Bracket Pro Kicker bracket

[FlyinOnH2o]

I see in the products page listed the Bracket Pro Kicker Support.
Looking for feed back. Pro's & con's vs a panther bracket.
Looking to install a merc 9.9 4 stroke on a Triton 205.
Thanks for the input.

[The answer man]

Feedback, the Panther and the bracket pro are basically two different systems. The Bracket pro is a manual tilt support to keep your kicker from bouncing both on the trailer and on the water. It is rock solid and nearly bullet proof. I was very impressed with it when I saw it and will never own another boat without one. The Panther is nice too but more expensive. It will tilt the motor up and down as well as help secure against bouncing. For me though the Bracket Pro has much less to go wrong. Too many moving parts scare me. That is why I dont have a jackplate.

[Jim Ordway]

Ditto with the answer man. Bracket Pro works well. Best bet for the money.

[Brian_MN]

Tell me more about how the Bracket Pro is in operation, I'm thinking about one also.

What's the procedure for bringing the motor up and down out on the water? Is there ever an instance where you have to hang out over the transom to do anything?

Do you have to reach over the back of the boat and attach that strap every time you move?

What about trailering? Does the Bracket Pro give you the ability to have the motor up say half way for trailering?

If you have a tiller kicker, does the Bracket Pro do anything to prevent the kicker from flopping side to side and banging into the big motor?

Thanks!

[Jeffro]

>"Tell me more about how the Bracket Pro is in operation, I'm
>thinking about one also. "
>
>"What's the procedure for bringing the motor up and down out
>on the water? Is there ever an instance where you have to
>hang out over the transom to do anything? "

It's pretty much the same as when you tilt the motor up using the factory bracket. At least that's how my bracket pro is set up. I grab the kicker's cowl with one hand and tilt it up. With the other hand, I reach down and position the bracket pro where it needs to go.

>
>"Do you have to reach over the back of the boat and attach
>that strap every time you move? "

If i'm just running back to start another slide, not in a big hurry, and not too bumpy, then i don[t strap it. I keep aware of the fact that it's not strapped though and make sure I adjust the boat's attitude as needed to keep the kicker from floppin.
>
>"What about trailering? Does the Bracket Pro give you the
>ability to have the motor up say half way for trailering? "

No, not that im aware of.
>
>If you have a tiller kicker, does the Bracket Pro do
>anything to prevent the kicker from flopping side to side
>and banging into the big motor?

To be absolutely certain it won't flop, you gotta strap it down.

When I first got the bracket pro, I'd keep looking back while running or have a partner keep an eye out to make sure nothing bad was happening when we started pounding waves and wakes. Like others have said, with the bracket pro, the kicker is rock solid. I don't need to keep checking anymore, 100% confident that the kicker's secure.

Jeff Zurawski
Downers Grove, IL
>

[fisherman]

Brian,, yes you need to manually lift the kicker motor up to get it into position. When adjusted right the bracket pro support raises with the motor, but you will still need to reach down and hold the bracket arm and set the kicker into the yoke or attach a short cord to the arm to eliminate reaching down with you're hand.. Yes you can trailer with the motor tilted and with the strap in place the motor will not move. I have found it not difficult to strap motor so it will not move while running in rough water. If it is not too rough I don't bother strapping motor down, esp. if I am moving a short distance to another spot. I really like the bracket pro and would buy another--the unit is foolproof and should last a lifetime.

[FJH1]

The set-up of the Bracket Pro is the most time intensive aspect of installation. The way mine is currently set I can grab the motor, lift it up, while holding it in the up position I let it pivot to port and it locks into the support cradle. You do have to lean over the transom to strap it down. The only place I've really put it to use so far is Erie and I strapped it down every time we made a run. I know some guys don't strap it down for every run, especially if the water is calm. Once the kicker is strapped down it will not budge, period. I have a Panther jack lift for my 175 but I didn't want the additional weight and the additional set-back for my kicker bracket so that's why I opted for the Bracket Pro. It's a great product (and I'm pretty picky :-)).

Best Regards,

FJH

[Brian_MN]

Thanks for the info. Hopefully by next year Merc will be out with a motor like the Yamaha T-8 and nobody will have to hang over their transom in 5 footers to strap down their kicker. As far as boats and motors have come in the last 10 years, it's disappointing that we still have to rely on add-on products and jury rigging to make sure all our parts are still attached to our boats when we get home.

[FJH1]

When the Bracket Pro is properly adjusted you will NOT have to reach over the transom to set the cradle position. Lift the motor to the up position, let it pivot to port and set it down. Like I said in my other post, this was the most time intensive aspect of my installation (maybe 20 minutes of re-adjusting). If I had to do it again it would take much less time. You will still have to reach over to strap it down, but not to set it into the support cradle.

