Kicker Questions

I do my best to ensure the reliability of my boat, as I'm sure most of us do. I still have a concern about motor issues causing us to be stranded. I think it'd be a lot 'safer' to have some sort of backup power. My boat is a 17' Sunbird Neptune with a '96 Johnson 90. A few years ago, my dad gave me an old (mid 60's maybe) Johnson Seahorse 5 or 6 HP. It has no spark and is a bit rough, and no local shops will touch it. I may make a winter project out of it. In the mean time, I think something like an 8 or 9.9 HP would be better for our needs. We go up the Cape Fear River and in the ICWW... no ocean trips for us.

I don't see a real way to mount an outboard on this boat. There is a splashwell where the motor is mounted but just about 18-20" on each side of that. Is it standard to just mount a kicker bracket here and attach the motor to it? I'm thinking I need a long-shaft motor for this. My current motor has oil injection, so I'd have to take a portable tank with premix for the kicker. I wonder how long one would run on a 3 gallon tank. What speed would I get out of a small motor like this? I'm thinking it would be something a bit like idle with the main motor. Thanks for any input!

Re: Kicker Questions

The max speed you would get would usually be "hull speed". This is the maximum speed your boat will go before it starts to climb up on plane. Usually, a max of 5-6 mph. You will find that the boat will get close to this speed with 50% of throttle on the little engine and the difference between 50% and 100% in speed won't be that much. This will save you fuel and you will be able to go quite a distance on 3 gallons of fuel. Assuming you are in-shore, it should get you safely to a port.

You could mount it to the transom with an adjustable height auxillary engine bracket and get a steering link that will allow you to steer with your regular sttering. The engine can be lowered when needed.

Instead of going through all of this, fix the main engine and consider getting a seatow or similar membership.

Re: Kicker Questions

Like I said, I do all I can to ensure reliability, but getting stuck due to some sort of motor or fuel failure is what I'm trying to avoid. There is nothing wrong with my motor. I have the tow aspect covered, a VHF, and a cell phone.

I called SeaTow for a tow about 5 years ago. I was told it would take over an hour for them to get to me. This was right in 'front' of the State Ports on the Cape Fear River. The Coast Guard wouldn't allow anchoring in this area (duh!) and ended up towing me back to the ramp. They normally don't tow, as we all know, but considering the area, they did and were both exceptionally nice about it. This was on my previous boat, but an aux. motor would have gotten me out of this. The currents are very strong here during tide change and using a paddle would have made no difference.

David

Re: Kicker Questions

With strong currents I would be leaning toward the 9.9 to 15 hp range as I would rather have a little extra then not enough and many of them weigh about the same. I mounted mine on an adjustable bracket and I am happy with that set up. The 5 or 6 hp would be great for trolling but it would be hard for it to make any headway into a strong current. Like you I would rather have a back up to get me out of a bad situation even if I am only getting out of there slowly. I can still call for a tow if needed while having some control of the boat.

Re: Kicker Questions

Thanks for the input. I thought more folks used kickers, but I guess not. I'll try to hunt down a decent 9.9, though it may be fall / winter before I get one. Most of the ones I find are WAY overpriced for what they are.