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Posts: 243
Location: South Central Wisconsin | I have a Ranger 1860 and I am buying a 9.9 Pro Kicker. I primarily fish out of the port side of my boat and I'm thinking of mounting it on the starboard side so it is out of the way of the person in the back of the boat while they figure 8. Is there logic to my thinking? Pros and cons? Do you think my boat will list to much with my fat butt in the drivers seat? Let me hear your thoughts. Thanks, Randy |
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Posts: 153
| I would personaly mount it on the left hand side so it balances your weight better it wont really be in the way of the guy in the back if you are worried about it being in the way I do belive mercury offers that motor with power tilt and trim than if it is in the way when trimmed up than just trim er down and raise it up at take off. how ever thats if you mainly fish by your self if you do have a partner with you usualy than it dosnt matter because either way its going to lean more to one side unless the guy with you is way smaller lol you can also get remote steer for your kicker its freakin sweet my buddy put that on his boat you can be standing any where in the boat and with the push of a button from a wire less remote you can steer your kicker works slick when you get doubles both musky walleye and salmon fishen |
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Posts: 1096
Location: Hayward, WI | Is the kicker remote or tiller? Normally remotes on port, tiller on starboard. If remote you can run into issues trying to hook up the steering on the starboard side depending on your setup. |
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Posts: 410
Location: With my son on the water | Randy
I had my kicker on the Port side and my son made me move it as it was absolutely in his way. As he got older and started running the trolling motor I have ended up in the back and I would NOT want it on the port side either.
You know when you are in the front running the TM you control the boat speed but the guy in the back can't do that and it is not uncommon to have fish come in straight from the back of the boat (you knew that but others who never fish in the back may not)
When we moved it to the Starboard side I had to do a bit of rebalancing of the boat. I moved the batteries as far as I could to the port and I looked at other things I could move like my 15 lb anchor, and spare props that I carry for an emergency to my port rod locker. My kicker is a 6 hp that I only have on for the event of an emergency so it is about 100lbs. I actually have it strapped in tight so it doesn't bounce and have never used it yet other than to test it. I also mounted it as close to the main motor as I could and keep the motor head of the kicker tilted to the starboard side. I am not sure you will be able to do that?
I will admit it is not perfect but it is nice you are thinking about the guy in the back. Ideally boats should be designed so the batteries could be put as far to the port side as possible but they don't think of those things. The only time I really notice a difference is when I am coming out of the hole and if I turn to the port a bit during that and it goes away. Once I get on plane it seems to level off.
Everyone has a different preference. For me fishing space is more important than a bit of list.
You may want to take a few pails of sand that are about the same weight as the kicker you will be getting and place them on the back and see what it does and how you like it?
I am not sure I answered your question but I hope this helps.
Got a love the Winter 
Edited by btfish 2/10/2014 10:21 AM
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Posts: 243
Location: South Central Wisconsin | If I mount it on the starboard side, can I not hook the two motors together? I can see at times where the tiller steering would be nice but, I also have a 101 terrova mounted on the front and would do most of my steering from there. I have never owned a kicker before so this is all new to me. At times, I also think it would be nice just to turn the steering wheel and kick back and relax. Thanks for the help. |
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Posts: 1096
Location: Hayward, WI | It depends on what style your steering is to your main motor, if cable you can't, if hydraulic maybe. What are you going to be using the kicker for? If contour or structure trolling, tiller is much faster at making adjustments. If open water trolling remote is ok. |
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Posts: 243
Location: South Central Wisconsin | kjgmh - 2/10/2014 2:39 PM
It depends on what style your steering is to your main motor, if cable you can't, if hydraulic maybe. What are you going to be using the kicker for? If contour or structure trolling, tiller is much faster at making adjustments. If open water trolling remote is ok. I have hydraulic steering. I troll both structure and open water. That's why I'm hoping for the best of both worlds? |
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Posts: 5874
| You can mount the kicker on either side and still be able to attach hardware for linking the kicker for steering. I'd go with a tiller kicker, and get a Troll Pro for speed control. Remote steering and throttle is clumsy, at best.
I've know of 1860's with the kicker on either side, and none of the owners had any negative comment or said they wished they had mounted it on the other side.
You can search on here for how I rigged my ProKicker with SeaStar and Merc parts. |
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Posts: 243
Location: South Central Wisconsin | Shep - 2/11/2014 7:52 AM
You can mount the kicker on either side and still be able to attach hardware for linking the kicker for steering. I'd go with a tiller kicker, and get a Troll Pro for speed control. Remote steering and throttle is clumsy, at best.
I've know of 1860's with the kicker on either side, and none of the owners had any negative comment or said they wished they had mounted it on the other side.
You can search on here for how I rigged my ProKicker with SeaStar and Merc parts. Thank you. I am planning on buying an Itroll with it. The reviews and customer service is awesome I guess. It is supposedly better than the troll pro? |
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Posts: 5874
| Yes, that's a nice unit. Pricey, but has a lot of features. I liked the Troll Pro's I had. I liked the portability of them in the boat. |
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Posts: 228
| Have you mounted your kicker motor yet? |
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Posts: 243
Location: South Central Wisconsin | bob1 - 2/15/2014 6:38 AM
Have you mounted your kicker motor yet? Not yet. I ALMOST, have the better half convinced that a kicker is more important than an engagement ring...
I am however mounting it on the starboard side. |
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Posts: 90
| In regards to the kicker being in the way of the guy at the back, Does this mean you ALWAYS fish out of the same side of the boat? Regardless of the structure, current, wind direction? |
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Posts: 410
Location: With my son on the water | Actually I do try to set up the boat so we can fish out of the Port side as much as we can. With the single console it works well. Obviously we can't do that 100% of the time but it is certainly greater than 50%. Most of the guys I know and fish with do this.
Have a good day |
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Posts: 243
Location: South Central Wisconsin | Lunger50 - 2/17/2014 5:29 PM
In regards to the kicker being in the way of the guy at the back, Does this mean you ALWAYS fish out of the same side of the boat? Regardless of the structure, current, wind direction? 95% of the time, yes. Only time it really differs is if the wind is so strong that it blows me through a "drift" down a structure to fast where I am better off bucking the wind to slow down. I'm right handed, us rightys tend to go to the right side of structures. Lol |
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Posts: 243
Location: South Central Wisconsin | Ordered it today and mounting it starboard. Itroll with "Hunt Mode" is on order too... |
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Posts: 228
| I have a Ranger Reata 1850. I prefer the kicker motor on the port side, but to each his own! Good luck with the new motor!
Bob |
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