Best Regards,

FJH

[larrym]

Answerman is right...they are different systems. Both do thier job very well.Panther is about twice the money but provides power tilt and automatically straps down.(you never reach over transon or for that matter leave your seat.) The extra $175 simply buys you convienence. By the way I see Bracket Pro is now being sold through Cabelas...Congratulations! I would think that will increase sales significanly.

[Brian_MN]

Only $175 more for the Panther? I thought the Model 35 was still around $500?

[larrym]

Doing that from memory and it's not working as well as it used to. Bought mine from dealer last summer, along with some other things, and thought it was in the $350 range plus $35 for stap. Could be mistaken though.

[Jeffro]

FJH,
What kicker do you have?
I've got a '00 merc 4-stroke.
So far the best i've been able to adjust my BP results in being able to tilt the kicker up and into the BP cradle with one hand, like you described. To get this adjustment i tightened up the thru-both where the BP support arm pivots. Eventually the bolt loosens and I have to reach back there and hold the BP arm in the right spot. In either case, I've never been able to lower the kicker without having to reach back there and unsnag the cable or having to push the BP arm down manually a couple of inches.

During your adjustments, were you mainly tweaking the cable length?? Any details would be appreciated.

Jeff Zurawski
Downers Grove, IL

[FlyinOnH20]

Wow what a response!
Thanks for the input.... Sounds like the bracket is a winner.
Do any of you have a Triton 205 with this installed?
When in the up position, does the kicker drag in the water while on plane?
Which side of the boat does this setup work best on?
Thanks

[bracketpro]

jeffro!--robert from bracketpro here. if the bracket tether/cable is getting snagged and its probably on the shallow water drive unit. try this.remove one side of the tether/cable and put it back in thru the bottom.meaning one end of tether facing up and one facing down. this gives the tether a little twist and it usually works perfect. give it a try and let us know ok?. the other solution is to remove your shallow water drive unit. you probably dont use it anyway and you dont have to go back and flip the lever any more.just pull up and go.of course any questions please fell free to call any time. our # is 262-644-5337 ---ps if you do remove the shallow water drive which is what we recommend then make sure to put the pin back in and circlips back on. takecare--robert

[bracketpro]

flyin on h2o!there are 8 adjustment holes in the arm.on a triton 205 i believe the 5th or 6th hole should be about right. the bottom line is that the kicker should not drag out of the hole. if it doesnt drag out of the hole it wont when your on plane. if it does than simply adjust it thats the beauty of being fully adjustable. as far as what side to mount the kicker on im sure the triton guys here will steer you in the right direction. good luck and take care---robert

[Jeffro]

Robert,
Thanks for the tips. I do have the shallow water drive off the kicker. Seems like the BP tether hangs up on the bolt heads near the top of the kicker shaft. Changing the direction of the tether could be the ticket! I'll give it a shot and let ya know.

Thanks Again!
Jeff Zurawski
Downers Grove, IL

[FJH1]

Jeff,

Sorry for the slow reply. I have a '96 or '97 Mariner 9.9 4 stroke (same as Merc). Yes, during my adjustment I was mainly (only) adjusting the cable length. Took a while but it works great. Are you any relation to the Dave Zurawski who fishes the Chain Walleye Series?

Best Regards,

FJH

[Skeeter]

I have the Bracket Pro on my 1850 Skeeter. My 9.9 Mer stays put in heavy water. Some use the strap but I do not, as I haven't had a problem with it falling down yet. The unit looks good and works great. If you have any problems mounting or questions drop me a line, always willing to help.

[Sundance]

Robert,

Thanks for the call today with the product code. That really helped and I ordered mine it just a couple of minutes from Cabelas.

[bracketpro]

sundance-----no problem at all and thank you very much. like i said on the phone any questions at all please dont hesitate to call us. good luck this year and take care.---robert

[TEX]

I AM ON ROBERTS PRO STAFF, AND HAVE BEEN RUNNING THE BRACKET PRO ON MY 19`FT. TRACKER WITH A 15hp KICKER FOR TWO YEARS OF TOURNMENT FISHING WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS. THE UNIT IS SIMPLE TO INSTALL AND RELIABLE. IF THE POWERE LIFT FAILS, YOU HAVE A LOT OF PROBLEMS ON YOUR HANDS. I`VE SEEN TOURNMENT ANGLERS WASTING TIME TRYING TO GET THEIR MOTOR UP, THEN YOU SEE THEM DRAGING THEIR MOTOR IN THE WATER TO GET TO THE NEXT SPOT, NOT A GOOD IDEA! MY 2002 LUND IS ON THE WAY AND I GUARENTEE YOU IT WILL HAVE A BRACKET PRO ON IT. GOOD LUCK TO YA.

[Jeffro]

>Jeff,

snip
>
Are you any relation to the Dave Zurawski
>who fishes the Chain Walleye Series?
>
>Best Regards,
>
>FJH

Not that Im aware of, but possibly somewhere along the line?? I've seen his name before at Illinois River Team Walleye events.

Take care and thanks for the reply,
Jeff Zurawski
Downers Grove, IL