How big a kicker?

[tonyscj5]

I am shopping for a kicker for my 19-6 aquasport. I will mainly use it for salmon slow trolling and as a safety back up motor. How big of an outboard do I need. I have a 6hp johnson that I have bolted on to move the boat at the marina when the other engine was down, but have not tried trolling in the ocean with it. I have a feeling it will be to small, but am not sure.<br /><br />I know someone with a 9.9johnson for sale, is this enough engine? He also has some 20 hp kickers, but that seems to heavy and big?<br /><br />I guess the only way to tell for sure is to try one one the water, but to get an idea give me some recomendations if you could.<br /><br />thanks

 

[WillyBWright]

Re: How big a kicker?

Try the six first. With a low pitched prop it'll probably be fine. Outboards achieve horsepower with RPMs. The more RPMs you turn, the more efficiently they run. A 6Hp at 1500RPMs is going to produce more Hp than a 9.9 at idle. It's not so much the size of the kicker as the amount of thrust it is Allowed to produce with appropriate RPMs.

 

[Navigator]

Re: How big a kicker?

tonyscj5,<br /><br />Like Willy said, try the 6 since you alread have it. Idealy a 9.9 of a 15 would be your best option, depending on the weight of your boat. Any small engine can move a boat around a marina, but when you get in open water wind, waves and current you're going to need more hp to maintain control. The world changes once you're off shore. This is not so important if you are just trolling, but if you are going to rely on this to be your back up engine should you develop a problem on your main.<br />Nothing like being off shore when the wind kicks up and you dont have the power to maintain steerage.<br /><br />As for recomendations, is your main engine 2 stroke or 4 stroke, I/O or stern drive? If you're looking at a 2 stroke, then I'd recommend the Mercury 15. Its only 80lbs, inexpensive and is pretty durable. In the 4 stroke market, I'd recommend the tohatsu/nissan 18. Its one of the lightest weight 4 strokes out there and it too is relatively inexpensive. (The 4 stroke makes the most sense if you are going to be primarily running at idle speeds since it wont "load up" and need to be decarbed). But then again, you always want to go with something that you can get good service locally on. As far as reliablity, almost all new outboards in the 9.9-15 range are reliable. It really boils down to brand loyalty and pricing.<br /><br />Nav

 

[tonyscj5]

Re: How big a kicker?

Brand loyalty will not play into my desicion, I will be buying the motor used. A four stroke would be nice, if I can find a good deal on one.<br /><br />The boat is a "big" 19-6'er so I doubt that the 6hp will work, especially if I am 25 miles off shore chasing tuna and my big dog craps out. I will keep looking. Thanks

 

[mjbrueck]

Re: How big a kicker?

Since you already have the 6, it would probably be worth the $60 or $70 to buy a trolling prop (assuming it doesn't already have one). With the standard prop, probably around a 7 or 8 pitch, you won't see more than about 3000 rpms (maybe 3 or 4 hp). The 6hp with a low pitch trolling prop will move your boat better than a 9.9 or 15 with it's standard prop. Now a 9.9 or 15 with a trolling prop might do better, but none of the choices will move you faster than 5 or 6 knots. Whatever motor, you use for a kicker, prop it right. If you buy a 15hp with a 9 or 10 pitch prop, lugging it will kill it very quickly.<br /><br />You won't be able to buy a kicker big enough to chase down a school of tuna that's moving away from you - that's a job for your main engine.

 

[Solittle]

Re: How big a kicker?

I doubt that the 6 will allow you to hold a good course in any kind of wind. A 9.9 or 15 (same weight & powerhead) will fill the bill nicely.