Posts: 3480
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | muskyrat - 2/7/2015 7:58 AM
If the lakes are not restricted why would you need a kicker? It will add weight rob performance from the big motor and you won`t make your money back in gas savings for about twenty years. Also steering will not be as crisp. You would have to troll a few thousand miles a year to make it worth it. Unless you want to go slow for Walleye I just don`t see the need.
Hiya,
One thing I believe everyone should consider if they are any sizable body of water....SAFETY!! If anything, the kicker gives you peace of mind on the water if something were to happen with the main motor. Be it a rock strike, or some form of mechanical breakdown, that kicker will save you. I have had to travel 10 miles with a kicker because my main motor broke down. If I didn't have that kicker, I don't know what I would have done...
On smaller lakes of maybe 1000 acres or less, I might be able to make it off the water with a bow mount depending on where I am on the lake, but anything bigger than that...you may not make it back.
As for the original question: Your boat is not huge, so an 8hp 4 stroke would do just fine. Performance will not be hindered by any major amount for the boat...in fact, it could acutally make the boat a little more efficient in the water. The extra weight in the rear moves the center of gravity further back in the boat, which allows the main motor to more easily trim the front of the boat with less trim angle because the bow will rise easier. If you lose one MPH or two, I'd be surprised...
Steve |
