Does it make sense to get a kicker motor?

[TSCTSC]

I have a 01 Pike 16 with Yamaha 90HP 2 stroke and a 55# Minnkota. I find that the Minnkota cannot troll very fast and after a few minutes at power level 8 and above, it stops. Also, it does not work well in high currents and strong wind. Also, I like the security of a second motor. So I thought that I would consider a second kicker motor perhaps about 9HP Yamaha 4 stroke. Does this make sense on my rig and what are the issues related to a kicker motor? Do I need to manually take it out of the water when I am running the 90Hp at full speed? How does the steering go with the kicker? Also, does the kickers usually have a in-built gas tank or do I need to put a plastic one on the deck of my boat?

Thanks!

[Dave]

How fast do you need to troll? I think I'd find out why the trolling motor only lasts for a few minutes at high speed and stops, first. Circuit breaker kicking out and self-resetting?

And, no, I wouldn't advise leaving a kicker motor down while you run high speed with your 90.

[Rost]

One option to think about is a trolling plate. For about $100 you can get a "Happy Troller". This is a plate that attaches to your lower unit. There is a plate that flips down behind the prop which will slow the boat down. When you are done trolling, you pull the plate up and go.

[chunkytrout]

A 55# should move that boat around no problem so something's wrong. If you primarily fish eyes and don't backtroll, I don't see the sense in a remote kicker for you. If you actually foward troll and not control drift primarily, maybe a little 9 could be good. I'm assuming you're in a console boat so remote steering and throttle will be a cost issue. I do understand however the issue of having a back-up. (Seems like mine has been my primary lately ) Get that electric checked out and fixed. I do alot of trolling (2.0+mph) so in my situation the kicker made way more sense. No, never under way with the kicker down and it'll run on a seperate tank.

[8-Ball]

I agree w/ Chunky- the 55 should move that boat just fine. I have a 1750 Sportfish w/ a 90, does not troll down enough. I have a 55 PD and it move it fine. Another option if budget is tight- get a drift sock and fish bigger water on choppy days-let mother nature do the work -for basically free... 8-Ball.

[upnorth]

I have a 17 foot cresliner deep v and the 55 PD move me along just fine. It would be nice to have a kicker...but can't have everything.

[LABS4ME]

I had a 17' Mr. Pike and the trolling motor was a 65lb PD with co-pilot, it'd pull my boat around no problem, even on the higher settings it'd run without shutting down, (I think you got a trolling motor problem) problem was when I wanted to pull plugs for a couple - 3 hours, this wasn't a viable option, plus sometimes I wanted more speed than it would give me at a setting that wouldn't drain the batteries down fairly quick. I was thinking of putting a kicker on it and was in the process of looking at 8 and 9 hp 4-strokes, which woud've been more than ample for my boat, but ended up buying a boat this spring that already had a kicker on it.

What I did with my 17' Pike (it had a 2 stroke 115hp Johnson on it) was to convert over to Amsoil from the OMC oil which greatly improved on the smokiness and plug fouling. It also helped the motor run down to 2.3 MPH and I could run it for fairly extended periods at that speed with no fouling or stalling (2 hours was no problem). If I wanted to run down in the 1.7 to 2.0 MPH range, I'd tie off a drift sock on my bow and run the motor up till the GPS showed the speed I was looking for. We only did this once, but it seemed to work well. Most times the 2.3 MPH was in the range I was looking for, and running in big waves or the wind would actually bring it down to 1.9 - 2.1 MPH.

Kickers are nice but come with a price tag. My new boat's kicker is a tiller handle which I was thinking of converting to run off the steering wheel, but the guy I bought it from said to try it out before I spent the money on the extra remote and the steering linkage. I tell you what, I think he was right! I sit on the back seat and run the kicker, all the while all rods are in view in front of me, and I can easily see my electronics. I tried it both with the extension on the handle and without. If I'm standing more than sitting, the long handle is nice... If I'm sitting more than standing the standard handle is nice. Another option if you go with a tiller handle kicker, would be to crank up the "co-pilot" on the kicker (the little lever that locks the motor from turning side to side) and use it to power you forward, then install a co-pilot on your bow mount (if it's a newer MinnKota PD) or run the pedal back to where you are sitting and use this to "steer" the boat. This is the solution my neighbor and I figured out for his boat as he has a tiller handle kicker, but has a rear bench seat that really doesn't allow you to run a tiller handle comfortably. He tried the cheapo linkage you can buy in all the outdoor catalogs bought it just falls apart. This option works very well for him.

You can run your kicker off the main gas tank. Just have it rigged to run a seperate line off your gas line. I was going to have that done when I was pricing them out. No need for a seperate fuel tank as long as you are not running pre-mixed in your main tank. If you are using oil injection on you big motor, then the 4-stroke will run off the staright gas in your main tank.

I was told I'd be in the $2800-2900.00 range for the motor and rigging last year. You'd be able to save a little if you don't do the remote or linkage. I found one a couple months ago at my boat mechanic who had a Yamaha T8 and he'd have it rigged and ready on your boat for $2300...with remote and linkage, it was a year old I believe. So if you look around there are some deals out there.

Hope some of this helps...

Good Luck!

Ken

[JWB475]

Check the fuses on you battery, I had the same issue with my trolling motor, it would stop after a few moments at high speed. Turned out to be bad fuses on the battery terminals...

[TSCTSC]

OK...thanks for that fuse thingy!

And thanks all for giving their input!

[TSCTSC]

Just to let you know, the fuse thing worked. I changed the oringal which is 40a to a 50amp and it works like a dream now. Thanks!

You saved me a trip up yo motor city and all the associated hassle.