Kicker Motor and Tracks

[CVH23]

Need some advice on kicker motor and track. I have a Lund 1900 TYEE. I want to install track. I’m thinking of going with 60” Berts. Any thoughts?
Secondly, I have a 150 4 stroke and a Terrova 80lb iLink. My system is 24V. Does anyone charge their trolling batteries from their main motor? I have a 24V shore charger installed in the boat. Does anyone troll only with electric or will the 150HP get down slow enough for walleye? Should I get a kicker? 9.9? I’m fishing walleye on Lake Erie. I have always fished out of others boats but decided to buy one now that my kids are old enough to come with me. Any help would be most appreciated.

[MikeG1]

Length of track is personal preference. Sometimes better to have 2 or 3 shorter pieces of track per side rather than one long piece to allow for ease of adding and removing items. For instance, sometimes I use a downrigger at the rear corner along with 2 tube type rod holders and a tree / side. If I decide to remove the tree, I must either remove the rigger or the tubes to slide the tree out. Having 2 pieces allows me to move things easier.

Concerning the 9.9...definitely get it. Lock it in the straight position and use the trolling motor to steer. It saves use of the more expensive big motor and saves on fuel. With the kicker, you will not need to run the trolling motor so high, saving battery life. I’ve run a 24v trolling motor all day along with a 9.9 kicker and had plenty of battery left...especially if you troll with the waves (downhill).....fishing downhill is easiest direction to maintain boat control.

If you buy an electric start kicker, it will charge the battery to which it is connected...typically the main battery. Note....sometimes 15 HP kickers put out more amps. Could be important if you run a lot of electronics and other items connected to the main battery.

Merc makes a great ProKicker in 9.9 and 15. I fish LE so feel free to PM me if you have questions. Good luck. Mike

[Marty59]

Originally Posted by MikeG1

Length of track is personal preference. Sometimes better to have 2 or 3 shorter pieces of track per side rather than one long piece to allow for ease of adding and removing items. For instance, sometimes I use a downrigger at the rear corner along with 2 tube type rod holders and a tree / side. If I decide to remove the tree, I must either remove the rigger or the tubes to slide the tree out. Having 2 pieces allows me to move things easier.
....Mike

Look at the TraxsTech track. They have a cut out in the middle of the track so you don't have to remove everything. The convenience of two pieces in one piece!


https://www.traxstech.com/MT_60_60_I...ck_p/mt-60.htm

Marty

[320bull]

I have the Trax Tech with the slot in the middle. Nice feature, I never slide anything in from the end.

[Coho975]

X 2 on the TraxTech, have the 48", wished I would've went bigger. I have a T8 kicker on my 1800 Lund, it will push it 4.5 mph. Guessing the 9.9 on yours would be perfect. Check out the MinnKota DC alternator for keeping your TM batteries charged off your big motor. Only about a $100, they're pretty slick.

[Colowallo]

Concerning the 9.9...definitely get it. Lock it in the straight position and use the trolling motor to steer. It saves use of the more expensive big motor and saves on fuel. With the kicker, you will not need to run the trolling motor so high, saving battery life. I’ve run a 24v trolling motor all day along with a 9.9 kicker and had plenty of battery left

^ this.

[dvl2700]

Length of track is dependant on your boat and preferences. I have 48 which works well for me. I may add more track farther up front on my boat in the future. I also recommend Trax Tech.
I would also recommend a kicker. I went with a 15 Suzuki so it would do double duty on a small aluminum boat. The 15hp with the power thrust prop will get my small 14' smokercraft down to 1.1mph. Need to get it on the big boat this spring.

[gbin]

I have a pair of 48" Bert's tracks and really like them. I have wondered if/when I'll ever need that much length, but I'm still very new to boat ownership so maybe I'll feel differently after I've been using them for a while.

Gerry

[Ltrain]

I have no idea why my post was removed from this topic, I'm going to repost it and if any mod has a problem, pm me

A 150 will not troll slow enough on its own. You can add bags but why put them hrs on a big motor. Adding a kicker and using it in conjunction with your trolling motor is the preferred way to troll a walleye rig in Erie.

A 9.9 4stroke will be plenty of motor. You are going to want to lock that motor straight , providing 75% of thrust then use your Terrova to steer,making up the remaining 25%.
I use my bow mount when wanting to troll slow death rigs about .8mph
When wanting to troll faster, use kicker and bow mount combo. Also you might want to step up to a 72" 36v trolling motor. On my old Tyee a 60" would come out of the water in a decent chop

Tracks work great on a Tyee's gunnel and 60" is a great size. I think it would be best to reinforce the underside when mounting the tracks.


After you add the tracks get a couple nice rod trees, some ratcheting rod holders( I have Berts but the Cannon dual axis are very nice too)
and even downriggers if you want( not really necessary on Erie but not a bad tool to have if you ever want to go for salmon in the other great lakes)
Enjoy your Tyee, it's a h e l l of a fishing machine.

[EasternWashingtonBoater]

36" Traxteech for me. Black. Plus the end caps. Fits a downrigger and a pole holder nicely. I have a Alumacraft TS 185 (2006) with the wide gunnels so mounted it Starboard in front of (and slightly too close to) the rear light pole socket - because I didn't leave sufficient room between the track and socket, I have to slide everything in from the front. Not a big pain, but make sure the gaps you leave will fit the track adapter bases! (see picture how big they actually are - slide all the way out then up.)

The reason I installed the track was to mount my new Magnum Metalz downrigger. Makes a very nice package. I've uploaded some literature I received from them when ordering the standoff - for those who don't know, the TS 185 is a very low gunnel boat - about level with most docks, the stand is needed. Any length of standoff (within reason) is $30.

I've had my downrigger for one season, and think this the magnum is the tidy solution for a smaller boat; with the track and adapter it's almost svelte!

By the way, don't have to have the swivel on the base, it can be on either end.