You and me both! I had one engine on my last boat... and 1 catastrophic fail that almost left me stranded... I like having a little insurance on the boat to keep the boat moving.
I'm glad you find our technical videos useful. As we transition more into the off-season, this fall/winter I plan to do more technical how-to stuff, especially around the electronics (chartplotter, radar, sonar, etc...)
Thanks Martin and Lazina for another great video. In trying to get to 20 hours on our kicker for synchronized maintenance on both motors on our month-old R-25, Stacey and I slow-boated from Kingston to Port Townsend in 5 hours. Pro tip, if you run a 6 knot kicker into a 4 knot tide through Port Townsend Canal, don’t be in a rush! 2 gallons to get there in 5 hours, 13 gallons back in an hour @ ~25 knots :). Thanks again for the great video!
Thank you for this video Martin. I installed a Trollmaster wireless throttle control on my 9.9 because I frequently use it for salmon fishing. That way I have throttle and steering control from the helm. (But am still unable to remotely shift from forward to reverse). Oddly enough, I’m still not catching a tremendous number of fish.
Why aren't catching more fish? :) I'll eventually get a gauge hooked up to my kicker to see RPM... then I'll play with swapping out prop's to see what difference, if any, that makes on the kicker.
Those Yamaha motors are pretty damn reliable. The fact you have one as your main power and as your kicker/emergency power chances of you getting stranded due to a engine problem damn near zero between those two. Yamaha motors have in the most part always been known for thier reliability not to say they haven't had a few designs flaws or particular engine models and a few years here and there that they had some well known problems or downfalls . But I'd say in the last 25 years as far as reliability goes Yamaha is definitely the way to go . Also the later 4 stroke engines are so quiet and smooth. My wife's uncle has a 2004 or 2005 90hp Yamaha on his Bennington pontoon boat we borrow every now and then when we don't want to trailer our boat to that lake. We live in a town about 7 miles from where I put in on lake ft Gibson in Oklahoma. The pontoon is on lake Eufaula about an hour south of us . We use it sometimes because it's just more convenient and they are elderly and it doesn't get used regularly and the hardest thing on a boat is just sitting around so we take it out a few times a year when we go down to Eufaula. I'm originally from there and my wife is from Wagoner Oklahoma where we now live and is our home lake now. I see alot of similarities between my wife and I and you guys. She absolutely loves the boat life and camping. In my case like I said I'm not a big fan of trolling motors I usually drift fish or anchor stationary so it's more of a hassle and just more heavy batteries to buy and maintain in my opinion for what I like to do . But my next goal is to get one of those cheap I think 4 or 500 Chinese special air cooled 5 HP boat motors . They are small and it wouldn't be hard to mount up on the bow out of the way and easily droppable . The main 2 reasons I'm going with something cheap like that is generally they get great reviews. I have extensively looked into them and done my research. But they are small light and compact . Also about as simple as a lawnmower engine. Essentially that's what the engine is on them . And it's only purpose is really only in an emergency situation due to an engine or other mechanical failure. And I'm on lakes generally at best a few miles from shore so I just need something I can limb back to land or the dock with . And thoes check all the boxes for what I need and will serve thoes needs perfectly. I really like how you have taken time to set your boat up . Everything I have seen so far looks good and is done nicely.
One of the main attractions I had to the RT27-OB was that it was Yamaha. There are a few RT27-OB's, earlier production, that came with a Suzuki. But I wanted the Yamaha due to Yamaha's track record on reliability and the fact that they had a larger alternator than the Suzuki (more engine charging). I've seen an RT27-OB that installed a trolling motor off the bow. Pretty sweet setup, though it's a long unit. Thanks for watching! I've got some winter projects stacking up, but nothing as major as LFP... after that project, everything else seems easy. :)
Awesome video! I have a Cutwater 24 while I wait for my Cutwater 32 CB to be finished and been researching the kicker option. Mostly for being a cheap-ass with fuel and main engine hours to TBH. I'm guessing you're at about 9500lbs fully loaded with two passengers so the 9.9 works. For my 32CB I'll be at about 15,500lbs fully loaded, so a 25hp kicker might be the best in that case. Great comment on not needing to steer the kicker as the outboard works great as a rudder
Thank you bro very helpful video am thinking of a purchasing a kicker soon i do alot of trolling cant afford fuel expense for my 75 yamaha its costly thanks
Interesting points about 'living with a kicker'; thank you! Was there any specific reason you chose a 9.9? Any "kicker vs. displacement" thoughts you were relying on? I was guessing, as the video started, that a special prop was available for your kicker...but not so. Enjoyed the video!
