Reasons for having a kicker........

[Dave S]

Today, I was very happy to have my kicker!! Went out with my wife and our 5 month old daughter. (her first boat ride) Shortly after pushing off from Tsartlip launch, I lost steering on the main. The main motor would swing freely both directions. I assumed the steering cable broke. Dropped down the kicker, fired up and got us out into the bay and had a closer look at gears behind steering wheel...all good there. So I connected the stainless tie rod from main to kicker, raised kicker up, had the wife control the throttle for the main while I steered via tiller arm on kicker with tie rod moving main. We were able to make way at about 10 knots. We went to pick up the prawn traps I had down by Coles Bay then had a floating picnic inside the bay.

Our day did not go as planned, but the kicker allowed us to still enjoy the glassy calm conditions, and retrieve my traps.

After getting home, I discovered that the inner cable broke away from outer sleeve right where the connector rod bolts to the cable. It looks like the only thing that holds the cable to the sleeve is some crimps. Seems like a design flaw.

If anyone has any stories relating to all the mighty kicker saving their butt, let's hear em......


Thanks to forum member Bighorn for the donated lifejacket. Thanks Rob!

 

[Sculpin]

Glad everything worked out for you and you found the problem Dave. I don't think I would go single engine ever. Either large main and kicker or twins. The only time I have had a problem was sea trials in the spring a couple of years ago in Departure Bay. Had some problems with the main but we were able to get back to the boat launch on the kicker.

 

[merrittboy1]

Good to hear everything worked out. Last summer my son and I were out at Swiftsure when we had main motor problems. Needless to say that I was nervous, but knowing that I had my 10hp kicker made me feel a bit better and knowing that the Coast Guard was monitoring us made me feel a whole lot better. Eventually, the Coast Guard came and towed us as there was concern that heavy winds were coming. I will say that the experience made me feel very uncomfortable with traveling too far off shore for awhile, anything can happen.

 

[Tsquared]

That's a great pic Dave--future fisherman coming up.
T2

 

[Rockfish]

Great Picture Dave. She looks within slot.

 

[sammyslabber]

Food for thought D... thanks for posting your unfortunate experience.

when is back up safety equipment redundant...never... with murphy's law anything can happen.
I experienced a similar problem with my first boat, as I entered the Gordon River from the San Juan Bay side my D box broke on my main motors steering; I used the kicker to navigate> B&R's Marina

Quick thinking on your part D, the boat operator’s card doesn’t cover this training scenario…

 

[sir-vivor]

Only thing better then fish on the boat ....... smiles !
Glad to hear all went well !

 

[adrianna3]

Who hasn't come back in on the kicker at least once?

Dave

 

[Yak]

My main has never left me standed (knock on wood!!) but still i have what I believe to be the most reliable kicker in the world. Fished with it in Ontario, MB, SK, Fort st john, and its been the kicked on my double eagle since I moved to the north island 5 years ago.

I wouldnt leave the dock without backup power.

Great story

Yak

 

[Sharphooks]

Spun a large chunk of wood into the prop of my Honda BF150 crossing Johnstone Strait in pea-soup fog a few summers ago. The flukes on the prop were bent so bad the Engine started vibrating like nuts---there was no doubt I'd damage the shaft or the shaft seal if I kept running her

After calming the GF down I fired up the 9.9 and dodging a cruise ship or two, got across the Strait in one piece then motored 15 NM to Echo Bay---long slow trip but that's what it took to get to a dock and replace the prop on the big one.

There was a thread on THT a week or so ago--some guy asked about the wisdom of owning a kicker--he was hooted with scorn and contempt for whining about such a "useless" piece of equipment. They're heavy. You have to maintain them. You can troll on a big 4-stroke "all day long" so why would you need one?

One guy said...what's the big deal? If your main engine breaks down, just call Sea Tow ---they'll come and get you and you'll be home by dinner.

I loved that one. Next time I'm floating around in the middle of Johnstone Strait in the fog after losing power, I'll just get on my iPhone and call Sea Tow with my newly installed "Save.Your.Scrawny.butt" app, then break out a bottle of Chardonnay while I wait for someone else to solve all my problems for me.

Hey, maybe Sea Tow will also rotate the tires on my truck if if install my new "Self.Reliance.Not!" app on the iPhone?

 

[reelfast]

twin 4 strokes was my choice. one big engine simply didn't fit my mindset or did i think it was a good idea. and the 'guy' is correct, you can troll all day long on your 4 stroke main. kickers, although a good safety item, are not really necessary in a twin install. back when 2strokes were all you could hang back there, they for sure would not idle along so the kicker 'necessity' mind set was born. personally, i do pay boatUS for sea tow each year. sort of like having tripple a for your vehicle IMO.

 

[marula]

good story dave. Its not a bad idea to do a test run on your kicker to see the top speed and get a fuel burn amount so you can estimate return trip and fuel consumption, especially if your not plumbed into a main tank and are running off a separate portable tank. My kicker is plumbed into the main tank racon filter but i used a standard portable tank fitting that clips into a 3 gallon tank i carry for spare in case i run out or have bad fuel. Never needed it but good piece of mind.

