but its not listed on the swamp runner site. Just curious if it fit together with no issue?

[@chrisfishdawg]

Just getting excited to purchase SPS Swamp Runner!!🎣🤙

[@JTgatoring]

Awesome! It'll get you to the fishing spots most cant get too!

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Okay, now we're talking! This is my brand! Just get an SPS, folks!

[@BlackWarriorLures]

Yeah,100 inch shaft is definitely the way to go.

[@sierrabravo]

Same here, definitely get the sps. It's damn near perfect. I have the small kit on an 12 foot alumacraft, it's like a dirt bike on the river! And Black warrior lures is where I learned about them and made up my mind on that channel!

[@JTgatoring]

When I'm hitting that 20-21 mph range, that wake is further back and almost flat to I do think that the 100" shaft would really help. If you do end up getting the bigger engine for your build, it may be better to order the 100" shaft. I don't think it would hurt to have a longer shaft

[@JTgatoring]

+sierrabravo Very nice! I know my small kit did great on this boat too. Black Warrior Lures has some great info and cataloged experience with his small kit! Thank you for stopping by and commenting 👌

[@jackcosta931]

So the swamp runner kit is now $599 with a 100" shaft? What a rip

[@kyangler-ce2mg]

You have put together a great series on the 3 brands of longtails! Thanks for taking the time to out all this information out there. I started watching Damon's videos over at Black Warrior Lures a few years ago but that was after id purchased my small SPS kit. Im running a medium SPS kit with gx390 Honda engine on an old heavily built 1436 loweline riveted jon and im now having trouble with my prop skipping around on the surface. Never had this problem with the small kit.. i did bend my skeg a little and that seemed to help but did not totally fix my problem.. however i noticed from your vids that you have your transom bracket turned opposite of the way i have mine... You think this is my problem? Im running the 85in shaft since thats suppose work on a 36in boat or less and 100" is for a boat larger than 36in up to 48in...you also mentioned in the Mud Skipper video your prop nut fell off.. i had this exact same problem with my medium SPS kit in the fall last year but i was running a Mud Skipper prop.. may have something to do with mud skipper props because out of the 6 years I ran my small SPS kit I never had that happen but i also never used a mud skipper prop on that kit....

[@JTgatoring]

Thank you ky angler42718! I hope you enjoy the videos as much I did making them! If your boat allows it, put the pintal (at least that what I call it or the gimbal pin) on the out side of the boat. This does change the way it rides. I have experimented with this also, it will be in other videos down the road, but to make it short, it rode better for me when the pintal was on the outside of the transom. If that doesn't fix it, make sure the prop is in or near the center of the wake, make sure you aren't out running your wake (when I was going over 20mph, I was out running my wake and would probably benefit from the 100 inch shaft), make sure the transom isn't taller than 16 inches, trying giving the kit more tailweight (use the hole furthest away from the tale), and test different SPS props. The CKS Mud Skipper props will no longer fit on the SPS kits because the new CKS props don't have a keyway in them and just wont fit. If none of that fixes it, just give Swamp Runner a call and explain your situation. Keep me updated!

[@kyangler-ce2mg]

JTgatoring im for sure gonna turn that transom bracket around and run it that way and see it that fixes it... i know that should give another 6-8inches to the tail length and i believe that eill put my prop in the wake more than it is now.. that gx390 just causes my boat to outrun the wake so i never never need full throttle. Did not know they changed the cks props, thanks for that bit of info.. ill have to relay that to a friend of mine thats running the cks kit..you keep me updated on any changes or modifications you find helpful amd i will do the same.. glad someone compared the 3 kits so everyone looking to buy into the mud motor world will know the differences

[@JTgatoring]

Awesome! I'll keep updating the channel with how the kits are running and if I need to make any changes. Keep on longtailing!

[@Max-rs3mh]

I feel like you can weld tiny fins on the prop to help pull it down a tiny bit

[@JTgatoring]

They give you a template to make your own ears for the skeg, as you said, to cut it out and weld it onto your skeg. The problem is that it is extra drag when going through mud and grass and is something that really shouldn't be needed if it is a quality kit that is balanced correctly.

[@duncandmcgrath6290]

My decision has been made . SPS it is , thanks!

