trolling motor mounting question

[vinnie1234]

I just got a 4hp Johnson seahorse and a kicker plate. I need to mount this setup to my 78 crestliner crusader. The problem I have is that the shaft length on the motor is a little short - and the stern protrudes at the top about 4 inches which obscures the control for the motor.

Before I start drilling holes in my hull, I want to find the best "happy medium" between having the cavitation plate of the motor below the hull and being able to access the controls when the motor is in the up position.

If I mount the motor so that the controls are accessible from inside the boat (up position) then the cavitation plate will be about 2.5 to 3.5" above the bottom of the hull when in the down position.

My thinking is that I can mount it in the higher position and trim the motor out from the hull and it should be fine.

Can anyone tell me how important it is to have the cav plate below the hull, or what I should do?

 

[crb478]

With a trolling/kicker motor you will not be planning the boat so the Kicker should be higher than the main motor. You need to see where the water line is when your boat is just floating and not under power, then you need to make sure that the AV plate of the kicker will set at least even or below that water line. If you have an adjustable kicker mount there is usually plenty of room to go from out of the water at planning speed to deeper than you need while trolling.

 

[undone]

It is common for kickers (gas trolling motors) to be mounted higher than a main motor, the AV plate can be well above the bottom of the hull and still work fine.

If you can get the center line of the prop even with the bottom of the hull it will work OK. Lower is better, but we mount ours high due to navigating very shallow water, the trade off is poor performance in reverse.

 

[vinnie1234]

Thanks. That is helpful advice. The motor is also 20+ inches past the stern, so I am going to mount for the controls and see how it goes. Thanks!

 

[vinnie1234]

Well, its all mounted up. I am working out the bugs in my home made steering gear. Just about have it..... Almost. Thanks again for the help.

 

[surveyor1951]

I don't want to hijack this post but I do have a question about a kicker motor. I have a 135 Alpha 1 on my boat & I have a 6 hp Mercury as my kicker mounted on the starboard side of the boat. If I have the main engine running travelling at a higher speed,my boat will slightly veer to the right when the kicker is down & if I 'm trolling with the kicker, the boat will veer to the right. Is there a way to compensate the veering for the kicker or the main motor . Thanks. Sorry about highjacking your post.

 

[vinnie1234]

I found that after mounting mine I had a similar problem. I trimmed the kicker out a bit and that got the prop far enough out of the water in the up position to do the trick, although if there is too much weight on the kicker side, it will still dip in and pull.
I plan to install my trim tabs soon, and I think the one tab is going to end up right underneath the kicker about 12" in front of the prop. I expect once the boat is on plane and trimmed out, the tabs will deflect more water away from the kicker.

If you have the kicker trimmed out properly, maybe it is worth tilting it into the travel position when not in use?

 

[Starcraft5834]

here's a thought out of left field... "trolling plate" installed on main motor... no need for kickers... I installed one on my A1 3.0... works like a charm.... can be removed easily also....

 

[vinnie1234]

Trolling plate - good idea, but that little 4 horse sips gas, and takes hours away from the big guns. Not to mention it can get you into shore if the main engine goes for a toot.
I thought about the trolling plate tho.... Good idea, but not Ideal for my wants.