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Location: SW Ohio | Is an 8HP going to be adequate for trolling on my boat? Might be looking at one while visiting my daughter in FL. Don’t know if it’s a long shaft, though. |
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Location: Duluth | Should be just fine. |
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Posts: 492
Location: Northern Illinois | To give you an idea of what to expect, I have an 1850 Reata with a 9.9 merc pro kicker. The weight should be comparable. I get about 5.5 mph out of it. Note that my kicker is set up to troll with power prop.
Edited by RLSea 10/27/2022 10:53 PM
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Posts: 402
Location: SW Ohio | Thanks for the replies. I picked it up while I was in Florida. Older 8hp Honda. Started right up, idle is a little off from sitting for a while, and shifted fine. Water pump was working well (had it running in a plastic garbage can). Old fella had it on a Gheenoe canoe but didn’t need the motor anymore. He has two other boats as well.
It will be a while before it’s put on my Skeeter but now I’ll have a kicker for trolling. Need to pick up a plate to protect the gel coat, lock bar, a new fuel line and I’ll probably clean the carb. Not sure if I’m going to permanently mount it or only put it on when I need it. We’ll see… |
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Posts: 402
Location: SW Ohio | After getting it home found out it's actually a short shaft...sorta. Had no cell service around the fellas house to verify before buying it. It's longer than a short shaft but shorter than a long shaft. Somewhere in the middle at about 17". Anyway, it pushes the boat great but ventilated badly above 2mph. Me being me, I researched but found nothing for an 8HP so i made an anti-ventilation plate from a 17" baking tray (temporary to see if it worked).
Today, first time out with it, and, viola, proof of concept. Pushed the boat up to 4.5mph without sucking air. Next step is to get an aluminum plate, cut and fab'd (aka bent), to bolt on. For a 3rd of the cost of a new 4S, I have a kicker that should work for trolling for these critters. Definitely looks strange but I've always been a function over form type. Let ugly rule... |
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| Nice! Nothing like a good workaround. |
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| This is equivalent of a new truck with an aluminum camper top. |
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Location: SW Ohio | Muskie Gal - 11/28/2022 9:08 AM
This is equivalent of a new truck with an aluminum camper top.
LOL. Trying to picture that. I have a new truck with an diamond plate aluminum tonneau cover. Is that the same thing? The kicker is old, much older than the boat. The baking pan thing is like Rachael Ray meets musky trolling...and only temporary. |
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| RL Sea - sorry to hijack the thread, but I have a 2010 Reata 1850 that I'm looking to have a 9.9 Prokicker installed this winter. Could you share what shaft length you have? I assume 20". Also, what side of the boat is it mounted on? If port/passenger, was relocating the ladder an issue if yours was there to start with? If driver/starboard, any weight distribution issues on that side with driver-only in the boat or multiple guys casting off that side? For mounting, did you use the Panther 35LE tilt bracket? Thanks for any info you can provide. |
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Posts: 492
Location: Northern Illinois | Yes 20" I believe, made for trolling. It is mounted on the port side with the built-in ladder on starboard. It has an integrated tilt system built in. I've never had a weight distribution problem. The starter battery is on the opposite side to the kicker, but it's a fairly heavy boat anyway, especially since it's basically a floating tackle box. (I even upgraded trailer tires to LR-E so they would run cooler lol.) |
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