Kicker for my legend boat

[jkbloom]

I am looking at what size of kicker motor I should get for my legend 16.9 legend exterminator, I have a 50hp bigfoot mercury on the boat for main power but the slowest I can troll is about 3mph, I could talk to the boat dealer reps but I want first hand experience, I would like to be able to troll very slow for walleye on the hot days in the summer, I would like to stay with mercury, not sure if I will need a long or short leg but I can easily figure that out with some measurements. I could also use some dealerships that are great to deal with. I do have a electric trolling motor that I do not like to troll with so that option is out.

[SamSteele]

Any kicker from a 9.9 and lower would work for that rig, getting you down into the 1.2-1.5 mph range. If you want to go slower than that your options are:

1) Run your electric, which you said you don't want to do but don't say why. If it's for battery life there are options that would be cheaper than buying and installing a kicker.

2) Use drift bags run under the bow to help slow you down more. Usually you have two on a rope with one end tied to the bow cleat, then the rope run under the bow and tied off to the bow cleat on the other side. This helps slow the boat down while keeping the bags away from your lines. It also helps keep the bow from bouncing as much.

If you are looking to be in the 2-2.5 mph range and your WOT RPM will allow for it, you may want to try a lower pitch on your main outboard to get down a bit more.

SS

[35 whelen]

I would go trolling motor cheaper and quieter ,hook up 2 batteries for just that should last all day .

[jkbloom]

I am set up to use my electric trolling motor with a bank system and 2 deep cycle batteries but I find in the wind it can be hard to control, thanks for the tip on drift bags, I talked to a Rep at Barry j's and he recommended a 6hp kicker at a good decent price, I think the 9.9 would be to much for my needs. Thanks for the help guys.

[dodgeboy1979]

i have a 16 xCaliber with 75 hp motor. I put a trolling plate on (troll o matic) and can get my rig to about 1 mph.

[35 whelen]

I am set up to use my electric trolling motor with a bank system and 2 deep cycle batteries but I find in the wind it can be hard to control, thanks for the tip on drift bags, I talked to a Rep at Barry j's and he recommended a 6hp kicker at a good decent price, I think the 9.9 would be to much for my needs. Thanks for the help guys.

Nice will have to try it out this summer:)

[Dean2]

I really like a gas kicker. I have at least three times come home using the kicker for power. You won't do that over much of a distance with your electric. Anywhere from 6 to 9.9 will work fine at the slow speeds, the 8 HP or 9.9 will push you a bunch faster if you need it as a backup.

[old dog]

I have a 6 hp long shaft on my boat and it’s those same length as yours. Works great.

[TROLLER]

I used to have a 16ft. Crestliner. First troller was a 5hp no good on any kind of wind.


I wound up with a Yamaha 9.9 High thrust with power tilt. Easy handling on a windy day and a great back up if the main motor decided to go bye bye.

9.9 is the min. I would put on and put a T in your fuel line so you can run off your main tank. Hassle if you have to haul an extra tank just for the troller

[Tom Pullings]

I have a 16.5 footer and I’ve toyed with the idea of adding a gas kicker. I’ve never been able to justify it cause I motor around all day via electric and I’ve never even come close to running out my batteries. I have a 24v 70lb terrova linked to my fish finder so I can set it to follow contours and keep me in perfect walleye depth or drive itself around a course I want. I can’t imagine the gas being worth the trouble/money/weight to install.

[cube]

I am looking at what size of kicker motor I should get for my legend 16.9 legend exterminator, I have a 50hp bigfoot mercury on the boat for main power but the slowest I can troll is about 3mph, I could talk to the boat dealer reps but I want first hand experience, I would like to be able to troll very slow for walleye on the hot days in the summer, I would like to stay with mercury, not sure if I will need a long or short leg but I can easily figure that out with some measurements. I could also use some dealerships that are great to deal with. I do have a electric trolling motor that I do not like to troll with so that option is out.

You could easily get away with a 2 Hp but I would suggest a 4 or five. We had a 4 Hp on our 15 ft fiberglass and it trolled it down to 0.9 km/hr on idle (so a 2 would be plenty really). The 4 Hp always got us home at hull speed even in bad weather when needed and I am not sure the 2 hp will do that.

The 9.9 will not be much faster than a 4 or 5 Hp because your boat will reach hull speed much before and you will simply be wasting gas. If you look at the 24 ft king fisher cabin boats on the coast they only have 9.9 kickers for the same reason and your boat does not weigh any where close to those.

I would even suggest if you can borrow or rent one and give it a try.

For what it's worth an 24 volt electric puts out about 1.3 HP.

[sanjuanworm]

I have a 6 hp long shaft on my boat and it’s those same length as yours. Works great.

I have the same for my 17' boat. Works perfectly.

[jkbloom]

Thanks for the comments, so far I am leaning towards the 6hp 4 stroke long leg mercury

[Joe Black]

I've got a 16 foot crest liner and have had a couple different setups. A 7.5 two stroke runs at about 1/4 throttle for 1.5. Nice rpms to prevent stalling, et. (If you are considering a 2 stroke at all)

Went to a 9.9 4 stroke. Need to throttle back quite a bit, but the 4 stroke idles/run better on lower rpms so no problem.

4 strokes are heavier(don't know if that's an issue), but way quieter and less smoky.

If you can afford it, get remote controls/starting as a minimum. With power trim, even better(but pricy).

With anything, remotes and trim cost, but the convienience is well worth it in my opinion.

