saumon
Lieutenant
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2004
- Messages
- 1,452
I've been looking for a while to find the "perfect" kicker to my "new to me" boat (see sig.).
What I was looking for was a "get home" emergency use motor. With my previous boat, it happened two times that I "lost" the main engine (a 1993 Merc 60hp) while fishing, the first being an overheating caused by a clogged intake while trolling in the weeds and the second when the switchbox start acting up when heated. In both occasions, I make it home with the kicker (a Merc 8hp long shaft).
I fish mainly (80%) in the enlargments of the St. Lawrence river for muskies where there's steady current and, sometimes (20%), in remote areas for walleyes with nobody within a couple hundred miles, so safety is a factor but, as I don't troll slower than 2.5mph, I'll never use the kicker for trolling. If I were to, I may have looked for a long shaft but, as I already have a bracket that can be lowered, for the really occasionnal use and cause it can also be unbolted and switched on any other boat, I want a short shaft.
Next come the weight factor. My boat being sensitive to weight added to the stern, I have to seek for the best power-to-weight ratio. Usually, the 4-5-6hp share the same block (and weight) and the 8-9.9hp also do, the exception being the Yamaha 8hp 2-stroke (discontinued in 2011), which is the same than the 6hp at 60 lbs. This is by far the best power-to-weight ratio out there but it's no made with an integral fuel tank, so I ruled it out.
The fuel coming from the tank being straight gas, I decided that I don't want a second tank with premixed fuel in the boat, so I had to settle on either a newer 4-stroke 6hp (at 60lbs; the 8/9.9 are around 85lbs, way too much!) or a 2-stroke with an integral fuel tank if I can find one, which is not common.
I was pretty much settled for a brand new Yamaha 4-stroke 6hp (I can get one for $1400, they lowered their prices in the last years, but it's still steep for the "once in a while" use) when I stumble on a mint 1980 Johnson 4.5 hp with an integral fuel tank!
It's easy to see that it has an easy life. I've made it run and everything seems perfect. The compression is even at 95psi on both cylinders, it start on the first pull, water pump is working, it shift easily and, man, those twins idle smoothly! At 51lbs, I can't ask for more (even the color is matching with the current boat/engine :happy
! I expect it to do around 4mph at WOT on that hull, wich is fine with me.
I've done a lot of work (carbs, fuel pumps, seals, water pump) on small 2-stroke outboards, from 2hp Yam to 15hp Merc including the famous 9.9 JohnyRudes but I have to say this particular model, that I've never saw before, looks really fine. I've seen a lot of 5/6 hp but they don't have the integral fuel tank. This model have the newer ignition and it's way less crowded under the cowling than other models. It have the option to switch to an external tank and an adjustment knob outside the cowling to play a bit with the mixture screw.
Now I'll take a break from CL watching...
What I was looking for was a "get home" emergency use motor. With my previous boat, it happened two times that I "lost" the main engine (a 1993 Merc 60hp) while fishing, the first being an overheating caused by a clogged intake while trolling in the weeds and the second when the switchbox start acting up when heated. In both occasions, I make it home with the kicker (a Merc 8hp long shaft).
I fish mainly (80%) in the enlargments of the St. Lawrence river for muskies where there's steady current and, sometimes (20%), in remote areas for walleyes with nobody within a couple hundred miles, so safety is a factor but, as I don't troll slower than 2.5mph, I'll never use the kicker for trolling. If I were to, I may have looked for a long shaft but, as I already have a bracket that can be lowered, for the really occasionnal use and cause it can also be unbolted and switched on any other boat, I want a short shaft.
Next come the weight factor. My boat being sensitive to weight added to the stern, I have to seek for the best power-to-weight ratio. Usually, the 4-5-6hp share the same block (and weight) and the 8-9.9hp also do, the exception being the Yamaha 8hp 2-stroke (discontinued in 2011), which is the same than the 6hp at 60 lbs. This is by far the best power-to-weight ratio out there but it's no made with an integral fuel tank, so I ruled it out.
The fuel coming from the tank being straight gas, I decided that I don't want a second tank with premixed fuel in the boat, so I had to settle on either a newer 4-stroke 6hp (at 60lbs; the 8/9.9 are around 85lbs, way too much!) or a 2-stroke with an integral fuel tank if I can find one, which is not common.
I was pretty much settled for a brand new Yamaha 4-stroke 6hp (I can get one for $1400, they lowered their prices in the last years, but it's still steep for the "once in a while" use) when I stumble on a mint 1980 Johnson 4.5 hp with an integral fuel tank!
It's easy to see that it has an easy life. I've made it run and everything seems perfect. The compression is even at 95psi on both cylinders, it start on the first pull, water pump is working, it shift easily and, man, those twins idle smoothly! At 51lbs, I can't ask for more (even the color is matching with the current boat/engine :happy
! I expect it to do around 4mph at WOT on that hull, wich is fine with me.I've done a lot of work (carbs, fuel pumps, seals, water pump) on small 2-stroke outboards, from 2hp Yam to 15hp Merc including the famous 9.9 JohnyRudes but I have to say this particular model, that I've never saw before, looks really fine. I've seen a lot of 5/6 hp but they don't have the integral fuel tank. This model have the newer ignition and it's way less crowded under the cowling than other models. It have the option to switch to an external tank and an adjustment knob outside the cowling to play a bit with the mixture screw.
Now I'll take a break from CL watching...
