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Location: Green Bay, WI |
SWEET video! Man, what a great day you guys had. This is an interesting thread, because I grew up running tiller boats.
One thing though--someone mentioned above that the Ranger 620T (tiller) is the same hull as the 620 console. I don't believe it is, actually. It's a couple inches shorter, and the beam is about 6" narrower than the 620VS, and 10" narrower than the new 620FS. But with a 200hp tiller V-rod, it looks like it would be an awesome machine--and I would definitely put a kicker on it, no question. The 150hp V-rod I used to run would suck 0.6 gallons per hour at 2.5-2.75mph on an 1850 Lund Tyee. I didn't have a fuel flow meter on the kicker line, but can say from fuel use that the kicker used much less than that.
Also, being out 5-8 miles (or more) from port on Green Bay makes me uncomfortable with one engine. I had problems with the Smartcraft system on my Tyee when I first bought it, and although there was nothing wrong with the Verado, the Smartcraft gauge would shut it down from time to time...until they finally traced down the issue and upgraded the firmware in the engine controller unit. But the point is that I did use the kicker to get back to port once, when the system was all verklempt. So although it isn't a solution for bad gas because the engines share the tank, it certainly might come in handy for redundancy-based safety.
Also, I would put the 15hp kicker on the hull. It's like $250 more than the 9.9hp last I checked--but you have more power available, or you'll need fewer RPM (and thus generate less noise) at the same speed. Also, the alternator output is double what the 9.9hp offers (12 vs 6 amps). It does weigh about 39 pounds more than the 9.9hp, but I consider that to be inconsequential for the benefits it brings.
TB
Edited by tcbetka 10/4/2014 8:54 PM
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