Adding kicker motor to a Lowe FS 175

[michaeloberg]

Hi guys,

Has anyone ever added a 9.9 kicker to a 2007 Lowe FS175?

I know I can add a lift plate but would prefer to not drill through the transom if possible. I have about 2 1/2 inches from rear deck to the top of the transom. Is this enough? Anyone ever added a piece of wood or aluminum to raise this up? I don't have a kicker bought yet so I can't measure how much inside of the clamp requires.



Here is a pic from inside


Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks,

Mike

 

[Sprig]

I doubt 2.5 inches is enough. Looks like you might be better off with an adjustable outboard motor bracket. Yes you’d have to drill in the transom but it’s really not a big deal.

 

[JimS123]

You have to drill even if the 2 1/2" is enough. Don't ever rely on clamps. They are intended to keep a little 9.9 on, but may not be good enough to withstand the stresses of that big guy sitting next to it. (OK, OK, everybody and their brother just clamps on and it is just fine. Well, are ya feelin lucky?)

Next comment, you have an ideal situation there. Plenty of room, easy to maneuver, easy to tie in steering with the main, and a nice stable mount. You can merely tilt the kicker up and off you go. No bouncing around. Even the best and most expensive retractable mount will wiggle a bit and most likely the lower unit will somewhat be in the water when in the up position. Then, you'll be inclined to tilt the motor up - then you'll see what real wiggle is all about......LOL.

Find out what height you need to achieve and cut a piece of oak to fit. Put it on top of the transom and then put 1/4" pieces of aluminum on both sides. Sandwich the wood in between and then thru bolt the piece and transom with 8 bolts. Easy, peasy, looks professionally done.

51 years with transom kickers. The method I described was the best of all my endeavors.

EDIT - starboard would also be good instead of oak. If you DO decide on a retractable mount, that carpeted panel will have to be removed to access the bolt holes, which will be down much lower.

 

[michaeloberg]

You have to drill even if the 2 1/2" is enough. Don't ever rely on clamps. They are intended to keep a little 9.9 on, but may not be good enough to withstand the stresses of that big guy sitting next to it. (OK, OK, everybody and their brother just clamps on and it is just fine. Well, are ya feelin lucky?)

Next comment, you have an ideal situation there. Plenty of room, easy to maneuver, easy to tie in steering with the main, and a nice stable mount. You can merely tilt the kicker up and off you go. No bouncing around. Even the best and most expensive retractable mount will wiggle a bit and most likely the lower unit will somewhat be in the water when in the up position. Then, you'll be inclined to tilt the motor up - then you'll see what real wiggle is all about......LOL.

Find out what height you need to achieve and cut a piece of oak to fit. Put it on top of the transom and then put 1/4" pieces of aluminum on both sides. Sandwich the wood in between and then thru bolt the piece and transom with 8 bolts. Easy, peasy, looks professionally done.

51 years with transom kickers. The method I described was the best of all my endeavors.

EDIT - starboard would also be good instead of oak. If you DO decide on a retractable mount, that carpeted panel will have to be removed to access the bolt holes, which will be down much lower.

Thanks for the reply. A couple of questions, I guess I will start with the obvious - are you saying to take a few pieces of oak, glue them together, wrap them in aluminum and then run 8 bolts through the transom? If so, where would I run the bolts through? Along that bottom edge I could see running a couple, but where would the remaining 6 go?

would you make it to fit that angle on the port side of the boat and snug right against the transom cap?

and finally would this setup not involve removing the rear deck and drilling holes below the water line?

I haven’t purchased a kicker yet, so I don’t know if a short or long shaft will work best. I know a Merc 9.9 4 stroke is what I am buying, but it is another grand for the pro kicker and not sure I need power tilt and all that jazz.
If you have pictures of past projects that may help me understand what you’re thinking.

thanks!

mike

 

[JimS123]

I'm not into drawing blueprints any more, so just bear with me. My old transom mounted kicker boats are long gone so no pics.

I don't know what dimensions you will need, so lets make some assumptions. Let's just say your transom is 2" thick and sticks up 3". You want to raise the transom up 6" more for the new motor, and your motor clamping bracket is 8" wide. So, let's make the new riser 12" wide so you have ample room.

