How big of a kicker motor?

[rightcoastrob]

i have a 22 ft steury fishing boat has dual 115 mercs on it.i need to add a lil kicker motor.I was thinking a 4 stroke nissan 18 hp.I plan to spread my motors out and hopefully mount this one right in the center of my two main motors.My question is does anyone have any experiance with nissan they seem to be fairly cheap.i was just wondering if there a decient motor or not....

 

[ratracer]

Re: How big of a kicker motor?

Nissans are repainted/rebadged Tohatsus. So are current Mercury 4 strokes under 40HP.

I own a Tohatsu 9.8 4 stroke. I'd have no qualms about buying another.

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: How big of a kicker motor?

I gotta ask: Why, with 2 motors on a 22 foot boat, do you want a kicker?

 

[ondarvr]

Re: How big of a kicker motor?

It also depends on how you plan to use the kicker. If it's just for trolling then a high thrust 8Hp like a Yamaha will work fine and since you have two large motors already you most likely won't be needing it to you back to port when the main motor fails. Almost every fishing boat in my part of the country has a kicker because we troll a great deal, from 16' to 28' the most popular motor by far is the T8 Yamaha.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: How big of a kicker motor?

One note on kicker motors for emergency use. Run them from a separate fuel source than your main tank. If your fuel is contaminated, with water, for example, the kicker won't run any better than your main engines. Most kickers will run a very long time on a six gallon portable tank, but not at all if the main tank is contaminated or empty.

Also, if you're going offshore or onto a large body of water, make sure you start and warm up your kicker or auxiliary motor before leaving the dock every time you launch. Out in the middle of nowhere is no place to find out your kicker won't start.