Should I use a kicker when trolling in a 4.3L Mercruiser?

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gman546

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Got into trolling this summer pretty heavy on Lake Erie. I have a 2002 starcraft 1810 bowrider with a 4.3L merc in it. I was using the big motor just barley in gear, then my front mounted trolling motor on autopilot (on 3 setting) to combat the hull wobble to keep it locked in a straight line almost like a bowthruster. this worked GREAT

My question is regarding the longevity and viable nature of constantly trolling with the big motor and if a kicker motor is really required. My hull shape does not really make it easy to install a kicker, and all in it would be around a $2000 endeavour if i found a cheap one. Should i keep using the big motor? Risks? Is this terrible for the motor? I assume its not "great"

attached is my hull shape for reference. i feel like its gonna be a pain in the butt to have a kicker or even use it but i also dont wanna kill my engine
 

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Scott Danforth

Scott Danforth

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I wouldnt worry about your 4.3. with maintenance, it will last a good 4-5000 hours

I used to drop pitch for trolling to get my trolling speed down
 
Sprig

Sprig

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I agree, with your boat it would be a hassle to use a kicker for trolling . But why not use the electric trolling motor that’s already mounted for trolling? If need be get a more powerful electric if the one you have isn’t quite adequate. I can say from experience electric with autopilot is the way to go.
As far as using the main motor if that’s what you feel most comfortable with then just do it. I wouldn’t be concerned with longevity, you got the boat to use, so just use it.
 
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Chris1956

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I doubt the 4.3 motor will have an issue with idling for hours. They tend to be real good at that. The question is whether they troll slow enough to catch fish. If not, there are trolling planes (baffles) that slow the boat down enough for trolling.
Alternatively, a trolling motor or kicker with it's weight, and bulk help. Ideally, you would want a kicker to use the same fuel Tank as the 4.3, to make it simple.

A trolling motor adds batteries and wiring, and a need to recharge.

I like stuff simple
 
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gman546

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Sprig said:
I agree, with your boat it would be a hassle to use a kicker for trolling . But why not use the electric trolling motor that’s already mounted for trolling? If need be get a more powerful electric if the one you have isn’t quite adequate. I can say from experience electric with autopilot is the way to go.
As far as using the main motor if that’s what you feel most comfortable with then just do it. I wouldn’t be concerned with longevity, you got the boat to use, so just use it.
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its a great question. you think this would be the logical scenario and i tried it. i got a brand new 80lb thrust motor this year and yes i can run at 2.5mph on setting 10......for about 30-45 minutes until it only lets me go 1.6mph. and the reason for that i learned is called the peukert effect which is a physics thing specific to deep cycles. it basically means that when you draw higher current, the usable capacity shrinks. the chemical reaction cant keep up, so the available amp-hours descrees at higher discharge rates when trying to request the power from setting 10. Basically - if you run the trolling motor at wide open all the time, you actually get less total power.

You also battle voltage sag (vload=vbat-I xRi). Once again, as current increases, voltage available drops.

All in all, the TLDR is that with an 80lb thrust motor, i have to be on 10 all the time which is literally the worst to actually receive full power. basically cooking amps faster than the system can deliver usable power.
 
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gman546

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Chris1956 said:
I doubt the 4.3 motor will have an issue with idling for hours. They tend to be real good at that. The question is whether they troll slow enough to catch fish. If not, there are trolling planes (baffles) that slow the boat down enough for trolling.
Alternatively, a trolling motor or kicker with it's weight, and bulk help. Ideally, you would want a kicker to use the same fuel Tank as the 4.3, to make it simple.

A trolling motor adds batteries and wiring, and a need to recharge.

I like stuff simple
Click to expand...

I have a myriad of props. but i stick with the high-five 5 blade stainless beleive it or not. its the only thing that can get my heavy boat on plane under load in less than 5 seconds. you'd think that it would be too much grip to troll slow enough, but if i just click it into forward, its exactly 2.5mph. its magic haha. Then like i said - because of the wander of bowriders, i just lock the minn kota on autopilot pointed in a direction, and that gets rid of the wandering or else its a complete mess. a classic **** show to fish out of a non-fishing boat.
 
