Kicker size/shaft length/accessories???

J

Jack in Alaska

New member
I am trying to make an intelligent decision on what kind of kicker I need a on my 26' ProAngler with a 200hp Honda. I will use it primarily to troll for salmon but it should also be capable to serve as a safety get home motor.
The engines are mounted on a large Armstrong bracket about 3' behind the transom. Tiller control is questionable.

HP.........??? some say a 9.9 is plenty to troll with but will not haul the boat against a tide. 15 hp is too much???

Shaft.??? 20" or 25" main is 25" but the kicker is off to the side and has less boat blocking the water flow so a 20" maybe ok.

Controls..?? plain tiller, tiller with elec. start; PT/T ; shift or complete remote control from cabin. Some say lock the steering on it and use the main as a rudder. Slow response to turning???

I prefer a Honda but would consider others.

Anyone have any help, ideas, suggestions....thanks
 
Hello Jack

First let me say that I always enjoy checking out your album pictures.
Thank you for that.
I am no expert to answer your question but...
I think you would want the full remote controls in the cab or cockpit.
I agree with you that using the main as a rudder would be no good so connecting the two motors will take care of that issue.
That leaves the shaft length and HP.
On boats that I had I found that in calm waters I could get away with a shorter shaft but in rougher conditions the deeper down that prop the better.
I would be tempted to keep both props near the same depth.
I use the Yamaha 9.9 high thrust four stroke for our 22 footer. It comes in either 20 or 25 inch shaft and has the full remote control. It gives me lots of power but your boat is much bigger so I am not sure.
Enough from this end.
It looks like you found a good boat for your use. congratulations

Ed
 
Jack,
I use a Honda 9.9 hi thrust with four bladed prop and it works just fine for trolling. I would guess you would need a 25" shaft. I also would recommend a tie-bar between your kicker and main for steering from the cabin on those rainy days. Get a kicker with a tiller arm for steering on those sunny days. I don't have an arm on mine and wish I did. For speed control I would get a Trol Master. You can get precise speed control with these units. Good for winter king trolling. Cabela's carries them.
Any kings showing up down there yet. I fished Homer yesterday, no luck.
 
The Honda 9.9 and 15 are the same block--so there is really little difference at the displacement speeds. I would go for a 25"--if you can find one--they are going to be rarer than the 20"--but 20" will probably work for you for trolling.

There are extension handles--which control throttle and steering--they are usually 24" to 48" in length. I have also used a piece of PVC pipe for extension of a steering handle.

I also find that the boats will steer with the lower unit as a rudder, but not as well as when both motors turn.
 
Looks good, Jack. I like the side by side pics. I have no experience with the 26, but if it were me, I'd probably go with a 15. You get some good wind and tide going and a 9.9 may not do the job if you lose your main engine. Sure they are very reliable, but crap happens.

How heavy is your boat with all the normal stuff you carry? I'd rather have a little extra power available for that one time you need it to get to safety.

Do you have plans for a cockpit steerng station for trolling or are you going to be inside most of the time? Something to think about.

I like simple...less stuff to break. We have a Cabela's connector rod for our kicker and it works great. Ditto for the Troll Master. Our kicker is manual tilt, elecrtic start as well as a pull cord for back up. Best of both worlds. There's a lot of merit to having a tiller arm for steering but with that bracket you may have a hard time using it. The connector rod also allows steering with the main tilted up.

Decisions, decisions...it's half the fun of it.

Rick
 
I have made my choice. I wanted to go cheap but surprise...surprise. The 1st mate said no get the set-up you want...so................

I am ordering a Honda 9.9 hp; 25" shaft, Power trim/tilt; elect. start; remote controls; shiny gray mammyjammer.
There goes my allowance for several years.

It takes 10-14 days to get one shipped in from "America".
 
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