 

[Andrew P]

twin 4 strokes was my choice. one big engine simply didn't fit my mindset or did i think it was a good idea. and the 'guy' is correct, you can troll all day long on your 4 stroke main. kickers, although a good safety item, are not really necessary in a twin install. back when 2strokes were all you could hang back there, they for sure would not idle along so the kicker 'necessity' mind set was born. personally, i do pay boatUS for sea tow each year. sort of like having tripple a for your vehicle IMO.

I have always liked the idea of this(maybe in a bunch of years....as the back of my boat would break off with another engine!), but after an incident that my friend had made for a life threatening scenario. It is actually quite a similar thing that happened with Dave, but very different result because of the fact that he had duals running...

Here's what happened:

I was going to meet up with a few friends who had just finished a 3 year sailing trip around the world. They were making their way down the West Coast of Van Isle and I went and jumped on off Nootka Island. Another friend, who runs a surf camp on Nootka, picked me up in Cougar Creek and gave me the lift out to the boat that was anchored in Skuna Bay(with some nice waves peeling on the point). After some chat, and high fives he turned around to head back to where he moores the boat in Plumper Cove. He was cruising about a mile offshore and just as he was passing his home in Beano Bay when one of the links for the steering went and he has one of the two 90hp engines wildly flailing on the back. It is a 20' zodiak. He tried to hold on but the violent action tossed him overboard. He will never make this mistake again, but he wasn't wearing the kill switch. Needless to say....he was in deep ****. His wife could see the boat violently ripping around doing huge irratic circles out there. The boat eventually launched itself up onto the rocks sending his dog hurling onshore. Luckily for him, he is one of the toughest guys that I know...he somehow made it back to shore and almost died of hypothermia. He thinks if he had been another couple hundred meters offshore he would have been a goner...

Anyways, dual engines are good.....but everything has it's own level of risk...

 

[Sharphooks]

twin 4 strokes was my choice. one big engine simply didn't fit my mindset or did i think it was a good idea. and the 'guy' is correct, you can troll all day long on your 4 stroke main. kickers, although a good safety item, are not really necessary in a twin install. back when 2strokes were all you could hang back there, they for sure would not idle along so the kicker 'necessity' mind set was born. personally, i do pay boatUS for sea tow each year. sort of like having tripple a for your vehicle IMO.

Yes, you can troll all day long on a big four stroke. But take an all day long troll through the doors of the mechanics that service those big four strokes and ask some questions. At least a few of them will tell you that prolonged low RPM's (as in trolling all day long) can end up "varnishing" the cylinder walls (residues of uncombusted fuel?) ---those big 4 strokes seem to like WOT in their diet....

And then there's the question of T-stats, water pumps, plugs and high and low pressure fuel filters--I'd rather put major trolling hours on a $ 2,000 kicker (with the attendant costs of those new parts) then do that on a $ 15,000 four stroke with the exponential increase in costs of those parts....

But there's definite wisdom in having two big guys for safety---no doubt. I'm just glad I don't have to service them. One BF150 is enough for me

 

[reelfast]

Yes, you can troll all day long on a big four stroke. But take an all day long troll through the doors of the mechanics that service those big four strokes and ask some questions. At least a few of them will tell you that prolonged low RPM's (as in trolling all day long) can end up "varnishing" the cylinder walls (residues of uncombusted fuel?) ---those big 4 strokes seem to like WOT in their diet....

And then there's the question of T-stats, water pumps, plugs and high and low pressure fuel filters--I'd rather put major trolling hours on a $ 2,000 kicker (with the attendant costs of those new parts) then do that on a $ 15,000 four stroke with the exponential increase in costs of those parts....

But there's definite wisdom in having two big guys for safety---no doubt. I'm just glad I don't have to service them. One BF150 is enough for me

my twins are serviced annually at a certfied yamaha shop. i have asked all of those questions and none of that appears to be true in my case. could be i am running at speed enough of the time to negate these issues. i burn 0.50 g/hr with both 150s running in comparative silence. that produces a trolling speed of about 1.5k, depending on currents. now compare that to a kicker with its small prop and the RPM you have to dial in to make trolling speed. i have fished that way and the noise is not pleasant. as usual YMMV.

 

[Andrew P]

Thanks for starting this thread Dave. It gave me the kick in the butt to replace the bracket and get my kicker back on the boat!

Question is....should I be swapping out for a larger kicker anyways. It has to be flat out for trolling and loud when it is, so it is really just back up. Sure would be a long slow back from Constance let alone being out surfing at Carmanah, Hesquiet, or Nootka. I'm thinking a 4 or 6 would allow to troll on it...

 

[Dave S]

Thanks for starting this thread Dave. It gave me the kick in the butt to replace the bracket and get my kicker back on the boat!

Question is....should I be swapping out for a larger kicker anyways. It has to be flat out for trolling and loud when it is, so it is really just back up. Sure would be a long slow back from Constance let alone being out surfing at Carmanah, Hesquiet, or Nootka. I'm thinking a 4 or 6 would allow to troll on it...

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If you have the funds to upgrade kicker, it would be worth it. Motors always increase value of package, so what you put in, you should get back when you sell one day. Just keep an eye on usedvic for a 6 or 8. I am not sure 4hp will be that much of an upgrade.

I'm not a fan of trolling with kicker without throttle and steering controls at the helm. I'd just keep trolling on main, but that's just my opinion. All kickers are gonna be noisy and will vibrate when compared to the main.