[@JTgatoring]

Awesome! Both of my kits have treated me great! Next week will be the overall comparison of the kits, along with an in depth article, if you're interested in that before you purchase. If not, I'm confident that the SPS kit will treat you great!

😄😄😄 good

[@Makermook]

I've never driven a long tail boat like this, so forgive my ignorance. I see big roostertails a lot; is the point to keep the prop semi-exposed? To avoid having the whole propeller underwater?

[@JTgatoring]

For the kit I'm running, it has a surface piercing prop. So ideally, half the prop is in the water, half is out. That way it has less drag and in theory, spin faster. With the longtail, it reaches the wake behind the boat, and reuses some of the energy already made and it also helps keep the prop high up in the water column where is it is almost above the rest of the water and your chances of hitting submerged objects decreases.

[@richardmoore2925]

Can you put some kind of counter weight on it to make the prop in the water

[@JTgatoring]

What do you mean?

[@southerncajun9297]

Ok . Now is the prop moving so fast without throttle that it moves your boat when your idling or is it just turning but barely moving your boat .

[@JTgatoring]

At idle speed, with the motor idling, my boat goes 4 mph. If you know you're going to be doing a lot of idling and you want to go slower, then you can drop to a smaller prop size.

[@wesleysmith3219]

I have never owned or operated a mud motor. Only outboards . I've had the same 25 hp yamaha on my 15-44 Alweld for 21 years. I am tired of hitting stumps in the Sabine river with the outboard. I have enjoyed your videos and you really seem to know what you are talking about. Another thing I like is that you seem to like to do things as cost effective as possible. What I would like to do is switch over to a mud motor. The motor that I really like I found on backwater for $3,850. It has a Honda GX690 engine 23hp. My question is, is there a way to get this motor cheaper with a swamp runner kit and engine bought seperately? Another thing I am afraid of is buying the mud motor kit and the engine not being compatable. I just have no knowledge of these kinds of motors. Where can I start?

[@JTgatoring]

Well, let's see if I can help out! So we'll start with the engine. You want something around a 25 hp (something close to what you have now) and save a little money. So the cheapest option is a 22hp V-twin Predator from Harbor Freight for $750. Normally you can find a coupon for them in a magazine or even on eBay and get it for $600 to $670 (so up to $50 to $150 off) but let's say $750 msrp for the engine. Now onto the mud motor. After testing the longtails, I would only recommend a Swamp Runner. Their Large kit fits the engine without any modification and costs $700. So the cheapest route is $1400, maybe less if you can find a coupon for the engine. If you want a little bit nicer of a motor, I hear good things about Briggs. Hondas are way too expensive. I've heard a lot of good things about the 22hp Predator from Harbor Freight. If it runs without any issues for the first 10 hours then it should last you a long time with proper maintenance.

[@buttermilkpigg]

How difficult is it for one person to remove and install the motor? The 6.5 hp motor. I don't have a trailer for my Jon boat and put it in the bed of my truck

[@JTgatoring]

I believe the small kit weighs a total of 80 pounds altogether. You could take the tail off and move then motor and tail separate to make it more manageable. I would say it is pretty easy to move by yourself.

[@rondemers8046]

Looks like the swamp runner took the win...I run my 13 Hp clp but have to horse it a little to get the top speed out of it....maybe next year a swamp runner with my 27 Hp kohler engine

[@JTgatoring]

If your kit works for you, then it works for you and thats all you need! I know that the SPS worked better for the boat I was tested it on and was the only kit that would drive easy.

[@southerncajun9297]

Is the prop already turning when you start the engine?

[@JTgatoring]

Yes. There is no neutral or reverse. It is a direct drive. If you want to go in "neutral" just lift the prop up out of the water

[@saltcreekammo]

What boat would you suggest with the mud runner sps kit, since that transom sucks on that alumicraft?

[@JTgatoring]

Right now I like the look the of the Trackers. The support is in the center of the transom and also doesn't have a severe angle on the transom as the alumacraft does. The transom is bolted wood is bolted on instead of riveted so it will also be easier to replace the transom wood once it rots later down the road if you plan on keeping the boat for a while. These longtails like narrow-er boats. My dream set up would be a homemade lightweight 1836 or 1838 with whatever engine it could handle.

