trolling/kicker motor question

[americaneagler77]

i am looking to pick up a 1987 peterborough this weekend. its 15-16 feet, and has a 70 hp merc. no good for trolling. i have a 2 horse evinrude in the shed i used to use on my canoe...do you think the 2 horse at 75% throttle will be enough to push the boat around 1mph in flat still conditions or is she just to weak? i would also like to use the evinrude to move the boat around, turning etc, when fishing tight shallow outlets etc....what do you think?


my other question is if there is no room on the transom for the motor, i will grab an adjustable plate. are they solid enough to securely hold the motor to the boat even if im cruising at 25 to 30 in moderate chop?

 

[flippee]

Re: trolling/kicker motor question

I'd swap the 2 horse for a minn kota

 

[TyeeMan]

Re: trolling/kicker motor question

Not sure how heavy your boat is but I'd bet your 2 hp will be plenty to push your boat at 1 mph.
I had a 16 1/2 foot Lund, boat weighed about 1700 with batteries, gas, 70 hp Johnson, bow mount trolling motor. I used a 3 hp Johnson as a kicker in calm water and it worked really well.
Why can't you use your 70 to troll in the chop? When the chop came up I used my 70 with a stainless prop for trolling all the time. Given the chop and the wind I could troll at 1mph +- a little.

 

[aspeck]

Re: trolling/kicker motor question

Why can't you use your 70 to troll? I have used larger motors to troll and they worked okay. There is some loading up if you are trolling for LONG periods of time, but you just have to bring in your lines and blow out the carbon every now and then.

Personally, I wouldn't waste the space or weight on a kicker for that boat, I would go with a good electric trolling motor ... and if you wanted to troll with it, go with a higher thrust 24v or 36v model. Saves gas, and will move the boat around in shallow and open water ...

 

[americaneagler77]

Re: trolling/kicker motor question

the evinrude is a mere 25 lbs or so and she burns about a quart of gas a day when used as primary power. i have the motor already, its near mint and dont want to part with it, but no longer have the canoe either, so im finding uses for it. plus having something that could limp me back home for miles if need be on the 34 mile long 3 mile wide lake i boat on is cheap insurance if the merc ever quits.

ive never used a kicker motor plate. are they good and strong when mounted properly? i dont head out in bad weather usually. but it doesnt take much to be out and end up coming home in 3-4 footers from time to time.

 

[americaneagler77]

Re: trolling/kicker motor question

guess ill just wing it

 

[heyyou325]

Re: trolling/kicker motor question

I have 2 boats with kicker plates on. They have ratings when you buy them for what they will hold. On my 16 foot boat, I have an adjustable bracket which I have ran a 9.9 hp Johnson, but now run a 6 hp Johnson. It still goes too fast. The 2 hp should work good, and if you get a good bracket, you should have no problems with weight. The one on my 21 footer is not adjustable, but is rated for 25 hp. It's much bigger tho. Steering and controls are my problem, my motors don't hook together for steering, so I have to sit back in the back which is not very comfortable. Oh, you can also pick up a trolling plate to slow your 70 down to 1mph., but that wasn't what you were wanting. Good luck fishing.

 

[Rayzor]

Re: trolling/kicker motor question

My boat has one of those aux. motor brackets from cabelas. Cost me 120 bucks and is very sturdy. Made from aluminum and urethane. It has a 9.9 evinrude bolted to it and it stays put just fine. Whats nice is it lifts up and you can tilt your kicker so your not dragging it around. I also bought the universal steering kit from the same place. I just pop the steering rod off to raise the motor and away you go. As for 2 horse being enough I think your setup to troll about perfect. It might not get you back to the ramp quick but it will beat rowing 30+ miles any day. Run that baby!

 

[Quad82]

Re: trolling/kicker motor question

I have a merc 10hp on my adjustable bracket. It pushes the boat fine. I had a 4hp Johnson on it before which pushed the boat good too. You really have to do a lot more work keeping the boat straight with the smaller kicker. But neither are what I consider a backup motor. On calm water they work perfect for trolling. On choppy water I just use the 115 horse. The wind picked up on me yesterday. Even with the adjustable bracket, the little motor was comming up and out of the water with the waves. If my main motor were to go out, It would not be a quick, fun ride back to the ramp.

I use a heavy bungee cord around the trolling motor and bracket when trailering. It still bounces a little. Comming home on the expressway, I hit a hole in the road. The little Merc bounced and the bracket let loose and dropped down. Luckily, I had put a bolt in the height adjustment so it would only let the motor go so deep. It could have been the end of that motor! Tonight I am building a smaller version of the transom saver I use on the big motor.

I did have a "Happy Troller" on the big motor. But the Merc 115 6 cylinder isn't the easiest motor on gas even if just trolling!