For you who are looking to get into a smallish layout boat with a mud motor I would seriously consider this combination.
We purchased 5 of the Four Rivers Layout Boat’s Mini’s a few years back that are the bomb! We welded a rack that looks like filing cabinet for one of our enclosed trailers that we use for transportation to the hunts, slick rig. We have been using them with double blade kayak paddles to get us into the potholes and other times we would tow them with a tender boat on larger marshes.. Worked well but we had our eye one some bigger water that we couldn’t get the tender boat on and too far to paddle to the X.. So we just recently purchased 5 of the PPF WOOD DUCK Mud Motors for our Mini’s. You can buy the the PPF Wood Duck frame and motor from PPF or you can buy just the frame and source your own motor that will match the frame.. PPF was very competitive with the motor pricing, but for us being in Canada it did not pay to purchase the motor from PPF because of shipping / duty / exchange. We bought local.
I’m always a pessimist with jobs like these thinking it’s going to be way more of a job than it should be, I was completely wrong. PPF could not have done a better job in packing the frames and illustrating the assembly of the motor to the frame. Here is a YouTube tutorial that nails it.. PPF Mud Motor assembly Even the loctite is included in the packing. Can’t say enough about how well these frames are made and prepped for motor install. 5 star in my books.
I put on the Briggs and Stratton CR950 208CC motor which ends up being about a 6.5 horse motor on the Four Rivers Mini. Now the Mini is mini – but perfect for going places where you might need to hand bomb the boat.. After testing the rig out my feelings were instantly relieved, I was concerned that boat and motor might be mismatched for power – far from the truth – it’s perfect.. The speed is safe but not slow by any means – perfect combo. Tried my best to nose dive, fast spin to take water over the back corners, put excess weight in the nose and nothing was out of the ordinary. Fuel was ounces per hour and clean running..
Here in the Prairie Potholes of Manitoba this little boat will be like the Trojan Horse of boats – your going to get places that have never been touched. The Mini is stable and ideal for our guests during their hunts with us – meaning it’s safe in regards to liability. Now with the Wood Duck mud motor on our Mini’s we’re cooking with gas!
100% satisfied with the Four Rivers Layout Boats Mini and PPF Wood Duck Mud Motors
If you read this have any questions shoot me an email at p@birdtailwaterfowl.com or call 1 204 294 2694
Note: We are not pro staff of either companies and have not received insentives to review these products.
