kicker question

[golfpercy5]

I have a quick question about a kicker. I have a 20' ft. 1980 tiara w/ a evinrude 198. I would like to install a kicker. I have a 2 stroke johnson 15 that i'm thinkin would work real nice. What sort of equipment do you need to buy, and roughly how much would it cost me. i don't need anything fancy, just something to get the job done. Thanks

[golfpercy5]

i forgot to add i was thinking also thinking about a trolling plate. it would most likely be the easy solution, but i don't know how effective they are. thanks again

[ficious]

I have a 21' Starcraft(glass) and have a 9.9 kicker(4 str.) with EZ Steer remote steering.(steers from the main motor) You would have to add an adjustable motor bracket with the kicker. Trolling plates work well too, but I don't own one and others will likely reply on that. They are most likely cheaper, but I like to keep the hours off my main motor and I can salmon troll all day for under $15. Hope that helps.

ficious

[TONGA]

That Johnson 15 would make an exellent kicker,,,I would go with a adjustable motor mount and a motor connector rod to tie the main moter to the kicker then you can steer from the helm,,,you can buy this stuff online from places like Cabelas or West Marine
prices go from $20 to about $150 for the moter connectors,,but I made my own for next to nothing,,,as for the motor mounts they range in price from $50 for a non adjustable mount all the way up to $250 for a real fancy job
The trolling plates I have not used but I hear they work pretty well..I think they might cost you a mph or 2 top end but that is not so bad,,,the big complaint I hear about them is the one time you forget to take it out of the troll position and you try to get on plain,,from what I hear it bends and just about destroys the trolling plate

[golfpercy5]

i was browsing through cabales trolling plates and saw something quite interesting. It's called a trol o matic. It has shear pins, so when you forget to raise the plate, the pin breaks and doesn't bend your plate. Is it really that good or are they lying? thanks

[RJF]

Not sure what an Evinrude 198 is. You might want to consider how to fuel the kicker. I would not want a seperate fuel tank if I can avoid it. If the main is oil injected, you'll need a seperate tank for a two stroke kicker.

[Beave]

We have an old style trolling plate that's tensioned with two springs similar to those on the edge of a trampoline. At ~6mph they extend up and out of the way and the boat jumps up on plane.

You never have to worry about leaving the trolling plate down, it's down when you need it and up out of the way when you don't. The only issue is it's sometimes a pain to back up with it on.

[Gone Fishing]

Originally posted by golfpercy5
It's called a trol o matic. It has shear pins, so when you forget to raise the plate, the pin breaks and doesn't bend your plate.
I'm pretty sure those plates are only good for smaller engines. I asked about one for my 225 HP outboard and was told that the thrust from that engine would probably shear the pins just under normal operation. As far as a kicker, I have a Johnson 15 HP 2-stroke and it works great on my 24 ft. I prefer a tiller on the kicker so I can steer from the back of the boat where my rods are rather than having to steer from the helm. Also, I don't think there is anything wrong with using a seperate fuel tank for the kicker just in case you get a bad load of fuel. Good luck on your decision!

[RJF]

Seperate tank would be great insurance, like GF says, but I don't want to give up room in the stern. I'm not on the big lakes, so not as big a problem. Good point, though. Second motor on the same tank is not much good if the big one breaks down due to bad gas. One of the many questions that need to be answered when rigging.