Can someone with Mercury long shaft kicker please measure the shaft length?

[sslopok]

I read that Mercury outboards have a longer long shaft than some of the other outboard manufacturers. I just need someone with a merc long shaft to measure where it would sit on the transom down to the top of the cavitation plate. Thanks in advance.

Brandon

[sherman51]

mine is 20" which is concidered the long shaft. but they make a 25" which is the extra long shaft. and i think the short shaft is 15", but im not just sure about that length. but the 20" is the most common, because there is just alot more boats with the 20" transoms in this part of the country anyway. hope this helps.

sherman

[sslopok]

Mercs are advertised as 20 inches for the long shaft, but I read that they are longer than the advertised 20 inches. Have you measured yours, or are you going by the advertised length?

Thanks

Brandon

[sherman51]

hey brandon

yes, i have measured them many times over the years. and the best measurement that i have been able to get is 20". i have an old inline 6 cylender 115 hp on my tri hull, and i measured it before i put it on my boat. the cavitation plate is a few inches back from the transom, so i just eyeballed it. i measured down from where it sits on the transom to as close as i could get to be even with the top of the cavitation plate, and it was 20". now i might have been off a 1/2" or something, but nothing major.

now the last outboard i had was on a 19 ft center console. and it had a 25" on it. you just dont want to use a 25" on a 20" transom or a 20" on a 25" transome. you just wouldnt get max performance out of your motor.

i have bought a few old boats over the years. and bought a few motors, and have measured them to make sure i had the right length shaft for the boat i had. i would have put this 115 merc on the center console boat i had after i blew the 150 hp that was on it. but it had a 25" transom. so i sold the center console and put the 115 on the tri hull i have now.

now you can put a jack plate on your boat and adjust the motor up or down to get the best performance out of your motor.

sherman

[sslopok]

Thanks Sherman!

I have a 125 hp merc on my new boat. I want to put a kicker on it but from the top of the transom to the bottom of the hull where the kicker will go is 23 inches. I am limited to motors if I have to use a extra long shaft. I am trying to not use a jack plate.

Brandon

[jimcr]

Thanks Sherman!

I have a 125 hp merc on my new boat. I want to put a kicker on it but from the top of the transom to the bottom of the hull where the kicker will go is 23 inches. I am limited to motors if I have to use a extra long shaft. I am trying to not use a jack plate.

Brandon

You will have to either get an extent ion kit or get the motor designed for sail boats which are extra long shaft 25" . You may want to contact mercury directly to find out the particulars. I have a 25 " 115 up main and my kicker is a 20 inch and it just makes it.

[sjk984]

My fatheer runs a 9.9 merc kicker with a 20" shaft on his boat with 25" transome. It pushes the boat to about 6.0 before he gets any cavitaion. At trolling speed there it wworks fiine.

[sherman51]

i would say that a 20" shaft would work ok for trolling with your kicker. it would even get you back to shore if your big motor was to quit on you. but your not going to get the best performance out of it. but it will work. if you already have the motor with a 20" shaft i would try it out and just see how it worked. i dont think the 3" is going to hurt you that much.

if it doesnt work have you thought about getting a kicker motor bracket. i have used them in the past and they work good. that way you just put the mount where your motor is set where you want it in the down position. then when your not using your motor it just lifts up out of the way.

i still have the last one i used. it is a good one, made out of aluminum and the plate the motor clamps on is some kind of composit. it is spring loaded to help lift the motor up. it is rated for up to a 20 hp i believe. its still in great shape. and i even have a quick mount plate that makes it real easy to remove the motor if your going out to play. then it just leaves the small slide mount on the boat. i would let you have the whole thing for 85.00 shipped to your door.

if you buy the bracket, i also have one of the self adjusting steering rods thats made for mercruiser to outboard. you might be able to modify it to work on outboard to outboard. i,ll send it along for another 50.00. i really dont care if i sell it or not. but it is just sitting out there in my pole barn. and if it might help you out then i would sell it. if not i may still use it again sometime in the future. i thought it just might be another option for you. but if you already have the motor, i would try it just like it is before i did anything.

my old boat is a 21 ft cobia with a 350 vortec with a double pumper holley 4 barrel. and if i was to use it again, im thinking about going back to a kicker motor, because of gas prices. i just use the easy troller trolling plate on it now. the boat im using right now is a 28 ft sea ray with twin outdrives. so i really dont have anyplace to mount a kicker on it. and it trolls slow enough for me with one motor running. but i,ve had alot of problems out of it, and its a job to tow it all the way to erie. so i,ve been kinda thinking about getting it all lined out and selling it. (but then after i get it fixed i probably wont want to sell it,LOL.) but if i do sell it i will start using the 21 fter again. but i just really dont think thats going to happen.

good luck with whatever you do.

sherman

[fisherdee]

I have a 2011 Lund Tyee with 25" transom. with a Merc pro kicker 9'9 from transom to cavitation plate is 25". I just put a tape on it.

[sslopok]

Thanks guys! if anyone has a line on a 20 or 25 inch shaft 4 stroke between 8hp and 9.9 hp let me know. Brand not a concern.

Brandon

[sslopok]

Thanks everyone! Looks like I am buying Jay D's 06 Mercury 9.9 Prokicker with the extra long shaft.

[SCUM LINE]

Thanks guys! if anyone has a line on a 20 or 25 inch shaft 4 stroke between 8hp and 9.9 hp let me know. Brand not a concern.

Brandon

I'm looking pick one up for the same,.... u can put a bay kits on too

[prop nut]

sslopok

a kicker does not have to have the prop all the way below the hull of a boat like a main motor does

usally if the bottom of the boat intersects the kicker between the prop shaft and the cavitation plate its about as good as it gets if the kicker is on a bracket with 8 or more inches set back the prop shaft is parrellel with the bottom of the boat this is a good place

often the problem is getting the kicker clear of the water when under power with the main motor this is just as inportant if not even more inportant than getting it deep enough deeper is better for real rough conditions but if its that rough do you want to troll for salmon?

send me a pm here if you might need a better understanding of what i am trying to get across here

there is no one way to rig a kicker motor. you rig them for sail boats completely different than a fishing boat

if you are going to use a auto pilot on a kicker there are yet another set of rules to apply to the best way to get it on there to work together well as a system

the most common mistake made is to mount kickers too low where they drag or spash water back into the boat while under way with the main motor

[sslopok]

Thanks prop nut!

I ended up buying the prokicker with the 25 inch shaft. Has power tilt so I do not think I will have a hard time getting the kicker clear of the water while main is in use.