Aight heres my delimea I am from southern arkansas and last year it was a little of tough gettin to the ducks do to the dept of water and other such varibles so I have decieded to upgrade to eaither to a shallow drive engine or a airboat. So i wanted to give yall a example of the terrain so yall can give me a little input on what yall would do. Ok the water goes from 5ft to 1ft and less than in some spots and we have to weave in and out of cypress trees, so what would yall do all advice is welcomed.

Either would work. It depends on you. You know a lot more about your situation than we do. The airboat will work perfect but is it worth the dough and you have to think about how much weight it will carry. A canoe would do the job, if you aren't going in to far. I know I would be leaning towards a flat bottom boat if it were me.

Personally I'd go with a longtail or a short tail. But I don't live where you do. I know that here in Kansas, there are state/fed managed waterfowl hunting areas that have 100's of acres of flooded crops and natural vegetation, and the avg water depth is about 12~24 inches. Airboats are not allowed, but mud motors are. I remember seeing some sign that said a boats propeller must be in the water to give it propulsion. That rules out airboats. One of my boats is a 1436 flatbottom with a 13 horse longtail.

Aight thanks for the advice. What size long and or shortail would I need to push a 12ft jon really well?

It sounds like with what your doing, you would need a mud motor. Probably longtail.

My 1436 flatbottom is rated for a 15 horse motor. I put a 13 horse mud motor on it. The boat weighs around 160 lbs, and the motor weighs around 150. There is no way I would want a heavier motor on the back. I'd say that it's at its limit.

Now with a 12 foot jon, a 9 horse would probably the largest you'd want. Top speed will probably be 8-10 mph with you and gear. Keep a paddle in your boat. They are good for maneuvering your boat in tight spots. It's also your reverse.