Kicker too big?

[AFDan52]

As some of you know , I bought a newer Boat earlier this year. It has been brought to my attention that my 1999 Yamaha 9.9 4-stroke kicker motor might be a bit much for my 17 ft. Starcraft Superfisherman 170. My other boat was a 19 ft Fiberglass rig and this newer one is all Aluminium , Fg boat is heavier than the Aluminium rig. Right now I am just looking for opinions.movie89586

 

[lowe1648mt]

I use a 9.9 merc 4 stroke on a 16 ft flatbottom. It will troll down to about 1.2 mph . A smaller motor will troll down lower, but if you need it for backup to the main motor, the smaller kicker might not do it for you in a wind,
I use a bow mout trolling motor for trolling. It will steer better than a stern mount motor, and is quieter than gas. You will also save money on gas.

 

[smokepoles]

The 9.9 Yammie is certainly more that enough. My buddy has a 9.9 Yamaha on his 22 ft fiberglass with cuddy, and it is about right in my opinion. I have a 5 hp Honda on my 19.5 aluminum, and have it at just above idle for koke trolling speeds. That said, if the Yamaha is not to heavy for your boat, I think your good to go.

 

[SuperD]

There is a small technical question about which 9.9 HP you have. Being a 99', it probably isn't the High Thrust model. That would mean that your motor is likely meant to power a smaller boat. Yamaha currently makes a 9.9 HP High Thrust model that is geared more for a kicker motor than a power motor. So, all 9.9's are not created equal.

 

[lowe1648mt]

True- my merc has a "Big Foot" loer unit. That would be a lower unit from a merc 20/25 hp motor. It changes the gear ratio and prop selection. Same for the Yami.

 

[AFDan52]

My Yamaha is a 1999 F9.9 not the Hi Thrust model.It is the longshaft for that model.

 

[kokanee_slayer]

I have a 16ft Hewescraft with 9.9 Yamaha 4-Stroke kicker and at the factory idle setting, it just barely trolls slow enough. So I bumped the idle setting down just a bit and it works fine. An 8 hp motor would have probably been a better fit but I wanted a motor with an alternator that would charge the battery while trolling.

 

[mrmike]

Kokanee-slayer you will need to change the prop pitch/9.9 is if i remember is a 9 pitch the 8 horse Yamaha is 5 3/4 pitch the 8 horse prop will fit on your 9.9 I had the same problem

 

[kokanee_slayer]

Kokanee-slayer you will need to change the prop pitch/9.9 is if i remember is a 9 pitch the 8 horse Yamaha is 5 3/4 pitch the 8 horse prop will fit on your 9.9 I had the same problem

Thanks mrmike for the info. Yea, it's good to know that the 8hp prop will fit. I will change it out before spring.

 

[AFDan52]

Going to look into that smaller prop idea myself. Thanks for the information.

 

[smokin' Kokes]

http://www.piranha.com/enginelist.php?id=1197&submit.x=41&submit.y=13

can't beat the Piranha composition prop, stronger than alum.
quick change blades for that new lake new rock syndrome.
far lower price than OEM props
carry extra quick change blades of different pitch for high speed trolling or high altitude lakes in the Rockies.

I troll kokes with a 5" pitch at 1mph or tuna with a 9" pitch at 8mph.

have hit submerged rocks and sinker logs with these, never broke a blade in 8 years.

 

[kokanee_slayer]

can't beat the Piranha composition prop, stronger than alum.
quick change blades for that new lake new rock syndrome.
far lower price than OEM props
carry extra quick change blades of different pitch for high speed trolling or high altitude lakes in the Rockies.

I troll kokes with a 5" pitch at 1mph or tuna with a 9" pitch at 8mph.

have hit submerged rocks and sinker logs with these, never broke a blade in 8 years.

Smokin' Kokes...Great idea because I'm having a hard time finding an OEM 5 pitch prop for my motor. Currently, I'm running a 7 pitch on my 9.9 Yamaha and it pushes me a bit too fast for Kokes.

 

[ondarvr]

If you don't have any luck finding a different prop you can have yours modified to a lower pitch, it doesn't cost much.

 

[clawman]

Have you used a drift sock?

 

[dragonfly]

I have the yamaha hi thrust and use a solas 10'' 4 blade 5 pitch in my TJ it will do .6 at idle and have to rev it up a little to troll 1.2 - 1.8 so it actually puts a good charge on the batts and keeps the eng at temp so it's not condensating and sludging up. dfly

 

[kokanee_slayer]

The folks at Auburn Marine hooked me up with an OEM 5 pitch prop last year and now trolls perfect; similar to what dragonfly describes. On a side note: I reproped my main this fall to get further into its powerband and by dropping 2 on the pitch, it made a world of difference.

 

[clawman]

I'll be mounting a 9.9 High Thrust on a 18' glass boat. Would it be better to buy an 8HP motor rather than the 9.9? Or stick with the 9.9 and prop down if necessary?

 

[SuperD]

I believe that Yamaha quit making the 8 HP high thrust a few years ago and replaced it with the 9.9. It sounds like prop adjustments will get the 9.9 where you'd need it to be. However, if you did find someplace with an 8 HP still in stock, they are a work horse for sure.

 

[clawman]

Correct, the 8hp is in their portable line.

 

[kokanee_slayer]

The Yamaha 8hp is a very good motor for sure. I went with the 9.9 for a couple reasons: Electric Start and Tilt features plus it has an Alternator which keeps my batteries charged while trolling. Which is not a bad idea if you run Electric Downriggers.