Kicker options want opinions

[ppaulin]

I have a 19" bayliner CC, with a 125 force outboard want to get a kicker for 2nd motor backup and trolling, my main motor runs good and has been well taken care of but I need to have the extra piece of mind. I've read a lot of posts and have come down to two choices:

2008 nissan/tohatsu 9.8hp 4 stroke ELR weighs aprox 85 pounds

or

2003 nissan/tohatsu 9.8hp 2 stroke ELR weighs aprox 65 pounds (new leftover and about 350$ cheeper)

Since my main motor is 2 stroke i was thinking that going with the same would be better, but since I'm planning on keeping the kicker when I decide to change boats (as I will probably get more of a fishing style boat next time) maybe 4 stroke is better for the long haul.

I'm planning on running a 2 battery setup with one for the kicker and electronics (deep cycle) and one for the main motor only, they will be side by side and will offset the weight of the 2 stroke perfectly, I"m trying to avoid having a 2nd gas tank in the back, I can store it up front for backup was my thought, but there is room there for a tank under the seat, there is some kind of cooler thing there now but i use it to store tools, spare plugs etc., in can be taken out and the 12 l tank will fit nice, just wondering about the extra weight.

Any opinions , suggestions will be greatly appreciated, Thank you for the great forum I have spent countless hours here over the winter and can't wait for my second season of boating.

PS: the boat has a good solid fixed kicker bracket installed and distance from the top of the bracket to the bottom of the boat is 20.5 inches.

 

[Solittle]

Re: Kicker options want opinions

If money is an issue I would go for an older OMC 9.9 long shaft. They are unbreakable if maintained. Mine is a 1975 and at one time I used it as an aux on a 27' BL.

 

[ppaulin]

Re: Kicker options want opinions

Money is not really an issue, not than I'm rich lol, I saved over the winter for a new kicker , I want new since I already have old rig. I really want to have electric start (so that I have 2 battery charging options ) and remote control, there a lot of no wake zones and I fish in the upper niagara river where i drift down for a ways then start her up and slowly putter back, I also go out there and just drift and snorkle and just relax so I will be using the kicker often.
Dindnt realy want to go to the back of the boat unless I'm puting the engine up or down.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Kicker options want opinions

If money is no object, then go with a Yamaha T8 with power tilt and trim plus electric start, it's the best kicker you can get right now. The two you mentioned will work fine though. The two or four stroke question is a little more difficult, if you plan on switching big motors soon and you like four strokes, then go that way. If you don't plan on trolling and only need the motor to get back to the dock when the main motor gives up, then go for the lower cost unit.

 

[ppaulin]

Re: Kicker options want opinions

Weight was also a big factor in my decision, should it be?
65 lbs vs. 100 lbs +++

 

[TOHATSU GURU]

Re: Kicker options want opinions

In your application, with your long term goal in mind, a 4-stroke in any brand is the better choice. The Tohatsu MFS9.8A3EPL is also a wee bit heaver than you think it is.

 

[ppaulin]

Re: Kicker options want opinions

The local tohatsu dealer said that the weight of the starter and altenator would be no more that 5 lbs to make a total around 86.5 lbs , how much does it really weigh?
My choice of tohatsu/nissan was that they were the lightest in their class.

 

[TOHATSU GURU]

Re: Kicker options want opinions

It is the lightest...90.4 in that set up.

 

[ziemann]

Re: Kicker options want opinions

On a 19' CC Bayliner I would most definately agree with going with the 25 lbs. heavier Tohatsu/ Nissan 4 stroke. The 25 lbs. is really a non issue and will pay off in quiet running and frugal fuel use. If you are ever to resell that 4 stroke Tohasu/ Nissan, your resale will also be higher thereby making up the price difference.

It will serve you very well using it in the manner in which you want to use it....

Good luck to you and let know what you end up doing and how you like it!

I always marvel at the responses you get here....you threw out there a request for help between 2 units (you obviously have already shopped to get to those choices) and people give you answers that are not even options....

