Kicker Advice

[Jigs]

Hey guys,

 

I'm looking for a 4 stroke kicker for my boat. It's a Lund 1625 (16') and weighs about 1200lbs with the main motor. I don't really have much experience with kickers and smaller engines so I'm not quite sure what HP I should target. I am trying to go as low as possible to keep the weight/price low but without compromising performance.

 

Something I need to keep in mind is I fish mainly in the St. Lawrence, in current, sometimes fairly strong, and I want to be able to troll fast enough against the flow without being in the red.

 

Just wondering if someone has had experience with a similar setup and has some advice to share. Many thanks.

[BITEME]

Yamaha high thrust

http://www.yamahaoutboards.com/outboards/High-Thrust/overview

[Roy]

What is your main outboard?

[grt1]

I use to have a 16 foot starcraft and had a 7.5hp on it. with todays new boat designs and heavier aluminum being used, i would go to a 9.9 to 15 hp to give you some power in the currents of the river

[Jigs]

What is your main outboard?

 

90HP 2-stroke

 

Doesn't like to troll.

[DRIFTER_016]

Got a Merc 4hp 2 stroke on my 18 footer and I top out at about 7mph (hull speed).

I don't use it for trolling that is what I use my big motor for (90hp 2 stroke 1991 model).

It's there incase I have an issue with my big motor when out on the big lake.

Edited November 13, 2012 by DRIFTER_016

[linweir]

5 HP Honda should be good enough.

If main motor is 4 stroke, you may not need kicker.

[Roy]

90HP 2-stroke

 

Doesn't like to troll.

 

Wow, I can see why you'd want a kicker for trolling. You sound overpowered with a 90 on a 1625.

[Jigs]

Wow, I can see why you'd want a kicker for trolling. You sound overpowered with a 90 on a 1625.

 

 

Thanks for all the answers guys!

 

 

Yeah it's a lot for that boat but I rarely open it up and it handles it quite nice. I got a really good deal on it. Brand new engine. I used to have a 75 Opti on it until it died. I actually like the 90 2-stroke better for handling etc because it's about 100lbs lighter. It runs amazing at higher speeds. The only problem is that it doesn't idle well and keeps stalling on me. I'm sure there is carb adjustments I could do to get it to idle better, but I also want a kicker for safety reasons. I was really hoping not to have to go to a 9.9. Seems like it would be really heavy.

[Crazy Ivan]

A 9.9hp would be a tight fit with your transom width. An 8hp would give you more room and be lighter.

 

I recommend a Yamaha 4 stroke.

[Jigs]

5 HP Honda should be good enough.

If main motor is 4 stroke, you may not need kicker.

 

 

At about 60lbs something like this would be perfect. I'd just hate to buy it and find out it's not strong enough.

[bare foot wader]

I'd go with the 8 at minimum but a 9.9 would be ideal IMO given the current

 

I have a 17' lund with 90 2 horse, I put an 8 hp honda 4 stroke on it this past may..first agenda for spring is upgrading to a 9.9 merc big foot or yammy high thrust

 

the 8 hp is great for general conditions but not strong enough for a loaded boat with 2 guys in strong current

 

in an emergency situation with a dead main o/b it helps to have a few extra horses too

 

 

panther marine makes a great connector rod, stainless steel for about 70 bucks, quick and easy to connect steering with out dropping big dollars...in hindsight, you can easily fab the same thing with redi rod too

[lew]

You sound overpowered with a 90 on a 1625.

 

What's the boat rated for, I had a 1650 Crestliner rated for a 90

 

Not much difference in the length between a 1625 & 1650 but could be plenty in depth & width.

[Jigs]

I'd go with the 8 at minimum but a 9.9 would be ideal IMO given the current

 

I have a 17' lund with 90 2 horse, I put an 8 hp honda 4 stroke on it this past may..first agenda for spring is upgrading to a 9.9 merc big foot or yammy high thrust

 

the 8 hp is great for general conditions but not strong enough for a loaded boat with 2 guys in strong current

 

in an emergency situation with a dead main o/b it helps to have a few extra horses too

 

 

panther marine makes a great connector rod, stainless steel for about 70 bucks, quick and easy to connect steering with out dropping big dollars...in hindsight, you can easily fab the same thing with redi rod too

 

Good stuff. Thanks. This sounds close to my setup. Great advice about the connector rod too.

