youngknight

Interested in hearing from itroll users. From what I could find, they are the superior remote throttle control on the market for kicker motors without going the full remote route. While I am still interested in hearing about your experience with itroll, what I am mainly inquiring about is your experience, recommendations, cautions with the hunt feature. Getting ready to pull the trigger on an itroll but not sure to spend the extra $$ on the hunt feature. In theory it seems like a great idea but sometimes theory and reality are different things. Do you end up using yours...hunt feature...or is it more of an inconvenience or even a nuisance...or greatest thing since sliced bread and sonar?? Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts and experiences.

Not a new member here, not very active on this site - more so on spoonpullers. However, not sure where else to inform website administrators...received personal email through LOU from a Project2015...the offshore holdings of millions of dollars in Malaysia bit that we have all seen in emails. Anyhow, I am sure I am not the only one but disturbing they are coming directly through these forums now.

I feel for ya Kuba...I also agree with many of the posts here that these deals are not always what they are cracked up to be. I assume it was a great deal, otherwise you probably wouldn't have driven 4 hours and into another country to buy it. Lots of boats for sale in Ontario otherwise. I do thiink that the most relevant part of your story is that the seller agreed to pay you $300 and has renaged on his word. Bad on him, whether he is a longtime member on this website or not. I bought a kicker for my boat this year...was going to spend somewhere around $1500 on a used one, probably about 4 to 8 years old...I then found a brand new one - private sale but never had been used, plastic still inside, not even oil put in it yet (was bought for a sailboat and then the sailboat deal fell through so it was never used). I paid $2600 (about $800 less than comparable new one with taxes). So I paid more than what I had figured on but avoided uncertainties of 7year old motors and what their history is. I have had good and bad luck with used purchases - snowmobiles...etc., and sometimes that's all you can afford. It really sucks though unexpected costs. So the $1500 repair plus the $800 border payment would have given you $2300 more in your budget for the original purchase. Hindsight is 20/20 though. I have been impressed by the quality of many members posting on the site...many offering to take fellow anglers out for free, some willing to give away spare parts or articles to members looking for something...and lots of free advice.

I am in the market for a sonar for the bow of my boat to go on my minnkota powerdrive v2 with ipilot....just got the motor last year so would like to add a sonar up front for obvious reasons. However, I use my boat for trolling and downrigging even more. So, since I will not need my transducer up front..the motor has the built in transducer and I Just need an adapter, I was thinking, hey, if I could mount another transducers on the back and a quick release mount at the back near my downriggers, it would make life so much easier with the downriggers instead of always jumping ahead to see the depth...I fish a lot in GEorgina Bay where depths can change quite a bit and quickly. However, will the transducers on the back interfere with each other,...they will have to be right beside each other as I have a kicker on my port side.

Thanks for the input in my last post reassuring me that is no issue to move my drain plug from the inside well of the boat to the outside of the boat without fear of it coming out and leaving me in a rather terrible predicament. So looking for advice/suggestions on my livewell ports. So, 2000 1900 Pro Sport Lund. Bench seats in the back that flip down on top of 2 livewell/baitwell. Here is the problem, I didn't realize when I bought the boat that water can come inside the livewells from outside the boat from a small port (i.e. hole). Only way you could get water in my dad's old fishing boat was to turn on a tank fill switch and let it pump up. I thought thee was an issue because after a long day in the water, especially rougher water my livewells would be partly full, and sometimes one of them would be almost completely full. I never hardly use livewells...I don't tournament fish so the fish get's either thrown back, or gets bonked the head and thrown in the livewell with a block of ice. the port is "funny, angled, cone-shaped, surrounded by a plasticized "grommet" I guess you would say...I have thought about plugging it somehow but never really have come across something that would do it adequately...apart from sticking the old sock inside with it hanging out the side of my boat. I have been accused of being a bit of a redneck at times but I do have my limits. It is probably the most aggravating feature of the boat. I figured there was something wrong with the setup and I was in communication with the dealer and Lund who told me basically that this is the way they are made. I am sure this poor design as long since been fixed...I mean if you don't want water coming into your livewell, you should be able to ensure that it doesn't. I also thought you would be able to pump the water out of the wells to the outside - I originally thought that this is what the ports were for...going out, not coming in...instead, the wells can only be drained when out of the water and pulling drain plugs in the bottom. Weird set up, I always thought there was a problem but Lund insisted no. But if I can keep water from coming in, then I would be happy.