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gman546

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Scott Danforth said:
I wouldnt worry about your 4.3. with maintenance, it will last a good 4-5000 hours

I used to drop pitch for trolling to get my trolling speed down
Click to expand...
with the trolling, i put 52 hours on it this summer. i feel like thats not bad. probably did 6-7 trips but intend to do triple or quadroople that next year
 
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gman546

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This is the current setup. it just occured to me that i did not mention - i do have a trolling motor. 2025 terrova 80lb 60"

1761601590902.png
 
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mr 88

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Not a problem with using the 4.3 all the time . I can't think of one Charter boat on Lake Ontario, USA side , that uses one , I'm sure there's a few . 95% are 305 ,350 ,454 and 502's . And as noted above by Scott D , 5,000 hours is not uncommon on a motor that is serviced on a regular basis . I would get the smallest trolling bags and use them . On Erie , walleye 1.5 is the norm from what i know , bags will slow it down to that , might even have to bump up the rpms , better for oil pressure. They settle the boat down , especially trolling in the ditch , (waves broadside ) . And boat will hold course better and I/Os are known to wander . Another way of slowing the trolling speed down is go to a lower pitch prop , drawback is you have to watch the tach and not run her over the redline . You'll come out of the hole quicker and use more gas when cruising , not sure how much ,lot of variables , including how its pitched now and how close it runs to the mfg max rpm number . Run and maintain the 4.3 , buy more fishing gear , you deserve it with all the money you saved by listening to the " experts " ! .
 
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gman546

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mr 88 said:
Not a problem with using the 4.3 all the time . I can't think of one Charter boat on Lake Ontario, USA side , that uses one , I'm sure there's a few . 95% are 305 ,350 ,454 and 502's . And as noted above by Scott D , 5,000 hours is not uncommon on a motor that is serviced on a regular basis . I would get the smallest trolling bags and use them . On Erie , walleye 1.5 is the norm from what i know , bags will slow it down to that , might even have to bump up the rpms , better for oil pressure. They settle the boat down , especially trolling in the ditch , (waves broadside ) . And boat will hold course better and I/Os are known to wander . Another way of slowing the trolling speed down is go to a lower pitch prop , drawback is you have to watch the tach and not run her over the redline . You'll come out of the hole quicker and use more gas when cruising , not sure how much ,lot of variables , including how its pitched now and how close it runs to the mfg max rpm number . Run and maintain the 4.3 , buy more fishing gear , you deserve it with all the money you saved by listening to the " experts " ! .
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i do like the idea of the bags to pop up the rpms a bit but honestly, seems like more to manage than just using the minn kota's autopilot to get rid of the wander side to side. i would have no room to net the fish probably too. *Just* in gear (no throttle) gives me a perfect 2.5mph which is where i'm supposed to be at. we slayed them

I like my current 5 blade. It actually goes right to 4700RPM at WOT. its perfect. i do lose about 8mph on it, but i get on plane in ~3-4 seconds. Below are the specs in case you're wondering. This specific high five is 100% perfect for a 2002 starcraft 1810 with 4.3L 1761672245927.png
 
Scott06

Scott06

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gman546 said:
i do like the idea of the bags to pop up the rpms a bit but honestly, seems like more to manage than just using the minn kota's autopilot to get rid of the wander side to side. i would have no room to net the fish probably too. *Just* in gear (no throttle) gives me a perfect 2.5mph which is where i'm supposed to be at. we slayed them

I like my current 5 blade. It actually goes right to 4700RPM at WOT. its perfect. i do lose about 8mph on it, but i get on plane in ~3-4 seconds. Below are the specs in case you're wondering. This specific high five is 100% perfect for a 2002 starcraft 1810 with 4.3L View attachment 412706
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you are already on the lower side of pitch with a 17".

the only thing you may want to keep an eye on is wear on the coupler, you can actually get more wear on the splines trolling as the solines load and unload due to wave action. Not saying this is a deal breaker just something to keep an eye on at end of season if you remove the drive.

If your coupler is like mine (2003 ) there is a grease nipple on it. If I bump the starter you can get it pointing up and grease it during the season. I use lucas red and tacky and it tends to turn black in the coupler pretty easy not sure if using something like the merc extreme grease will make a difference in the real world.
 
