Question for you Evinrude fans out there. I am thinking about a new Ranger 620 with a 250 HO. Wondering what those of you with that set up are doing re: your kicker??

I know Evinrude has the new 15 hp ho but i am concerned about the extra weight. I also know some have put on a 9.9 Johnson but am concerned that it doesnt come with power trim, and i have this perception that a normal 9.9 HP motor wont function as well in some trolling situations as motor designed for trolling as in a Merc Pro kicker or yammie T8.

Ive also seen some boats out there with the 250 HO and a yamaha or merc kicker. Wondering if those of you with that setup have observed an issue with resale with different colored motors??

Anyway i'm rambling. Any thougts would be appreciated.

Have run 3 Rangers with Evinrude / T-8 combination. My brothers run the same combo too. Never been an issue. The T-8 is one of the best kickers out there in my opinion. I also have the black v-max hood on my T-8, so it matches close to the Etec.....

...is more of a work boat or pontoon boat primary motor than a kicker. The weight is 146 lbs and its a de-rated 30 hp. I think you'll be much better off with a true kicker motor- Merc, Yammi, etc.
Doug

I just orderd a new 621 witha 250 h o and went with the t8 kiker had that combo on my last boat and really liked it , I could kare less about the colars matching ,

Mismatching bugs the heck out of me. I'd paint the kicker and get some Evinrude decals :bigsmile: Evinrude has a market for a kicker if they would build one that is price competitive. That 15 is heavy and a lot of money.

You might want to look at a Suzuki kicker (they made the johnson kicker) the DF9.9 High Trust comes with power tilt. Just when suzuki came out with a true kicker johnson quit using then.

Brian

Warhawk

They don't make a T-8 any more so you would need to go to a T9.9. Johnson stopped making the 9.9 kicker in I believe in 2007 or 2008 so the Suzuki might be an option.........

Just a thought; I'm a Mercury guy but you have to love that center tiller handle on that Evanrude. I'm a tiller guy so I set back there and run my kicker on the left side. The handle in the center would be nice. Hey HRG come up with a after market kit.

Paul

I had the chance to use the 15HP ETEC kicker this summer and it ran flawlessly. The best part is how easy it starts up compared to the old 9.9 Johnsons we were using on the boats.

I wouldn't be too concerned about the weight. Mounted on the port side balances the boat out well when there is only one person in the boat.

The ETEC kicker fires right up just like it's bigger relatives...there's no cold starts with this new motor. Mine sat for a couple of months while I was on the road, and when it was started the next time out it just fired right up. We just looked at each other like they hit a home run with this motor.

Features I like are the built in trim and tilt and the ability to move the tiller arm left or right (for comfort) just to name a couple.

I would get another one in a heartbeat.

Juls

Just a thought; I'm a Mercury guy but you have to love that center tiller handle on that Evanrude. I'm a tiller guy so I set back there and run my kicker on the left side. The handle in the center would be nice. Hey HRG come up with a after market kit.

Paul

What motor would you like that on? Honestly, I think the Suzuki DF9.9T is a pretty good choice for a tiller kicker. Center mount handle, forward shift that's not built into the throttle, power tilt/trim. and, it's almost dark enough to be "black". http://suzukimarine.com/_m/brochures/df9.9t_4-stroke-outboards.pdf
HRG

Buy the kicker YOU want to use. There's always somebody who won't like what you chose no matter what you do.
- Outboards don't match? Yeah, but they both do the job very well.
- Outboards do match but the stern is heavier and price is higher because of the E'rude 15? Yeah, but at least they match.

Which conversation do you want to have when you sell the boat? You'll have years to use the boat and when you eventually sell it, that should take much less time. :)

Id send Eric Olson here a IM and speak to him. He works with BRP and helps with development, and I know for a fact the 15ho was his baby. Guys with weight concerns, think about this one, 250 HO, roughly 510lbs or so, add kicker at 150 approx, you have 660#, how much does a 225-300 Verado weigh? 689#, plus a 9.9 pro kicker, lets not talk about too much weight, actually the package is quite competitive with weight, the 15HO is a Killer motor for trolling, which i believe is what you guys do with it, right? It will idle lower than the others, trim/tilt is fast as ****, just look at the mounting bracket, Id go 15HO all day long, and **** I sell Merc!!!!! Brannon 847-450-4011