Dan The Man
Active Member
Just woundering what hp kicker i could get away with my 18' welded alum boat.
Kicker for a 18' boat
- Thread starter Dan The Man
- Start date
S
SIR
Guest
There is a pretty huge range of wieghts in differnet configs of 18' welded aluminum boats..... If it's a "typical" silverstreak/double eagle windshielded type a 9.9hp will move it slowely but a 20-30hp would actually give you some maneuverability in weather. With kickers the question is usually what you can find used, in good shape, but at a decent price 
Charter Tofino
Well-Known Member
isnt a 30 quite a bit for an 18 might add alot of weight and lower the back end? Most guys run a 9.9 on 16-21ftrs
M
Mongoose
Guest
would a 4hp move a 15.5' fiberglass boat well?
explorer185
Member
I have a 9.9 Johnson on an Explorer 185 and it does the job.
S
SIR
Guest
Older model 20-30's weigh a LOT less than the new ones.
Like I said an 18' welded aluminum with 1/4" bottom 3/8" sides with a full keel depth pod, 6.5' beam, lot's of freeboard and a cuddy is a very different boat from a 18' Princecraft style lighter guage welded aluminum. If your running a 115-150hp main outboard to move your boat a 9.9 in a 15knot active pass is NOT going to be a tonne of fun.... A thirty would be on the high side but a 20-25 would be reasonable assuming you had deep pockets
Lord knows with the boats we see streaming by all summer there's a lot of folks out there with deep pockets.
Like I said an 18' welded aluminum with 1/4" bottom 3/8" sides with a full keel depth pod, 6.5' beam, lot's of freeboard and a cuddy is a very different boat from a 18' Princecraft style lighter guage welded aluminum. If your running a 115-150hp main outboard to move your boat a 9.9 in a 15knot active pass is NOT going to be a tonne of fun.... A thirty would be on the high side but a 20-25 would be reasonable assuming you had deep pockets
Lord knows with the boats we see streaming by all summer there's a lot of folks out there with deep pockets.
Dan The Man
Active Member
Thanks for the replys.
Ps: no deep pockets!
Ps: no deep pockets!
Charter Tofino
Well-Known Member
then where did u get that 18 foot welded? ahha those are some sweet and expensive rides!
islanderguy
Member
I have a new 9.9 Merc 4-stroke long shaft on my 16' welded aluminum boat. Maximum speed is about 6 mph which is great for a kicker. I think an 8 hp would have been adequate. If you want more speed, you should consider a high thrust model.
victoriaboater
Active Member
9.9 ALL THE WAY
islanderguy
Member
Mongoose: You probably don't want the 4 hp. It will have a single cylinder and the vibration will drive you crazy if it's mounted on your transom. The vibration isn't too bad when it's on a bracket. I had a 4 hp on my 16 ft open riveted aluminum and it pushed it along around 4 - 5 mph. (much faster than paddling if your main engine dies)
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