 

What's the model of your Lund if you don't mind me asking? I'm thinking mine might be quite a bit lighter even if only 9 inches shorter.

[Jigs]

What's the boat rated for, I had a 1650 Crestliner rated for a 90

 

Not much difference in the length between a 1625 & 1650 but could be plenty in depth & width.

 

Rated for a 75. Beam is 84'', not sure about depth.

 

Edit: Depth is 36.5 inches.

Edited November 13, 2012 by Jigs

[lew]

Rated for a 75. Beam is 84'', not sure about depth.

 

Edit: Depth is 36.5 inches.

 

OK, the Crestliner was 87" (I think) so I spose that 3 extra inches was enough to bump it up from 75 to 90 HP

 

Good luck with whatever kicker you decide on.

[Jigs]

Thanks again guys.

[Andrew Grant]

.

Edited January 30, 2014 by XxX

[BillM]

I've got a Yamaha T8 High Thrust on the back of the Lund. Absolutely love it. Will troll that boat down to nothing, especially combined with the TrollMaster Pro II that's installed.

[mike rousseau]

Andre it depends on what kinda speed you want out of it.... If your gunna want to target musky and use the kicker.... Id go at least 9.9... Some days I'm getting musky going 5-6-7 mph... Against 1-3mph current...

 

But walleye trolling is different.... 3mph max in 1-3 mph current....

[discophish]

I would suggest that you go with a 9.9, especially in the currents. And it's not just the current, but also the wind that is a pain to deal with ... especially if you are following contours. I can barely turn the boat in high winds. Additional weight? Just go straight! Tiller? Remote? I choose to sit at the back with a handle extention rather than fighting the wheel. As mentioned earlier in th thread, a Control King would be nice. It's hard to dial in those 'ideal' rpm's from time to time which can make it frustrating. Manual/Electric start? If you can, go electric ... they have about a 6 amp alternator to work with. The system is effective if you have devices hooked up to the cranking battery (aerator, plotter, sterero, etc) or if you night fish with your lights/aux on, while the main is shut down. 2/4? Go with a 4 stroke, although about 30 pounds heavier for the 9.9 class. Tee into the main line with its own bulb, perhaps using a separator. Power trim? Nah! Would be nice though.

 

Hope this helps.

 

I have an 8hp. Wish I bought the 9.9

 

[lew]

Lotsa helpful info there Disco !!

[BillM]

Whatever the OP gets, make sure it's a High Thrust motor.. I don't think I've had my T8 over 1/4 throttle ever, regardless of conditions, lol.

[bare foot wader]

 

I have an 8hp. Wish I bought the 9.9

 

 

I feel your pain, I did the same thing...I got a great deal on a 1999 honda, extremely little use as a sailboat tender...great o/b but just not enough control at times in current and the nose gets blown around, the downside for me is hondas didn't get a through hub until 2000, so I don't have many props to play around with

 

looks like you have a 3 blade, 9 pitch? you could try a high thrust, 4 blade, 5 or 7 pitch

 

http://www.rubexprops.com/boat-propellers/Honda/?motor=K0080B&ver=a&model=8HP%208%20HP%20BF8%20(8%20Spline)

[Jigs]

Andre it depends on what kinda speed you want out of it.... If your gunna want to target musky and use the kicker.... Id go at least 9.9... Some days I'm getting musky going 5-6-7 mph... Against 1-3mph current...

 

But walleye trolling is different.... 3mph max in 1-3 mph current....

 

Yeah, most of my trolling is 2-3 mph in the summer. I slow down as the water cools. If I do start musky fishing regularly I'll just troll with the big engine. It won't put up a fuss as those speeds.

 

Speaking of which, I had the carb adjustments made today on the big engine and changed the spark plugs. It trolled like a charm and didn't stall on me once. Still would like to get a kicker for safety though.

 

By the way, just saw you heading out as I was heading in to the dock. I couldn't feel my hands anymore so I called it a day. I thought to myself, man, Mike is crazy.

 

Hope you got a big one tonight.