1969 25 Hp Johnny Rude/Kicker?

[jitterbug127]

Hello! I am new to the forum and this is my first post. My name is Rob, and I am a smallmouth fisherman from Greenwood, Indiana. I recently bought my first boat not called a kayak in the last several years. I bought a 16x54" jon boat, and it came with a nice 1969 Evinrude 25 hp motor. I replaced the impeller, changed the gear lube and installed new plugs. I took the motor over had had someone replace the carb, fuel lines, fuel pump and test the seals on the lower unit. This thing fires right up and I think will be a fantastic motor for my jon boat this year. I want to get a Kicker motor for the boat since the motor is older. I don't want to put all my eggs in one basket. Which size motor is ideal for a kicker motor?

 

[Scott Danforth]

first, welcome aboard.

your jon boat should have oars. that or an electric trolling motor will be your backup.

your 55 year old outboard is probably more reliable with minimal maintenance than most of todays outboards.

 

[jitterbug127]

That's probably a reasonable place to start. I do have both oars and an electric trolley motor

 

[Crosbyman]

....And on a windy day far from shore you will miss that fuel powered kicker .
any good running 3-4-5 hp with or without gear shift is in my humble opinion, better than an electic kicker or a pair of oars.


Small kickers are cheap on the "used" market , easy to revive like your 25 hp and parts available along with expert support on this site and AOMCI.

Up to you I guess and something to consider depending how far from shore you fish.

You can still run an the electric for great silent trolling with no fumes but nothing beats a non battery draining kicker. A small 4hp either Merc or OMC 3-4-5 hp are great plus Merc's have shifters as a bonus

 

[Scott Danforth]

however with the small boat the OP has, a 55# thrust trolling motor would push the boat in 30mph winds unless he raises a sail.

 

[jitterbug127]

I have been seeing 6 hp Evinrude "fisherman" motors in my area for $250-$400. I thought about getting one of those as a kicker, but they seem to be hard to find in long shaft. I thought about something like that vs 9.9 and i'm not sure which size would be best.

 

[racerone]

The 6 HP is a wonderful motor.-----Extension kits might be found via an ad on the ----aomci-----Free ad.

 

[jitterbug127]

The 6 HP is a wonderful motor.-----Extension kits might be found via an ad on the ----aomci-----Free ad.

Thanks for the insight on the 6hp!

aomic? I'm unfamiliar with the abbreviation

 

[racerone]

Antique Outboard Motor Club-----And -----leroysramblings -----Will nearly teach everything about older / affordable motors!!

 

[Crosbyman]

you could consider a flip down bracket for a short shaft engine. Keeps it out of the way on fast runs. Thighten the pilot assist bolt on the 6hp then you can flip it down and steer with the bigger engine. the FIsherman is a great engine

 

[jitterbug127]

Thanks for the recommendations everyone! I really appreciate it. I have a feeling outboard motors might be a new hobby of mine.

 

[Scott Danforth]

you could consider a flip down bracket for a short shaft engine. Keeps it out of the way on fast runs. Thighten the pilot assist bolt on the 6hp then you can flip it down and steer with the bigger engine. the FIsherman is a great engine

you need a bigger boat for all the extra stuff

 

[saltchuckmatt]

Just to confirm, 16 ft boat correct?

And what is your transom height?

I'd stick with the 6, 7.5 or 8hp outboard. All the same size block. Best to try for an 80's or 1990's year so you don't have to mess with it as much.

Post pictures of your boat and engine.

 

[tphoyt]

I had a 72 6hp that was unstoppable.
It even went for a swim once. It was only under for a minute as I went in after it and I think we reached the bottom at the same time.
A good fresh water rinse and a carb clean an she was running as usual.
I had for another 5 years after that before selling it. Great motors.

 

[F_R]

Unless you get a motor big enough to plane the boat, you won't get much more speed from going larger than 4 or 5 hp. I say keep the weight down with a 3 or 4hp. Myself, I use a 3hp Gale. (My collection specialty).

 

[Scott Danforth]

A 54" wide transom has enough room for a primary motor and a small trolling motor.

Max weight capacity will soon come into play

 

[Crosbyman]

real beauty...FR

 

[JimS123]

Don't overthink it. A 3 HP is fine. A 6 won't make you go any faster.

Why a long shaft? They are hard to find in the small HP range. You aren't going to plane the boat, so the position of the AV plate is not critical. You just need the prop to be mostly below the bottom of the boat.

 

[jitterbug127]

 

[jitterbug127]