Thanks. That all completely aligns with my thinking. It might be an older kicker to start with, bought used with a plan to replace in a few years. But it's still 100% more redundancy than I have currently. Or maybe I'll just go ahead and pony up for something newer. Kind of depends how the costs for other work goes.
17' Arima Sea Ranger (1987) update
- Thread starter chille51
- Start date
Gong Show
Well-Known Member
Good old used kicker are four words that do not go well together.
scott craven
Well-Known Member
I'm betting that Honda will idle down so nicely you'll troll with it regardless.
I see the benefit of a kicker as an auxiliary, just have to make sure it will start when you need it.
Ancient Mariner
Member
How long will they take to get to you , as you drift towards the rocks. I do not understand this saying you only need one motor.
Gong Show
Well-Known Member
Never forget you have an excellent anchor.
My whole commercial fishing career was done with one engine for propulsion.
Ancient Mariner
Member
But you will still be waiting for someone to get to you.
Lol, wow really started an unintended debate here! I hear both sides of the kicker and no kicker argument, and plenty folks here with way more experience than me arguing both sides. I feel like this is one of those debates that really comes down to everyone's individual opinion and risk tolerance. For me, I'm a scaredy cat I guess. I'll be getting a kicker.
Aquaholic
Crew Member
No debate. Either way has worked well for both sides of the conversation. You do what’s best for you.
Aquaholic
Crew Member
Yes. How many lodge boats are there that only have one motor. Sure they have buddy boats around but modern four strokes are incredibly reliable.
RevyG
Crew Member
Not just a case of reliability for me, I have one for a few reasons, Fuel being one, and is going to be more of a reason as we go along, wear and tear, so far I have saved over 400 hrs. on my main by having a kicker, which I feel is a win, easy to drop and change 1 liter opposed to changing my 150 merc. oil. and will be more attractive when we go to upgrade having way less hours even if they are "Mostly" trolling hours, and like others have said, I am an inlander who does 2 trips a summer, just feels better knowing I have 2 just incase. My friends call me Prepary Gary, hahaha, not the worst nickname I have been given! After years on SAR I am just simply more comfortable having a kicker, but we each decide how much risk we are willing to take.
RevyG
Crew Member
and are mostly leased and switched out every 2 years, Bridgeview will sell you one of the houred up ones.
I shouldn't have said old, what I meant was used. But point taken, I imagine the good deals are fairly hard to come by, and most of the time they are selling them for a reason. Are you suggesting it is not worth keeping an eye out for a relatively new, low hours used kicker, perhaps even with some warranty remaining? I realize I just described a unicorn, and I haven't really done a lot of looking other than passive browsing yet. Also haven't been in to talk to a shop about the new options yet either. Accepting the answer to the debate of whether I need one or not is up to me, what's the best approach to get best bang for the buck?
Look for used first. There are deals if you are patient. I haven’t bought one in awhile but my last kicker was a 2000 8hp Yamaha that was rarely used I got for $900. One thing that hasn’t been mentioned is often kickers don’t get used because it’s inconvenient or too much trouble for many so lots of life in them when they come up.
Aquaholic
Crew Member
I have one. The point was that there are other boats around you, it had nothing to do with the hours.
sly_karma
Crew Member
Used kicker is a good place to start. Step into a dealership with new units on the rack and you'll realize these are the most expensive outboards on the market on a per-hp basis.
Seeking out one with some warranty still on the books is actually worth considering. The first owner has taken most of the depreciation hit, and there's some peace of mind if there's a major mechanical blowup. How much is warranty worth? Hard to quantify, but a lot less than on a 4 or 6 cylinder outboard. Those small twins are pretty easy to work and parts cost less because there's fewer of them.
Last point in favour of warranty, even if just a month or two remaining: warranty paperwork in hand should mean the kicker isn't stolen. And that's a real risk, heaps of 9.9s are stolen in BC every year.
Seeking out one with some warranty still on the books is actually worth considering. The first owner has taken most of the depreciation hit, and there's some peace of mind if there's a major mechanical blowup. How much is warranty worth? Hard to quantify, but a lot less than on a 4 or 6 cylinder outboard. Those small twins are pretty easy to work and parts cost less because there's fewer of them.
Last point in favour of warranty, even if just a month or two remaining: warranty paperwork in hand should mean the kicker isn't stolen. And that's a real risk, heaps of 9.9s are stolen in BC every year.
Aces
Well-Known Member
It’s not a matter of being a scardy cat, more about risk management
Ancient Mariner
Member
Another advantage with a kicker you can troll in the back using the tiller ,were I think you are more in control.And when you get a fish it is much easier than run back and forth to the front of the boat.
SpringVelocity
Crew Member
Exactly
brutus
Well-Known Member
And a good anchor
Gong Show
Well-Known Member
Just wait until you ask us where to mount your downriggers!
This is cheaper than professional therapy, and we have issues!