The 9.9 kicker was a factory option. It's the high thrust model of the 9.9 also. It's also just the factory prop that came with the kicker. I've not played with swapping the prop out yet to see what difference that may make.
The boat is going to consume about 10-12 amps when underway with normal loads such as refrigerator, VHF, Chartplotter, etc... The stern can handle the extra weight, but I doubt it'd provide much extra. Hull speed on the boat is 7 knots. The T9.9 can get to 5.5 knots.
Random question.......does it have to be a Yamaha or can you put on a Tohatsu ihnstead? The Tohatsu 9.9 is the same as the 15 and 20, just a different ECU and exhaust restrictor. Thoughts?
Martin: What is the primary use of the kicker? For fishing or as a get home engine? Also, do you then carry another outboard for your dingy, or is the kicker used for the dingy as well?
Fishing is probably the biggest use for the kicker. It eats hours away from the main engine doing 3 knots of trolling. We use our kicker when crabbing if we’re soaking the pots but not leaving them overnight. We’ll set the pots, then turn on the kicker and autopilot and pace. 1 nm that way… at 1 knot… turn around, pace back. It’s also a backup engine to get to the nearest marina should the main engine fail. For the dinghy, I wouldn’t use the kicker. It’s 99lbs. Way to heavy to maneuver onto the back of a dinghy. We either row our dinghy or use a Yamaha f2.5 that weighs 35 lbs.
Thanks for your videos! I fell in love with Ranger Tugs recently and watching all your usage and upgrades is very enlightening. I also noticed next to your captain chair on the window you have submariner dolphins, and another pin I can’t make out. We’re you / are you a bubble head?,(skimmer here😉
Thanks for watching!! Submarine warfare qualified (dolphins) and the other pin below it is the SSBN patrol pin. On the patrol pin there’s a star added for each patrol. I did 12 patrols onboard the USS Georgia, SSBN 729, Blue crew. Fun times. :)
@@Letsgochannelsurfing wow boomers! I only knew fast attack guys, but I did my last tour at SDVT-1 in Hawaii, some pretty cool undersea stuff, but I liked my main job as a SAR swimmer. Got lots of time on RHIBs. I got my surface warfare pin on my first ship, USS Lake Champlain. I also served for short times aboard the USS Chancellorsville and USS Curts. All small boys. Ticonderoga class cruisers and and FFG. When my ship went in the yards third fleet sent me to those other ships because they didn’t have enough swimmers to get underway. Fair winds and following seas my friend!
@@jared1872 I also did 1 patrol, decommissioning crew on the USS Tinosa, SSN 606. New London, CT to Bremerton, Wa for decommissioning. Spent a year stationed on the Tinosa. Got to run thru the Panama Canal. That was a fantastic experience.
I put a rpm / hour on our 9.9 kicker. This revealed that our high thrust 9.9 is over propped with the factory installed prop. It’s only able to get up to 4500ish rpm at full throttle. I wonder if these kicker motors could be optimized by changing props ?
I've thought about that a lot and looked into alternate prop's. The high-thrust uses a special prop (large diameter) and there doesn't appear to be many options out there.
These little 9.9’s used are fairly inexpensive. It would be interesting to either buy or borrow a non high thrust 9.9 and see how it did. Based on your comment I’m assuming the non high thrust’s have a better prop selection available.?.?