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Kicker options want opinions

This was most likely a shot at me, so I'll explain why I went a little outside his question.

He never said why he narrowed it down to those two, now we see it's because of weight. Weight on a 19' CC has little to do with the choice, as you won't see much of a difference if any, in any of the kickers in that size range when it's on the boat.

The second reason was he said price wasn't that important, so if he was to spend slightly more, it opens it up to better options.

There's nothing wrong with the two motors he wanted info on, but where I live almost every boat has a kicker for trolling and the #1 choice by far is the Yamaha T8, every serious fisherman in my area loves them, even if they don't have one. The T8 can also be had with electric start plus trim and tilt, this means he has no need to walk to the back of boat for any reason.

The third reason is I have a 19' CC with a 200 Evinrude and a 9.9 Merc (Tohatsu) kicker, so I know just what combo he's looking at and what works. I've also used several other kickers in different hp ranges on it, to troll the 4S is the way to go, as a back up it doesn't make much of a difference, so just go with the same type of fuel needed for the large motor.

As for Solittles responce, the 9.9 OMCs are a very good option if you're looking for something for a little less money and ppaulin sort of said he only wanted it as a back up motor. So for less than half the money he could have a very reliable option. I also have one of these and it works well on my boat.

 

[ppaulin]

Re: Kicker options want opinions

I guess i should explain a bit further about weight of the kicker being a big factor for me, since it wont be monted on the transom but on a home made bracket through the fiberglass hull , the set up looks very solid with a big backing plate on the inside and outside, being a new boater and having read about brackets breaking and losing your kicker in the water or worse on the road I maybe got a bit too obsessed with weight.
Let me try to attach a photo so you guys can see what I mean, I have to resize it as it's past the maximum file size for a jpeg allowed for the forum, I'll learn how to do this and post it.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Kicker options want opinions

As long as the bracket you make is strong enough, it will be easy to reinforce the transom to hold it.

 

[ppaulin]

Re: Kicker options want opinions

Ok I'm even learning photo editing lol, here is a pic:

the boat is in inside storage right now so I can't go out and take pics or actually get a better look to describe it's construction, I'll try to go out this weekend since my memory is fuzzy about it, but the previous owner ( a friend of mine also it's stored at his place) had a 6hp
or 8hp on it , i'll ask him more about it.

 

[gss036]

Re: Kicker options want opinions

That bracket will work great. I was looking at some Nissan (same motors) yesterday while waiting to talk w/a salesman at Clearwater Marine, the had a pretty good selection on hand, looked to be in the $2100/2200 range, even had a new 15 inch Merc that was like a 2004/05 model for sale for a few hundred less. They used to post prices, but checked and they aren't posted now.

 

[ppaulin]

Re: Kicker options want opinions

I'm up in ontario and nissan/tohatsu's are rare to see, tohatsu even more, that's part of the reason i want one, might have less of a chance to get it stolen since they don't know what it is. My father in law in New-Brunswick had been fishing for 60 years and had never heard of them.

 

[TOHATSU GURU]

Re: Kicker options want opinions

Tohatsu was not distributed to Canada until last year so it's not surprising you don't see any under that label.

 

[ppaulin]

Re: Kicker options want opinions

Well that would explain why nobody around here has heard the name, from what I have read on some US websites, tohatsu does not allow dealers to ship remote units because they have to be installed by the dealer, is this the case tohatsu guru? I'll have to call the local dealer tommorow here in canada, If that is indeed the case what is a reasonable price for such an install?
I'm sure I can do it myself.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Kicker options want opinions

I always put some kind of a backing plate on the inside to spread the load, so you might take a look at your's.

 

[ppaulin]

Re: Kicker options want opinions

Yes the same kind of plastic board you see on the outside is on the inside but a big larger.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Kicker options want opinions

It's hard to tell from the pic, but if your bracket is strong, then I don't think you need to be as worried as you are about the weight difference in the motors.