General kicker install question...

M

MilesandMiles

New member
I googled this question in various forms but either couldn't find the magic words to ask it correctly, or it hasn't been asked (or is too common knowledge, thus no one has felt the need to ask)

So....we recently picked up a 1992 CD22-cruiser with a honda 90. I need to put a kicker on it for trolling/fishing.

I've had a welded aluminum boat for a few years now, and have forgotten what it's like to consider the transom (so as not to cause yourself problems later on by damaging or compromising it in some small way, that could later become a big way)

When ya'll put the kicker on, do you put anything between the clamps (the round clamp pads) and the transom? Like wood? Or thin strip of metal to keep the pads from digging into the transom (if they even would)

Also: This boat has power trim tabs. I did find some past posts about solving the problem of the tabs getting in the way (mini jacker, trimming down the tab) but I wouldn't mind--and much appreciate--if anyone wanted to speak again about what worked for them with this issue.

Thanks
M&M
 
How is your 90 horse mounted,straight to the transom I would bet. My kicker is mounted straight to the transom with no problems. You could use a light gauge metal strip if wanted but I see no need for it.

Dan
 
We have always used a kicker mount. The smaller engines, we have used, have ridges in the frame, which will scar up the transom, and the clamps may also scar the side of the engine well. The kicker mount gets the engine far enough aft to clear the trim tabs.

There are rubber pads you can buy to put over the transom--but there may not be quite as good a "grip"….
 
Miles: I had the same questions when I mounted my kicker. It takes a little time, but if you comb through the "Photo" section of this forum you will see many options to mounting your kicker as well as trim tabs, transducers, and other transom devices.
 
Miles
I have trim tabs on my boat also. And have my kicker mounted on a mini jack plate it clears the tabs by about 3\4 of an inch. The plate is mounted to the transom using large washers and sealed with 3M 5200
 
I just installed a kicker bracket on my boat. The bracket is an Amarine-made product. I like the moveable bracket approach so a short shaft can be used, easier to carry and while underway the skeg stays far out of the water when the bracket is in the fully up position.

Make sure you over drill and fill with epoxy. My boat is a 2005 and still has a plywood transom. The transom is just over 2 inches thick and you will need 3 inch long bolts I would use at least 5/16 diameter for mounting.

On a side note. I don't fish but wouldn't the running the boat with the Honda 90 at idle slow be slow enough for trolling?

Dan McPartlin
 
This has helped. I think I'm going the mini jack route. Like most of us here I imagine, drilling holes in the transom makes me a nervous wreck....

Q: Does a 1992 CD22 cruiser have a plywood or balsa core transom? I'm guessing balsa?

idling/trolling with a 90: I've always been kind of an MPG's fanatic, and the thought of being a few miles of shore without a back up motor that will at least turn the boat into the waves makes me almost as nervous as drilling holes in the transom.

Since I do most of my fishing/boating solo, I'm going to mount the kicker on the port side for balance. I've been combing a lot of brat's albums and think I've got it planned out now.

Much appreciated. Thanks.

M&M
 
(I googled this question as well, but not quite satisfied)

Where has the c-brats landed on the 3M 4200/5200 "debate?

I've been reading various other boat brand forums and it's all over the map.
 
Pertaining to mounting a kicker mount on the transom:

If you are looking at just those two options, I have to say 4200 is the one you want. You are looking to create strength with your stainless fasteners and a seal with the goop in the tube. If you are overdrilling and epoxy filling as most folks on here recommend, it could be argued that the sealant is really just a backup for that and even unnecessary depending on where its used.

I use 4200 much more of the time in general.

Greg
 
M&M,

A couple thoughts. If mounting on port, consider the location of the tiller and steering. It can be a tight fit with the tiller also on the port side of the motor.

I had mounted our kicker on the port side because the previous owner had clamped one to the transom and there were clamp marks in the gel coat. I added a mini jacker in the same spot. Then I learned I could not turn the tiller very far to port as it hit the side of the well. Later I found a used swim step and the best place for a step is on the port side, free of cables. I ended up moving the mini jacker to the other side, patching holes and drilling even more holes.
 
MilesandMiles":38m8vwoa said:
Q: Does a 1992 CD22 cruiser have a plywood or balsa core transom? I'm guessing balsa?
Click to expand...

This doesn't directly answer your question, but my 2002 has balsa core. If you are going to overdrill and fill though, it won't really matter much (although balsa can be slightly easier to remove).

About being nervous: If this helps any, just know that these holes you drill, overfill, and re-drill will be the "safest" holes in your transom (unless a prior owner has given the other, "original" holes, the treatment). So I'd say if you want to be nervous, worry about all the other holes that are already there -- that you have not made yourself!

(I did, and as a result went and properly treated every single hole in the transom - none of them had anything more than a whisper of sealant and bare balsa; however since the boat had been stored indoors and barely used, I only had a very small amount of damp core under the transom drain which was easily dealt with.)

