Tiller Main Motor

[Berdink]

My kicker works fine as a tiller because it's mounted up higher on the transum. But my main motor has controls and has a 20 inch shaft.
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It seems to me with our StarCrafts and the depth of the splashwell, and how low our main motors sit, that you'd need at least a 24 or 25 inch shaft to mount the motor high enough to operate the tiller.
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Am I correct?

 

[MNhunter1]

It all depends on how you mount the kicker. A lot of kickers are short shaft motors, but you can find them pretty easily in a long shaft configuration, and even some 25" setups with the newer options. Splashwells vary from Starcraft model to model as well. My MR180 has a much shallower spalshwell than my Nova and SS did. Mounting directly to the spalshwell or using a bracket will also come into your decision making. There are also tiller handle extensions, or some connect their kicker to the main motor, or use the main motor/helm as their steering. All depends on your specific setup and use scenario. With the slower speed of the kicker and not being up on plane, the motor also doesn't need to sit as low to keep the prop in the water. I think for the vast majority, a long shaft 20" kicker is ideal for a 20" transom.