Thanks guys...pretty solid reassurance to move it to the outside.

So I have a 1900 Pro Sport Lund yr 2000. The drain plug is on the inside of the boat. I have to push the lines/cables out of the way in front of the motor, unscrew and open the round portal door, reach down and put in and to take out....a major pain and I get dirty all the time. IT is getting real old..and I feel like I'm getting to old as I have to get back up on the boat, lie down and reach in right up past my elbow. So the drain plug is your standard rubber plug type with the t-center that you turn to tighten/expand. It is attached to a small chain so it is easy to keep track of. So, any thoughts about simply putting the plug in from the outside..same type of plug or is that asking for problems? Most boats I have seen that has the drain plug attached from the outside are the screw in types requiring a wrench to turn in and out. Obviously, last thing I want is it coming out and my boat filling up. NOt an experience I want!

I pushed my luck...went 11 years without changing and never had a problem. When I did change it, the impeller looked brand new, everything still tight, but I changed it anyways...yammy 115efi. But better safe than sorry. However, thought I'd comment as I am not all that mechanically inclined but did it myself with ease...there are several great youtube videos showing you how to do it on a variety of motors.

Not true SmellsLike. My work is buying ipad minis for forestry work...these NEED to be cell phone capable because the non-cell phone capable ones don't have that feature but they do not NEED to have a activated cell phone account. if they do have cell phone and they do have a coverage for that area, the accuracy would be better because it triangulates off a cell phone tower. However, without it, it is every bit as good as your everyday chartplotter or handheld GPS unit. I used Navionics on my cell phone in a remote area of Quebec with no coverage...a $15 APP and I had great coverage all the time but could never send a text or call. My cell phone is Android based - Samsung. So, look into it a bit more to make sure it has the GPS capabilities but you should be good with the Navionics app.

Actually, snow was down enough to wade into the back of my shed...my tiller handle will go back almost 180 but if back that far it will likely interfere with hard turns in one direction.

Thanks guys for the feedback. I think I will continue to stick with the one battery.

First, it seems that there could be a whole website just dedicated to kickers. I came across a comment on another board that I visited for the first time today...-13deg Celcius today, every lake in my area still covered in ice and I'm getting itchy so have been searching for stuff to read while still looking out the window at snow - 6 inches the night before...anyhow, the comment from one person was never have a main motor and a kicker motor on the same battery...a poster thought it would damage the battery. So, Yamaha 115 4 stroke is main, a new 2012 9.9 Yamaha 4 stroke is kicker - kicker has electric start...apparently the alternator puts out up to 6A. I have 2 deep cycle batteries up front for the electric motor, I figure that if I ever did get in trouble with the main battery at the back, I could move one of them down in a pinch to get the main motor started. I have 2 electric big jon downriggers and of course a sonar and vhf and a stereo off of the main battery. I figured I could just hook the kicker into the main battery as well...never run both engines at once...the kicker would keep the battery charged for downriggers..etc., and when it is time to go, shut it down and start up the main....without getting into yet another battery on the boat, battery switches...etc. It is a 19 foot Lund boat BTW. I want to keep things simple as possible, and remove the kicker when not needed...e.g. family boatings, tubing and the like, don't really want another several pounds in the back with another battery if I don't really need it. any advice, will 2 motors on the same battery be a problem?

thanks Nemesis, but controllking or other unit, the tiller handle is still sticking out there. Glad to hear other guys are finding it not to be in the way. Unlike Josh`s merc, the handle will not, I believe, be able to be spun 180 degrees and stick out the back...more like just 90 degrees...either straight out or straight up in the air and the tiller handle on the newer Yammy`s anyway seem fairly long.

