Saw a trolling motor mounted, genius or idiot?

joetheis

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Apr 21, 2014
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Well it's dead of winter here in N.E.Pa.
I keep looking at pics of Clayton N.Y., (where my boat runs free), on my computer and it looks a lot like the North Pole!
Wandering @ on Craigslist cuz I really don't need anything but....................
Came upon a pic of a boat for sale with a trolling motor mounted on the outdrive??!!
A couple of angle irons, looks like bolted to the lower unit wings and has to be the top cap on a Merc? outdrive.
This had the throttle handle on the motor, (maybe a 4 HP er so).
"hmmmmmm", easy steering, set the speed, gear and you can kick back".
I have a 9.9 kicker/trolling motor on my 20' cuddy. Linkage rod to the top of the Merc. outdrive. I hook it up, start it up and go. Works pretty good.
On a mounter mount on the starboard side.
Problem is, the boat has a slight lean that way a tad, (I use the 6 gallon tank on the port side to try to balance).
This motor has the controls that run up in the cockpit.
Being a person who can NEVER leave, "well enough alone", I got to thinking..............
I can make this set up tilt the motor up when not in use.......................
Is this a good idea or just another Edsel?
Joe
Sometime my brain thinks too much!
 

gm280

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Well I'm kind of on the dense, okay stupid side, and I'll need pictures or drawings of what you just explained to understand your setup...
 

GA_Boater

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I'm sure the guy just got inventive after seeing one of these - http://www.iboats.com/Minn-Kota-MK5...3512719--session_id.217962964--view_id.237465


Are you talking about hanging the kicker on the outdrive? I'm having some trouble understanding what you're asking.

engine_mount_single_2_0.jpg
 

joetheis

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No, let me try to explain a bit better, or better yet go to "Scranton Pa. Craigslist". Got to baots and look at the add, "1989 Sylvan 22' fishing boat.
There is a good pic.
I call it a "trolling motor", cuz that's what I use my 9.9 on my boat for-trolling up and down the river.
This guy made a frame out of angle? iron bolted it to his outdrive.
Dropped a 4hp? (looks like a small light weight outboard), onto it.
I'm thinkin, he drops the outboard in place, fires it up, drops it in gear, sets throttle and can steer from his wheel in the cockpit.
Looks like a good idea, or maybe not..............
Just wondering what other boat owners thought, before I dragged out my welder and some angle irons.................
Joe
 
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airshot

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Not sure I would want the added weight and or force on my expensive outdrive. A replacement kicker motor would be less expensive than replacing the outdrive or its mounting plate. I also have the kicker on the transom offset from the center and yes steering can be a pain in the a$$. Been thinking about a steering connection to the outdrive but not found one I was happy with just yet.
 

Starcraft5834

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https://scranton.craigslist.org/boa/4863218536.html

interesting.. I appears all the weight of that kicker is on the A1 drive.. placing a lot of extra stress on the trim motor, seals in the rams.. I would not recommend this ever, and seeing it, I would not buy that boat with that on it... if you have an A1 drive and want it to behave like a kicker, put a "trolling plate" on it...I did, it works very well..
 

MI-TY

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Here is what he's talking about. http://scranton.craigslist.org/boa/4863218536.html

My buddy once hooked up a similar setup on his boat, a Honda 9 hp. We used it for steel line bucktail trolling out in Montauk.

We locked the motor straight and used the main outboard with the motor off to steer. Actually worked out okay.

Funny thing, the second time we used it we ended up blowing the main outboard engine and that motor saved us from being beaten onto the rocks on the Jetty...he lost the anchor so we were basically left drifting in a heavy current that was pushing us right into shore. That pony motor saved our ass that day.
 

gm280

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Okay, now that I see it I can understand what you're talking about. My mind doesn't work great anymore trying to visualize descriptions except my own! DUH! Personally I think a much better setup would be to install the "kicker" on the transom aside of the I/O drive and connect a steering arm between the two. Then you're driving the boat from a known solid transom and also able to get to the kicker engine to do what ever you need too. But that is only my opinion...
 

joetheis

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Mine too!
I have a steering link made from a soild almn rod with air coupling on each end.
I drop my outboard, hook the linkage up, (I have to LEAN over to do it, a few close calls!!), to clip it on the outboard, but it works awsome.
I thought with this set up, I just have to flip the motor down and fire it up, but,also what has me on THIS side of the fence is all the stress on the top of the outdrive, (leaks?) and the "wings", (snap off and away goes the outboard) on the lower unit.
I'd like to see it, "up close and in person", but i don't want to call the guy and say, "Hey look! I could care less about buying your boat", (although it IS set up nice)," "what I want to do it look and try out your troller motor set up".
I think it'll go over as good as dropping you plug over the side!
Joe
 

GA_Boater

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Wow - I wouldn't do anything like that. Just so much to go wrong.
 

laurentide

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Wow - I wouldn't do anything like that. Just so much to go wrong.


x2. A kicker bracket and connecting rod will achieve the same control features without compromising your out drive. I don't get this at all.
 

joetheis

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Tanks!
I thought at first it was the "Cat's meow", but now that the morning light is filtering in, I can see it's not such a good idea!
I had my 9.9 Mariner save my butt.
We were out having a GREAT day on the water.
She was fishing, (I'm not a fisherman, I'm a sailor at heart).
I was driving the boat, sleeping in the sun, swimming, tinkering.
We had gotten bored at one cove, looked on the charts and found another interesting one.
We fired up the Merc 228, headed up the river to a new spot to fish.
"Jeese, she won't get up on plane all of a sudden? Feels funny"?
The motor coughed? I had my wife lift the coop.
She SCREAMED! We were taking on water-BAD!
I have 2 bilge pumps and a spare portable one, fired them all up.
I headed for shore, (" put your life jacket on. I'll get a close to shore as I can get her, so we have less swim time"), cuz I was sure we were going to have a "up-grade" (new boat with insurance $$), any minute.
With the 3 pumps a pumpin away, got the water just low enough to see a soft plug had gone bad, (turned out they were steel expansion plugs).
Shut the big motor down, pumped us out.
That 9.9 took us 8 miles back to dock.
After that I realized, never leave home without a spare motor!
Joe
 

Silvertip

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Any kicker addition without a way to control throttle from the captains chair and has no way to kill said engine from the captains chair is not a safe installation. I also agree with the weight and wear comments previously discussed.
 

Bondo

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Wow - I wouldn't do anything like that. Just so much to go wrong.

Ayuh,.... I agree,.... I run, 'n troll with my I/O,.....

Good Maintenance goes along ways in not gettin' towed in,....

Without the I/O motor runnin' I wouldn't be chargin' batteries, 'n no power steerin',...
I can troll sub-1mph,...
My 4.3l sips very little fuel,... under a gallon an hour,...

I've not made it back to port twice in all my years of boatin',...
Once was my own fault, 'n bad installation of parts,...
The 2nd was a hull failure, nothin' to do with power,...

Oh ya, make that 3 times,... Many moons ago, I blew up an outboard I was beatin' severely,...
 
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