kicker motor mounting

[60LOWRIDER]

I recently bought a C HAWK 22 sport cabin and want to add a kicker outboard.I picked up a Fulton adjustable bracket off Craigslist locally and want to install my 8hp Evinrude on it.My question is do I really need to have the cavitation plate level with the bottom of the hull or can I mount it a little higher so I can use the tiller handle extended somewhat?I would think that as long as the prop is below the waterline and its only going to push it so fast there should not be an issue with cavitation.My other idea is to just get a longer shaft small outboard.I mounted it on a stand to give me an idea of how will operate and what it will look like installed.The original Fulton instructions call for the outboards skeg to be 1 1/2 inches above hull in the raised position

 

[Frank Acampora]

A kicker motor is a different animal! The hull will never get on plane and the transom will be sitting low in the water. THUS the kicker can and should be mounted higher than level with the bottom of the hull to reduce exhaust back pressure. --Not too high because you want to get good water flow to the prop, but certainly not too low either.

 

[JimS123]

With a kicker bracket:

Up position - the very bottom tip of the skeg a few inches above the bottom of the boat so it doesn't drag when on plane
Down position - the entire prop below the bottom - it need not be deeper.

Don't run with the kicker tilted on the bracket - it should always be vertical.

 

[roscoe]

You also need to make sure the water pickup is well below the water line , to ensure you get water to cool the motor.
Best thrust and control is also achieved when the prop is below the hull.

 

[ondarvr]

It's far better to use a long shaft, or even an XL shaft for a kicker on that style of boat. The deeper you get the prop, the better it will work, one issue on the adjustable mount is that it moves the kicker back further from the transom, this works well for thrust, but in larger waves the prop can frequently come up out of the water, and then the entire motor can be submerged with the next wave. With a short shaft this can be a real problem.

The prop doesn't actually need to be below the hull for it to work, but you get limited thrust and maneuverability, the higher it is, the worse it get's.

 

[airshot]

Hard for me to tell from your pic so I will just give you my experience. I also have a 22' with a deep v hull, so the kicker setting off to the side does not have to be as deep in the water as the main engine. As long as the diameter of the prop is clearly (eyeball) below the hull in the area the motor is located you will do fine. If you have a short shaft you are going to have an issue so I would HIGHLY recommend adding a longer shaft or swapping it for a long shaft motor. By the way I have a 9.9 kicker on my 22' alum hull boat and can get 10 mph out of it so it doubles as a troller and an emergency get us back to the dock accessory.