How big a kicker do I need?

[fisherdane]

OK, so I have a 16' invader (pretty light glassfiber boat). see attached pic.

I wanted to go trolling for trout and salmon in Lake Washington. I decided to go with a 55 endura minn kota trolling motor, but now I think I should have choosen a gas motor. The reason is that in choppy waters, I have a hard time steering the boat, and I constantly need to go on speed 4, which takes a lot of juice out of the battery.

How big a kicker (hp) would you think I need. My own guess is 3.5-5 hp. I want it as small as possible, as I
load/unload it every time from the water, and not when it is on a trailer.

Looking forward to your inputs.

[jmay]

I with you on the 5hp. I would get a 4 stoke if your main outboard is oil injected so the motors could share the same tank. A EZ Steer made in Everett can connect the 2 engines so you can steer your kicker at your drivers seat

[cavdad45]

I would go to a 9.9 myself, especially if you fish big water. The EZ steer is good, but rather spendy compared to the Goldeneye which is far more reasonably priced and easier to attach and detach while in the water. You would definitely need a kicker bracket fabricated for your boat.

[fisherdane]

Thanks for input. Now, I just found a product called 'happy troller'. Has anyone tried it? any comments about it. I thought it sounded great, but will not buy a new product until I am sure it will actually work. They do make a plate for motors bigger than 50 hp. Let me know your opinions. I would use it on a 90hp mariner.

[gpc]

fisherdane, How come you have to load/unload your kicker every time? Is it because you are afraid of theft?

My boat is a little bigger than yours and I have an 8hp kicker on mine so a 5hp should be fine for your boat. I would also recommend an EZ steer they work great. My big motor is a 2 stroke and my kicker is a 4 stroke. I would recommend a 4 stroke kicker even if your big motor is 2 stroke. It just eliminate the hassle of adding oil and 4 strokes barely make a sound. They will cost a little bit more but if you get the motor used there isn't much of a price difference.

[allenbonslett]

I used a Happy Troller for years on my 90 yamaha which was on a 20' valco. It would keep the troll at about .75 mph at minimum revs. It's easy to pop into and out of place.

[fisherdane]

fisherdane, How come you have to load/unload your kicker every time? Is it because you are afraid of theft?

My boat is a little bigger than yours and I have an 8hp kicker on mine so a 5hp should be fine for your boat. I would also recommend an EZ steer they work great. My big motor is a 2 stroke and my kicker is a 4 stroke. I would recommend a 4 stroke kicker even if your big motor is 2 stroke. It just eliminate the hassle of adding oil and 4 strokes barely make a sound. They will cost a little bit more but if you get the motor used there isn't much of a price difference.

As you can see, I moor the boat, and do not take the boat out of the water. I also do not want the kicker to be attached when I go wakeboarding, which I use my boat for most of the time. Think I might try the happy trolling system, as it looks very convenient, which I am a big fan of:cheers:

[Easy Limits]

10 Hp

[Mike Carey]

A 10hp 4 stroke is pretty heavy (at least for my puny muscles) if you have to take it off every time. It gets old. A 5 hp would be plenty IMO for trolling purposes. Having a kicker is a nice safety feature for that day that the big motor doesn't fire up.

[Kokonuts]

How much thrust does your electric motor have?

I was thinking about going to an electric for my 16ft. glass boat, mainly because of the price difference in electric & gas. Has anybody else gone with the electric with this type of boat?

[fisherdane]

How much thrust does your electric motor have?

I was thinking about going to an electric for my 16ft. glass boat, mainly because of the price difference in electric & gas. Has anybody else gone with the electric with this type of boat?

Mine had 55 thrust. I loved the fact of how quiet it was. If I was using it on a calm day, it was perfect. Chopppy waters, and I had some small issues. As you can see, my boat might be a little different from yours though, and it might work on yours. Let me know, as I am selling mine with deep cycle trojan battery and deep cycle charger. Everything used only 5 times this past summer.

[hewesfisher]

I have a 6hp 4-stroke kicker on my 16' Hewescraft and it works fine. Can troll as slow as I want and it will push my boat 5 - 5 1/2mph at WOT. I don't know what your boat weighs, but I would imagine that 6 - 8hp should be plenty, especially if you want it to be portable.