All that to day, if you do these holes correctly, they will be the "best" holes you have. And it's not hard to do it right, just a bit painstaking, and you have to be willing to spend a bit for materials (but then you are set up for future).
 
Don't forget that if it's coupled with the Main with a link, you can steer with your wheel or if not you can use the Main as a "rudder" and get some steering. The throttle is another issue which most folks, in the take home mode, don't worry about until they get very close to that home pier.

Charlie
 
colbysmith":1a7s1kre said:
Feel free to take a look at my album of Midnight Flyer. One of the imbedded albums is of my kicker install. Colby
Click to expand...

That's more/less exactly how I'm doing it. It looks like you went with an extra long shaft? The 6hp looks like a perfect compromise size (small enough to fit and be light, big enough to get the job done)

Thanks for the heads up on your album, I missed it during my research.
 
I don't think it was the "extra" long shaft, but just the standard long shaft. I've been very happy with the set up. With the adjustment I have it on now, it clears the trim tabs by about 1/2". I think it weighs about 60 lbs. And at full throttle pushes the boat at about 5 kts. (At 75% throttle is still pushes about 4 - 4.5 kts.) The mini jacker probably weighs another 15 lbs. I did have to place shims between the transom and the mini jacker to get just a little more clearance. The kicker I have, is Tohatsu model number MFS 6CD L. Colby
 
In regard to the use of a long or extra long shaft kicker, I'll add this:

The height-adjusting brackets allow for the use of the long shaft motor, but the extra long shaft may get the motor head/powerhead up higher where it is more accessible for starting, shifting gears, and steering, if operating manually.

Since the boat sets so low in the stern when at rest and at displacement speeds, it may not be necessary to have the lower unit as deep as the main motor, since it will still be underwater and push water astern anyway, propelling the boat forward.

However, if the prop is above the bottom of the hull very much or more, the thrust when in reverse gear will be minimized by the blockage presented by the transom. Water pushed forward by the prop simply hits the transom and is diverted sideways and all about, negating the anticipated thrust desired.

So in the long run, the extra long shaft and/or a very highly adjustable transom bracket may be a better deal. Personally, I'd choose the extra long shaft and a bracket that could fully lower the prop below the lip of the transom.

Also, I'd go with a high-thrust type motor with the larger prop, lower gearing, and extra long shaft. These are often designated as sailboat type (SailDrive) outboards in the 8-15 hp range.

With the sailboat style outboard, adding electric starting, remote throttle, shifting, and steering in the cockpit would make a cockpit steering station for trolling more affordable and more usable than some of the alternatives.

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
I have a long shaft kicker on a Mini Jacker. It works just fine, but if I were purpose-buying a new kicker, I would probably try a short shaft. Reason is that the long shaft doesn't quite clear the water when raised (when not using it). Other folks (Voyager) have raised the long shaft up on the Mini Jacker to essentially make it a short shaft (you can see this in Voyager album).

I suppose there is the chance that the short shaft on the Mini Jacker would come out of the water some in huge waves. Perhaps Voyager has some real-world comment on this.

(Obviously this is different with an adjustable bracket; I wanted the fixed Mini Jacker).

On another topic, I had to shim my new Merc 5 aft a bit on the MJ to clear the tabs. My previous Honda 8 didn't need this. That's because the Honda 8 is a "big" engine with a substantial body/shaft, so it sat further back just on its own. The Merc 5 is a light, "spindly" engine (I wanted this as the -60# has really fixed my lateral trim), so its shaft by nature did not sit as far aft, hence I had to shim it slightly (used pre-made fiberglass board) to clear the tabs.
 
FWIW, and again anyone can just go thru my imbedded photo album on my kicker install to see some of this, but I believe my kicker is mounted at the recommended height. That is, the horizontal ventilation plate is pretty even with the bottom of my hull. I don't have a lot of reverse anyway even with it there. As for the height of the head & controls, it seems to be fine. When it is up, on plane only the spray of the water off the bottom of the hull is hitting it, but you'd have to raise it up a long ways to clear that. At slower speeds, it does drag in the water some, but nothing that seems to be a problem. While everyone has different wants or needs, my set up has worked well for me.
 
Bringing this thread back up as I want to get a different mounting bracket for the kicker on C-Traveler. Right now it has some kind of Garlick lift plate I believe. Just some kind of monstrosity that sets the 9.9 kicker a good 14.5" back from the transom. I'd like to replace that with something like the Mini-Jacker, however with a 6.5" set back. (The Mini-Jacker is only 4") I could go ahead and get the Mini-Jacker, but I'd have to add 2.5" spacers to it, and would rather find something already close to 6" depth. I've looked, but most of what I see have the set up to raise and lower the kicker as well. I'm tempted to just buy some heavy duty Aluminum or Stainless Steel and have a neighbor weld it up for me. But wanted to check here first. Colby
 
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