90 Merc - trolling

[Big Jack]

Lund Fisherman with 115 opti and 8 high thrust yammy plus Terrova I-pilot 24v 80 pound thrust.

Kicker only gets used when wind is bad in conjunction with the I-Pilot.

I get a full day out of the batteries without issue.

[Big Jack]

One other comment why on earth would you put so many trolling hours on a $10000 engine. Just my two cents.

[Legend Boats]

Your 90hp on your 18 Xcalibur will troll around 2.2-2.3mph. If you have a 9.9 Long Shaft available, I would try to hang it on the port side of the transom and give that a go. It should limit your speed down to 1-1.1mph. without pounding the hours on your main outboard. If you are looking for a inexpensive solution. A happy troller plate will do the same as the kicker but you will have a looser turning radius.

Cheers Henry - LegendBoats

[RHYBAK]

LegendBoats is right on with the trolling speeds.
That is exactly what I get and I have no problem downrigging for Lake trout at those speeds.

You don't want to get to close to bottom ,but if your trolling suspended trout, you will be golden.
Definitely do not forget to run a cheater .

[Frenchie]

I run a 2006 Lund Classic 1775 Sport.. 17'3" LOA, 85' beam.. 2009 Yamaha F90 and a Minn Kota PD55 at the bow...I use the Minn Kota when we're doing a lot of casting and when I m fishing in current ...like at the Detroit River but when I'm trolling Lake Ontario , Lake Erie or at the Bay of Quinte I use the big motor ... and if I really want to slow down I throw out a couple of drift socks (as previously mentioned in an earlier response) ... Big Jack's comment ...why would you put so many hours on a $ 10,000 motor has me thinking about getting a small 'kicker motor' to run when trolling ... I'd be looking at a new Yamaha .... I will be calling my dealer to ask for his advice but am looking for your opinions as well ... would a 2.5 work ..or should I be looking at an F4 or F6.... to push the boat in the above mentioned circumstances ...

Thanks in advance for your responses .... Frenchie

[pinepointer]

When I ran a charter boat I always had a kicker motor. Why burn up a V8 (or two) when a new 9.9-25 OB is cheaper than a rebuild on the V8? Burned much less gas too. On a smaller lake a trolling motor with one or two deep cycle batteries may provide a good option.

[Part9]

Do you guys permanently mount the kicker or do you just clamp it on for the day?

[sabmgb]

I have it all, drift sock, electric bow and now a 8hp kicker. I troll almost a 100% of the time and have used my electric for 3 years, it lasts about 4 to 5 hrs on a good battery. Last year I ran out of juice and had to use 90hp to keep trolling with the sock. Motor didn't like the next couple of hours. I also started fishing Lake Erie last year and figured it was time for a kicker, I will now troll with it and have it as a backup if big motor has a problem. Electric will always be charged up, but will only use now for vertical jigging.