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Muskie Fishing -> Muskie Boats and Motors -> Kicker Advice from those who know best!!
 
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Message Subject: Kicker Advice from those who know best!!
jarrod0607
Posted 11/20/2012 9:57 PM (#598881)
Subject: Kicker Advice from those who know best!!




Posts: 42


Location: Pewaukee Lake
Will be putting a kicker on my Lund Impact 1675. Kickers iv'e been researching include the 9.9 Pro Kicker, Yamaha T9.9 and the Suzuki 9.9 high thrust. My question is whether or not a high thrust model would be necessary for my boat?? Motor will be used primarly for musky trolling speeds 2.5 - 4mph. Thanks for your assistance!!!
scmuskies
Posted 11/21/2012 9:43 AM (#598922 - in reply to #598881)
Subject: Re: Kicker Advice from those who know best!!





Posts: 258


Location: Mayville, WI
A high thrust model shouldn't be necessary for your boat, I'd even question if you need to go up to 9.9 for a sub-17' boat.

Shep
Posted 11/21/2012 11:16 AM (#598949 - in reply to #598922)
Subject: Re: Kicker Advice from those who know best!!





Posts: 5874


These are all designed to be kickers. As for the ProKicker, it has the BigFoot Lower Unit, and power tilt. If you get the tiller model, you also get the centering straps for when it's tilted up for running on plane with the big motor. Designed to take the pounding of running on plane.

A regular outboard doesn't have these features, and you run the risk of breaking the motor mounts.
nocturnalmotors
Posted 11/21/2012 11:38 AM (#598958 - in reply to #598881)
Subject: Re: Kicker Advice from those who know best!!





Posts: 373


Location: Maine Township, MN
Call me ignorant, but why would you need a kicker on a 16ft. boat? Couldn't you use the regular outboard?
scmuskies
Posted 11/21/2012 12:23 PM (#598964 - in reply to #598958)
Subject: Re: Kicker Advice from those who know best!!





Posts: 258


Location: Mayville, WI
1) Saves on gas
2) Saves unwanted hours on the big motor
3) Provides a back-up motor just in case
4) easier speed control
5) Why not?
6) Can use on HP limited lakes



Edited by scmuskies 11/21/2012 12:24 PM
LarryJones
Posted 11/21/2012 4:25 PM (#599005 - in reply to #598881)
Subject: Re: Kicker Advice from those who know best!!




Posts: 1247


Location: On the Niagara River in Buffalo, NY
If your Main Outboard Motor is a 4-Stroke and you have a built in gas tank,you will be better off purchasing a 4-Stroke Kicker so you can run off the same gas tank.The one 4-Stroke Outboard that is most durable is the Honda 9.9 or 15 hp.Make sure the kicker has at least a 6 amp alternator so your batteries stay charged when trolling at low rpms with electronics and running lights on!
Cowboyhannah
Posted 11/21/2012 8:22 PM (#599041 - in reply to #598881)
Subject: Re: Kicker Advice from those who know best!!





Posts: 1449


Location: Kronenwetter, WI
Note: if u buy a four stroke..never lay it on the incorrect side when storing or transporting. Oil will leak into parts of the motor where it has no business being.

Edited by Cowboyhannah 11/22/2012 6:20 PM
VMS
Posted 11/23/2012 10:11 PM (#599304 - in reply to #598881)
Subject: Re: Kicker Advice from those who know best!!





Posts: 3469


Location: Elk River, Minnesota
Hiya,

For that size rig, you could easily get by with a 6 hp or an 8 hp and save a few bucks. I have a 4 stroke Johnson/suzuki 8hp that has a more powerful gear ratio (something like 2.33:1 I believe). I replaced the stock prop with a high thrust solas propeller (cost of about $70 at the time) in a lower pitch to get it to troll down under 1 mph in reverse and about 1.5 trolling forward. This is on an Alumacraft Navigator 165, which is very similar in size to the impact.

Couple of things come to mind here when it comes to kicker choice. For most boats 16 ft or less, a 6hp is all that is really required. Those between 16 and 18 can get by well with a good 8hp and above 18 and heavy fiberglass, a 9.9 or 15 would do just fine. One big thing that you have with a 9.9 or 15 is weight. For a 1675 impact, that is 100+ pounds off the back which will definitely make the rear of the boat "squat" so to speak in the water while at rest. I think a good 6hp would do just fine, and if you get a 4 stroke, you might want to check weight as compared to an 8. If they weigh the same, might as well go with the 8.

In most cases full throttle should get you around 6 mph for a kicker which is enough thrust to get you out of trouble if you get into a hairy situation while trolling.

No matter what, one of the biggest reasons to have a kicker is SAFETY!! If your big motor goes down on a large body of water, and you have no way off the lake, you are at the mercy of the water and wind. Not too long ago, I had a friend lose his boat on Leech lake because his big motor went down and he had no kicker. Totaled a nice Ranger boat on the rocks because he had no way to stay off the rocks. Heck...just this past summer, I helped a guy get back to shore on a river because his motor went down and he had no other way off besides a paddle. Good for him he was upstream from where he needed to get to....had he been downstream, he could have potentially been dealing with barges and not be able to get out of the way...

Now...given smaller bodies of water, the kicker is not so much of an issue, especially if there are other boats around.


Steve
Doug_Kloet
Posted 11/25/2012 8:17 PM (#599497 - in reply to #598881)
Subject: RE: Kicker Advice from those who know best!!




Posts: 202


I would suggest contacting Lund directly. I would try to talk to an engineer if you can because you have to be careful of what weight your transom can handle.

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