what size kicker motor should i get for my 21' sea ray

[den44057]

hey guys i have a 1977 21' srv200 sea ray and am looking to put a kicker motor on it and wanted to get some opinions on the size i should use.

i am mainly going to use it to troll a little and as a back up just to get me back to the dock if by any chance my motor would ever fail me.

i have a friend that has a mercury 6hp long shaft 2 stroke do you think that would be enough for what im looking to use it for ?

by the way i dont go out no more than 3 miles in ohio on lake erie thanks for any info

 

[dan t.]

Re: what size kicker motor should i get for my 21' sea ray

You can troll with a 6 hp but it may not get you home against a wind or currant if the main fails. Get at least a 9.9 hi-thrust

 

[Mi duckdown]

Re: what size kicker motor should i get for my 21' sea ray

Den. I don't think a 6hp is the greatest, for 21' Do you have a Pic of your boat?

 

[Boatist]

Re: what size kicker motor should i get for my 21' sea ray

I would not get less than a 15 HP long shaft. I have a 21 foot Crestliner Aluminum and it weighs 2800 lb dry.
I have had a 15 HP Johnson 2 stroke long shaft for many years. Last year upgraded to a Honda 15 Hp 4 stroke long shaft with electric start and 12 amp alternator last year.

I fish the Pacific Ocean about half the time out to 30 miles or up the Coast 30 miles.
The 9.9 and 15 HP Johnson 2 Strokes weigh 79 lbs with the long shaft. This motor worked good with a top speed of 5 mph with a high thrust prop. (10 by 7 4 blade) Inland lakes and rivers it was fine.
Offshore it really did not have enough power. When the wind gets up over 30 knots (common all summer long) it does not have enough power to turn up into the winds or swells.
It will turn up but it takes too long if turning into the wind and swell. Swell often 9 feet every 6 seconds every afternoon.
when changing course and making the tack between swells it could leave straight into the swell when the next swell arrives.
I wanted the 20 hp Honda with electric start but they do not sell it without the power trim so got the 15 HP instead.

With my old motor fishing inland waters it was fine. In high winds running into the wind hard to keep straight on my boat because the front is so light.

 

[den44057]

kicker motor size ?

kicker motor size ?

i have a 20' srv 200 sea ray and was looking to put a kicker motor on it could anyone tell me if a 8hp Johnson Sailmaster motor super long shaft would work getting me back out of lake erie if by some chance my main inboard would stop ? just so you know i go out no more than like three miles to hit a few perch when there close and walleye

 

[smallboatlover]

Re: kicker motor size ?

Re: kicker motor size ?

well it depends? are you going to be trolling with it too? i think you might be able to get away with a 4hp or 5hp if you have a 8hp it would work just make you have a good mount for it.

 

[pecheux]

Re: kicker motor size ?

Re: kicker motor size ?

Had on older 9.9hp behind a 20 footer bass boat ... mounted on an up and down bracket made just for that ... worked great for trolling and was fast enough to get me back to the marina if the 115 hp would have failed (never did) But that was on freshwater lakes NOT the ocean. If so I would have favored a 20 hp.
Cheers

 

[DaNinja]

Re: kicker motor size ?

Re: kicker motor size ?

i have a 20' srv 200 sea ray and was looking to put a kicker motor on it could anyone tell me if a 8hp Johnson Sailmaster motor super long shaft would work getting me back out of lake erie if by some chance my main inboard would stop ? just so you know i go out no more than like three miles to hit a few perch when there close and walleye

I don't know. Your 20' SeaRay isn't exactly a lightweight and you're talking about Lake Erie. I grew up on the Great Lakes and I own a similar boat. If that was my backup plan, I'd probably at least give it a trial run in less than ideal conditions first.

 

[DaNinja]

Re: what size kicker motor should i get for my 21' sea ray

I suggest that you start a new thread in two weeks if you don't like the answers in this one.

 

[timfives]

Re: kicker motor size ?

Re: kicker motor size ?

I've got a 9.9 on my 19 foot starcraft as a kicker. It has ample power, but your boat is probably heavier. An 8 would probably be sufficient, but won't be breaking any speed records.

T

 

[JoLin]

Re: kicker motor size ?

Re: kicker motor size ?

You boat in major water. I don't believe 8 hp will do it in an emergency against any serious wind or wave action. I ran a 15 hp kicker on my 21' Pro-Line (a lighter boat than yours) and it worked fine in some pretty snotty conditions. I wouldn't have wanted anything smaller, though. I'd recommend a 15 for what you have in mind. 20 hp wouldn't be overkill, either.

My .02

 

[etracer68]

Re: kicker motor size ?

Re: kicker motor size ?

I have ran a 7.5 merc on a 19 bayliner, and it worked fine, But as other people have said, if the weather kicks up a bit and your in a stong head wind, the 8HP will be working hard, and a slow ride in.

 

[Boatist]

Re: kicker motor size ?

Re: kicker motor size ?

I have a 21 foot Crestliner Runabout that weighs 2800 pounds dry.
I have a 15 Hp Johnson 2 stroke long shaft as a kicker.
Top speed with a high thrust 10 inch 7 pitch 4 blade prop is just under 5 mph. On inland lake and rivers it works good. I use an EZ Steer for Steering.

However I do 50 percent of my fishing in the Pacific Ocean 50 miles North of San Franchsco.
Weather conditions in summer most afternoons is 25 Knot winds with gust to 35 and Swells 5 to 9 feet 6 to 9 seconds apart.

In these conditions a 15 hp Johnson 2 stroke long shaft is the smallest motor I would use. On my boat works very well except when need to turn up into the wind and swells. In this case you turn up as far as you can and be safe then look for a low swell and farther apart to tack in. Most of the time you can complete the turn but now and then yor get a gust and end up straight into the swell.
Luckly in my case the wind comes out of 320 degrees or NNW almost every day in summer. Any day with normals 8 foot seas and 25 knots winds will will fish up North so be headed down wind and down swell in the afternoon to get back in.

I just upgraded to a 15 HP Honda long shaft with electric start an 15 amp alternator last year. I wanted the 20 HP but with electric start they do not sell that motor with out the power trim and tilt which add another 31 pounds. At least both motors are larger cubic inches than my old motor and while it still 15 hp turns up faster.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: what size kicker motor should i get for my 21' sea ray

I suggest that you start a new thread in two weeks if you don't like the answers in this one.

Threads merged.

 

[DJ]

Re: what size kicker motor should i get for my 21' sea ray

The general rule of thumb is the kicker should be 10% of the main engine horsepower. At a minimum.

Another important rule is that a small outboard should be "re-propped" to a "high thrust" type of prop. Those props will allow the engine to deliver maximum performance without straining them.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: what size kicker motor should i get for my 21' sea ray

when you guys rig these kickers, do you hook it into the steering, or use the dead motor as a rudder?
do you hook up controls, or just put it in gear, set the speed and let it run?
Or do you tiller steer sitting on the transom?
(I know there are systems to marry the kicker to the main if it's an OB, and I can picture having a seperate control box at the helm, but wondering what's typical short of that).