[big bore 09]

I have a 1650 lund. I have had everything on it for a kicker 2 stroke and 4 stroke. I now have and 80 lb terrova ipilot now and would never go back to a gas engine

[russ]

I am set up to use my electric trolling motor with a bank system and 2 deep cycle batteries but I find in the wind it can be hard to control, thanks for the tip on drift bags, I talked to a Rep at Barry j's and he recommended a 6hp kicker at a good decent price, I think the 9.9 would be to much for my needs. Thanks for the help guys.

Maybe you need more thrust? Bags are a definite plus, BassPro has them and they're pretty cheap. Also, if all else fails or want to try the idea out first, some people modify 5 gallon buckets to make drift socks.

[Joe Black]

If you don't see putting downriggers on in the future a 6 should do it.

Bite the bullet and get remote controls.

[jkbloom]

If you don't see putting downriggers on in the future a 6 should do it.

Bite the bullet and get remote controls.

I do have downriggers on the boat, I fish Cold lake Lots, usually for lake trout but this year going to do way more walleye fishing on Cold lake, will downriggers be an issue with a mercury 6hp 4 stroke?, weight is not a factor for the size of the kicker on the boat, just for me lol, it's not the price either.

[RavYak]

I do have downriggers on the boat, I fish Cold lake Lots, usually for lake trout but this year going to do way more walleye fishing on Cold lake, will downriggers be an issue with a mercury 6hp 4 stroke?, weight is not a factor for the size of the kicker on the boat, just for me lol, it's not the price either.

Are you going to use kicker with the downriggers though?

It all comes down to speed. If you want to go really slow for walleye then 6 hp probably better choice. If you want to drag crankbaits or use it with downrigger with spoons etc for lakers etc then I'd definitely go 9.9.

Not sure why you can't control your boat with electric. Would be my choice for sure if slow trolling for walleye is the goal.

You will have just as much trouble controlling boat in wind with a kicker. It is all about speed and if going slow neither electric or kicker will help you stay on track that easily. Bow mount electric at least will pull you into the wind, kicker will just let wind blow the bow around and you end up doing circles without constant correction.

If you already have an electric and larger motor I would lean more towards 9.9 personally. I'd use the electric for going slow(when using really slow presentations like 1 mph) on good weather days, can use the kicker on windier days if you want or for trolling a bit higher speed and maybe even would have enough go to use for trolling for lakers etc.

[jkbloom]

Are you going to use kicker with the downriggers though?

It all comes down to speed. If you want to go really slow for walleye then 6 hp probably better choice. If you want to drag crankbaits or use it with downrigger with spoons etc for lakers etc then I'd definitely go 9.9.

Not sure why you can't control your boat with electric. Would be my choice for sure if slow trolling for walleye is the goal.

You will have just as much trouble controlling boat in wind with a kicker. It is all about speed and if going slow neither electric or kicker will help you stay on track that easily. Bow mount electric at least will pull you into the wind, kicker will just let wind blow the bow around and you end up doing circles without constant correction.

If you already have an electric and larger motor I would lean more towards 9.9 personally. I'd use the electric for going slow(when using really slow presentations like 1 mph) on good weather days, can use the kicker on windier days if you want or for trolling a bit higher speed and maybe even would have enough go to use for trolling for lakers etc.

Thanks for the info RavYak and everyone else as well. I might just go with a 9.9 kicker and take your advise and on calmer days just use the electric motor.

[Tom Pullings]

I find it much easier to control my boat in high winds with the bow mount. You have steerage at the front and if you leave the big motor down it acts as a big rudder to keep the boat going straight. With the kicker you just have control at the rear and nothing stopping the front from blowing off course.

It might be worth it to look into displacements of the kickers you’re considering. Sometimes they’ll use the same block and components for multiple hp ratings and just restrict the low power models. You can have 6hp models weigh basically the same as 8 and 9.9 models so it makes sense to go for the 9.9 for the same weight. Another manufacturer might start a new block at 9.9 and use it for the 15 and 20 hp so that 9.9 will likely be heavier than the one in the first situation. Just food for thought.

[RavYak]

Thanks for the info RavYak and everyone else as well. I might just go with a 9.9 kicker and take your advise and on calmer days just use the electric motor.

What model of bow mount do you have? Getting an i-pilot version would definitely help with wind issues. Set a heading or follow a track/contour and it will fight the wind without requiring constant input from yourself to keep the speed/direction perfect. Still not ideal in windy situations but nothing is. Except a pedal drive kayak, about the best control you can get imo lol.

[cube]

I do have downriggers on the boat, I fish Cold lake Lots, usually for lake trout but this year going to do way more walleye fishing on Cold lake, will downriggers be an issue with a mercury 6hp 4 stroke?, weight is not a factor for the size of the kicker on the boat, just for me lol, it's not the price either.

You will not have a problem with with 6 Hp and the down riggers. I have a 9.9 on my 18.5 ft lund grand tyee which is much bigger and heavier than your boat, I believe. When trolling on Cold lake with 2 riggers down I am just barely engaging the throttle so I would think the 6 Hp will be more than fine.

Again if your concerned you could try and rent or borrow one and try it first.

for trolling in windy conditions I use both my kicker and bow mount. The Kicker is for propulsion and the bow mount for steering correction. One could also back troll with the kicker for better boat control and speed reduction. Though in windy conditions one might want wave wackers or something similar.

[rcales]

I got a 6hp yamy for sale on kijiji. search lethbridge