need kicker advise.

[kerchner]

I just bought a 20' bayliner trophy and want to add a kicker. I found a good deal o a 6 hp. is that too small? what should be the minimum size for trolling. thanks for any advise.

[Landshark]

i just bought a new yamaha 9.9 high thrust long shaft electric start with a 10 amp alternator for 2200. pretty good deal considering no tax either. What are you looking to spend. I think the guy has 1 more left. Oh and check here www.onlineoutboards.com at the tohatsu's. Reasonable prices and good motors.

[fishshack]

kerchner- I have the same boat. I think you want more horse power. 6 would be fine if the lake was flat but you would have problems when the lake gets a little rough. 9.9 works great for me.

[kerchner]

thanks for the advise

[Shorthanded]

recommend getting a high-thrust version regardless of hp or brand.

[TrophySeeker]

O-k, I'll try to give my opinion without giving too much technical information. Horsepower is a function of velocity (speed) and torque (more below). Did you ever notice that a 9.9 and 15 or a 25 and 30 HP outboard have all the same specs except for RPM? Go look at the specs at Mercury 25 and 30 HP motors:

http://northamerica.mercurymarine.com/e ... .php?ID=83

So - could you argue that a 30HP motor would be better for trolling than a 25HP (or vice-versa)? Basicilly - based on the same propeller and same rpm they produce the same HP - up to a point. But probably well within the speed range of trolling. Now, which will get you back to port faster if your main motor fails? That is when RPM figures in. Based on the pitch of the prop and the max RPM your top speed would be higher with the 30 HP (probably). Think about HP and something simple - like snow blowers. Why do 10 HP snowblowers have bigger augers and chutes than 5 HP snowblowers? HP is a measure of how much work can be done over a period of time. A 5HP engine may be able to keep a 24" wide x 12" high snowblower full of snow and a 10 HP would have a 30" x 16" cutting path. Thus the larger snowblower woulld be able to perform more work (over the same period of time). But - what happens when there is only 1" of snow? In either case it still takes only 5 minutes to clear your driveway. That is like asking the difference between a 9.9 and a 15 when trolling at 2.5MPH (1000 rpm or so). So, which is better? Or - why not just put a big prop on a small motor and not worry about HP? Well - it's not that simple. HP is a function of torque and speed. Torque is the amount of twisting force a motor can produce. Propellers are sized to motors based on the available torque, HP, and mass of the load. Torque and horsepower are somewhat related, but it depends on the type of motor and transmission device. Having high torque with relatively low horsepower is not necessarily a good thing. Let's think about the snowblower example again. What if I used the 5 HP snowblower when there was 24" of snow? Maybe I have enough torque to snap the pin in the driveshaft, but not enough HP to move the snow. This is why we don't put large props on small motors.

So - what is my point? If the 9.9 and 15 have the same prop, they both will do about the same job for trolling. I have a 9.9 on a 24ft Wellcraft and have never had the RPM's over 1500. I'm guessing I've never used more than 1/2 the HP available on this motor.

Look at the specs and make an eductad decision.

[ray koziatek]

in laymans terms( yup, 9.5hp)just spent the last 2hrs trying to mount my snowblower on my kicker bracket i think it will work!

[Persistence]

Ray,where do you come up with this stuff!!!!!!!!! You are in the wrong line of work.............

We were up to Olcott from Wednesday thru Sunday. Did real good all five days on Kings and Cohos. Fished from just West of Wilson to Somerset. Saw your van at the marina but did not see anyone around.

[ray koziatek]

Cuz i was fishing,if you were at the launch at 5:00 am you would of seen us ,every time i walked past your tent (the bubble)it was empty, that thing would double as a greenhouse during the winter ,sunday at 3:00 in the afternoon when it was sunny and flat the kings were hitting,if i had my choice i would of stayed out longer but some of those old guys on my boat were getting played out after 11 hrs (wimps)

[Persistence]

Ray,could not get to the baot any earlier as the guy I was fishing with did not want to start any sooner than six. it is tough to get old I guess. We stayed at the Harbor Hotel.

[ray koziatek]

yea i had to crack the whip a couple times now that they got a taste of the early bite i sorta changed there minds as to starting times ,one of them mentioned breakfast at 6am before launching fri nite at supper ,never brought it up again after those early bites .not to mention the sunrise, never know how many more of them we will see...............

[Landshark]

here is one i found on ebay, older model http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1989-Yam ... meZWDVWbut might be good for ya

[jimski2]

Up to 25 HP, Mercury, Nissan and Tohatsu are the same, made by Tohatsu. Just different paint and decals.