Am I on the right track for my new kicker set-up?

[Major Tom]

Been reading a lot of posts and planning to add a kicker. I have swim platform on port, factory Bennett tabs (I think they're the shorter/wider ones). I have 2 - 24 gal tanks with Racor water separator/filter and tank switch (and spare filters). Honda 90HP. 2 Group 27 batteries mounted between fuel tanks, so they're centered.

Here's what I'm currently thinking:
New Tohatsu 6hp Sail Pro20" - high thrust prop, 2.15 gear ratio, manual start, ext. fuel tank, 5A charging

-Mount on starboard with Mini Jacker
-Cabelas EZ attach mount for steering
-Maybe add a remote throttle later

I'll use it primarily as a get-home motor for near-shore coastal use, and occasionally slow cruising.

What I like about it: I really want to keep weight down, which is why I'm looking at the 6 hp's. I also want the ability to charge... at least enough to run the chart plotter and depthfinder if all else fails. I'll carry the 3 gal ext tank with gas from separate gas stations, and I always fill each main tank from separate stations.

What I'm still wondering about:
Well, it won't match my Honda But I guess I could live with the that... the Honda's are just too heavy (and pricey).

In wind or current it could be underpowered...? I've read up on hull speed and other's experiences, but I'm still wondering if moving up to 9.9hp will be worth the extra weight...? Anything beyond that is definitely too heavy.

Any advice appreciated... thanks!

[colbysmith]

I've got the Tohatsu 6, but there is no alternator on it. You can see my kicker install in my photo album. I'm quite happy with the small outboard, and use it mostly for trolling. Top speed for me is just barely 5 kts. I have experimented with it on Green Bay (Lake Michigan) in 2-3 foot waves and it did fine. Just a lot slower than on calm water. Colby

[thataway]

The 6 hp should be plenty of HP. I have described a number of times, that my father's 26 foot sailboat--with hull similar to the C Dory25 (had chine) and harder to push thru the water,--did fine for many years with a 5 hp outboard--basically high thrust. Later a 9.9 hp outboard was put aboard, and did not do as well...

Beware that the 4,5 and 6 HP are the same blocks--. The low end ratios are the same, just a larger, lower pitched prop.

I use the 3.5 2 stroke dinghy motor for a kicker. You want to get the boat to a safe place. You cannot expect to go any faster than "hull speed"--

The rest of the plan sounds solid.

I once towed a 25 foot boat in which had lost its main, and had not brought along the kicker. When I asked why no kicker--answer: it weighed too much, and was too difficult to handle--so they left in back at their camp. It was a 25 hp...even a 3 hp would have gotten them back home...

[Major Tom]

That's all good, thanks for confirming my plan. Colby, I just answered your questions, but now just saw your reply on this post... wanna trade your 6HP for my gull wing canvas? Just kidding!

Now on to finding the best price for that Tohatsu. Not too many good dealers near me, I may have to go online. Thanks!

[A Fishin C]

I wanted the Tohatsu also but ended up with a Suzuki 6 because it was on sale.

One thing you may look out for is the configuration of how the tiller comes off the engine. The tohatsu, I believe sticks out to the port side from the engine. The suzuki tiller comes off the engine more or less flush to the hood.

If tiller steering, with the close proxity of the engines, this may also be a factor for you.

The tiller steering just doesn't work well on the port side.

[Sunbeam]

I can't speak to the Tohatsu engine, but otherwise your plan (and what you decided against) sound reasonable to me. Just some background on my boat:

When I got the boat it had the factory platform on port side, and a Honda 8D kicker on starboard (110# oof). Start and house batts in starboard lazarette. As you can imagine, I listed to starboard. Always. Ugh.

Well the Honda was certainly a nice kicker. Less than ten hours, electric start, alternator, two-cylinder smoothness, etc. But it was heavy. And my use for a kicker is only for an emergency second engine. So it was kind of a waste of "deluxeness." I traded it (plus $) for a Mercury 2-stroke 5hp. Pull start, internal or external fuel supply, no alternator. The best part: 45# weight. No more list! Plus I can take the kicker on and off solo no problem.

In some ways a 4-stroke would have been nice, but this engine is really light (my priority) and I have a contingency plan. What I do is keep the internal tank full of pre-mixed fuel (on this engine it can be easily drained between trips). That's likely to be enough for most situations. But just in case, I also carry enough two-stroke oil to turn one or both of my main tanks into 2-stroke fuel. I have a connector on the Racor that I can put the Merc fuel line onto in this case (used a Honda quick disconnect set). This would be in case I'm a looooong way out and need to use the kicker to get back.

I did consider moving the swim platform to starboard, but I really like it on port as I use it a lot and the port side is less cluttered (cables/wires/boot are all on starboard).

When I got my boat the Honda 8D was mounted right on the transom and there were no trim tabs. When I added trim tabs (Bennett Sport 120) I had to change the mounting. I used a Mini Jacker and it worked perfectly. It was nicer than having the engine on the transom for a couple of other reasons anyway (routing of transducer cables, ability to mount the MJ in overdrilled/filled holes and change engines without re-doing that, etc.). However, when I went to the little Merc, it wouldn't quite clear the tabs (the leg is daintier, hence the prop closer to the transom). I added a fiberglass pad to the Mini Jacker to space it back a little. That worked fine.

