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I am considering buying a kicker for my boat. For all you seasoned boaters, when does the larger hp kickers make a difference? I am primarly using this to troll from trout at slow speeds. I have a 17' Tracker Targa, but I can't get the slow speeds with my 115hp merc. I do have an electric motor on the bow, but it does not handle wind at all.
Any advice on the size of kicker would be appreciated. I am looking at 4-8hp 4 strokes in a long shaft. I would like to get the least expensive I can and still get the job done.
Thanks.
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Personally i like my 8hp.It can keep low speeds and if it had to it could get me to shore in a emergency.It also eats a lot less gas than a big motor.I can troll all day on 2 gallons of gas unlike my big engine .My 115hp eats up about a couple of gallons per hour .
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Ocean,
Thanks for the reply. What size of boat do you have?
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I have a 5 horse johnsen with tank and bracket off of my 16 ft. glass boat I'd sell cheap, I'm moveing.
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I have a 15 1/2 foot crestliner.The 8hp trolling engine i have pushes the boat pretty good for a small engine.
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I have a 4.5 horse Mercury kicker on my 16.5 ft Starcraft, works fine even in a stiff wind. WH2
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My 4 horse is fine on my 15'. For a 17' boat a 5 or 6 HP would to the job.
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I use a 6HP merc long shaft 4 stroke, and it works great. It will do about 6 MPH max on an 18' ski/fish boat. Works great, and it just sips the fuel.
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I have a 16.5' aluminum boat and a 4hp 2 stroke mercury kicker . With a 2 stroke you can get much slower than a 4 stroke of the same size . I can get it to go almost .5 to 5 mph GPS speed . So you may want a smaller 4 stroke to fish real slow . Just something to consider when getting a kicker and what size to get . Just need to decide how slow you want it to go . I fish strawberry at 1.5 mph lately . It is a shame you can take one out for a test drive before you buy it .
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Ramp tramp,
I might be interested in the kicker if you still have it.
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Hey everyone,
Thank you for all the responses. This is very helpful to learn from your experience. I hope to have something that may help one of you someday.
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...Not wanting to hijack the thread, but I need some info also and is highly related to the thread...
I just purchased a 245 Four Winns that I want to put a kicker on. I've been looking at the Remote Troll setups and the first question it asks is "Do you have a long shaft or short shaft trolling motor?". Well, since I don't have one yet, I can chose either. I already am planning on a 9.9 to 15 HP size, but should I go for the long shaft or the short shaft? What are the pros and cons? Here is what I've already read: The Long shaft is better as the controls are higher up and more easily reached than the short shaft.
So my initial thought is long shaft. Just wanted some more opinions from those that have kickers on larger boats.
Thanks
Randy
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I used to N.ot have E.nough T.ime O.ff to go fishing. Then I retired. Now I have less time than I had before. Sheesh.
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I have a 20 ft. Crestliner that I have an 8HP Yamaha 4 stroke on for a kicker. I'm into my 5th season and have never had a problem other than when I flooded it once this year and it took a few minutes to get her going, It was my fault it flooded. You see alot of these Yamahas on the water being used as kickers. I sure like mine.[cool]
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I have a remote troll on my 18 ft. Bayliner. I have a 6hp. nissan long shaft and it works great. I was steered away from short shafts by almost everyone I talked to about it. On my boat it would be very inconvenient to have a short shaft because it would have to be so low in the water it would make it difficult to get to. It would work fine but hard to get to. I think in most cases with a remote control the long shaft is the way to go.
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Remember that two cylinder motors run more smoothly than a single cyl.
Nissan 8 HP 4 CYCLE 2 CYLINDER has been great for me.
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I have to have a yard sale tomorrow if you want to see it, I"m selling my kik boat, waders fins etc. give me a call if your interested 801-510 8202 the troling motor is old but new enuf to still get parts for with a wats bracket and tank, its a long shaft, thats about all i can think of you would need to know.
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I have a 9.9 hp merc. long shaft 4 stroke, with a Panther remote troll. I agree twin cylinders are a lot smother than one. I push my 20' custom weld at 10 mph. Great motor.
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