Cut two pieces of 1" thick starboard 12" wide and 6" tall. Laminate them together to be the same thickness as the transom. Then, cut two pieces of 1/4" aluminum, 12" wide and 9" tall (6+3). Bolt the starboard riser between the 2 aluminum plates with three 3/8" SS bolts - 1" from each edge and one in the center. Now slide the assembly over the transom and bolt is to the transom with 3 more bolts in the same positions. The new thickness should be 2 1/2", which should still accommodate the clamps.

You probably don't need 6" - maybe only an inch or 2. Make it the smallest rise you can get away with.

 

[JimS123]

Here's a second best option. In this case the transom wasn't flat so a riser wasn't an option. A fixed mount Panther IMHO is a far better choice than a retractable bracket.

 

[MRS]

Hi guys,

Has anyone ever added a 9.9 kicker to a 2007 Lowe FS175?

I know I can add a lift plate but would prefer to not drill through the transom if possible. I have about 2 1/2 inches from rear deck to the top of the transom. Is this enough? Anyone ever added a piece of wood or aluminum to raise this up? I don't have a kicker bought yet so I can't measure how much inside of the clamp requires.



Here is a pic from inside
View attachment 333835

Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks,

Mike

Looks like you have a Terrova unit in your garage? why do you need the extra gas kicker on the back with the i-pilot it should do you great. I'm waiting on mine now.

 

[JimS123]

I just measured my Merc 3.5 4-stroke and the clamp discs extend just 2.5 inches below the transom cap. So, if the 9.9 is the same you can probably mount it with no add-ons. At worst, maybe just put a 1/4" shim in the transom cap under the motor.

You will still have to temporarily remove the carpeted panel to access the bottom mounting bolts on the motor..

 

[roscoe]

Can't see any way you will mount a kicker without drilling.

I added a transom extension to my old '74 starcraft.
the polyurethane didn't hold up to well


My new boat has something similar, but done with spar varnish and still looks almost new after 8 years. Holds a 15 hp kicker just fine.
Made from 2 pieces of 3/4" ply, glued and screwed together, just like a transom.
4 bolts through the transom to secure it, sealed with 4200, then motor secured with the clamps AND a bolt through the motor bracket.
Can't seem to find a photo of the new boat.

You could make one from a solid piece of aluminum plate from speedymetals. speedymetals.com/pc-2416-8360-1-14-6061-t651-aluminum-plate.aspx
Paint it to match the boat.

 

[michaeloberg]

Looks like you have a Terrova unit in your garage? why do you need the extra gas kicker on the back with the i-pilot it should do you great. I'm waiting on mine now.

That is actually the Terrova that came with the boat, I had a brand new one on my Lund that I put on this boat. So I actually have a perfectly working 24V 80lb Terrova with iPilot if anyone is interested. I use the Terrova to steer the boat using I link and use the kicker to help push the boat. Saves batteries and in tournaments can run all day long on one charge. Also kicker is a safety backup if the waters get rough and the big motor dies.
This is my new one:


The one one has universal sonar and my new one has Mega Down Imaging and then the front unit is networked into my other two Helix graphs:


Makes it nice because all electronics talk to each other and I can choose the front or rear transducer and have MSI or MDI on multiple transducers on the boat:

 

[MRS]

Wow your setup is killer I have a ct 90 outboard that I troll with can troll as slow as I need to. Like I said waiting on my Terrova unit to be delivered mainly for the spot lock.

 

[michaeloberg]

Wow your setup is killer I have a ct 90 outboard that I troll with can troll as slow as I need to. Like I said waiting on my Terrova unit to be delivered mainly for the spot lock.

 

[michaeloberg]

Spot lock is awesome, you will also like the feature that allows you to record up to 2 miles of GPS tracking. So if you know you pick up fish along a certain contour or depth of water, record the track and then you can go back to it day after day, year after year. I have 5 tracks recorded and can usually pickup my limit by running one or two tracks. Also you can BT a phone or tablet if you don't want to use the remote. I haven't even taken my foot pedal out of the box for my new unit.

 

[Lowlysubaruguy]

Best advice on a new boat have the wife put a dent in it and everything else is a lot easier from there. Time to drill baby drill.