fishlkmich
07-24-2008, 11:55 AM
Thanks guys! I went with the 9.9 Mercury Pro Kicker and the TR-1 Gold autopilot on my 23’ Sylvan. I really appreciate all of the suggestions and the encouragement to push to get the job done. The motor actually had to be found in stock locally, at the last minute, and shipped special delivery when Mercury couldn’t get a motor out on time. The TR-1 Gold showed up just in time, too. MacDonald Marine in Frankfort did a great job on the installation and Bee’s Sports in St. Johns actually ended up saving me in the end, by having the kicker in stock.
I went out solo, after a couple of trips out with a buddy, to see what the kicker and autopilot could do in “not too favorable” conditions. I used the main motor to bounce out in about three footers. The wind was expected to go to 20 knots. I set up going with the waves, using the kicker and TR-1. The weather picked up sooner than expected. I was at the end of my northeast troll and turned slowly into the four foot seas. I could only do about 2 MPH into those seas, with a good 15 knot wind coming from the southwest. The wind and surf continued to pick up, so I decided to pull my two riggers and one dipsey. By the time I got everything stowed the 20 knots was there and the waves were good 4 – 5s. All of this time the TR-1 did a better job holding me into that wind and surf than any driver I’ve ever had on board could have done. Even when the wind and waves were at their worst and the kicker could only keep the boat at about 1 MPH the autopilot held that boat straight into it. I was amazed! Normally I wouldn’t have gone out in the stuff, not because I didn’t feel safe, but because it’s just too hard to fish those conditions alone. I wanted to see what the new equipment could do under the worst conditions and I was more than impressed.
It took me about 30 minutes to become comfortable with the operation of both the kicker and autopilot. I only use the simple functions of the autopilot – faster, slower, port, starboard. Under normal fishing conditions I can control speed to about two tenths of a mile per hour. Turns are perfect. Ten clicks to port on the corded remote takes you ten degrees to port. I leave the remote in a handy spot and just visit it on a turn every minute or two to put me another ten degrees into my turn. Other than my test run I made two other solo trips. The autopilot works so well that you have to remind yourself that nobody is driving and you have to watch for traffic. I boxed a 15 lb. fish on my first real trip out before my second line went down. Then I got into a large school of small kings. The first one that hit went out of the water four times, although he threw the hook on the first jump. I missed a few more before I landed a 17 lb. fish and called it a day. The next day I figured out how to hook those smaller kings and boxed three, between 5 and 7 pounds, in about an hour. Without the TR-1 I would have struggled with most of these fish and I don’t think that I would have been as successful.
Thanks again to those of you who helped me put together the perfect setup!
I went out solo, after a couple of trips out with a buddy, to see what the kicker and autopilot could do in “not too favorable” conditions. I used the main motor to bounce out in about three footers. The wind was expected to go to 20 knots. I set up going with the waves, using the kicker and TR-1. The weather picked up sooner than expected. I was at the end of my northeast troll and turned slowly into the four foot seas. I could only do about 2 MPH into those seas, with a good 15 knot wind coming from the southwest. The wind and surf continued to pick up, so I decided to pull my two riggers and one dipsey. By the time I got everything stowed the 20 knots was there and the waves were good 4 – 5s. All of this time the TR-1 did a better job holding me into that wind and surf than any driver I’ve ever had on board could have done. Even when the wind and waves were at their worst and the kicker could only keep the boat at about 1 MPH the autopilot held that boat straight into it. I was amazed! Normally I wouldn’t have gone out in the stuff, not because I didn’t feel safe, but because it’s just too hard to fish those conditions alone. I wanted to see what the new equipment could do under the worst conditions and I was more than impressed.
It took me about 30 minutes to become comfortable with the operation of both the kicker and autopilot. I only use the simple functions of the autopilot – faster, slower, port, starboard. Under normal fishing conditions I can control speed to about two tenths of a mile per hour. Turns are perfect. Ten clicks to port on the corded remote takes you ten degrees to port. I leave the remote in a handy spot and just visit it on a turn every minute or two to put me another ten degrees into my turn. Other than my test run I made two other solo trips. The autopilot works so well that you have to remind yourself that nobody is driving and you have to watch for traffic. I boxed a 15 lb. fish on my first real trip out before my second line went down. Then I got into a large school of small kings. The first one that hit went out of the water four times, although he threw the hook on the first jump. I missed a few more before I landed a 17 lb. fish and called it a day. The next day I figured out how to hook those smaller kings and boxed three, between 5 and 7 pounds, in about an hour. Without the TR-1 I would have struggled with most of these fish and I don’t think that I would have been as successful.
Thanks again to those of you who helped me put together the perfect setup!