motor question

[walleyewacker]

I am in a little different dilema about a 2 or 4 sroke. I currently have a merc 125 two stroke. We are thinking about a new boat and the question is will a four stroke or even an optimax idle slow enough to troll cranks, 2mph is what my motor does now. Obviously for anything slower I use the bow mount. I am trying to avoid a kicker at all costs and am wondering if a four stroke or optimax will do the same as my motor I have now. I am not being brand specific by any means so comments about the HPDI or others are welcome.

[Guest]

The slowest trolling motor in that size range is the optimax. They have the option to add the smart craft gauges that will idle the engine down suitable for slow trolling speed. Even the 225 optimax will troll down slow enough for cranks.

They now offer a 115 optimax that may be worth looking into.

I agree with your decision on avoiding the kicker. I had a 4 stroke kicker on my last boat and hated using it.

I now have a 115 4 stroke in place of 2 engines that trolls down to about 2.2 mph (Suzuki). The main reason for going to a suzuki was trolling speed. The suzuki has a gear reduction that the others in this class don't, that allows it to troll down slower than any of the competitors in this class of 4 strokes.

I'd take a look at both of these, suzuki in a 115 or 140 HP 4 stroke or the optimax in the 115 or 135 HP range. Both will do what your looking for. The optimax with smart craft will troll down slower than anything in this class, but you'll have a 2 stroke, which means oil, reliability, etc. They are about as quiet as a 4 stroke and close in fuel economy, but it is a 2 stroke.

[walleyewacker]

Thanks alot for the info. Now that you mention it I remember that idle control for the optimax. How slow will this thing even go? thanks again.

[Guest]

Maybe there are some opti owners with the smart craft gauges that can help you out. I'm pretty sure with the 115 opti and smart craft you would be down below 2 mph without any problems, probably closer to 1.5. The smart craft will allow you to idle down lower than with any other motor in this class ~ 500 rpm. I think you can set the throttle to hold a constant speed or rpm with the smart craft gauges as well. It does allow you better speed control for trolling. It seems like the best of both worlds if you don't mind going messing with the oil on a 2 stroke.

I'd take a look at the suzuki as well. Trolling speed for crankbaits is good with the 115 4 stroke. It doesn't idle down low enough for livebait rigs though..

[Guest]

Adding a drift sock helps to slow it down if nothing else.