Cruising with a kicker on a CD-25

Avidmagnum12

Avidmagnum12

Member
Last Tuesday we had company and took them out on the St. Johns River. Traveled about 40 miles total, with about 30 of those miles powered by our Yamaha 9.9 HP Hi-Thrust tiller kicker. We like to go slow anyway and averaged about 5mph. We connect the Yamaha 200HPDI to the kicker with a simple Panther motor steering kit. I did have to buy a longer rod but it came out to less than $55. For throttle control we went with a Troll Master Pro 3+ Wireless Remote Power Control. With this I can adjust my speed on the kicker anywhere on the boat.

I bought the kicker for trolling and also as a get home motor for Lake Superior. But, I'll be using it for cruising a lot more in the future. I can't say for sure what the fuel burn because my fuel flow meter is inaccurate at less than 2GPH but I know it was a lot less. Its also a lot quieter and produces less fumes at slow speeds.

Not for everyone, I'm sure, but it works for me.
 
Tom tell me more about your throttle control. I just have a tiller on my Tohatsu 6hp. I can connect the steering to linkage with my main, but only way to control the throttle is back at the tiller. Would that wireless remote work with something like that, or do you need to have a remote hookup to begin with? Colby
 
Would love to see a video and a medium-term review! So the tiller is just for direction, is it a full Yamaha tiller? I used to have the 9.9 high thrust but I'll have to get used to the honda kicker!

I like controlling from the helm but really want to be able to troll and grab rods when we catch a fish and be able to steer away from other boats.
 
Colby....They make a kit for the Tohatsu 6hp and many others. Mine was easy to hook up. I’ll show you at Hontoon.

Kaelc....You can still use the tiller and throttle control on the tiller or the Troll Master 3+. It is a full Yamaha tiller.

Tom
 
Sounds like a nice cruise on the 9.9! I had a T9.9 on previous 21' boat and did some similar cruising with it. They have tons of thrust, don't they? I miss that engine, and have thought about getting another for the current boat, for exactly that purpose. But I keep waiting / hoping for the EFI version that must surely be around the corner.

I currently have a 6 hp Tohatsu Sail Pro (high thrust prop + 6A charging) and have done some similar cruising on the 22' on nice days, but have usually kept the speed down around 3 kts, which is pretty low RPMs, since the single cyl vibrates more at higher RPMs. I just set the throttle on the tiller, then steer from the cabin using the main engine as a rudder. Works great, and it's fun to cruise for miles just crawling along the shoreline of an island, using practically no fuel and putting no hours on the main, while enjoying a nice calm sunny day on the water.

Glad to hear there are others who enjoy this sort of thing!

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MikeR":1qj347pu said:
But I keep waiting / hoping for the EFI version that must surely be around the corner.
Click to expand...

One EFI 9.9 already made it around the corner, and it matches your main motor in color. Just saying...
 
There is also another throttle controller called the control king that has been working great on my Yamaha 8hp for a few years now. Simple setup consisting of a servo motor hooked to the throttle and wired to the helm with an on/off and throttle control dial.
 
dutch123":39mv0kvy said:
There is also another throttle controller called the control king that has been working great on my Yamaha 8hp for a few years now. Simple setup consisting of a servo motor hooked to the throttle and wired to the helm with an on/off and throttle control dial.
Click to expand...

I have used the Troll King (original name) for 25 yrs. to run the speed on the kickers I have had. Great product, but wired. A wireless version sounds great!! I find myself trolling with the Suzi 175 because it is QUITER than the 9.9 Yami.
:mrgreen: :beer :wink:

YMMV!!
 
Mike, I do much the same thing with my 6hp. Works great sitting on the back splash shield while trolling. However there are times I'd like to use it for just displacement cruising from the cabin, but with better speed control than having to run back out back to change speeds. I also find, being too lazy to hook up the steering linkage, the main works well as a rudder! Colby
 
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