how much HP for trolling

[Bigfisherman]

Thinking of finally getting a small hp outboard for trolling, looking at the honda 2hp pricey for a 2hp but its super light and air cooled. Boat is a 16ft with a 85" beam and fully loaded with gear 2 ppl should be around 1700#s would a 2hp be enough? or should I get a 3.5hp? 4-5hp?

 

Thanks

[Lunker777]

I would say go with the 4-5 HP ..... you can never have to much power and if the big motor ever were to die on you, the 4-5HP would push you along better then the 2HP

 

Just my 2 cents

[TC1OZ]

Thinking of finally getting a small hp outboard for trolling, looking at the honda 2hp pricey for a 2hp but its super light and air cooled. Boat is a 16ft with a 85" beam and fully loaded with gear 2 ppl should be around 1700#s would a 2hp be enough? or should I get a 3.5hp? 4-5hp?

 

Thanks

 

Where do you plan on fishing? Any big water?

 

Any size motor would be good for trolling (unless you plan on doing some high speed trolling) but if you are fishing out in the big water you may want to think about your trolling motor as a backup for getting to shore if the main motor has problems.... and the bigger the HP the better in that case.

[Fisherman]

Thinking of finally getting a small hp outboard for trolling, looking at the honda 2hp pricey for a 2hp but its super light and air cooled. Boat is a 16ft with a 85" beam and fully loaded with gear 2 ppl should be around 1700#s would a 2hp be enough? or should I get a 3.5hp? 4-5hp?

 

Thanks

Go with a 4-6HP, when it gets windy from the front, you'll have difficulty with keeping it in a straight line.

[Oktravis]

i have a 2 hp on a 16 ft sea nimph.when i troll in to the wind the 2 hp is not enough to keep me going straight..i would suggest getting something bigger.i'm going to look for something in the 6 hp or better.

 

 

good luck

travis

Edited September 22, 2010 by travis

[Terry]

I have a 16ft bo

 

and 2.5ph kicker 80% of the time it is fine

but wind and wave and I do lose control of the boat

 

just start the main motor to power me strait and continue on my trolling way..I have the steering hooked up to the main motor and use the steering wheel to drive but have no control of the gas with out running back to the motor to change speed

 

I have a 5hp honda too and 92% of the time it work great with no control problems, again it is hooked up to the main motor but have no way to change the throttle without going back tot eh motor

I would say I would never have a problem if I could just speed up the motor

[SlowPoke]

Thinking of finally getting a small hp outboard for trolling, looking at the honda 2hp pricey for a 2hp but its super light and air cooled.

 

And very noisy. What you'll save on fuel you'll spend on earplugs.

Something to watch for on small outboards is below-water exhaust or you'll go insane.

Where small kickers let you down is not so much the lack of horsepower but the lack of torque. They have tiny props in order to reach advertised horsepower at high RPM. You'll be using it at low RPM and it will bog down very easy; incosistent speed.

Pro kickers and high thrust models have low HP but high torque and large props. Much more consistent speed and seldom bog down. At a hefty price.

If price is an issue, I'd opt for an older 6hp Johnson/Evinrude two stroke over a 2-4hp 4 stroke.

If price isn't an issue, a T8 or T9.9 Yamaha is as good as it gets but certainly overkill for your application.

[Tom McCutcheon]

I have a 16ft bo

 

and 2.5ph kicker 80% of the time it is fine

but wind and wave and I do lose control of the boat

 

just start the main motor to power me strait and continue on my trolling way..I have the steering hooked up to the main motor and use the steering wheel to drive but have no control of the gas with out running back to the motor to change speed

 

I have a 5hp honda too and 92% of the time it work great with no control problems, again it is hooked up to the main motor but have no way to change the throttle without going back tot eh motor

I would say I would never have a problem if I could just speed up the motor

 

Terry: google "troll master" it is a little electronic device that is wired to your throttle on your kicker. The control for it is mounted on the gunwale or dash right beside the helm.

 

we have a 9.9 kicker on our boat and this is what I have done. It works really slick and you have very exact calibrations for adjusting your speed. When you get a fish on you just hit a button and it idles back to almost neutral speed. When the fish is landed and you are ready to troll again, just hit the button and it resumes back to the exact speed as before.

 

Tom.

[Uncle Buck]

my 4hp yammy longshaft 4stroke pushes my aluminum 16.5 at just over 5mph max

my 4.5 evinrude shortshaft 2 stroke pushes the same at around 4.5mph...

 

that's 2 FF, 3 batteries, full livewell and no main motor

[Roy]

I would go 9.9. The motor will not need to work as hard. It'll also be easier to get a deal on and easier to sell. Just sayin'.

[Harrison]

I would go 9.9. The motor will not need to work as hard. It'll also be easier to get a deal on and easier to sell. Just sayin'.

 

I agree.

 

Also, at certain times your better to troll with the wind and the surge of the waves. Incase this is something you might get into practising (if not already), you'll want the higher horsepower.

Edited September 23, 2010 by Harrison

[west lake charlie]

I have a 4 hp merc 4 stroke on my boat. the boat is a 16.5 foot fiberglass bowrider. I take it on and off quite abit for watersports and its quite light.

I do find it quite noisy when trolling big water as I need the rpms up. I used to have a 6 hp two stroke. I found it stinky, but nice and quiet as I trolled with it at a fairly low rpm. It was a heavy motor so as I said I wanted something lighter. If money wasn't and issue I would like a six horse again, But I think i'll stay put with the one I have for now.

hope this helps

[spoon]

Go with the 8 or 9.9 - 4 stroke, you wont regret it

[Bigfisherman]

Thanks for the replies, I will look into a 4-6hp fourstroke I can wait till next year if needed.

[Uncle Buck]

out of those 2 motors go with the 6...

 

4hp is typically a single cylinder

6hp is a twin...

 

less vibration with a twin...

 

also go longshaft...better performance... plus when 2 guys are closer to the bow area, the prop is still in the water...

 

my 20hp shortshaft on my longshaft transom pushes the boat 6mph max, i get 5+mph out of the 4hp longshaft

[Fish4Eyes]

my 4hp yammy longshaft 4stroke pushes my aluminum 16.5 at just over 5mph max

my 4.5 evinrude shortshaft 2 stroke pushes the same at around 4.5mph...

 

that's 2 FF, 3 batteries, full livewell and no main motor

 

You forgot to mention the weight of yourself, nevermind the batteries and livewell

[Uncle Buck]

2 FF = 2 FAT Fcuks... Einstein,

 

I can't believe we're related... LOL