So, just recently picked up a 2012 9.9 4 stroke electric long shaft Yamaha for a kicker to sit beside my Yammy 115 on the back of my Lund. The kickers on the TV shows all seem to be the prerigged fully remote steering and throttle versions. But mine of course is a tiller handle version. I was wondering if people had problems with these handles getting in the way when they are tilted straight up...with lines, netting fish etc. or if there was any tricks with them. I may decide to put on an itroll, protroll or controlling and I am definitely using some sort of steering bracket to link with the 115, but the tiller handle will need to stay...especially with the throttle and gear shift controlled through the handle. I know if I put the tiller handle straight out, when turned one way, the handle will hit the gunwale.

I also was just using a normal battery charger not being able to afford the very expensive Minn Kota charging units. I live in Ontario and we have Canadian Tire. Canadian Tire is great for putting products on sale...and really good sales...in fact, I hate it when I have to buy anything that is not on sale...within a month or two it will be. But i bought one of their chargers, 3 bank charger,on sale for ~$149...has worked like a charm. I don't fish 100 days a year and if I had the time to do that much fishing then it be worth the investment of a Minn Kota type of product, but for a weekend fisherman, and not every weekend with other family committments, for the money and given it has so far worked perfectly, I am pleased.

So, from a previous kicker question I posted...thanks for all the responses, in poor judgement I made a dispariging comment about Tohatsu based...I admit it...on my ignorance of these motors...being kind of "no name" which I learn is also not fair, just not well known name in recreational boater industry in North America. From numerous internet searches I arrived at the conclusion that the vast majority of Tohatsu owners love their motors, call them "bullet proof" and rave about how they run. Great, if not surprising to me, to hear. So have been looking at an 8 hp long shaft electric start Tohatsu as a kicker on my 19 foot Lund to sit on the transom beside my 115 4 stroke Yammy. But I am a bit confused. So Tohatsu builds Nissan - simply different stickers it seems but also builds Mercury's portable sized motors. (I wonder how many mercury buyers realize this, and would they care). But 1. I have also read several posts, including from mercury owners, saying how mercs (portable size like 9.9 hp) are "junk" now. Lots of people in various posts on different sites have agreed with this statement. So if Tohatsu are making a great product, and customers are very happy with them, and if Tohatsu also makes mercs, then why are the mercs being complained about, including my merc owners? The logic doesn't really follow unless they are made differently. So if Tohatsu makes mercs, are they simply Tohatsu engines in a different shaped cowling (plus different gear shift), or are they made substantively different? And 2. the one complaint I have read several times about Tohatsu is the difficulty in getting parts and service, especially since Tohatsu sells many through online distributors. So, if Tohatsu makes Merc, are the parts not interchangeable, is a merc shop not equally equipped to service a Tohatsu as it is a Merc if they are essentially the same motor. Leads me to believe that they are substantively different. So, my main reason for posting goes to the second question, question 1 is more of a curiosity. Basically, if I buy a Tohatsu and need parts or service, can I not just go to one of the many mercury dealers and service shops?

Chas, thanks for calling me out on tahatsu. I have now did a review of comments on them and the fast majority of owners rave about them. Old stories about some of the midvrange nissans in the 1990s that i heard about coupked with my admitted bias against what i erroneously viewed as no name led to my unfair comment. However on some boaters forums about kickers that yamahas got the thumbs up way more than anything else including from owners of mercs and hondas.price is very good for tahatsu.e

Hi Jim, Yep, my intent for steering was to link the main motor so both motors turn the boat. I have pretty much decided that I need to go a long shaft and mount directly on the transom...I just need to determine if I truly have enough room..I think I do. Looking on the internet I see boats no bigger than mine with two motors mounted on the transom...but don't want to buy and then find out they are too tight. As for the controllking...I will give that some thought..it was actually the trollmaster Pro2 I had been looking at...need to compare the two once I decide on my motor purchase. The Pro2 seems to have continuous throttle adjustments as opposed to just selected settings. Here is a question to anybody that may know...on most Yamaha later models (2004+) 4 stroke 8 or 9.9 hp 4 strokes with electric start, do they also have a pull cord for manual starting? On a smaller fishing boat of mine I have a 2009 20 hp electric with power tilt...but no manual pull cord so if battery dies, it is off with the cowling and trying that little emergency cord.

