Kicker motor

[1John]

Looking for advice on the installation of a kicker motor assy. I have checked the threads. Trying to figure out who makes the best bracket, ie strength and weight? Also wondering what the smallest hp we can get away with on the 215cc when it's primary use is trolling, slow for salmon? I realize it may be a get home device but am concerned about the weight.

All your help is appreciated

John

[Codfish]

1John,

Just for comparison, I use a 7.5 HOnda for a kicker. It moves the boat at about 4.5 mph at full throttle. I troll with it at a fraction of that throttle at about 1.8 - 2.2 mph, my preferred speed range for salmon. I believe I could do almost as good with a 5 hp but I wanted a two cylinder for better smoothness at low rpm. I also got a killer deal on the 7.5 so went with that. (It is an older one before the 8 hp went to single cylinder.)

It is important to remember that your large boat will act like a displacment hull under power from a kicker and the speed difference between a 5hp and a 9.9 will be negligable. I was also concerned with added weight and the smaller motor helped that problem.

I went with the Garelick mount that they rate for up to 15 hp two strokes. It is made of stainless and is plenty stout enough for the job. I do not trailer with the kicker on the bracket because I know from experience that premature wear will occur at the pivot pins when the kicker swings around on the trailer. You can strap the motor up tight but I just remove it and lay it in the bed of my truck. I trailer almost 500 miles one way to the ocean now and don't want to stress the bracket that much. The SS Garelick also had the kind of design I needed for my removable mount system. That is the real difference in my bracket design and others talked about on this board. For my use, the raise/lower style was important as well as the mounting flanges.

If you have any other questions, let me know. Always glad to help a fellow Triumph owner.

Codfish