Posts: 3480
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Hiya,
In a 4 stroke motor, an 8 hp will do just fine. I have a Johnson 4 stroke and depending on the prop you choose to put on, you can get a high thrust prop from Solas (comparable to the Yamaha T8) with big fat ears or you can stick with the standard propeller. I chose to go with a solas prop in 5 pitch and at full throttle will get to just under 6 miles per hour.
I feel if you go any bigger of a motor on that rig, it is going to really make the boat list to one side and if you are sensitive to that while casting, it will be highly noticed. Also, when trying to get to around 5mph, you will be running the motor at a higher RPM which usually means a louder running engine. Although you are looking at a 4 stroke, the engine is small enough that it does not have the same sound characteristics of a larger outboard... It will be loud enough that you may not like using it for faster trolling speeds. My 8hp 4 stroke isn't bad, but I would definitely notice it if I was to use it for 5mph. I feel if you are looking to get to 5mph, you would be better served running the big motor. Get some good quality synthetic 2-stroke oil (I'd suggest amsoil HP injector) and you will rarely (if ever) run into plug fouling issues.
What I did to save space and keep things somewhat clean for my kicker is I purchased an external fuel/water separator and mounted it inside the splashwell on the transom. I ran the fuel hose from the below-deck fuel tank to the separator. Then on the separator itself, you can run two separate fuel lines to your two motors....each having it's own primer bulb.
The fuel water separator is a great piece of equipment to have since our ethanol-blended fuels have more water-attracting qualities to them. Definitely can be an added bonus for a more efficient running engine (either motor) and can help keep things running smoother if you get into a poorer batch of gas.
Steve
Edited by VMS 1/6/2012 7:02 PM
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