Still available?

Thanks for the replies guys. First, I don't see myself saving for an entire new system...would be nice but too many other pressures. Second, my post I guess wasn't clear...I appreciate that if it has an electric start, will charge batteries...however, it is motors that do not have electric start, some have alternators and a small wire coming out of them to then hook onto a battery to keep it charged...I just wonder if this is something that can be added as opposed to a factory installed idea. Tohatsu...looked up prices, certainly better prices than yamaha for instance but still up there and from what other posts have said, a poor quality motor and certainly one that does not hold value at all. Still something to keep in mind. I was looking for a good used motor in the $1500 general range. I will have to do some arranging but a spare gas hook up may be the best idea anyhow. I'm a coast guard auxillary member through our local fire department and it was said that most vessels in distress are because of engine problems and most engine problems are fuel issues...so two engines with same fuel issue can have both the main motor and the backup out of service. I winterize my motor and change oil/filter every year myself. Changed the impeller last year myself as well as fluids. But other postings on other sites seem to put yammy well up there and although not a necessity for aesthetics at all, having 2 yammys side by side would be ideal I think. I measured my transom where the kicker would sit and it is 20 inches. So, although a short shaft would still sit in the water...and since it won't be up on plane would push the boat but not ideal. There does seem to be enough room between the main engine and where the kicker would sit right on the transom so I guess my best choice would be a long shaft. So since finding a long shaft with electric is unlikely at a decent price... my choices are I guess going without electric and buying another battery which then has to be charged...or go through the wiring and perhaps battery switch which I don't have a lot of room for and then pushes price up as well. Or, is there a mount lift (straight up and down) that is advised? Another site I found had many people saying definitely no to the gaerlick type of mounts. I appreciate the comment that the connecting rod will not be a straight forward economical one if I use an engine bracket that sticks out behind the transom. Perhaps best bet is to buy a lottery ticket.

I have a 2000 19 ft 1900 Prosport Lund boat with a 2002 yammy 4 stroke in 115 hp. Love the yammy but I think it is finally time to get a kicker motor...safety and security when heading out far from shore on Lake O. and also to really slow things down for trolling for walleye. So buying new is not in the budget. There are a many 4 stroke out there of various makes and models. Looking at either an 8 or 9.9 4 stroke. However, very few are long shaft, very few are electric and fewer still are electric and long shaft. I want to be able to keep batteries charged while trolling..don't want a surprise after downrigging all day and go to start the 115 to find the battery doesn't have enough juice. So electric start would be great, or at least one with a charger without electric start. Not sure if a motor that is not already set up with an alternator can have an aftermarket add on?? I am really unsure of how to mount. If a long shaft then I guess I can mount it right on my transom?? Or can I use one of the flip up motor brackets to use a short shaft?? I do not want the motor dragging in the water when I'm boating with the big motor..also use the boat for pleasure boating with the kids. Any advice on this? Note that my intent is to invest into a throttle control, like a protroll I think its called. I would like to just hook the steering up with an inexpensive EZ steer rod from front end of both motors and use main wheel to steer. A manual short shaft would be most attainable as there are many out there. Thanks for any assistance you can share. Note that my transom isn't particularly high...of course the 115 is a very long shaft but I figure it would steer the boat as a rudder as much as the kicker running would. Thanks guys.

Fleettracker...that is one beautiful trout. You have a few photos and some measurements...I would look into a reproduction mount...they last longer and generally look better anyhow than traditional taxidermy.