kicker motor installation - pic of transom

[tal]

Hello. I have a 2008 Mako 2101 CC. I'm wanting to install a 9.9 kicker for going offshore. I think my only option to do this is with one of those bracket deals that raise up and down. Is this my best option for this style of boat/transom? Any comments appreciated.

 

[j_k_bisson]

Re: kicker motor installation - pic of transom

The best setup that I have found is the fixed setup. The adjustable ones wear out over time. Hell I have one if you want it. Here is a pic of my last boat with a home made one. It is solid mount and you use the kickers trim to put the motor in storage position.



Sorry the pic is not of the bracket only. It's all I had. My buddy has this same bracket on his 05 graddy white.

 

[tal]

Re: kicker motor installation - pic of transom

I guess with something like that you have to find the sweet spot for various conditions right?

 

[Boatist]

Re: kicker motor installation - pic of transom

It does not look like you have a lot of room on the transom.
Is your beam near 8 feet wide. Maybe it is just because of the size of your main motor.
If you get a bracket I would suggest you get one way over rated.
Like rated for a 20HP 4 stroke and Stainless for Salt water.
I had one with a lift of 15 inches and rated for 20 HP 2 stroke.
On it I had a 15 HP Johnson 2 stroke in the picture and it worked ok but a little hard to lift.
Later I added a second one of the same type then made mounting board to tie the two together.
I had to also tie the two release levers together also.
When complete it works very well. The second unit took all the side to side movement out.
Also made it easier to lift.
Now when I release the lever it will go about half way down then to get all the way down
must push on the top.
When all the way down and release the lever comes about half way up then have to lift from there.
I am not sure you have room for the bracket.
My brackets are about 1985 models and new one cost more but are better.
This year I converted mine to a 15 HP Honda 4 stroke and it works but could be stronger.

 

[tal]

Re: kicker motor installation - pic of transom

Thanks for the thoughts.

The beam is 7'9". What makes it hard is the transom is not flat from side to side, they put the tie down hooks right in the wrong spot, and I have a stay put bracket 3M 5200ed on the side I need to put the motor, lol.

I thought about making a pole with a welded on plate that slides into the stayput bracket but I'm not sure if the motor will be deep enough in the water. The bracket is solid enough to do it and the 4 stroke kicker I'm looking at weighs 83 lbs.

I've looked at the panther 4 stroke bracket. Cabela's has a blueprint of the mounting surface for that particular bracket. I could make it work by cutting an ear or 2 off the mounting plate which I don't think will affect the integrity too bad.

The solid mount seems like a better solution but I don't think that will work well for my rig. I'd hate to be stuck at fixed level in the water if conditions change.

What's the chance of the bracket coming off without ripping my boat apart? I could put it on the other side but would it interfere much with my transducer? I'd assume the little motor would be hanging behind it on one of these brackets.

Also, does the kicker need to hang as low as the main engine? I'm leaning more to fabricating something that goes into the stayput bracket.

 

[Boatist]

Re: kicker motor installation - pic of transom

I do not know about your boat but on mine on my marginal days with 8 foot swells every 8 seconds
the motor will go completely under the water when backing into the swell then as it passes under
the boat prop will come out of the water.

So in these conditions must only run at idle or when the prop comes out the motor will rev way up and
when it drops back in the water the shock can break the Flywheel key.
When this happends the motor is done until pull the flywheel and put in a new key.
The farther behind the stern the motor is the worse this problem becomes.

So if I was starting over I would get brakets with less travel than my 15 inches.
The shorter travel also gives the springs more control since the moter has a shorter lever.

The good part about the adjustable brackets is it can adjust for all conditions.

Like backing into a beach you adjust motor higher so back all the way to the beach then step off without getting wet.

The rougher the condition are the deeper the motor must be to keep the prop in the water.

 

[tal]

Re: kicker motor installation - pic of transom

That poor little guy goes completely under the water? That can't be good.

I don't know what to do just yet but my options are limited. It'll either be making my own mount that goes into the stay put pole holder or getting one of the panther adjustable brackets and cutting the mounting plate to fit on my transom.

I wish something was made in a fashion where there was a 2" thick stainless steel plate that bolted permanently to the transom (didn't have to be big) then you bolted the adjustable bracket system to that plate. That way you can take it off and on as needed. I really don't like the fact that anything I do back there is going to be holes which are permanent.

 

[Boatist]

Re: kicker motor installation - pic of transom

Yes the motor goes completely under as the swell approaches.
It only stays under for about 1 second then the swell lift the boat.
It does not miss at all and when we get back to the flush station there does not seem to be any water inside.
It only does this when swells are STEEP or VERY STEEP and about 8 feet and 8 seconds apart.
My boat offshore always turns Bow down wind and we use the kicker to back into the wind a swell at idle speed.
We do this to slow our drift so we do not have to use really big weights.
Also when the wind gets over 27 knots we do not catch very many fish unless we slow our drift.
It also makes it less likely we will get hung up on the rocky bottom holding rock fish.
When the wind picks up to about 33 knots in 15 minutes will have wind blown white cape on every other swell.
We try to head in when the swell get to 8 feet every 8 seconds.
The worst we have been out in was 9 foot every 6 seconds and building.
It was still dry and safe but no one was having any fun.