Kicker motor questions

[rbradley]

got it stuck in my head yesterday that I should have a kicker motor on the boat, more of a safety thing than anything. I am also realizing I have no idea what to look for in 1. It is for my 22' sea nymph great lakes special, thinking somewhere between 7-10 hp. What length shaft do I need? any mounts that are better than others? thinking I'll try to find an older 4 stroker so I don't need another tank, found 1 with a 6amp charger, is that enough to keep things going? I have dual batteries on the boat and could upsize them some to help with onboard power.

[gmfishon]

i will be going with a kicker for the first time this year. i have an old merc 9.9 that i am going to make work. that said i may have my work cutout for me as i dont know how it will fit on my boat and i have a tilting/adjustable bracket. from most of my research the shaft length comes down to particular application, most recomenend a high thrust model, a solid fixed bracket , and an ez steer bar to tie them together. the last 2 are expensive then you can get into remote, power trim tilt and lots of other options.

[coralee]

Rob. You'll want the 9.9 with the high thrust most likely. The shaft length depends somewhat on the mount and if it will tilt. I have a Tohatsu 9.9 on an 18' which does a great job but the Yamaha 9.9 high thrust on the slick craft and it needs the extra thrust. You're welcome to stop by, you know where I live, and see how I mounted them. I made my own mount out of stainless steel and its solid as a rock, plus it gives them room to tilt up.

[hear fishy fishy]

I would also recommend a 9.9 for what I have seen an heard about them. I have an 8 two stroke on my 16 and it works perfect. Had a 4 stroke mounted on it once and it was two heavy. Make sure your transome is good and possible add some reinforcing. Make sure to seal any holes up with marine adhesive 5200 during the install.

[Priority1]

Save your money. The kicker will be OK in ideal conditions but boat control will suffer when it gets choppy. The 6 amp charger is next to nothing compared to the 50-70 amp one on your IO. Kickers: Some swear by them and others at them. A Kicker adds a lot of weight right where it's the least desirable. I guess I'd fall into the category of swearing at them. I fished on boats with them and with seas over 2 foot the captains most always felt obliged to use the kickers and go with the waves.

[rbradley]

Found a couple really nice older honda 4 stroke 7.5hp kickers, kicker is going on 22' aluminum cuddy with 3.0L. is 7.5hp enough if it's propped correctly?

[RedRider]

I pushed a 20' 73 Sea Ray with a 83 7.5 Honda mounted on the outdrive for 22 years. When the wind/waves got to much for the kicker to handle it was high time to to get off anyhow.

[Killin' It]

Rob,

My 9.9 pushes my 21' Glass bote without an issue