[@saltcreekammo]

@@JTgatoring right on! So, I was looking at getting a 14'-16' boat. I need enough room for me, my dad and brother-- we're all between 200-250 lbs. Also, a dog and all our duck hunting gear. Would the 13 horse power predator engine with the SPS kit haul our fat asses around the marsh with decent speed?

[@JTgatoring]

@@saltcreekammo Probably not. My brother and I (a total of 300lbs) get 18mph in my 1436 with fishing gear. I think the best option for your set-up would be the 1542 tracker ($1,400) with a 22 hp predator engine ($750) and a Swamp Runner large kit ($700). You can go to Swamp Runners stats page and see what people running on their boats - mudmotorkit.com/forum/stats/index.php

[@scottdavison122]

can a 6.5hp long tail mud motor be put on a 12ft Hobie Pro Angler Kayak?

[@JTgatoring]

If it has a transom or a place to clamp it on the boat, then you can do it, whether the boat will handle it or not I do not know

[@ronpires7053]

I'm not sure what you mean by that the gimbal being on the outside if you could explain that or show a picture of it I'd appreciate it thanks

[@JTgatoring]

The transom bracket has a gimbal hole in that the gimbal shaft slides down into. That gimbal hole needs to be on the outside of the boat. There are only two ways the transom bracket can be mounted; with the hole inside the boat or with the hole on the outside the boat. You want it on the outside of the boat like it is in the video. You can look at the assembly video for a better idea

[@ronpires7053]

@@JTgatoring thank you I'm kind of new to this and I bought a 14ft Jon Boat with the medium duty swamp runner in the whole thing wants to like go vertical on me and it's hard to you know figure out where the motor or the shaft is supposed to be sitting in the water but I I think that shaft is is missing thank you though I will be subscribing I think you got the best videos out there appreciate all your help RP

[@JTgatoring]

@@ronpires7053 No problem RP. Swamp Runner has an owners manual that has a detailed distribution of each part along with tips and tricks on how to run a Thai longtail. You can send them an email and get a digital version if you want. You can also watch a couple of videos on this channel to become a little more familiar too. It also helps just playing with the engine and getting experience that way. Best of luck and have fun!

[@chrisfishdawg]

Great Videos what motor are you running in this video? 🎣🤙

[@JTgatoring]

This is the Harbor Freight 13 hp, 420cc Predator Engine, Hemi version if it maters, Item #60349. They do have a coupon for these, check ebay and you may be able to buy a coupon to save some money.

[@timhudson1846]

Do you recommend the hemi motor?

[@MrDavidelliottjr]

Why people worry about speed with a long tail. The purpose of this set up is to get in shallow water and mud and grass and lillies. If it does thst. Then you got your money worth. Wanta go fast and open water buy and outboard. This thinking just makes these kits more and more expensive..

[@JTgatoring]

Speed is a major consideration though. There's a lot of people who have to travel a long way to their hunting spot and how many miles you can travel in an hour matters, it makes a difference to them. Yes, it needs to be a mud motor first, but most people don't spend that match time using their mud motor as a mud motor. That's why people worry about the speed with a longtail. It's also a cheap alternative to an outboard and people opt for the longtail because it's a cheaper means of propulsion and has no intention of using it as a mud motor.

[@colejackson3534]

Can you operate them sitting down?

[@JTgatoring]

Yes, you can! I normally ride them sitting down when its a longer trip, but when I make the videos, I normally only ride for 5 to 10 minutes and I find it nice to stand up.

[@colejackson3534]

JTgatoring thanks. One more question lol, do you add extra oil to get passed the engine shutting off from the low oil sensor or just take the sensor off all together? Ive seen both answers and I got mine coming in the mail

[@JTgatoring]

I have never had an issue with the engine turning off or stopping at all. I haven't messed with the oil sensor. I've never had a problem with it. People talk about it, but with the two motors I've had, I have never had that issue. Just lean the motor forward, just slightly, fill it up till it gets to the threads. That's what I do. I don't know if its right or not, but I haven't run into any issues so far. Any more questions, please feel free to ask! Thats why I have this channel!

[@woodys1999]

What's your deck made of?

[@JTgatoring]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/bnmzlaZredamfJI - 1/2" plywood, 1x2 and 1x3 strips

[@woodys1999]

@@JTgatoring thanks for the reply.

[@robk.4104]

18 with 2 people is decent.

[@JTgatoring]

on a 1436 jon boat, I would agree with you! I thought it did very well