Raising the kicker motor

[jkidd]

I decided to raise my kicker motor up so it doesn't drag in the water while I'm running. This is what it turned out like. I wouldn't have had to do it if I would have used a 15" shaft length. It is still plenty deep for trolling. Here's a couple of pics.

 

[Robert H. Wilkinson]

Just curious, can you not tilt it up while under way?

I have a 4.5 merc (off a sailboat) that I use as a kicker on my Thundercraft. I always travel with it in the down position but when underway I tilt it up and secure it from bouncing. It sticks out a long way but hey it adds 2' to my LOA(bragging rites)!! :lol:

 

[jkidd]

Even with the motor tilted all the way up the skeg would still drag in the water. With the boat at rest the skeg would still sit in the water. If I would have bought a short shaft it wouldn't have done it.

 

[Anonymous]

jkidd
I think you have an xl shaft (25") . I don't think there is any way a fixed mount short shaft (15") would have worked (don't think it wouldve reached the water) Possibly a long shaft (20") would have worked with your mini jacker.
I have an XL Yamaha T8 and may use your mini jacker configuration in my upcoming swim step kicker side swap project. Like it!

 

[jkidd]

jkidd
I think you have an xl shaft (25") . I don't think there is any way a fixed mount short shaft (15") would have worked (don't think it wouldve reached the water) Possibly a long shaft (20") would have worked with your mini jacker.
I have an XL Yamaha T8 and may use your mini jacker configuration in my upcoming swim step kicker side swap project. Like it!

I couldn't say, so I went up on www.smalloutboard.com to see how to measure it. They say it is from the bottom of the mounting bracket to the bottom of the cavitation plate. That dimension on mine measures 21 inches. On their website it says that the 15 will truly measure 16 inches. So if I go by that mine would be a 20 inch shaft. Let me know what you have to do to your xl. I suspect 5 inches will still be dragging in the water. Some brands you can take out a spacer and buy a new shaft.

 

[Sunbeam]

jkidd,

I've been reading this thread with interest, as I'm likely about to install a mini-jacker mount for my Honda 8 kicker (I want to install trim tabs and there will be interference the way the motor is mounted now, which is directly to the transom).

A couple of comments:

1) I'm wondering (as others have) if your kicker is an XL shaft? I'm not clear on how you measured your engine, because of the phrase "bottom of the mounting bracket." I mean, you may have measured it correctly but to me that phrase leaves some doubt (and, looking at your engine it looks really long shafted to me). Where I understand one is supposed to measure from is the top of the underside of the "U" of the mount (in other words, the surface that would slide down and rest on a plank if you had it clamped to a plank and/or the "crotch" of the U), down to the anti-ventilation plate. Is that where you measured and got 21"? I looked at the diagram on the site you linked, and they say "top" of bracket although the diagram is not 100% clear, in my opinion. Just looking at your engine on the back of the boat, it looks longer than long (?). Maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part because I would like my long-shaft Honda to clear the water on the mini-jacker alone!

2) I'm not a physics or engineering person (and for all I know, you are), and I can't tell what your extension is made of, but it looks like it might put all of the force exerted by the engine mount above where it's backed by the mini-jacker, and also at the "seam" between the two. Could that cause a stress riser? Should the extension be shaped like a U (in other words, have legs that go aft, like each vertical edge was a piece of angle)? Again, you may have it totally covered, and my potential concerns might be unfounded, but I figured I would mention it since I'm posting in the thread anyway.

 

[Anonymous]

In picture 3 jkidd, it really looks like you have an xl shaft (next to the 20" main, the cavitation plate looks lower on the kicker and your main is 20" shaft length)

The measurement is from top of the upside down U (where the engine would sit on loose, ie top of boat transom to the cavitation plate). I am quite convinced that my xl shaft is the wrong size for the boat. It seems most people have the long shaft kicker, which should work directly on the transom, 20" from transom to bottom of boat at kicker location.

I think a long shaft on the minijacker would probably work. I think that is what Jazzmanic has on his 22.

Cheers

 

[jkidd]

jkidd,

I've been reading this thread with interest, as I'm likely about to install a mini-jacker mount for my Honda 8 kicker (I want to install trim tabs and there will be interference the way the motor is mounted now, which is directly to the transom).

A couple of comments:

1) I'm wondering (as others have) if your kicker is an XL shaft? I'm not clear on how you measured your engine, because of the phrase "bottom of the mounting bracket." I mean, you may have measured it correctly but to me that phrase leaves some doubt (and, looking at your engine it looks really long shafted to me). Where I understand one is supposed to measure from is the top of the underside of the "U" of the mount (in other words, the surface that would slide down and rest on a plank if you had it clamped to a plank and/or the "crotch" of the U), down to the anti-ventilation plate. Is that where you measured and got 21"? I looked at the diagram on the site you linked, and they say "top" of bracket although the diagram is not 100% clear, in my opinion. Just looking at your engine on the back of the boat, it looks longer than long (?). Maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part because I would like my long-shaft Honda to clear the water on the mini-jacker alone!

2) I'm not a physics or engineering person (and for all I know, you are), and I can't tell what your extension is made of, but it looks like it might put all of the force exerted by the engine mount above where it's backed by the mini-jacker, and also at the "seam" between the two. Could that cause a stress riser? Should the extension be shaped like a U (in other words, have legs that go aft, like each vertical edge was a piece of angle)? Again, you may have it totally covered, and my potential concerns might be unfounded, but I figured I would mention it since I'm posting in the thread anyway.

Sunbeam

Sorry your right my description was totally wrong what I was thinking and what I typed didn't match either.
:roll:

Your description is what I meant to say. I measured from underside top of the U where it would sit on the transom to the cavitation plate. Both motors are 20 inches. The model number for the 9.9 is DF 9.9 ELK7 the E is for electric and the L is for Long the 7 is the year and I don't know what the K is. Up on Suzuki's site the X is for Extra Long and current models show the High Thrust is the only one with that length. I don't know if that was the case in 2007. Here's a picture of what they look like raised up from the back.


The plate is 1/2 inch aluminum plate I don't think it will break off ever. If it does decide to fall onto the road somewhere then I can get a short shaft and take the plate off. :lol:

 

[Sunbeam]

Thanks for replying - sounds like you do have a long shaft and not an XL for sure. Also the straight on photo makes it show up better. I know what you mean about the typing: sometimes you type something that's in your mind and it sounds completely clear, then when you read it later you suddenly see all the ways it could be wrongly interpreted :?