Your kicker of choice?

[Dragginbait]

My buddy and I are going partners on a bigger boat, I will be selling my 17' Double Eagle and with that $ I will be buying a new kicker. The new boat is a 21.5 Campion Victoria and would like to know your opinion on the best kicker for it and not a salesmans opinion. Would you go for a high thrust 9.9 or go to a 15? The boat already has a new remote steering system and I was leaning towards power tilt and start (muscle tone aint what it used to be) and 4 stroke.
So your pros and cons on manufacturer, carbed or efi would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[Bifmalibu]

Yamaha T9.9 with ptt.

 

[casper5280]

I would deafitely go with power tilt and forward controls. I went with a Yamaha 8 Hp high thrust and wish I had went with a 15. The 8 does the job for trolling but that is it. The 15 would do the job for trolling plus backup power. I also went with the panther electric steer and so far so good.

 

[trendsetter]

Yamaha T9.9 with ptt.

X2. I was on a 24ft Searay in Ukee this year that had a t9.9 as the kicker. It moved it along with ease.

 

[Dragginbait]

X2. I was on a 24ft Searay in Ukee this year that had a t9.9 as the kicker. It moved it along with ease.

But would the 9.9 be good for back up power too or mainly for trolling?

 

[JAC]

I have had 3 yamaha T 8 power remote start and trim. They were very good but did not like cold weather starting. My buddy who also had a 2 yamaha T8 for a number of years and like them. He just bought a Honda high thrust and says its way better smoother and easier to start. I don't think you can go wrong with any high thrust motor just buy the one that's the best deal with a dealer near buy. I would not buy the 15 just get a HT...

 

[trendsetter]

But would the 9.9 be good for back up power too or mainly for trolling?

I think it would be fine for backup power in all but the worst of conditions. The T-models (high-thrust) are designed to maximize thrust not speed so they give you better control and power at low speeds. So you'd be able to move in just about any conditions but won't be going very fast. The Searay I was on, he showed us with full throttle it would move the boat about 6 knots. That's a much heavier boat then your campion. However this was in calm waters.

You might get another 1-2 knots out of a 15hp but it wouldn't be that noticeable. The F15 is essentially the same motor as the T9.9. The difference is the carbs and the lower unit. The T model has a lower gear ratio for more thrust. You could get a F15 and buy a high thrust prop (low pitch and 4 blades).

 

[Jeep09]

x 3 or 4, Yamaha T9.9; PT,ES, forward controls. I have the Goetz steering, love the concept, find the toggle a pain in the ars

 

[Sharphooks]

I've been through three Yamaha T-8's and one Yamaha T-9.9----they're great kickers but as mentioned, are sometimes grumpy when it comes to cold-starts. My newest kicker---a Honda 9.9---why did I turn my back on Y-Blue and go H-Silver???

Because Honda kickers have built-in pull start capabilities, that's why. X-2 on power tilt and X-2 on electric start as was recommended above but the built-in pull start is HUGE. Yes, you can rig up a Y-Blue to manually pull start but by the time you get the cord onto the fly-wherel, you might be on the rocks.

With Honda, it's right there for you, ready to pull if you ever have electric issues.

Any boat addition should be driven by safety, (unless you're filling the cooler with beverages in which case, all bets are off...)

 

[baddogg]

I have had a Honda 9.9 for around 10 years, maybe more. I got mine the last year they had the square housing. Other than change the oil in the motor and leg and I think the spark plug once, no maintenance whatsoever. ( Knock on wood) Occasionally I will have to poke around in the pisser tube after it sits for a bit to get the salt out, even after a flush but that is it. I first had it on an 18.5 and now a 27 ft.. It is awesome for trolling and pushes me along at about 7 mph in calm water when needed. My buddy has a Yamaha and he loves that too.

 

[SteelyDan]

Do the honda's still have that stupid water pickup through the rudder? Also on the hondas is there a high thrust model or is it just a prop change? What's the prop serial # on a high thrust honda kicker prop?

 

[MRACER]

my kicker of choice is my starboard optimax 150 hp.....used to have a 9.9 merc on my last boat, but after a 4 hour return to dock one time, I swore never to have another kicker that couldn't bring a boat on plane!!!

