Trolling vs kicker??

[oxbeast1210]

Hello i was wondering if anyone has used one or both could give me some advice?

I am debating between getting a trolling motor or a small kicker for my center console >I would mostly just have it for emergencies but i may use it to actually troll a little which do you guys think would be a better choice for me? also does anyone know of a tutorial for mounting a kicker?
thank you

 

[DuckHunterJon]

Re: Trolling vs kicker??

From your description, i would think a kicker. I have a trolling motor on the front of my F&S. You could troll with it, but only if the water was like glass, and you were willing to stand in the front and constantly steer. I use it bass fishing to work along a shoreline, but it's no where near accurate enough to troll with. Also, I suppose I could use it in a pinch to get into shore if the big motor were to decide to take a dump - but again, it wouldn't be as good as a kicker.

 

[oxbeast1210]

Re: Trolling vs kicker??

thank you very much what horse power would you recommend for a 18 center console with a 150 Evinrude 2 stroke ..
kicker wise? i saw a 5 hp with a self contained tank for 150 bucks would that be enough to push me around? i probably wont see anything that runs good for around that price again
thank you

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Trolling vs kicker??

A friend swears by his bow-mounted trolling motor on a 22' CC, for salt-water fishing. He has the remote-control and gps, good for holging a spot when fishing a bridge, adn easier than an anchor. Nice and quiet for flat water fishing too.

I think you need to consider your primary purpose--small engine for quiet fishing, actual trolling, back-up power? Since you can troll with your primary motor, focus on the fishing or back-up. If you boat in populated areas, you really don't need the back-up, b/c you wouldn't use it for a long distance, and therefore you would flag down a tow.
If you are getting it for back-up power, get the OB.

 

[oxbeast1210]

Re: Trolling vs kicker??

Thanks home cookin i think with your advice im going to go ahead and go for the outboard now i just got to figure out the best way to install it
thank you

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Trolling vs kicker??

Trolling motors don't have unlimited range so if you are an off-shore boater, an electric troller is not a good "get back to shore choice". If you are a close-to-shore fisherperson then an electric is a good choice. For emergency use however, especially for longer distance emergencies, a gasser is the only logical choice.

 

[illman]

Re: Trolling vs kicker??

get the kicker,my 18 foot center console has an eight horsepower and pushes it pretty good.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Trolling vs kicker??

an 8-15HP would be ideal.

 

[oxbeast1210]

Re: Trolling vs kicker??

ROger that,
imin the market for one im going to start looking for it waht type if mount do you guys reccomend?
thank you

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Trolling vs kicker??

Something like this:

 

[likalar]

Re: Trolling vs kicker??

At the top of this page, click on "parts and accessories" Then, type "motor bracket" in the search box. The stationary brackets are cheapest, but the lifting feature might be better for your rig. There are also ways to connect both motors together so the steering at the helm also steers the small motor.
Larry

 

[oxbeast1210]

Re: Trolling vs kicker??

ok thanks ill take a look at the brackets here where is a good place to look for a used kicker?
thanks

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Trolling vs kicker??

ok thanks ill take a look at the brackets here where is a good place to look for a used kicker?
thanks

There's always lots of used small motors on Craigslist. My dad just sold a 5HP Merc today actually. (trust me you didn't want it ) Sometimes you can find a great deal on a small boat with a decent motor for a low enough price that you can just re-sell the boat sans motor and make some of the money back.

 

[Alpheus]

Re: Trolling vs kicker??

Sorry to hi-jack, but I just have a quick question on this subject.

Has anyone ever mounted a kicker on an I/O boat?

 

[dan t.]

Re: Trolling vs kicker??

In reply to Alpheus, yes all the time,I ran a 4.5 merc on a 16 footer ( outboard), a 8 hp Honda on a Campion 21 footer, currently a 15 Honda on my bayliner 2452, all worked good for trolling

 

[Alpheus]

Re: Trolling vs kicker??

Do you have any pics of this?

Are you able to steer it from the helm?

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Trolling vs kicker??

Do you have any pics of this?

Are you able to steer it from the helm?

iboats member Boatist has a sweet I/O kicker set up. He has pics of it in this thread http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=416001&highlight=boatist+kicker

 

[Alpheus]

Re: Trolling vs kicker??

I just noticed you are from York,PA. I used to work as a Paramedic there with White Rose EMS...