9.9 Pro or T-8 for 18 foot boat. which one trolls down slower.

[Mykal]

I'm sure this topic has been discussed before, but I am looking to purchase either a 2004-5 Pro-V or a 2007 Alumacraft 185 Tourney. I troll alot and am looking for anyone with experience or opinions on which one trolls down the best on those cold fall days when slow is a must.

[PerchJerker]

Their performance is identical, I prefer the Pro Kicker but like the T8 a lot too.

[18 inch Crappie]

Trying to keep up with the big boys? Make sure it has a heater also them November nights get cold

[Mykal]

Thanks PerchJerker, 18 inch, I will have to bring an extra blankey because I won't be able to afford a heater.

[Dhenry]

Hey Mykal, Hope you had a good winter. I'm actually in the market for a kicker as well. I'm going to get the T8 as the motor on my "new boat" is a Yamaha. We need to catch up as I'm busy preparing for the upcoming season. My preparation is being helped as a Gander Mountain opened five minutes from my house.

[ewirz]

I have a Tourney Pro 175 (18')and use a Merc 9.9 2 stroke for a kicker (without the 4 blade high thrust prop). It trolls down to about.7-.8mph and .5-.6mph backtrolling. I would imagine the 4 stokes would go even slower. I was hoping for 1-1.5mhp and was amazed at how slow it trolls. Hope this helps.

ERW

[Northlander]

Either will do you fine. They are the 2 best kicker choices out there.

[Mykal]

Thanks everyone for the input. It's going to depend on the main motor then. DHenry yes, we will have to catch up indeed. I hope to bump into you on the opener this year and try that trolling thing. I'm not sure if I will have a new toy by then as I am working on my options. A good friend of mine is interested in my current boat. I also have a friend who is a Yamaha rep. I may be able to help you get a good deal on a T-8 if you haven't picked one up yet. What boat did you buy?

[Dhenry]

I bought a Ranger Reata 1850 with a Yamaha 150 2-stroke HPDI. It's a nice fishing boat (very wide) with some family applications(flip up seats on the back deck, spot for a ski-pole,etc) I have it set up for fall trolling with a graph mount for my 332c back where the kicker will be. I've got the kicker plate on and the gas line in, but I haven't purchased the motor so any help would be appreciated. I chose to go with a tiller vs the kicker that mounts to the motor as I wanted to have my hand on the throttle for total control while trolling. I've been looking for a used one to save a few dollars, but they are hard to find.

[TUMBLEWEED]

I've got a 2004 1850 SportFish and went with a 9.9

Mercury Pro Kicker, mainly becuase my main was

also a Mercury Opti-Max. Not sure the options

a Yamaha T-8 has. My kicker has both electric and

manual start, so no chance of being stranded some

where on the water with a dead battery!! It also

has a small charging system to replenish the dead

battery as to get your main motor up and running.

The Pro-Kicker has tilt and trim like the T-8, how does

Yamaha keep the kicker in place while running the main??

The people at Mercury have got this simple intergrated

system. Simply trim up and go!! The motor will stay centered

without flopping around. Talk about run and gun.

On the speed thing, I found I could easily backtroll

at desired profiles for walleye, as well as going

forward for some faster approaches, or number of poles

out. I found even more fine tuned speed changes were

possible by raising or lowering the main, causing

drag or the lack of. So far it has been everything

I wanted in a kicker.