Kicker Installation in Vancouver

[demco99]

Hey guys,

Got a bunch of kicker related questions and would love to hear your opinions:

1) Looking to get a kicker installed on the boat in the pics below. Who would you recommend in Vancouver to do this? I have contacted Haruna and Bridgeview so far. One issue is that I don't have a trailer for the boat as it is too wide with a 10' beam. I would need to find someone who has their own trailer or lift or alternatively they could come and do the install at the RVYC's lift at Stanley Park...

2) I was thinking of going with either a 9.9hp or 15hp Mercury prokicker because the main engines are Merc - but I'm open to other brands if you think they are superior kickers. Also not sure if I should go for the 9.9 or 15 - the dry weight of hull is 5200lbs plus motors, fuel and gear it probably is around 7000lbs or more. I want to make sure I have enough thrust on windy/choppy days. One issue here is that the 15hp Merc prokicker is only available in a 20" shaft length (9.9hp comes in 20"+25" shaft) and this boat is designed for 25" shaft outboards..

3) Steering wise I was thinking of having seperate hydraulic steering for the kicker and a steering wheel mounted on the transom. I would also mount the throttle near the transom. This way I could steer and adjust throttle from the transom while trolling on nice days. For foul weather days I thought I could rig up a tie bar to connect the kicker to the main engines and steer from the helm.. I wouldn't have throttle control for the kicker from up in the helm however. On the nice days this tie bar would just remain disconnected. Thoughts?

4) I'm also deciding whether I should plumb the kicker to the main 170 gallon fuel tank or to it's own seperate tank. I would go for a standard 6.6gal tank and need to find somewhere to put it that would be convenient. 6.6gal should be enough fuel to troll on the kicker for at least one full day.

5) The kicker bracket on the whaler drive in the pictures below is too weak and will need to be replaced. Any recommendations on what type of bracket to go for? I found this 'concept' bracket made by prodigy marine fabrication on Vcr Isl that looks really solid - http://www.prodigymarine.com/the-concept-bracket.html . It looks stronger than the standard swim step brackets I have seen from Panther as it secures to the transom as well.

Thanks guys!!



Whaler 27 FC by nickdemco, on Flickr

Whaler 27 FC by nickdemco, on Flickr

Whaler 27 FC by nickdemco, on Flickr

Whaler 27 FC by nickdemco, on Flickr

Whaler 27 FC by nickdemco, on Flickr

Whaler 27 FC by nickdemco, on Flickr

9.9vs15 - 1 by nickdemco, on Flickr

Prodigy Bracket by nickdemco, on Flickr

 

[dmurph]

Inlet marine may work nick, you can boat right to them and they have a lift out I believe. They had a good price on the 15hp big foots which come in 25 inch leg. The yammaha don't come stock 25 inch, I have a yammaha and wish it was an extra long shaft, I kind of also wish it was a big foot lol. I have had two yammaha 9.9 and both have given me lots of issues. I would go with a extra long shaft big foot. I have had panther and now intelli steer for kicker operation, the panther was great when it worked, but didn't work for long. The intelli steer seems pretty good so far, it is a little slow to react and the remote seems like it might be the weak point, changing the batteries in it is rather unpleasant. I think the hydraulic intellisteer system would be a sweet set up.

 

[dmurph]

Regarding the fuel, I had my yamaha 9.9 professionally plumed into my main and the motor would never run right for very long on that sytem. I know quite a few others with the same results, we all run day tanks now. I know there must be many more though who run plumed in, maybe mine didn't get plumed right. It is annoying to fill the day tank everyday. I also wish my kicker had the tiller handle for emergency use. That way with a day tank the kicker would act as one complete seperate motor self sufficient.

 

[Canso]

I've got a 15hp Pro Kicker with 25" shaft, they are available, not sure why its not on the site.

you want
15 HP Mercury 15EXLPT Pro Kicker

the "XL" is for extra long shaft

 

[Fish Assassin]

Id take the boat by water and see Chris at Inlet Marine.... Great service, great prices. Ask anyone who's bought a motor from mine.

http://www.inletmarine.ca or PM him on SFBC

 

[albernifisher]

Chris at inlet marine sold me my 15 pro kicker, no one else even came near his price

 

[pescador]

1.0 I'd plumb fuel direct to main fuel tank. No need to fill up multiple tanks and your kicker will never run out of fuel.
2.0 Consider installing the Seastar kicker tie bar if you have a Seastar hydraulic steering system http://www.seastarsolutions.com/products/hydraulic-new/outboard-new/seastar_kicker/ Its flawless. Personally, I prefer to control power/start/steer/lift from main helm although I know lots of people like to do it from the rear of the boat. This system makes steering and lifting the kicker a breeze from the main helm.
3.0 I have the Prodigy kicker bracket and it was the best I could find after looking at lots of them. Its very secure and mounts with four bolts to transom and two more on the swim grid to keep it secure. It is rock solid. I've had it on the boat three years now. It allows you to adjust your kicker height to ensure best aligment to eliminate cavitation. They will powder coat to your specs....

 

[Goathorns]

My yamaha 9.9 was fueled from the main tank, thru the fuel/water separator and filter. I used shut off valves, for filter change mounted incoming and out going, and also one reverse suction stop, on the kicker line. When the filter is near changing the yamaha kicker will start to act up. Especially if fuel is low. I change the filter then and problem solved.
You may have twin filters and therefore more choices. Usually 2 outlet, look for arrows on the housing.

 

[Sculpin]

Run your fuel with the main tank (not that hard) and get a MERCURY kicker.

Boat looks great man. Nice upgrade dude .

 

[abbyfireguy]

Like guys have said, Chris at Inlet Marine might be a good idea. He was very informative with my questions and has very good prices,even though I didn't end up buying from him. For your boat and it's application that would be a good place to start.

 

[Rockfish]

From experience I would say if you have problems running your kicker off the main tank that supplies fuel to your main motor then something is wrong.

To be sure it works correctly:

Run a complete fuel supply systems from the main tank to each motor. Each motor needs its own complete fuel supply line, cut off valve, Racor type external fuel filter/water separator and squeeze bulb priming pump.

Squeeze bulbs get weak or fail including the valves so replace as necessary with the arrow going in the correct direction.

There will be a lot of connections and points for possible air leaks so use high quality marine rated all stainless clamps not the cheap ones for cars. Even the marine grade ones come in several quality levels. The more expensive the better. Make sure they are all tight and they do not have to be leaking gas to cause problems, just sucking air. This is also true of the fittings the gas lines attach to on things like the filters, - make sure they are tight and not sucking air.

Gas lines are cheap and wear out so replace them frequently. I was told gas lines exposed to the elements such as UV and which get moved around such as those out on the pod feeding the motors should be replaced every three years and those protected in the bilge etc. should be replaced every 5 or 6 years but checked frequently for connections that are not tight and air leaks and replaced if there is any doubt. Some gas additives will cause the gas lines to breakdown over time, especially ethanol. Again gas line is cheap and if there is any concern about this replace them more frequently.

Make sure you have a large diameter, good condition, not twisted vent hose and vent that are working correctly for the main tank.

Inspect your main tank every few years and service, repair or replace as necessary.

Make sure your tank is clean and free of water and debris and add a good fuel preservative during the off season. I also like to add a little octane booster if the fuel has been sitting for a while, even with preservative.

The last time I had fuel supply issues it was the main motor and bad fuel line connections.

 

[Jetboater]

be sure to run a shut off to the kicker the mains will pull the fuel out of the lines even when plumbed thru the filter. i put my shutoff right at the filter so it is easy to access