Albacore trolling with a kicker?

S

stwagstaff

New member
I'm about to begin retrofitting a new-to-me ('83) C-Dory Classic 22 for fishing on the west coast. It's powered with a 115 Evinrude 2-stroke and a 4hp 2-stroke kicker.

I know I want to replace the kicker with a 9.9 or maybe a 15, since I want to fish pretty far offshore and would like something that will get me home if the Evinrude conks out in our notorious summer winds. I think I will get a 4-stroke to unify the fuel supply, for quiet trolling, reliability, etc.

I'm currently eyeing a decently-priced Yamaha 9.9 (25-inch shaft). I'm already planning on adding trim tabs to help offset the extra weight in the back.

My question is, could I consistently run at Albacore trolling speeds ( 7 to 8 knots) under kicker power alone, assuming I'm only fishing on relatively flat days? It sure would cut down on the cost of fuel and the wear and tear of endless low speed trolling on the main motor. But my understanding is that "hull speed" of these boats is right around 8 mph -- and I don't know if that's Knots or Statute MPH.

Thanks in advance!
 
I was out on sarks boat today fishing for salmon on pretty flat water. sark has a 22 cruiser with a 115 suziki and a 9.9 kicker so its a close comparision to your boat. at one point I opened up the kicker to full throttle for 2 mins and the best we could get was 4.5 mph. So trolling speed for tuna being 8 to 10 I would think that you will need more push them that.
 
Six knots is the "hull speed" of a C Dory 22. (assuming that the LWL is 20 feet and hull speed is 1.34 x sq rt LWL). Another issue is the size of the prop and thrust--many of the 9.9 and 15 hp outboards are made to plane 12 foot boats--not high thrust. You can get engines which have larger props--sometimes called "big foot" lower units. An 8 hp with a big foot will develope more usable thrust than a 9.9 or 15 with a smaller prop.
 
I fish albacore alot but never use the 9.9 kicker. I use the 1998 150 EFI MERC as the troller. It just has better handling and is more efficient on fuel than the kicker at the high RPM'S. It is much easier to control the boat also. I fish albies out at the "601" and other nearby areas with great success.
 
You can put a big eared prop on the 9.9 and 15's. I have one on my inflatable (air floor) and it works great.

You do not have to buy a big foot outboard to get a bigger prop.
 
It seems like you should be running enough RPMs at your trolling speeds with the 115 to avoid plug fouling , and you will get better charging if you run any 12V load while fishing . I would focus on the kicker as a "get home" motor . You might look into a synthetic oil or blend for the main motor to soften the smoke a little as well as the wear and tear factor. Just some thoughts from a former albacore troller ......
Marc
 
It seems like using a kicker for tuna trolling was just wishful thinking, but that's what fishing's all about, right?

Not that I can afford it any time soon, but would I be better off with a four stroke main motor for tuna trolling? My understanding is that they run better at low speeds, but I've never had the pleasure of using one. Again, optimum Albacore trolling speed seems to be about 7-10 mph.

Thanks again.
 
Sean;

I fish for albacore often. I just bought my Tom Cat and haven't had it out to the tuna grounds yet. However, my other boat is a 24ft striper with a 225hp Yami 4strk. The yamaha has never had a problem at troll speed for hours on end. I don't believe the kicker will be satisfactory for albacore trolling speeds. I am a member of the Bay Area tuna club, you might want to pose this question to that group. They are very informed and helpful. The address is www.offshoreanglers.com this is a group of avid albacore fishers and love to share info on tuna. This time of year is a little slow on that board but, many of us still monitor and need something to talk about.
There is a large contingency of us in Humboldt county and we like to travel. When the warm currents come in we will travel to Bodega, Santa Cruz or up to Oregon. Let's stay in touch and maybe we can have a good year for 2007.

Gene
 
Thanks Gene,

I'll check out the tuna club and definitely try to hook up before the season rolls around. I'm a novice when it comes to tuna chasing in my own boat, except for a couple of awesome trips in a 17' whaler I dagged down to Baja. Most of my tuna time has been in party boats out of San Diego.

Sean
 
If your going to fish blue water... off the shelf.... for tuna....your best bet would be replace with twin 50's......in blue water in bad seas..with a kicker if the other engine failed you would be getting home late and on prayer and it have to be WIDE OPEN to push the boat up and over waves to get the proper speed for trolling for tuna and probably won't work...trolling for salmon with a kicker YES for tuna NO

Dick E
Orinda CA
 
Thanks for the feedback. I'd certainly like to go with twin 50's, but, alas, it would require rebuilding the stern of my boat, since the Classic C-Dory doesn't have room on the transom for twin OBs. The kicker has to ride on a bracket. I hear you though, about getting home in a blow with a 10 hp. I've been out there when it's rough...wouldn't be fun at all. I probably won't venture out that far without a buddy boat.

For now the kicker will have to serve as a get-home motor and my salmon troller. At least the 2-stroke 115 is pretty new and -- knock on wood -- reliable.

Thanks again,
Sean
 
Thanks for the feedback. I'd certainly like to go with twin 50's, but, alas, it would require rebuilding the stern of my boat, since the Classic C-Dory doesn't have room on the transom for twin OBs. The kicker has to ride on a bracket. I hear you though, about getting home in a blow with a 10 hp. I've been out there when it's rough...wouldn't be fun at all. I probably won't venture out that far without a buddy boat.

For now the kicker will have to serve as a get-home motor and my salmon troller. At least the 2-stroke 115 is pretty new and -- knock on wood -- reliable.

Thanks again,
Sean
 
Gene Morris":1z283gl3 said:
;I fish for albacore often. I just bought my Tom Cat and haven't had it out to the tuna grounds yet. However, my other boat is a 24ft striper with a 225hp Yami 4strk. The yamaha has never had a problem at troll speed for hours on end.
Click to expand...

Have you run your 225 Yami at salmon trolling speed (1 - 2 MPH) also? How did it do?

Warren
 
Warren;

Yes, I fished salmon with the 225 Yammi and it would troll down to 1.5 to 2.5 kts depending on the current & direction of travel. This has been satisfactory for the fishing we do here on the North Coast of California. The Tom Cat with the Honda 150's are a little fast on the troll even with only one motor in gear. I believe that I will need to add a happy troller or drag a drift sock to get down to salmon speed. We'll see before the season opens. Probably the middle of may, if we're lucky.

Gene
 
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