kiker for larger boat

[nedarb2]

what size of kicker is a 9.9 high thrust comparable to? 15hp?
im just looking at some stuff to repower our grady with 4 strokes, what size of kiker should i get, im sure a 9.9 ould push it but i dont want a kiker that needs to be revved up high to push along at a trolling speed, would i need to be lookng at a 20~25hp maybe?
Grady White sailfish, 25.5' hull, 9'6'' beam, about 7-7500lbs wet

 

[Last Chance]

9.9 should do just fine, I've seen a few Grady's with 'em. But, if you guys don't troll that much, just alternate your motors, the 4 grand for a full four stroke kicker setup buys a lot of fuel. If I didn't guide, I probably wouldn't have bothered.

 

[Little Hawk]

Howdy,

Don't forget - your troller is also your auxillary (unless you're running twins). I've got a 15/Honda pushing my Zeta 19'(4500-wet) and it's quite adequate, even in a strong wind and current. Not sure I'd want a 10 for the little extra it was to get the 15. My Honda is from the previous generation and the 15/hp is simply a 10/hp with a bigger main-jet in the carb. If memory serves.

If I was you, with a boat that heavy, I'd probably opt for the larger.

Good Luck!
Terry

 

[rigg dogg]

I have a Grady 254 Kingfish with twin 150 HPDI Yammi's and a High Thrust 9.9 on a pod. Loaded up with gear and fuel it's right around 7000 lbs. On most day's the 9.9 did the job. There was the odd time when I could have used a little more, but for the most part it works just fine.
Unless like Hawk says if it's going to be your back up you might want to go with a little more power.
I was told the 9.9 HT is the same as a 15HP.

 

[nedarb2]

hey, thanks guys, and yea we wouldbe gonig twins or maybe the new 350, or even the rumored 400 hp outboards inthe near future.

 

[mlaag]

Before you purchase your new kicker you might want to check to see how they run as some of the new ones vibrate pretty bad

 

[bananas]

I have a 27 sailfish with a 9.9 high thrust Yammi and it pushes great.
It's only not enough when its to ugly to be out there anyways,i fish swifsure all summer with no probs.

 

[herronjoe]

I have an 8HP four stroke Yamaha high thrust on a 24' 242 Bayliner. It works OK but your not going to get any place fast. Sure is quiet though, you have to have someone standing at the back of the boat to tell you when it starts up or you could burn out the starter. In a heavy wind it becomes a one way troll as with most boats. Good luck and fair seas.

 

[Time]

"what size of kicker is a 9.9 high thrust comparable to? 15hp?"

A good question, but not one that can be easily answered.
Easiest method it seems to me would be to compare the props. A high thrust 8 or 9.9, because of their different gear ratios, can turn a larger prop than the equivalent non high thrust motor.
A high thrust 9.9 should give you the same propulsion as a 15, at the same rpm's and with the same prop, I would think.
But you would have to talk to a dealer about the standard prop sizes. Looked at the Yamaha site and couldn't figure out what would be the standaerd diameter and pitch.

 

[Charlie]

quote:Originally posted by nedarb2

what size of kicker is a 9.9 high thrust comparable to? 15hp?
im just looking at some stuff to repower our grady with 4 strokes, what size of kiker should i get, im sure a 9.9 ould push it but i dont want a kiker that needs to be revved up high to push along at a trolling speed, would i need to be lookng at a 20~25hp maybe?
Grady White sailfish, 25.5' hull, 9'6'' beam, about 7-7500lbs wet

Nice boat! I looked at one myself!

Used to have 2858 EC which was about 30' hull 9'10" beam and about 8000 lbs. Mounted a Yamaha 9.9 (which is about the same as 15hp) and worked "okay"... not great! With the high profile of the command bridge I had to pay "close attention" to the winds. If the wind caught me right it was going to turn the boat and the 9.9 wasn't going to stop it at slow troll. Makes it interesting if you like to fish next to the rocks!

I would go bigger, if I had to do it again!

But, I have to agree with LastChance! I now have a BW 295 hull 29', beam 10'4" twin 225's. I alternate engines and don't have any problems trolling. If anything it helps me from trolling "to slow". I do kick it out of gear once in a while if I have the wind pushing me, but... that is a good thing to do anyway!

Charlie

 

[wet spot]

My experience is with a 21.5 Campion Explorer I/O. We used a Merc 9.9 and it was ok but when someone relieved us of it we upgraded to a Merc 15 4-stroke. The Merc 15 was better because of its greater hp but was also heavier and bulkier.

Our kicker bracket was offset towards the port-side of the boat - this means its thrust is also offset causing the boat to crab sideways slightly unless you correct by running with the kicker turned slightly....this reduces its efficiency and steals some of its power. So the extent to which your kicker is mounted off-centre is a determining factor in your power determination.

The 9.9 had difficulty in making a starboard (opposite side from side the kicker was mounted on) turn into the wind...it had to make a very wide turn which can be problematic around rocks and other boats. The 15 had no problem.

Another determining factor is your prop choice - obviously pitch, diameter and number of blades will affect performance. We looked for a prop that worked most effectively at low to mid rpms because the kicker was going to be used mostly for trolling...best to consult your dealer for the best choice for you.

My inclination would be to go to a 15 unless you anticipate no need for fast kicker turns, no rocks, no other boats, no current and no wind....is there such a place?