 

[Sharphooks]

Hey MRACER--- nice to have port and starboard options on a boat that can take big ponies. For the rest of us that can only hang one main off our transoms, we're stuck with kickers. But I'd rather get a 4 hour return on a puny kicker then a dead in the water when the single main goes down and I don't have something puny hanging next to the dead main.

Last summer I spun a log into the prop of my Honda BF150 and she started vibrating so bad I shut her down. That 9.9 brought us home. It took 4 hours but sometimes the tortoise wins the race.

 

[MRACER]

SHARPHOOKS- VERY TRUE OBSERVATION- getting home is the key- a 9.9 would have a tuff time against a good current or tide would it not?-WOULD NOT A 30 HP KICKER WORK WELL? i SEE MENTION OF 15'S AND THE 30 IS USUALLY the same size and weight (sorry about the caps, but I'm too lazy this morning to go back and retype-LOL) I wasn't trying to be elitist about twin engines- I just got so PO'd at that trip that I sold the boat and twins were number 1 on my list- not being rich, I purchased a crab fishermans alumn center consel boat for 6,000.00, extended the pod to 40 inches and used the proline money for the engines and stabilizers... your boat in your avatar sure puts mine to shame in the looks department.

 

[Sharphooks]

hey MRACER---ya, bigger might be better for kickers but there are other issues to consider---max Hp rating for one's boat, weight on the transom, and last but not least, hull displacement/hull speed

I picked up my boat pre-owned. When I got it, it had a BF150 for a main and a Honda BF20 for the kicker. I did not like the kicker because it was not tiller controlled. So I swapped it for a 9.9 with a tiller


I can tell you that due to hull design/hull displacement, the BF20 did not move my boat through the water faster then the 9.9, and it weighed quite a bit more (although it's true I could run it at lower RPM for the same speed)

That was just my experience---hull design is key to whether you'll get better performance out of bigger (heavier) kickers. I think that's why most guys stick with 8 to 15 Hp

 

[Canso]

I've got a Merc 15hp pro kicker with remote throttle ES ET, and added a TR1 autopilot. Pushes my 19.5' boat to 7mph but seems like I have lots of throttle left. As others have said, its hull design that determines speed.
I wish it was 9.9 for the weight savings, but it was a derby prize.
I like the 12amp charging, and built in pull start.

 

[spring fever]

I'm coming into this late-I have a 9.9 hi-thrust yammie since 2003 on an XLC 24 Orca-it trolls well and can move the boat with authority (7 mph) in a fairly good sea. I know that year is a detuned 15 hp so I suppose if it calves I have a problem too!!

 

[AlK]

I have an 8 H/T Yamaha and it handles my 21' B/W Conquest well. Unless a motor can get the boat on plane, a bigger will not make the boat move faster than hull speed. So far my 8 Yamaha has bee an excellent motor.

 

[Rob H]

I have a 21.5 Campion Explorer with a 2005 Yamaha 9.9 HT (200 Optimax main motor). This set-up is great for trolling with lots of reverve, however I have not tested the max speed with the kicker. I suspect it is somewhere around 7 mph as others have suggested.

...Rob

 

[Rockfish]

I prefer the older Yamaha 9.9HT with the heaver block. I understand Yamaha discontinued them and brought out a new 9.9 that is based on the 8 hp block. Not sure what year they switched over. In effect they made the new 9.9 less durable than the old one in many respects.

A heavier block last longer, resists damage and dissipates heat better. That is why some manufactures use to make pro series 9.9’s that were actually detuned 15’s. The motors were heavier but would last longer with less problems.

By going the other way I think Yami made their new 9.9 less durable but saved themselves some manufacturing costs as the 8 and 9.9 are now essentially the same motor taking many of the same parts. The price of course did not go down.

Another advantage of the older 9.9 Yamaha HT kickers is that they have an 11 amp charging system not the 6 amp system you will find on the newer Yamahas and most newer kickers. If you are on your kicker for many hours at a time and running stereos, VHF, GPS/Chart Plotters and fish finders, radar and running lights in the fog and then add on 2 or 3 of the new Scotty High Speed Riggers (which are real Amp Hogs compared to their regular speed riggers) and are up and down on them a lot like us, you may just find that you need that extra 5 amps to keep your batteries charged.