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I have a 36PD on heavy 1648 custom built rig. I couldnt be happier. It will go thru anything but dry ground! For your size boat, look at the 27hp prodrive.

Easiest to drive is no doubt the pro drive.
I have had a 17'48 phowler rig with a 36pd with all the goodies and it was great but for long runs and loads it sucked to drive.

I now have a center console with dual prodrives and it is a dream to drive except in the woods.

Do you need a quick reverse? or a powerful reverse? Do you need neutral? Budget? How many people you going to carry?

For motor designs:

PD is about the simplest of all the motors. PD is a 100% shaft driven design.

GD, MB and GT are all belt driven.

GD uses a belt / u-joint shaft design. The use of the ujoint allows to get the proper prop shaft angle and a achieve a horizontal engine setup. MB and GT tilts the whole motor to achieve proper prop shaft angle being their prop shaft exits the housing perpendicular to one another. PD is the only vertical shaft motor setup. GD, MB and GT are all horizontal shaft motors, due to the belt and pulley designs.

Of the belt design motors, MB and GT are nearly identical to one another. GD has a belt, but their own u-joint on the prop shaft for geometry.


That being said, everything has a breaking point. I know some PD that have broken a shaft. When the shaft breaks, your done. With the belt, you can change the belt on the water and get back.

power for power, PD's setup will produce the most power at the prop. There is less power loss through the one u-joint, as opposed to the much greater power loss through a belt and pulley design. PD is the only one with FPR (full power reverse). The entire foot rotates 180°. The prop still spins in its "forward" direction, but facing reverse. Everybody else spins the prop backwards like a traditional outboard. The prop is designed to bite in forward, not in reverse. Similar to a ring gear in a truck. The ring and pinion is strongest going in forward and weakest going in reverse. This is why you risk breakage easier if your trying to pull something out in a vehicle in reverse.

FPR is worth its weight in gold hands down. The bad part is you won't get the best of both worlds in one motor. If you hunt alot of timber, then the reverse of MB, GD or GT will be easier to operate. Especially if you find yourself motoring through trees and having to go forward or reverse alot. Basically those 3 operate like a regular outboard, except the prop spins at the surface and the engine is air cooled. The PD reverse takes time as you ratchet it to reverse, unless you spend the $1100 or so bucks to get the auto reverse. Even then, it takes a couple minutes to go from forward to reverse, whereas the other 3 is instant by just spinning the prop backwards.

MudHog wrote:For motor designs:

PD is about the simplest of all the motors. PD is a 100% shaft driven design.

GD, MB and GT are all belt driven.

GD uses a belt / u-joint shaft design. The use of the ujoint allows to get the proper prop shaft angle and a achieve a horizontal engine setup. MB and GT tilts the whole motor to achieve proper prop shaft angle being their prop shaft exits the housing perpendicular to one another. PD is the only vertical shaft motor setup. GD, MB and GT are all horizontal shaft motors, due to the belt and pulley designs.

Of the belt design motors, MB and GT are nearly identical to one another. GD has a belt, but their own u-joint on the prop shaft for geometry.


That being said, everything has a breaking point. I know some PD that have broken a shaft. When the shaft breaks, your done. With the belt, you can change the belt on the water and get back.

power for power, PD's setup will produce the most power at the prop. There is less power loss through the one u-joint, as opposed to the much greater power loss through a belt and pulley design. PD is the only one with FPR (full power reverse). The entire foot rotates 180°. The prop still spins in its "forward" direction, but facing reverse. Everybody else spins the prop backwards like a traditional outboard. The prop is designed to bite in forward, not in reverse. Similar to a ring gear in a truck. The ring and pinion is strongest going in forward and weakest going in reverse. This is why you risk breakage easier if your trying to pull something out in a vehicle in reverse.

FPR is worth its weight in gold hands down. The bad part is you won't get the best of both worlds in one motor. If you hunt alot of timber, then the reverse of MB, GD or GT will be easier to operate. Especially if you find yourself motoring through trees and having to go forward or reverse alot. Basically those 3 operate like a regular outboard, except the prop spins at the surface and the engine is air cooled. The PD reverse takes time as you ratchet it to reverse, unless you spend the $1100 or so bucks to get the auto reverse. Even then, it takes a couple minutes to go from forward to reverse, whereas the other 3 is instant by just spinning the prop backwards.

I am not saying your dont know what your talking about but only 2 brands have reverse. Gatortail and Prodrive.

curcio13085 wrote:I am not saying your dont know what your talking about but only 2 brands have reverse. Gatortail and Prodrive.

I wasn't implying that all (3) had reverse, but thanks for helping clarify things.

GT has instant reverse by spinning the prop backwards

MB has neutral - achieved by an electromagnetic PTO (similar to new style lawn mowers for disengaging the blades)

GD has neither

PD has reverse by rotating the lower unit and spinning the prop forward, but facing rearward.