Need kicker motor recomendation

[OHBandit]

Hello,

I would like to have input from you folks on what kicker motor you would recomend. I am in the market for a 9.9 four strike kicker. It will mainly be used for trolling on Lake Erie. I have looked at Honda, Mercury, Yamaha, Tohatsu.... I want the most reliable/trouble free if there is such a thing.

My boat is a 21' Aquasport Center console with 175 Evinrude Ficht.

 

[Zeeter]

Re: Need kicker motor recomendation

Its been tossed around that the kicker should be 10% of the main engine horsepower. I think thats sound. In your case, a 20 HP would be the right choice. A 5 will get you nowhere slowly. A 15 would be better. Having fished Lake Erie you do not want to go light on this choice.

 

[OHBandit]

Re: Need kicker motor recomendation

Its been tossed around that the kicker should be 10% of the main engine horsepower. I think thats sound. In your case, a 20 HP would be the right choice. A 5 will get you nowhere slowly. A 15 would be better. Having fished Lake Erie you do not want to go light on this choice.

I'm not looking for auxilary power....I'm only adding a kicker to get my trolling speed down. Even a 9.9 should push my boat around 6 mph which would get me back if in a pinch. I'm not going over 9.9 h.p.

 

[Zeeter]

Re: Need kicker motor recomendation

I'm not looking for auxilary power....I'm only adding a kicker to get my trolling speed down. Even a 9.9 should push my boat around 6 mph which would get me back if in a pinch. I'm not going over 9.9 h.p.

A 9.9 will struggle and you won't prop it to run at its max. power. Having been there, you do not want to have an aux that cannot turn you around on a wave. If you prop a 9.9 right you might get away with it but I doubt it. At min of 15 if propped right is the better answer. Im not going to change your mind I just hope you dont find out the hard way.

 

[OHBandit]

Re: Need kicker motor recomendation

Zeeter I understand what you are saying but that's not what I'm doing with the boat. The only reason for the kicker is to slow down troll speed and to keep from running the main motor all day at idle speed. I will be trolling at 1.3 to 2.8 m.p.h. Most guys on Erie use 9.9 kickers...even the big 27' charter Sport Crafts which are much heavier.

What I'm looking for are motor brand recomendations.

 

[Lion hunter]

Re: Need kicker motor recomendation

If yu want a 4-stroke there is not that many choices in reality (about 4-5). I think that tohatsu makes alot of motors below 20hp that are rebadged. The tohatsu brand is quite a bit cheaper because of the name. If it was me and buying new I would stick to the same brand as my main motor. Asthectics is one reason and the other is maintenance. If you take your main motor to a shop for work I would make sure that they also are able to work on your kicker

 

[OHBandit]

Re: Need kicker motor recomendation

Main motor is Evinrude and they don't make a 4 stroke kicker.

I was looking at the Nissan which is actually the same as Tohatsu. Are they reliable motors?

 

[SNye45]

Re: Need kicker motor recomendation

You omitted Suzuki as a choice. I have a Suzuki 115 as my main motor, and a Suzuki 9.9 as my kicker. For trolling straight ahead at a slow speed it is great. I have it plumbed directly into my main tank, so no need for an extra portable gas tank.
I have discovered however, that even 9.9 is not enough for maneuvering against a strong current. I have a 20ft Aluminum boat.

Overall, the fuel economy and reliability are great. I would recommend Suzuki as a choice.

 

[Lion hunter]

Re: Need kicker motor recomendation

Your right the evinrude brand is no longer on the smaller motors, but BRP still makes evinrude and johnson. I would go with a johnson if buying new. I don't think you could really go wrong with any of the newer motors. It's just a matter of what dealers are near and who can work on it. Just more of a convienance to go to one place for all your parts and maintenance needs. Looking at the BRP website it looks like the 9.9 is the only motor that is branded johnson, everything 20hp and up is Evinrude. Doesn't look like there is anything in between 9.9 and 20.

 

[OHBandit]

Re: Need kicker motor recomendation

OK taking my main motor completely out of the picture....which of the following three is the best motor. We are talking 9.9 4 stroke only.

Honda
Yamaha
Johnson

I have narrowed it down to these 3.

 

[Lion hunter]

Re: Need kicker motor recomendation

That's a tough question. All 3 are great motors and I don't think you could go wrong with any of them. I'm sure that they are all pretty close in price. If asthetics and convienance are no issue, I would choose the dealer with the best customer service. I think you would be happy with any of them.