kicker motor choices

[jaknkoke]

I am a new boat owner, just purchased my first boat. 1979 bayliner mutiny inboard outboard. 17'. Looking for advice on an outboard motor to buy for a kicker. Just purchased a "gaerlick spring loaded Bracket that I believe holds up to a 20 horse outboard. question: two stroke or four? long shaft or ss? will a 6-8 horse be big enough to handle trolling salt water for salmon? will it be big enough to get me back to the dock in the event I have problems with main propulsion. I generally will be in fairly small waters where I will only need to go maybe 1-4 miles to nearest dock.
Thanks for your input.
Jaknkoke--

 

[JoLin]

Re: kicker motor choices

6-8 horse will move you easily in most conditions, but I think I'd go 9.9 for an auxiliary to get me home in anything. Anything bigger would be overkill in hp and weight.

2 stroke vs 4? Two schools of thought. If you buy a 4-stroke (or a 2 stroke with oil injection- tho I don't think they make 'em that small) you can plumb into the existing fuel system. If you want the safety of a secondary fuel supply in the event your main engine quits for that reason (fuel related), then you can go with either and carry a dedicated small tank for the OB.

I've never had a case of bad fuel, so when I added a kicker to my 21' Pro-Line I bought one that I could plumb into the main tank via the fuel/water separator.

 

[jaknkoke]

Re: kicker motor choices

Any advice on the shaft length? I would originally assume that I would need a long shaft but have one other friend tell me a short shaft would be fine. Seems like the longer shaft would help not to have to drop the bracket so low and be reaching for handle.

 

[JoLin]

Re: kicker motor choices

Sorry! You need to make some measurements, tho I'd be leaning toward a long shaft, too

 

[roscoe]

Re: kicker motor choices

A new 2013 4 stroke 6 hp long shaft Tohatsu weighs just 58#, and costs $1330 delivered, including a nice new 3 gallon fuel tank and hose.


And a 25" 6 hp is available for $1470.


HArd to pass on that option if you are buying new.

 

[JimS123]

Re: kicker motor choices

Any advice on the shaft length? I would originally assume that I would need a long shaft but have one other friend tell me a short shaft would be fine. Seems like the longer shaft would help not to have to drop the bracket so low and be reaching for handle.

Very simple choices for a 17 footer...

Never buy a long shaft. If you do you'll end up mounting the bracket at the highest position and STILL have to fight with the darn thing dragging in the water when its up and you're running on the main engine. You need the prop below the bottom and the water intake under water....that's all.

A 6 is perfect for your application. An 8 would be OK. All you want to do is troll and maybe use it for emergencies. A 9.9 (or even a 15) would not get you going faster at full throttle because its not big enough to get you above hull speed to plane the boat. So keep it small.

Garelick brackets are mediocre at best. Maybe specified OK for a 4 stroke 20 (in other words it won't fall off.....LOL), but once you see how it bounces around, you'll be inclined to take the motor off when not trolling, so what good is that? Stick with an old fashioned 2-stroke to keep the weight down.

Tap into the main tank? Ok if all you do is troll, but if the secondary purpose is safety then a redundant gas tank is the only way to go. I rebuilt the bases on my stern seats to exactly fit a 6 gal tank. Slick as a whistle!

My last 3 boats have had kickers...I've learned the hard way!

 

[roscoe]

Re: kicker motor choices

It all depends how high the bracket is mounted.
I prefer a solid mount for the motor, not an adjustable bracket.
I like to mount the motor high enough so that the tiller handle is above the transom and allows for full movement and ease of use.
Motor tilts easily and is completely out of the water when underway.
So a 20", or even 25" motor may be needed, depending on mounting location and height of transom.

 

[rolmops]

Re: kicker motor choices

I'm with Rosco,both on Tohatsu and extra long shaft,but I would take something around 10 horse with wireless remote speed adjustment and EZ steer, in spite of its problems, its the cheapest way to go when you have an I/O

 

[jaknkoke]

Re: kicker motor choices

appreciate the differing oppinions and the reasons behind them. One of my biggest concerns is the height of my transom with my inboard/outboard for a short shaft. Also, I simply cannot afford a new motor at this point. Well, I might be able to, but my wife would have a **** fit! My main concern with this decision is Having something in a "left adrift" situation. My main trolls pretty good but I think it may be a bit fast at it's slowest speed. Is there some remedy for this I am not aware of?
I've been a boat owner for about 1 month and have already been adrift once. Not a good feeling!
So am I understanding correctly that the adjustable brackets are not a good idea? And also, If I get a solid bracket, does that mean that I ride around most of the time with my outboard cocked up? As you can probably surmise, I am a total rookie at boating and truly appreciate the advice I am getting here.
Thank you
Jak--

 

[matt167]

Re: kicker motor choices

I think the adjustable brackets work just fine, and on a small boat, you can probably steer with the stern drive and not mess with any steering linkage to the kicker.. You could use trolling bags or a trolling plate, or a different prop to slow your troll with the main motor, but a kicker is quieter, and if you buy a 4 stroke, more efficient. I don't think you need more than 6-8hp, but a 9.9 will get you to the dock faster if you suffer an engine failure

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: kicker motor choices

If your main concern is being "adrift" the 1st question 'where do you boat?'. If you boat in an area served by Tow Boat US or Sea Tow-- a $149 annual membership may be enough.

