going in circles

kokajohn

Cadet
Joined
Sep 24, 2014
Messages
12
I have a 1988 19 ft Bayliner I/O, it currently has a Honda 5 hp kicker. My question is: Is this enough motor for trolling? I have it dialed in to run all day at 1.3>1.5 but when I go to set my downriggers the boat wants to go in circles. Would I be better off with a bow mounted electric or a larger kicker? Any advice would help I am getting dizzy.
 

mr 88

Commander
Joined
Nov 3, 2010
Messages
2,223
You need as much weight as possible in the bow . I have read where you may need as much as 200 + lbs. to get it to track correctly. The V of your hull WHEN in the water will keep it tracking in the direction you want it to go. Right now it sounds like you have yourself,engine,fishing gear and probably batteries ,gas tank all in the stern, that translates to your bow not making enough contact ,so the prop thrust is pushing her in circles. Sandbags and or moving as much gear and batteries to the bow should keep it tracking straight. One other option is trolling bags on both sides and then bumping up your speed, or if it keeps going to.the port throw one bag on the starboard side to compensate or vise versa. Trolling bag,not drift bag. You could try a 5 gallon bucket with some 1 " holes drilled in the bottom.to see if that helps before you buy bags. Secure midship so the bucket doesn't get sucked into your prop.Bucket should end up about 1-2' in front of transom..
 
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Sprig

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
May 2, 2016
Messages
637
I’m an avid fisherman and troller so I know something about this. Yes 5hp is too small for the size and weight of your boat but you should be able to successfully troll with it it in calm windless , no current conditions. Even getting a bigger trolling motor may not solve your problem. When you stop steering and go to set up rods , downriggers or what ever the slightest breeze or current will throw you off course and drive you in circles. I have a 6hp mercy on my 18’ Alumaweld. What I do is when I’m setting up or adjusting downriggers I start my main motor , slip it in to gear . The main motor with more power and larger prop is less affected by wind and current. If I start drifting off course I just step to the front of the boat and turn the wheel slightly.. When I’m done doing what ever I turn the main motor off and resume steering with the trolling motor. I also have my trolling motor attached to my main outboard when trolling so I steer with the steering wheel. Hope this makes sense.

The best way to troll however is with an electric trolling motor with auto pilot. You set your course and autopilot keeps you on course. An electric trolling motor powerful enough to troll your boat with autopilot is expensive, probably $1000 or more. Most fishermen including guides on our lakes here in California use the electric with autopilot. It is the best way to go and maybe best of all is the silence of the electric.
I don’t think you problem is caused due to weight distribution. The problem is at low speed you don’t have enough power and the little prop on your kicker doesn’t have enough torque to keep your boat straight with out actually steering it and making steering adjustments. Again the slightest breeze will change your course.
One other alternative is to troll with your main motor and get a trolling plate. Or as mentioned a 5 gal bucket or 2 or a trolling sock may allow you to troll slow enough with your main motor and allow it to stay on course.
 
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kokajohn

Cadet
Joined
Sep 24, 2014
Messages
12
Thanks for the advice. I forgot to mention that I have an easy steer system between the two motors. I will try adding more weight to the bow first and seeing if that works. Thanks again
 

mr 88

Commander
Joined
Nov 3, 2010
Messages
2,223
A couple things, if your kicker is moving you at your desired speed you do not need a bigger motor. With a bigger motor all your going to do is idle it down more. You should have a high thrust prop on it , I believe that will allow you to bump up your throttle with out gaining any more speed and give you more control as the blades may be larger with less pitch. " Sprigs" boat is more than likely a outboard which does not weigh anywhere near what your I/O weighs,probably a + 300lb difference Lack of tracking by I/Os has been hashed over and the main answer is weight in the bow ,granted your trying to steer with a outboard but as noted the bow is riding high and not acting as a rudder to keep you tracking straight. Report back with your findings !
 

TyeeMan

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Feb 27, 2006
Messages
849
I think the 5 h.p should be sufficient. That said, I think you still want to get your bow down a bit because as previously mentioned, when the wind blows from the side it will blow you off course real quick.

Also as mentioned previously, a bow mount electric will be your best friend as it pulls the boat rather than pushes it.
I do a lot of trolling for walleye on the bigger lakes here in Minnesota. I have a 20 ft Lund Tyee Magnum I.O.
Currently I have a Minnkota Ulterra i-pilot link connected to a Humminbird Helix 10. If you want to do nothing but concentrate on fishing and not driving the boat, this is the system, period.
Look around on Craigs list, I've seen one and two year old Ulterra 90 lb thrust motors going for around a $1000-$1500.
 

Lowlysubaruguy

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Dec 3, 2012
Messages
514
kind of depends on the trolling your doing here we troll right on top of each other in high winds and rough water its COMBAT FISHING at its best. Sometimes the fishermen are more entertaining than the fish A 5hp outboard might very well handle all the simple parts of trolling like go straight turn left or right but you throw 45 other boats a 50 MPH wind some hefty waves river current and a 40 pound salmon in the mix and your going to be in big trouble in a nano second you need more cowbells for evasive or extreem manuvering not for the actual trolling. A lot of the time I have my IO outdrive up quite a bit so our lines dont get hung up in it so firing it off to save the dave at the last minute isnt fast enough so more HP will be needed for certain things. Personally if you can get by with a smaller OB at a higher RPM you might actually find your able to control your speeds for that perfect strike zone. If your trolling for shy fish you need an electric any way skiiddish fish can be spooked with a gas engine.
 

JimS123

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Jul 27, 2007
Messages
8,271
I have a similar setup and we troll all day long. Mine is a 9.9, mounted stbd and she runs only at idle to get 1.9 mph. I do have a "sailboat" prop, so she runs at a little higher rpm. I also have a homemade ez-steer.

A bigger motor won't help you - you will still run at the same speed, with just higher engine rpms. Your problem is where the engine is mounted.

My rig turns to port without effort no matter what. If its windy I may also do donuts. If its windy and I try to turn to stbd it may not happen.

Sure an expensive electric bow mount with all the gadgets will help. I personally don't like electric, and would rather have a gas engine. I know others with center mounted electrics (right on the outdrive) and they don't have the problem.

A side transom mount will always want to steer opposite in certain weather conditions. That's why I try to only go on calm days, and it gets windy I pull up the kicker and troll with the main.
 
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