The F300 and T9.9 kicker have a tie rod that connects the two together. The one that came with the boat was bent in several places to avoid interference and it kept loosening up and rotating out of position. It was upgraded to a straight rod to connect the two which has worked out much better. This change required a specific mount on the F300 to support the straight rod. As an alternative, there really isn't a reason that the F300 be connected to the kicker. If the kicker was installed with just a tiller, and was locked in so it's straight, all the steering of the boat when underway on the kicker can be done with the main engine (F300) in the water, but powered off. The F300 makes for a great rudder.
What kind of rpm you are reaching full throttle on the kicker? Is there some point where you increase the throttle but the speed don’t seem to increase?
There's no tach on the T9.9kicker to know. It's' also hard to tell in salt water with wind and current. Between 5 and 6 knots is about as fast as she goes using the kicker. Hull speed on the boat is 7 knots.
USS Tinosa, SSN 606, decomissioning crew. And USS Georgia, SSBN 729, Blue Crew. MM1/SS, A-Gang. 8 years in, 6.5 years of sea time, 4 knots to nowhere. 12 patrols.
Good stuff, I always like having two motors out in the salt! Even on my tiny boat
You and me both! I had one engine on my last boat... and 1 catastrophic fail that almost left me stranded... I like having a little insurance on the boat to keep the boat moving.
All my questions were answered! Thank you. i really enjoy your technical videos
I'm glad you find our technical videos useful. As we transition more into the off-season, this fall/winter I plan to do more technical how-to stuff, especially around the electronics (chartplotter, radar, sonar, etc...)
Martin, Always good info from your channel.
Thanks.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the feedback.
Thanks Martin and Lazina for another great video. In trying to get to 20 hours on our kicker for synchronized maintenance on both motors on our month-old R-25, Stacey and I slow-boated from Kingston to Port Townsend in 5 hours. Pro tip, if you run a 6 knot kicker into a 4 knot tide through Port Townsend Canal, don’t be in a rush! 2 gallons to get there in 5 hours, 13 gallons back in an hour @ ~25 knots :). Thanks again for the great video!
Thanks for watching!! I just do the maintenance on the kicker annually, regardless of the hours.
Thank you for this video Martin. I installed a Trollmaster wireless throttle control on my 9.9 because I frequently use it for salmon fishing. That way I have throttle and steering control from the helm. (But am still unable to remotely shift from forward to reverse). Oddly enough, I’m still not catching a tremendous number of fish.
Why aren't catching more fish? :) I'll eventually get a gauge hooked up to my kicker to see RPM... then I'll play with swapping out prop's to see what difference, if any, that makes on the kicker.
Those Yamaha motors are pretty damn reliable. The fact you have one as your main power and as your kicker/emergency power chances of you getting stranded due to a engine problem damn near zero between those two. Yamaha motors have in the most part always been known for thier reliability not to say they haven't had a few designs flaws or particular engine models and a few years here and there that they had some well known problems or downfalls . But I'd say in the last 25 years as far as reliability goes Yamaha is definitely the way to go . Also the later 4 stroke engines are so quiet and smooth. My wife's uncle has a 2004 or 2005 90hp Yamaha on his Bennington pontoon boat we borrow every now and then when we don't want to trailer our boat to that lake. We live in a town about 7 miles from where I put in on lake ft Gibson in Oklahoma. The pontoon is on lake Eufaula about an hour south of us . We use it sometimes because it's just more convenient and they are elderly and it doesn't get used regularly and the hardest thing on a boat is just sitting around so we take it out a few times a year when we go down to Eufaula. I'm originally from there and my wife is from Wagoner Oklahoma where we now live and is our home lake now. I see alot of similarities between my wife and I and you guys. She absolutely loves the boat life and camping. In my case like I said I'm not a big fan of trolling motors I usually drift fish or anchor stationary so it's more of a hassle and just more heavy batteries to buy and maintain in my opinion for what I like to do . But my next goal is to get one of those cheap I think 4 or 500 Chinese special air cooled 5 HP boat motors . They are small and it wouldn't be hard to mount up on the bow out of the way and easily droppable . The main 2 reasons I'm going with something cheap like that is generally they get great reviews. I have extensively looked into them and done my research. But they are small light and compact . Also about as simple as a lawnmower engine. Essentially that's what the engine is on them . And it's only purpose is really only in an emergency situation due to an engine or other mechanical failure. And I'm on lakes generally at best a few miles from shore so I just need something I can limb back to land or the dock with . And thoes check all the boxes for what I need and will serve thoes needs perfectly. I really like how you have taken time to set your boat up . Everything I have seen so far looks good and is done nicely.
