Can you use a SS on a high transom?

swimmin' for shore

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Oct 25, 2004
Messages
490
As an add-on to yesterday's question about the necessary kicker for my 21' Reinell cuddy, now I'm trying to find a motor to purchase. Thank you all for your patience on this. Learning boats is a whole, broad new world, but I'm learning. <br />I'm definitely on a budget. I'd love to be able to go out and purchase the perfect kicker right off the bat, but it doesn't work that way when you work for the government. I'm finding a much bigger selection of used SS kickers, and they're much cheaper. Can I take a SS and mount it lower on the transom to use as a kicker and trolling motor? Please provide the pros and cons of the following setup:<br />I want to add a kicker, obviously. 15 to 30 hp, depending on what's available. I was looking to tie it to the outboard of my I/O, in order to be able to steer from the helm. I've only been looking at electric start motors, with helm controls thus far. Again, this motor will be used as the obvious backup, and to troll in the Puget sound, which provided approx. 7 to 10 foot swells, tops. Please advise. Thank you in advance.
 

JasonJ

Rear Admiral
Joined
Aug 20, 2001
Messages
4,163
Re: Can you use a SS on a high transom?

30 HP is a bit much for that size of boat, the 15 will be your best bet. You have to be able to raise the thing, and even with a spring assist bracket, a 30 hp kicker could be a back breaker to raise and lower. You could do as you propose, useing an ss and mounting it lower, but remember that you have to be able to reach over the transom to pull start it and whatever (in case the electric starter fails-you have to be ready for all possibilities), and if it is too low, you could be placed in an awkward position hanging over the transom. In heavy water, that could be an unpleasant thing, creating the possibility of being tossed overboard. <br /><br />Also, the kicker needs to be mounted low enough so the prop stays in the water and the cooling pickups are still submerged. If the motor isn't in the water enough, it will pull out in the swells, you'll lose cooling and manueverability. That is why people go with long shafts or even extra longshafts. You can get an aftermarket self adjusting tie bar (EZ Steer) to steer the kicker from the outdrive. You'll want to also look for a bracket that gives the most lifting range as well. Some brackets don't lift or lower as much as others, and that makes a huge difference as to where you can mount your kicker.
 

swimmin' for shore

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Oct 25, 2004
Messages
490
Re: Can you use a SS on a high transom?

Those are the answers I've been looking for. Thanks, Jason. Incidentally, I tried to contact you through another post. Shoot me an email. My address is in my profile. I came through on 90 2 weeks ago with the Reinell, and thought of seeing that beast, if you had the time that weekend. Anyway, I forgot about it until it was too late, but I'm out that way occasionally, and was gonna invite you fishing out my way if you were down. I'm dying to see that boat. It's a work of art.
 
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