One thing that was not quite so fine is that - after making a big effort to get a (less common) long shaft kicker - I kind of wish it were a short shaft. I imagine the long shaft is best for wavy conditions, but it's a pain the rest of the time. I did space it up just a touch on the Mini Jacker (I think so the clamps would clear the transom, but I forget exactly why now). That seemed fine until I tested it in real life, and found that if I steered with the main the prop on the kicker would touch the main (hard to miss that one when it happens!). So I think I need to space the kicker up just slightly higher, or maybe move it to starboard a touch (haven't experimented yet). This is where a short shaft might have been nicer, but I'm sure a long will have its advantages in certain conditions. All in all it's good though, and I don't find any problem with having a fiberglass pad or two to make it fit just right.

I knew the 65# lighter engine would make a difference, but I was pleased with just how *much* difference it made. How nice to anchor (and sleep) without the boat listing.

[colbysmith]

Tom, I'd love to trade you my Tohatsu for your gull wing enclosure. I'd even throw in all the spare parts I keep for it, and deliver it in person. lol. I purchased mine online and felt I got a really good deal. I'm pretty sure this is the outfit I bought mine at. http://onlineoutboards.com/tohatsu-outboard-motors.html Colby

[flagold]

I think Bob Austin's comment is appropriate, above. I was told as a young person: go light and get home, go heavy and leave it home. That turned out to be excellent advice over the years.

I had a little 3 hp Mercury 2 stroke I could lift with 2 fingers. Way underpowered but for here with no current and simply to get in was fine.

[T.R. Bauer]

My little 3.5 hp four stroke tohatsu has been wonderful. I bought it mostly for the dingy, but have found that it sits great on the bracket on the back of the boat and trolls for salmon really, really, well. It moves the boat at about 4 "ish" mph wide open throttle and well under 2 mph for those finicky fishes. It would get you home, or at least somewhere safe, in an emergency. The 6 hp will only be better.

[Kushtaka]

I have a tohatsu 9.8. It's reliable, quiet, powerful. I like it a lot.

I have a similar situation, and I don't love it.

I tried the mini jacker, even drilled some holes. It didn't work for me. I decided to get my own fabricated. I like that one a lot more.

I am considering a separate stick steer for the kicker, but will probably tie it into the main motor with a quick connect because I plan to add AP.

NOW, as for adding remote control later, I recommend against this. Tohatsu does not make it simple to do this conversion. I want this on my kicker, and to add it after the fact is a bit of work converting the motor, and the control box is quite a bit more expensive than others that size. If you want a remote control kicker I would strongly recommend just getting one set up that way from the get-go and being happy.

[Major Tom]

Thanks for all the replies, really good info. Kushtaka, that's a good point on the remote throttle, that's one thing I haven't researched for this particular engine. I'll look into that, but that feature's not crucial for me... it's more of a bonus, since my primary purpose is as a get home motor. If I find any solutions for that I'll post it here. Again, many thanks to all!

[Major Tom]

A quick search on the remote throttle for Tohatsu 6 Sail Pro found some nicely detailed instructions, pics, and even part numbers (although I don't know if the part numbers may have changed in the past couple years). But you're right about the cost, looks like somewhere around $500 for the whole thing, which is essentially a complete control box with shift/throttle, which is not what I want... I was assuming I could get a trollmaster or similar. If anyone's interested it's at
http://www.sailnet.com/forums/outboard/171362-adding-remote-control-tohatsu-6hp.html

But I had also looked at Mercs, Yammys and Zuki's in that approximate size, and in that size they require an optional charging kit... so there's some time and $ right there... plus you need to add the remote kit too, a trollmaster or what have you, although they seem more reasonable in cost. I'll have to spend more time and dig into all the options.

Since I want my kicker on the boat as soon as possible, and I can live without remote throttle for a year or two (or indefinitely if necessary) I'm going with the Tohatsu. I'm sure I can find or figure something out on the throttle, down the road.

When I was a kid we used to build go carts out of lawnmowers, and we'd cobb old bike cables for the throttle. Now there's an idea...

[localboy]

We have a Tohatsu 9.8 as our kicker. I am very happy with the quality, performance etc. We were able to use a Mini-Jacker; it works. Had I to do it again, I'd get something custom made from stainless.

[T.R. Bauer]

I made mine with 3/16 inch aluminum and TIG welded it all together. You guys don't know what you're missing!

[Kushtaka]

If trolling were the main point of my kicker, or even backup aux power a Trollmaster would fit the bill nicely. However I pull longline gear and pots in pretty decent currents. While doing this I keep my main motor off and ready to do the heavy lifting if things get sketchy. I work gear on the opposite side of the boat from my kicker, and it keeps the prop farther away from lines. If the prop on the kicker gets fouled I have the main to get me out of trouble.

This type of use requires that I steer stop to stop quite a bit, as well as run my motor forward and reverse. I steer with a long PVC pipe extension on the tiller, and that is mostly okay, but have to go back to the transom to shift fwd and rev, not so great. I would love to have as stick steer on a cable that I could disconnect and run the engine via tiller or tie into the main. I'll likely fabricate something that works for me. I'd like to keep the connections above the water in the splashwell, not use an ez steer connecting lower units.