One of the main attractions I had to the RT27-OB was that it was Yamaha. There are a few RT27-OB's, earlier production, that came with a Suzuki. But I wanted the Yamaha due to Yamaha's track record on reliability and the fact that they had a larger alternator than the Suzuki (more engine charging). I've seen an RT27-OB that installed a trolling motor off the bow. Pretty sweet setup, though it's a long unit.
Thanks for watching! I've got some winter projects stacking up, but nothing as major as LFP... after that project, everything else seems easy. :)
Thanks Martin.. I find my shift is very stiff, on my kicker might have to find a way to lubricate cable. Great info!
Glad to help! There's also an adjustment knob on the shifter to change the tension/stiffness.
Awesome video! I have a Cutwater 24 while I wait for my Cutwater 32 CB to be finished and been researching the kicker option. Mostly for being a cheap-ass with fuel and main engine hours to TBH. I'm guessing you're at about 9500lbs fully loaded with two passengers so the 9.9 works. For my 32CB I'll be at about 15,500lbs fully loaded, so a 25hp kicker might be the best in that case.
Great comment on not needing to steer the kicker as the outboard works great as a rudder
The RT27 fully loaded is probably up around 9500 lbs would be my guess as well. Thanks for watching!
Thank you bro very helpful video am thinking of a purchasing a kicker soon i do alot of trolling cant afford fuel expense for my 75 yamaha its costly thanks
Thanks for watching!!
Interesting points about 'living with a kicker'; thank you! Was there any specific reason you chose a 9.9? Any "kicker vs. displacement" thoughts you were relying on? I was guessing, as the video started, that a special prop was available for your kicker...but not so. Enjoyed the video!
The 9.9 kicker was a factory option. It's the high thrust model of the 9.9 also. It's also just the factory prop that came with the kicker. I've not played with swapping the prop out yet to see what difference that may make.
Wondered if using the 20 hp Yamaha w the 16 Amp alternator would be a viable kicker or is the extra 30 lbs a problem?
The boat is going to consume about 10-12 amps when underway with normal loads such as refrigerator, VHF, Chartplotter, etc...
The stern can handle the extra weight, but I doubt it'd provide much extra. Hull speed on the boat is 7 knots. The T9.9 can get to 5.5 knots.
Random question.......does it have to be a Yamaha or can you put on a Tohatsu ihnstead? The Tohatsu 9.9 is the same as the 15 and 20, just a different ECU and exhaust restrictor. Thoughts?
You could put whatever kicker you want on the back.
I have a 9.9 Mercury with electric start. Where do I find a motor mount for attaching to swim platform?
The mount is factory, and could be added to the boat afterwards.
Martin: What is the primary use of the kicker? For fishing or as a get home engine? Also, do you then carry another outboard for your dingy, or is the kicker used for the dingy as well?
Fishing is probably the biggest use for the kicker. It eats hours away from the main engine doing 3 knots of trolling.
We use our kicker when crabbing if we’re soaking the pots but not leaving them overnight. We’ll set the pots, then turn on the kicker and autopilot and pace. 1 nm that way… at 1 knot… turn around, pace back.
It’s also a backup engine to get to the nearest marina should the main engine fail.
For the dinghy, I wouldn’t use the kicker. It’s 99lbs. Way to heavy to maneuver onto the back of a dinghy. We either row our dinghy or use a Yamaha f2.5 that weighs 35 lbs.
Thanks for your videos! I fell in love with Ranger Tugs recently and watching all your usage and upgrades is very enlightening. I also noticed next to your captain chair on the window you have submariner dolphins, and another pin I can’t make out. We’re you / are you a bubble head?,(skimmer here😉
Thanks for watching!!
Submarine warfare qualified (dolphins) and the other pin below it is the SSBN patrol pin.
