Thinking about a kicker........

[tbomn]

Before I get to far into this question, I just want to say..."I am only thinking about this" OK, here goes...I am getting to be an older citizan, and the other day I was lifting my fishhouse on to my trailer, and tore a tendin in my left hand. This being said, as many of you know I am a diehard tiller man. Well, the doc says that it will pretty hard to run the tiller motor with this hand the way it is, because it will take quite some time to heal. I am "thinking" about a wheel boat, but need a kicker motor. The boats I am looking at are Lunds (only Lunds) but at this time don't know which model. I want a Merc. main motor and would like a Merc. 9.9 4 stroke kicker. How can it be hooked up so I don't need to touch it. I want it to steer from the main motor, start/controlled from the wheel area. Can someone out there tell me if all of this is possible. An if you can, give me some of your experiences with this setup.

Thanks a bunch.............Here's one for ya Terry!!!

[s.f.]

as much as i hate to influence the loss of a tiller guy...lol

sure you can get it all to run from the console. all aspects. there is a control box similar to the main engine controls mounted right behind the main engine control box. steering rod to the big engine.
electric start. the whole works!
remember the rules... grey hair...tiller motors lol

#49

[The Great Guide]

You can buy a motor with electric start and contols. Kickers are also available with a remote steering rod that connects to the main engine. I use one with my kicker. They attach very easily with a spring loaded clamp. Power trim and tilt is also available. There I just spent $3500 of your money.

TGG

[larrym]

Sounds like we may share some of the same challeneges brought on by age. I'm 61 and have arthritis in my hands, wrists and shoulder. Have a 17' Lund with single console, 90 hp 2 stk and 4 stk kicker. They are hooked together with goldeneye rod and steered from console. I've found with four turns of steering wheel to go from left to right it's still hard on my hands to troll this way and perhaps even more difficult than tiller.(almost impossible to back troll effectively) I used a panther remote steer last year and loved it..will be buying one for this season. About $300 but allows forward and back trolling with no effort and can be done from any location in the boat. This may not fit for you and your injuries may be different than mine but just a thought.

[tbomn]

Just thinking about it Steve........I have the grey hair, and the tiller....but now kinda like the dog that chases the car....I don't know what to do with it.. I have been shot, had kidney stones, had gall stones, and slammed my finger in a car door, but his hand hurts more than any of those(at times). It isn't going to stop me from fishing so I have to find a way to make it work.....if it is a wheel, so be it...:'(

[FJH1]

It's a really good point Larry. It's very difficuly, if not impossible, to effectively back-troll from the console. For a guy that may be very used to back-trolling a wheel could be a very, very frustrating switch. The Panther Electro Steer may be just the ticket.

Best Regards,

FJH

[Dave in Mpls]

Bummer about the hand, Joe :(

Just don't tell me your gonna tow the new rig with a Ford (sorry, Eric!) :)

The word on the street is you can get a Merc 4S 9.9 with power tilt. A tiller vs console kicker is up to you. As the others have noted, take a look at the Panther Electro Steer. Otherwise, you can hook the kicker to the main motor with a rod. Goldeneye is supposed to have a good one. If you choose to go with a remote, you can control the tilt/start/throttle all from the console.

Regards

[redbone]

9.9 merc four stroke with electric start (push a button) and a TR-1 autopilot again push a button to steer and adjust throttle. All with a hand held key pad.

Bob Piette

[T-Mac]

Joe... say it ain't so!!!
LOL
It can be done. The only time you'd need to touch any part of that kicker...like s.f. said... is when you squeeze the bulb to start it intiallly.

[Gone Again]

Most everyone else has covered the options for running that kicker from the main wheel. If you end up connecting the main motor to the kicker, you might want to consider a steering knob. Before you laugh too much-these suicide knobs of the past really help when going slow, especially when turning alot at launching. If you have a bad hand, it might be the ticket. A good HD knob is available from JC Whitney for about $8.00. They even make one that folds out of the way if interested. This is the only one found that was HD enough and clamped well to the larger steering wheels found on boats. Hope this helps.

[Bad Finger]

As has been mentioned, it can be done. I had the Merc 9.9 4-stoke, remote start, throttle, Merc power lift all tied into the main motor. Never had to move my butt from the console. I will never go that route again.

-As mentioned above, back trolling is difficult at best.

-Throttle control is very difficult from the helm. It is impossible to set and keep anything but the minimum speed. It seems like the motor is always running too slow or too fast.

-The kicker is always on the move. Meaning you are always turning two motors. Both trolling and running spots. Swinging a 150 and 9.9 all day can cause pain in places other than a hand!

-You cannot lock the motor down fast with a support bracket like a Bracket Pro or Strap. And that is needed in a lot of situations. It can be done, but you will need tools to remove/attach the Golden Eye tie bar between spots.

-Consider a tiller kicker with a remote steer. Like a T-8 and a Panther Steer. You would have the best of both worlds. A functional tiller when you are healed and a remote that will handle most trolling situations. Sure, you will have to set the speed on the tiller handle, but everything else is hands off. Electric start, power tilt, locking bracket.

Think about why a tiller is so great...instant steering response..full left, full right and back in a second! That's what keeps a boat under control. Not spinning a wheel back and forth till your arms hurt!

[larrym]

Badfinger is right and describes well what I experienced this past year.(see above post) After 20 years of a tiller and backtrolling I made the switch to a console and it's been difficult. Had to learn how to controll the boat all over again. After reading these posts I'm wondering..can you get a remote steer like panther that will control a larger tiller motor? If you could that would allow both remote and tiller control and solve the initial problem. Too simple..must be somthing wrong with the idea.

[tbomn]

Thanks for all the great info. I will be applying it in the coming weeks when I look at the different models of Lunds. I like the idea of the Panther Steer. I will be pricing out some different rigs, but at this point I'll just be looking. I feel like my (fishing) world has been set upside down. I am going to try out my tiller in about 3 weeks, and if it doesn't seem to work out........well then maybe I'll get into a serious mood about the wheel boat. All of this info will surely help make some decisions about a new boat.

So, if you see an old grey haired man running a Lund tiller with a painful expression on his face running the Mississippi river, it will probably be me...:'(

Thanks again, I appreciate your suggestions, and your time to respond.

[mlc]

Tom, I added one of the folding type from JCW on my wheel. I ended up replacing it with a non-folding one because of rust and corrosion problems. It seems that the folding mechanism is not stainless.

Take care,
mlc

[1775prov]

Sorry to hear about your injury, have you ever considered staying with a tiller but moving to one with hydraulic steering. Just a thought that you might be able to fish the way you enjoy and not have to learn all new techniques. Warrior boats offers hydraulic tiller steering on boats from 17 to 20 feet, just a thought. Hope you get well soon! ----Eric