Prof T

I do the same on the St Lawrence, waves not the issue, but wind and current are. Consider adding a large rudder to your Minn Kota. It allows the motor to steer like a sailboat and not rely solely on thrust. I would be cautious in the heavy chop with the rudder. If the bow is slamming up and down hard, it could add a lot of stress. In normal conditions, boat tracks like an autopilot.

I went from a 1987 Evinrude 90 to a 2016 Merc 90.....same holes

JJ Congratulations on the new rig! I've done the trolling motor steering routine for some time now, both with the big motor for thrust as well as a kicker. My motors were locked together with the simple steering rod, aimed straight ahead with the helm, and held in place with a small bungie. You're going to love that Terrova. You can use its compass to head in a direction and it will maintain its track. Swing to the right a little and it hold it there. Hands free to do other things like set rods! Clip the remote right to my vest, always with me. Get the BIGGEST batteries you can fit, if you are near Syracuse there's a place called Battery World, think there's one in Binghamton too. I got group 31's there. Also essential is a marine charger like a Promariner or MinnKota to keep them topped off without overcharging. I plug mine in at the dock and forget about it until the next trip. Finally, I put a big rudder on mine. It allows the motor to steer like a sailboat, but from the front, without relying on motor thrust only. They are used a lot on Erie, not so much here. I deal with a lot of current in the river and it simplifies that a lot. T

To those following this post, the concern is drawing air back though the unused engine’s fuel source. That could result in a leaned out fuel mix in the primary engine. Lean mixtures burn HOT. Maybe even dangerously HOT. 15$ check valve in the supply line of the kicker is a worthwhile precaution.

Pretty cheap insurance https://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-marine--1-4-barbed-anti-siphon-valve--19682467?lsft=mrkgcl:481,mrkgadid:3312353867,cm_mmc:PS-_-Google-_-GSC>NonB>Product%20Type%20(LIA)-_-19682467,product_id:19682467,adpos:,creative:504966948626,device:m,matchtype:,network:g&gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=CjwKCAjw8sCRBhA6EiwA6_IF4Top7pHpF_LaGjxCW85doe6d3DoWfmzTBsAAr57_QsfH98rNlIu_cRoCY-kQAvD_BwE

Sure, the primer bulb has check valves! Thanks guys.

That’s how I want to do it, clean install. Kicker is carburetored I guess it could allow an air bleed. Is there a check valve I could put in that line?

Thanks. Do you run a single inlet and pull each motor off individual outlets on the filter housing or a single outlet to a “y”?

New to me boat has a Merc 90 and 9.9 four strokes plumbed to the in floor tank. I’m a believer in fuel/water spin on filters. Does anyone run both motors downstream of a single filter?

Looked at the trollsmarter video. Anybody using this?

I'm putting together a "new to me boat", 2016 Crestliner Commander, with a 9.9 Merc Pro Kicker w/ regular helm throttle/shifter. I'd like to control speed remotely. Anyone have any experience with Troll Master Pro 3? I like that it has a remote control so I can wander around and not depend on guests to nudge the throttle. Are they dependable?

I appreciate the support. I was pretty much on board with not wanting to be on the light end of power, just looking for opinions. I think that commander is a good boat for me. I’m in my late 60’s and like a lot of freeboard. It’s one of the reasons I repowered the Sea Nymph 6 years ago. I’d have to work pretty hard to fall out of it. I fish walleye after dark, alone at least 50 times a year. I went with a Merc’ with Smartcraft/Troll control so I could troll on the main motor and get rid of my kicker. Boat squatted pretty good with the 4 stroke vs the 90 Evinrude / 9.9 2 strokes. Problem is I managed to accumulate over 700 hrs in 5 seasons. Think I want to go back to a kicker to take some of the stain of the main motor. Tough to find west coast style boats here. This commander seems to fit the bill. It’s 5 years old with next to no hours with a merc 9.9 pro kicker. Going to try to get a price on an engine swap and make an offer accordingly.

Anyone have any experience with these boats? Getting an “itch” What I’ve found is an 1850, powered with a 90 Mercury 4 stroke. I’ve got that motor on my 196 SeaNymph and it does fine. Top speed is 32 and it planes fine. But the Commander is 1500 lbs vs 1050 lbs for the Nymph even though they are within 4 inches of each other. Factory lists 90 as minimum, 150 max.

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Issue resolved. After trying every adjustment available and seeing no improvement, I bought a replacement transducer. Tried it earlier in the week and back in business. I have a friend who is a retired electrical engineer who used to work on helocopters for Lockheed Martin. He gave me a great explanation. Even though a transducer is encased and sealed in epoxy, there are tens of thousands of microscopic solder connections in the circuitry. Heat expansion, cold contraction, and vibration are all your enemies. The internal connections get stessed over time, it's unavoidable. His thoughts: best place for it, in the water - worst place, on the trailer in the winter parked where the sun can get at it. Food for thought