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cyclops222

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My fish in larger open waters........Bite more often and suck the lure deeper. When attacking any trolled lure.
NOISE is good !!
 
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airshot

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How reliable is your 4.3 ? Ever had your motor not run ? Do you carry towing insurance ? I have a kicker because it is easier to control my speed. With a small kicker and a bow mount trolling motor with I pilot and can set my course and can get up to 5-6 mph if needed down to less than 1 mph.
I did have an electrical short a couple years back and the kicker took me back to the launch ramp from 10 miles out. So....in my case, having a small kicker is easier to control my trolling speed and acts as a safety feature in case the main motor does not work for some reason. Adding an adjustable trolling motor bracket is no big deal in my opinion, have had one on most of my boats. The peace of mind is well worth the cost of a nice used small kicker motor. Something to about anyway...,....
 
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gman546

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airshot said:
How reliable is your 4.3 ? Ever had your motor not run ? Do you carry towing insurance ? I have a kicker because it is easier to control my speed. With a small kicker and a bow mount trolling motor with I pilot and can set my course and can get up to 5-6 mph if needed down to less than 1 mph.
I did have an electrical short a couple years back and the kicker took me back to the launch ramp from 10 miles out. So....in my case, having a small kicker is easier to control my trolling speed and acts as a safety feature in case the main motor does not work for some reason. Adding an adjustable trolling motor bracket is no big deal in my opinion, have had one on most of my boats. The peace of mind is well worth the cost of a nice used small kicker motor. Something to about anyway...,....
Click to expand...
reliability is "so so" with it. i thought it was fantastic until this season when i had some gunked up oil get in between a valve train lifter and cause some problems. getting the oil out of it properly is a pain which makes oil changes less "crisp". always have to battle getting all the oil out. so i guess reliability is going down, not up lol. other than that, starts on first crank almost every time. great carb condition, no complaints really.

In regards to trolling speed, i think so many things matter where you cant compare 4.3 to another 4.3. boat weight, prop, shape, all of it changes things. for me, i find that using the terrova on course lock like a rudder stops my wobble. i just start the boat and put it barley in gear.

I actually found a picture of the exact moment i figured out how to stop the hull wander/wobble! look at the gps on the right side! haha. it went from wobbly to literally locking in a straght line. no more having to fight a fish and worry about steering

1761780268477.png
 
Lou C

Lou C

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wow that is a dramatic difference, where you learned how to stop the wandering!
as far as 4.3 reliability, I have found it to be excellent and mine has led a pretty hard life, 100% salt water use, and moored in salt water for 6 months each season for the 23 years I have owned it. Problems have been due to unexpected events (cooling hose popping off and causing an overheat) and predictable ones (saltwater use, degrades head gaskets and cylinder heads eventually). I wound up replacing the cyl heads and gaskets about 8 years ago, and it's been back to reliable running, only interrupted by fuel starvation this year, have to replace the anti-siphon valve and/or the pickup tube in the fuel tank. But, it is 37 years old with the original aluminum gas tank.
A piece of advice, at the start of each season, go over each and every hose clamp on your cooling system, including the nearly in-accessible hose between the transom mount and the PS cooler (that's the one that popped off, causing an overheat and filling the bilge with seawater). That's one area where outboards are superior safety wise, they can't have cooling system failures like that. In an inboard not only does it overheat the engine, the outdrive water pump will keep pumping the water into the bilge till you figure out what the heck just happened and turn off the engine!
 
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airshot

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On Lake Erie, I have found that I get more bites when my boat wanders a bit. Pure straight runs gets fewer bites. I look at a kicker motor as a safety device. Never had to be towed in 60 plus years...knock on wood..in the event of engine failure, the kicker has always taken me back to the ramp. Same reason I carry 3 batteries on board, my motor always has battery power to get it started...
 
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Chris1956

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To add to what Lou said. In saltwater use, any steel parts are vunerable to corrosion. On my '88 4.3LX, I used to find bits odd black-painted rusty metal in the bilge every once in a while. Some were part of the flywheel cover, some were unknown.

I also had to remove the circulating pump pulley and sand the rust off and prime and paint, as it just tore up the fan belts.

Also, check timing covers and oil pans, as well as oil filters for rust. I had 2 oil filters and the oil pan rust thru. That is messy and bad for the engine if running.
 
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