On the patrol pin there’s a star added for each patrol. I did 12 patrols onboard the USS Georgia, SSBN 729, Blue crew. Fun times. :)
@@Letsgochannelsurfing wow boomers! I only knew fast attack guys, but I did my last tour at SDVT-1 in Hawaii, some pretty cool undersea stuff, but I liked my main job as a SAR swimmer. Got lots of time on RHIBs. I got my surface warfare pin on my first ship, USS Lake Champlain. I also served for short times aboard the USS Chancellorsville and USS Curts. All small boys. Ticonderoga class cruisers and and FFG. When my ship went in the yards third fleet sent me to those other ships because they didn’t have enough swimmers to get underway.
Fair winds and following seas my friend!
@@jared1872 I also did 1 patrol, decommissioning crew on the USS Tinosa, SSN 606. New London, CT to Bremerton, Wa for decommissioning. Spent a year stationed on the Tinosa. Got to run thru the Panama Canal. That was a fantastic experience.
I put a rpm / hour on our 9.9 kicker. This revealed that our high thrust 9.9 is over propped with the factory installed prop. It’s only able to get up to 4500ish rpm at full throttle. I wonder if these kicker motors could be optimized by changing props ?
I've thought about that a lot and looked into alternate prop's. The high-thrust uses a special prop (large diameter) and there doesn't appear to be many options out there.
These little 9.9’s used are fairly inexpensive. It would be interesting to either buy or borrow a non high thrust 9.9 and see how it did. Based on your comment I’m assuming the non high thrust’s have a better prop selection available.?.?
@@Letsgochannelsurfing Another thought is maybe a prop shop could modify the factory high thrust prop to get it to perform better?
Can you back troll with the kicker? If you've tried it was it easy to controll? A 27 footer would be a good boat on some of the big walleye lakes.
The kicker does have a reverse. I've never back trolled with it to see how the boat handles.
Do have more details about the yoke connecting to kicker, motor mount etc?
The F300 and T9.9 kicker have a tie rod that connects the two together. The one that came with the boat was bent in several places to avoid interference and it kept loosening up and rotating out of position. It was upgraded to a straight rod to connect the two which has worked out much better. This change required a specific mount on the F300 to support the straight rod. As an alternative, there really isn't a reason that the F300 be connected to the kicker. If the kicker was installed with just a tiller, and was locked in so it's straight, all the steering of the boat when underway on the kicker can be done with the main engine (F300) in the water, but powered off. The F300 makes for a great rudder.
Just used the kicker for the first time down here in SoFlo; once we got it in gear, we couldn't move the throttle up - what are we missing?
If it's stiff, there's an adjustment screw that can increase or release tension on the throttle.
@@Letsgochannelsurfing Thanks Martin
As usual a great video. Can the kicker motor be a short shaft. I would like to be able to use the same motor as a kicker and on the dinghy
Possibly... But that T9.9 kicker is 100 lbs. That'd be challenging to move around from the transom into an inflatable dinghy in my opinion.
@@Letsgochannelsurfing I plan to use a Garhauer motor lift. I used one on my previous boat. It made it easy to handle an outboard in this weight range
What kind of rpm you are reaching full throttle on the kicker? Is there some point where you increase the throttle but the speed don’t seem to increase?
There's no tach on the T9.9kicker to know. It's' also hard to tell in salt water with wind and current. Between 5 and 6 knots is about as fast as she goes using the kicker. Hull speed on the boat is 7 knots.
Just add NMEA 2000 fuel flow meter that hooks into the fuel line and add it to the network.
I just look at the clock and assume 1gph. I keep track of the hours in the ships log book.
Size of propeller
It's the factory propeller that comes with the T9.9 kicker. I've not sized or changed it out.
Are those submarine fish on that sticker? Boomer too? Just asking.
USS Tinosa, SSN 606, decomissioning crew. And USS Georgia, SSBN 729, Blue Crew. MM1/SS, A-Gang. 8 years in, 6.5 years of sea time, 4 knots to nowhere. 12 patrols.
@@Letsgochannelsurfing USS Florida SSBN 728 blue here. STS/2. Keep it up brother!