 

[etracer68]

Re: kicker motor choices

I troll on the big lake (Lake Michigan), and use a double scissor ( alot more stable then single) type bracket, and have no problems with the motor bouncing around while under way. I also use a short shaft, and with the bracket in the up position, and motor tilted up, it doesnt come close to draging in the water. When I troll, I push the bracket down, and connect a rod to the main for steering.

Now for trailering the motor needs to be strapped down, I use a deflopitizer (transom saver). Or the motor will flop dame near off. I mounted a bracket to the transom for the TS because it wouldnt reach the trailer. Works good for me, and have a old Merc 7.5 HP.

 

[Georgesalmon]

Re: kicker motor choices



Best trolling motor on the planet.

 

[JimS123]

Re: kicker motor choices

View attachment 211855

Best trolling motor on the planet.

For sure. When I had an outboard I had my kicker set up the same way.

 

[Georgesalmon]

Re: kicker motor choices

By the way my pro-kicker is a 25" shaft. I had to raise it to get the steering to work and accomadate the long shaft. Just figured I'd get the long one and raise it on this boat and maybe not have to buy another kicker if I get a different boat someday.

 

[JimS123]

Re: kicker motor choices

appreciate the differing oppinions and the reasons behind them. One of my biggest concerns is the height of my transom with my inboard/outboard for a short shaft. Also, I simply cannot afford a new motor at this point. Well, I might be able to, but my wife would have a **** fit! My main concern with this decision is Having something in a "left adrift" situation. My main trolls pretty good but I think it may be a bit fast at it's slowest speed. Is there some remedy for this I am not aware of?
I've been a boat owner for about 1 month and have already been adrift once. Not a good feeling!
So am I understanding correctly that the adjustable brackets are not a good idea? And also, If I get a solid bracket, does that mean that I ride around most of the time with my outboard cocked up? As you can probably surmise, I am a total rookie at boating and truly appreciate the advice I am getting here.
Thank you
Jak--

Solid brackets are fine, but then you MUST mount them high so there is room to tilt, and then you NEED to have an extra long shaft to reach the water. I have tried several different brackets and didn't like any of them until I got an OMC unit with trim cylinder. It cost me considerably more than the others but it has served me well for 30 seasons now. Only needed to replace the shock once. A few years ago I found another one (NOS) on ebay and snapped it up quick. So I got a spare for my next boat.

Its mounted high, the tiller is above the gunnel, its fitted with a homemade SS steering bracket connected to the I/O and at plane its above water. When in use the prop is below the boat providing good thrust. I can troll at 0.5 mph, up to about 8 mph at WOT.

For me the rig is perfect and I'm happy with the light weight.

If you have been adrift already, instead of worrying about type of bracket or shaft length, your money would be better spent fixing the boat to make it reliable.

If you look close at the pic you can see the brackets used with QD connectors for the steering shaft. Unlike the commercial ones, I prefer to take mine off when not in use.

 

[jaknkoke]

Re: kicker motor choices

Thank you all for the input. It is much appreciated.
Jak--

 

[ondarvr]

Re: kicker motor choices

Here’s the deal on short verses long shaft.

A long shaft "may" drag in the water if not raised up high enough, typically a little adjusting of the bracket height solves the problem.

When using a short shaft on an I/O the problem can be in getting the prop deep enough to get a good bite, plus have the power head high enough to not be dunked in rougher water.

The adjustable bracket will move the motor back a bit from the transom which can make it more likely to be dunked, so a long shaft is desired.

I have used both short and long shaft for decades and you can get both to work, but long and extra long shaft motors are normally a better choice.

For trolling the deeper you can get the prop and the higher you can get the power head out of the water the better it is.


If you plan to use it for trolling, and not just as a backup, don't buy a single cylinder small motor, they tend to be louder and vibrate a good deal more than two a cylinder model. This doesn't seem bad at first, but after a short time it can become rather annoying.


Every boat and type of fishing will be a little different, so you will get different opinions on what the perfect setup is, none are perfect for all applications, so it needs to be fine tuned for your exact boat and method of fishing.


I don't like trolling with the main motor, I trolled for 9 hours yesterday and didn't use 3 (maybe less than 2) gallons of fuel with my 8hp Merc. Why put mega hours on a much more costly and less efficient big motor when you can run a kicker for pennies and replace it in 15 minutes with another one if it dies.

 

[jaknkoke]

Re: kicker motor choices

A lot of good advice there ondarvr. Appreciate it.
Jak--