Boat & kicker ? Where and how to mount?

Joined
Jan 23, 2003
Messages
23
I want to mount my 15hp Johnson kicker on my alum. Starcraft Chieftain I/O. I have a Garelick sliding mount, but would like some pointers as to horizontal/vertical placement on transom. The kicker is elec start & remote. Would like to use remote capability to run/steer from helm. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Would love to hear from other Chieftain owners, too! Thanks
 

Bondo

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Apr 17, 2002
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Re: Boat & kicker ? Where and how to mount?

Hi Dave,<br /> I've got a 221 Islander.....<br />I Thought about a kicker for trolling, for about a Minute..... <br />The Added weight, linkages, fuel lines, maintainance, wiring, etc...<br />Not ta mention, The added fish looseing snags at the transom.... <br />NOPE, Forget it.... I wouldn't do it......<br />What's your Main Objective with this project ????
 

Boatist

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Apr 22, 2002
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Re: Boat & kicker ? Where and how to mount?

David<br />I have a 21 foot Crestliner with a 15 HP kicker and for saftey alone well worth it but also trolling much eaiser to get the speed you want.<br /><br />As far as mounting what I did was first to pick a side. I put mine to port because my steering wheel is on starboard. I figured if some day boating alone that way my wieght and motor weight would not be on same side so weight would be more ballanced.<br /><br />Next I turned my main motor all the way port and the kicker all the way to starboard and made sure far enough apart that they could not hit each other. That is my way to find how far to port or starboard to mount.<br /><br />Last the hard part finding how high to mount. I use my boat in the ocean so wanted motor a little deeper than if in lakes or rivers. With 9 foot swells and under power if motor comes out of water can over rev or rev then when drops back in and slows way down can break flywheel keyway. Anyway find how deep you want it at it deepest and put motor on its bracket and set bracket to next to deepest setting or deepest if sure. now hold it up and have someone mark holes or outling bracket. I found this hard so what I did was put some lumber under motor to get height I wanted. That made it easy to hold and mark. Double check everything and mark bracket. Before drilling check your bracket and if has lots of holes you may want to go one hole down from top and one up from bottom. Only reason for this is again if want to move up or down can then move to next hole. If your sure can take top and bottom hole.<br />On my boat I actually mounted my Garlick bracket into a another bracket that allow you to slide the bracket and all off. Actually I used two 20 HP garlick brackets with 13 inches of lift and attached them together then mount both into slide on brackets. Before you actually drill look inside and make sure no wireing or anything in way. I actually had to move bildge blowen a few inches.<br /><br />For steering I use a EZ Steer to attach the two motors. My kicker is just a tiller so when backing into a beach I do not attach the EZ Steer raise main motor take and use kicker to back in safely. As get to beach raise kicker shut off and stepp off with mooring line in hand. Wife ties off the anchore line with boat deep enough to not hit anything. <br /><br />Wow way too long sorry
 

Lark40

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Oct 29, 2001
Messages
793
Re: Boat & kicker ? Where and how to mount?

Boatist,<br /><br />I have the same boat as Bondo, but have seen pictures of other Islander 221's with kickers, and am considering adding one to mine.<br /><br />Question - how to you control shifting and throttle? Are you just manually throwing it into gear at a fixed throttle, and then cutting it off when you approach the dock? I need some detail on controlling the kicker.
 
Joined
Jan 23, 2003
Messages
23
Re: Boat & kicker ? Where and how to mount?

Hey Gang: Bondo: Mainly want the kicker as a "get home" motor, but for trolling too. Had a motor die on a fast moving river once (made it back on elec. troll after dark) and that was enough. Planning on Mississippi R. use with this boat so I want some power insurance. Boatist: Thanks, that's the kind of input I'm looking for. I have a pretty good idea what I'm going to do, but asking for experienced advice can point out pitfalls and better ideas! I'm planning on running control cables for the remote (they're already attached)and wonder if anyone has routing advice for the cables. Thanks guys! Great board!
 

Boatist

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Joined
Apr 22, 2002
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4,552
Re: Boat & kicker ? Where and how to mount?

Lark<br />My motor just standard model and has no remote shift box or throttle hook up but use EZ steer. Yes control it manually. If I ever have to use it to get back to the dock I would just disconnect the EZ steer and run it from the back. I was going to hook it up as a remote but then realized I could not steer or shift from back. Since we set a front anchor and back into beaches a lot where need to look over back and back between rock just left it like it is. Also if we fish Black Bass works much better to controll from back. Not a very good bass boat as bow will always blow down wind but still have caught lots. Would like to find a way to use both ways.<br />We have two friends we meet at a ocean campsite with Starcraft Islanders 19 foot I think. They both have I/O and a kicker. Out here I think a must to have a kicker for Ocean waters as wind almost always blows toward shore. If main engine should fail it would be sea anchor, reg anchor then you life. Summer water temp about 55 degrees so at best have 20 minutes in water. We have towed two boats out of the rocky surf and breakers with dead engines. Last one if he had been 10 foot closer to rocks I would have not risk my boat a crew to save them. Stupid people worked all morning to start motor but when it started put cover on and headed out. Almost there last trip. No radio, second motor, any kind of anchore, no flare gun.
 

go-fishing

Cadet
Joined
Jan 11, 2003
Messages
15
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.
 
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