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Location: Green Bay, WI | Cool thread...
I had an 1850 Tyee that was the same way--it's basically a Fisherman. In fact, the 1750 Fisherman is now the 1750 Tyee. That thing was a bugger in the wind, trying to troll with a 9.9hp kicker. So much so in fact, that I had to use the Verado to troll into a stiff wind, especially if I was quartering into it. The 9.9 Pro Kicker just couldn't keep the boat straight. Guys have told me they leave the trolling motor in the water and use it to maintain directional control, while the kicker maintains the thrust. I tried this, but it didn't work in the Tyee--the head of the trolling motor simply comes out of the water when the bow comes up over a wave.
So now I just bought a 2009 1750 Fisherman with a 115hp Optimax, but no kicker. I don't know how much trolling I am going to be doing, but if I do troll, I plan to buy another kick. Except this time, I think I will by a 15hp Pro Kicker. It's only about $300 or so more than the 9.9, but it's got 50% more horsepower, and twice the alternator output (12 vs 6 amps).
I've heard that the Opti's troll well, so I would try that before getting a kicker. But the other thing about having a kicker is that it's a second engine to use in case the big engine goes CLUNK. While you might be able to make it back to the launch on a 2000 acre lake using only an electric trolling motor, having to get back 4-5 miles on Green Bay might be more challenging. Thus I think a kicker would be prudent if I end up using the boat out on the boat to any extent.
So I'm curious--do you guys with the 10hp kickers think an extra 5hp would make any difference on your 17-foot boats? The Opti is lighter than the 4-stroke 115, so that would help when adding the extra weight of the kicker back there. I think part of the problem on my Tyee was that there was about 640 pounds of engine back there, with the 150 Verado and a 9.9 Pro Kicker. While the bow didn't really ride high, I found that it was hard to get enough weight up in the bow to weight it down. I just didn't have enough room up there for that much gear...
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