Venture 26 / 25 Cruiser kicker for hull speed +

[serpa4]

Good day.
What size kicker would be needed to do hull speed in a 26? Hull speed is roughly 7 to 7.7 mph calculated based on LWL of 22-23ft (guessing).
I saw a youtube video with a 22 Century Walk around (4,000 lbs) and a 9.9 merc on the back. It did about 5.5 mph.
The C-Dory is heavier, say 5,000lb fully kitted and fueled for fun week. I'd guess a 9.9 would be about 4.5 mph.

Anyone have a 10hp kicker or higher and want to share speeds you obtain with a 25/26?

If you do 9.9hp, might as well do 20hp. They are the same engines.
Tohatsu 9.9, 15, 20 are all 94.7 lbs.
Suzuki (my 1st choice) 9.9, 15, 20 are 97 lbs.

How bad would it be to hang an extra 100lb off the back of the transom?
The boat has a lithim house at about 23lbs which saves maybe 50 lbs off the back already.

[alainP]

Tohatsu 9.8 4 stroke is 81 lbs

[serpa4]

[colbysmith]

[serpa4]

[colbysmith]

Nope. I’m perfectly happy with the Yamaha 9.9 high thrust. It’s pushing the boat at pretty much its hull speed, or at least just beginning to put out more wake. At 7mph you’re starting to plow some water; you can see with a bigger wake. Just reread your initial post and see you were referencing weight on a 26, not a 22. That 5000 lbs is probably a little low. My 25 on the trailer fully loaded weighs 8100. The trailer at 1640 would put the boat closer to 6500. That 100 g gas tank full adds almost 1000 lbs! I do see some 25s with a 15 kicker. Guess it would be interesting to see if they push any faster. But does it also weigh more? If it was the same weight and didn’t drink anymore fuel, then maybe I’d consider it.

[forrest]

I have a 26 foot Cape Cruiser with a Honda 15 hp kicker. It does 7.5 mph with the kicker. I didn't realize that was hull speed but it makes sense now as raising the throttle from 3/4 to full doesn't affect the speed hardly at all.

[Pat Anderson]

We got our kicker from EQ Marine shortly after we purchased our CD25 in 2005. We debated the 9.9 v 15 hp and ultimately made the wrong decision! Hull speed is hull speed. Oh well!

In all the years since 2005, i think we have needed the kicker two times. Boat US towing insurance would have been cheaper.

[Alyssa Jean]

A 25 ft c-dory probably has a water line of about 23 ft. Sq. root of 23 is 4.8. 4.8 x 1.35 is 6.48 kts,

[colbysmith]

[ssobol]

Technically, hull speed is the speed where the wavelength of the bow wave is the same as the waterline length of the hull. This only really applies to displacement hull boats. Same as the equation commonly used.

Hull speed on a planing or semi-displacement hull is usually considered when the bow starts to rise as speed increases. Once the bow starts up, you are exceeding "hull speed". The hull speed is also the speed through the water, not the SOG.

IME, my 22 has a hull speed of about 4 MPH. If you assume that the WL length of a 22 cruiser is 18 ft (just a guess), the math says the hull speed is 6.5 MPH (5.7 KNTS).

Just my $.02.

[Foggy]

Guyz. Buy the smallest kicker engine to make your planing hulled boat go
displacement speed for what? Intentional prolonged slow speed cruising;
fishing, sightseeing, a sunset booze cruise, offshore carnal activity? Always
go displacement speed in a planing hulled boat? You have the wrong boat.

Well, maybe the smallest kicker will suffice. What about safety? Ever helm a
grossly underpowered boat in building wind and head seas? Think about it.
May wish that Tohatsu 9.9 was the 15 or 20 (same weights, different prices) if
your main engine quits and your kicker has to step up to the job of getting you
home.

If I want to gamble, I go to the casino.

Aye.

[forrest]

One other thought about kickers is the size of the alternator. If you use your kicker for trolling in foggy conditions and have to use radar so you don't get ran over, plus have your nav lights on, sounder on and a refrigerator on board, it's good to have a alternator with a higher output. That was the reason I chose Honda over Yamaha when I set my boat up. Honda at the time had bigger alternators. I don't know about it now though.

[Peter & Judy]

My thoughts on a kicker. My boat a 22' crusier is powered by a Honda 90 and I have a Honda 9,9 kicker (Grezky Jr.). Both of these motors were with the boat when I bought it. I will use the kicker for trawling sometimes, but for me the main purpose is as a "Get Me Home" motor. Twice I have had to rely on it when I encountered problems with the 90. The first time was at Lake Powell. A sensor alarm went off on the 90 and I had to rely on "Gretzky' to get us home to Bull Frog from the mouth of the San Juan River. We delayed this journey by a day due to high wind warnings and when we did head home the wind did pick up in the afternoon and I would have liked to have had more power, but we did make it back in one 11 hour push. Last summer I was boating on Shuswap Lake in BC and the pee line disappeared on the 90, To check it out and repair it would be easier on the trailer and I didn't want to risk ruining the engine, so we fired up Gretzky again and cruised the length of the lake with it. I like to boat in remote locations where C-Tow may not service the area and in an emergency I can get myself out of trouble. So I need a reliable second motor to get me home or at least out of trouble. My feeling is that you need to have enough power to do this in rougher water and wind. Ideally twin engines would be safer for this, but that is not how my boat is equipped. I could probably get by trawling with something like a 6 hp motor if I just want to trawl around a calm lake. But in the north Pacific more power is just safer. I make a habit to exercise Gretzky for a few hours every couple of days, just to keep him fit.

[Foggy]

Stuff happens. If it hasn't happened to you yet, just wait. It's the Nature of life.

As far as "needing" a kicker, or having that "twin" engine for safety (and/or peace
of mind), there are some caveats.

First consider what Sea Tow posted about the most common reasons they are called: