Loosing the Kicker motor...

Here is another consideration.
150 to 200 Hp Yamaha is 480 pounds each or 960 pounds for both
A 300hp is 551 pounds.
Difference is 409 pounds

With the single add 100 pounds for the kicker and maybe 25 pounds for a bracket and you are still 284 pounds lighter off the very back of your boat. That has to make a huge difference in performance and fuel burn
 
Here is another consideration.
150 to 200 Hp Yamaha is 480 pounds each or 960 pounds for both
A 300hp is 551 pounds.
Difference is 409 pounds

With the single add 100 pounds for the kicker and maybe 25 pounds for a bracket and you are still 284 pounds lighter off the very back of your boat. That has to make a huge difference in performance and fuel burn


284 pounds is not a huge difference but I know what you’re saying. There are many YouTube videos doing operating and also static comparisons to look at. Again, it all comes down to pro’s and con’s and ultimately what you think works best for your situation.
 
Speaking of twins and the ability to get home faster than using a kicker if one breaks down, watch this at 1:55 onward.

A Kingfisher 2825 with twin 150's planes easily with one motor that is propped for twins.

Pretty good jump on to plane with only 15o horse on that big boat.
 
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Yet another consideration: on many rigs you will need a second set of controls on the back deck to comfortably troll on the mains. For that you need to go fly by wire which is more expensive. Factor in the fly by wire, extra set of controls, and the rpm up down toggle and you have come close or have bought yourself a kicker. Pros and cons to fly by wire depending on brand and personal preference.

My next boat will have twins and a kicker. Personally I like having two props pushing the boat when the weather isn't ideal.

I like the kicker for redundancy and keeping hours down. Sure troll hours don't really count but try selling a set of 200's with 3000 hours vs the same set with 1000 hours.
 
A kicker may be more economical on fuel, and keeps your hours down as well as being a third redundancy. On my rig with the twin 6cylinder 200 zuks, I can’t afford the weight of a kicker, so I troll on my mains. If you can afford the extra 5 grand and weight then go for it.
 
To me, depends on the boat the twins will be installed on and the transom/boat design. Twins with a kicker, kicker on its own fuel tank would be my preference, may be alittle hyper redundant tho...

Things to consider:
- max allowable transom weight and design
- overall wieght and balance of boat
- if adding a larger fuel tank for twin... Where is the tank in relation to point above?, how much additional wieght when full?
- do you troll or jig more?
- if podding, how much more flotation will I need in the design to support twins with a kicker?
- do you want that super cool, super $$ joystick to dock with or program it to hold position while Hali fishing?

I've tossed around the idea a lot in the last 6 months. It's personal preference and the in the end, BUDGET!
I'll be starting with twins for the first bit to see how many hours i actually log. I tend to jig more often then not. Then maybe add a kicker next spring if the hours dictate to.
 
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Manoeuvrability while trolling with one of the twins, no kicker, or even trolling with a big single is always an improvement over a kicker in strong current or certain weather conditions.
 
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I have twin 200s with digital controls and I troll on them. It is probably more expensive putting hours on your mains but if you aren’t putting huge hours on the boat who really cares. I thought I would see how much I use the boat before buying a kicker and I put a grand total of 65 hours on my engines last year and that includes trolling. In my situation I don’t think spending another 5k on a kicker makes a lot of sense . If I find a used kicker in the 2k range I may grab it but I won’t go new. If money is no object or if you rarely use the boat I’d say troll on the mains. If things are a bit tighter and your always out fishing buy a kicker.
 
If you have room and money for a 9.9HT Yamaha do it, And if there is money leftover, Add a electronic throttle controller to it and thank me latter.
 
Wow. Thanks for the responses! Lots to consider. The thing with my boat is that it is already set up with dual front/rear controls. So that’s a big cost savings off the top.
Thanks again guys.
 
I was recently at the boat show in Vancouver and chatting with a fella (he has his own Fishing show, Big Coast??). He has twins on his boat and says he ditched the kicker and dials down the rpms to troll on the mains. Alternating to keep hours even.

I am repowering with twin 200’s and the Merc rep says I can troll at low speeds (25 rpm increments.) and it will not harm the engine. Extra maintenance and lots of hours are obvious cons.

I have an extra engine for the tender as a safety as we fish North of Hardy.

What do you all think of not having a kicker when you have twins?? Anyone else set up this way?
Thanks guys!
I run twin 150 Mercs and troll on them. Their troll control feature is off the hook and can be adjusted in 10 rpm increments. Makes for efficient and easy fishing coupled with auto pilot
 
Twin 225 verado's with troll mode. Troll on my mains. Switching motors every other time out or so in order to keep the engine hours even. Love not having a kicker and fishing off a main. Verado's are super quiet and like others have said the troll mode is amazing. Fishing in bad weather, heavy tides, big waves etc is much nicer trolling off a main. Faster response, better control etc. I do most of my own maintenance/tune ups etc and have had no issues. Have fished over the years from both boats with twins trolling from a main and from boats trolling with kicker. I won't go back to a kicker personally. I fish a bit off my buddy's boat too with a brand new single main Yammy and a Yammy kicker. Man are those motor's loud. I swear his sounds like a 2 stroke compared to my Merc Verado's. Yes the fuel is more but I'll trade that for the benefits any day.
The other benefit is safety when fishing far off shore. Something goes wrong with one motor and the other main can get me in a lot faster than a Single with a kicker for back up.
Also when I am cruising my motors are at ease at lower RPM going the same speed as I would be with one big main at a much higher RPM. To me that means a lot less stress on my motors.
 
One thing that’s really nice about trolling on the main is that they are incredibly quiet. They would probably control the boat a little easier also.

Good reminder, I forgot this valid point. If it wasn't for the water pissing out the side, I can't tell if it's running some days. If someone made the quietest kicker by a large margin, it would take market share on this feature alone.
 
I do my best not to run up unnecessary hours on the very expensive to replace main outboard. Even when we come down off plane to check the traps on the way in, I start the kicker which is full remote, very easy to do and only takes a couple of seconds, so as not to put extra minutes on the main while we are running around messing with the traps.

I think most people would agree this is taking things too far. It is far better for your engine to cool down at idle rather than cut the motor every time you are off plane.
 
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