Re: Boat & kicker ? Where and how to mount?
Previously I had a somewhat smaller Starcraft, (19' bowrider) with an Evinrude 85 HP main and and Ev 6HP kicker. I fished the Columbia River Bar (nasty water) and some near-shore Pacfic (only when calm and relatively flat -- a concession to my tendency to motion-sickness) as well as the Oregon Bays and the Willamette and Columbia around Portland (big flowing rivers with lots of shipping and barge traffic). Sometimes we need to troll very slowly (1/2 mph) here, and sometimes even shift in and out of gear to raise and flutter down baits. I wouldn't (couldn't) do that with my main.<br /><br />I strongly support the wisdom of a strong, dependable kicker with independent fuel and starting. Being adrift in these waters changes rapidly from inconvenient to dangerous to deadly.<br /><br />Usually I handle the tackle aft, and my buddy steers from the console, I used and liked the EZ-Steer. I also bought a cheap two-lever control box (mounted aft of the main controls), and Evinrude shift and throttle cables, and the kit for the motor so the kicker was controlled from the console - much more convenient for my use. I got cables that were definitely long enough and then some. Unlike on the main, the coiled, too long, cables were not a problem for the kicker. I did stay with the pull cord starting (cheap!) If I hadn't had a dependable helmsman, I might have done it differently.<br /><br />I don't have much to add to Boatist's thoughts on mounting except that when I did bolt the mounting through the transom, I squirted some sealant into the holes before the bolts went in.<br /><br />Also, get a motor safety cable (or cable lock). My motor tended to loosen up on the wooden mounting pad, and the cable kept the kicker on the boat more than once.<br /><br />Just my thoughts. Good luck, and good fishing.