This may be a dumb question but...

[SuperD]

I used both my electric and kicker this past year. On an absolute dead quiet wind day, I could fish all day on the electric. And it beats the pants off a 4 stroke kicker when it is working with favorable conditions. Autopilot is worth a bundle. The best of both worlds would be to have BOTH! I would however, start with a kicker and eagerly save for a complimentary electric to add to my arsenal.

 

[wannabefisherman]

this is the one I bought, by Garelick.
it is adjustable up and down and tilts back and forth to get the proper motor hieght and flatness. It is also stainless steel.

Thank you

I had a 76 Fiberform tri hull when I first started out. My suggestion is mount a Minn Kota/auto pilot up front like I did. A 55lb thust did great for me. Measure what shaft length would be best and your speed and any control issue will go bye bye!! Who want's to smell and listen to gas motor anyway if you don't have to??
I had 4 riggers on the Fiberform and I had NO issues at all. Just take your time, look at every possible mounting option and if possible, have someone with any expierence help with advise.

Mark

Yeah, i fish out of a 12 foot valco now with a 15hp 2 stroke so the kicker shouldn't bother me that much.. But i will consider an electric motor

--check out scotty... cannon and other downrigger sites for mounting options
--each boat is different so select the attachment that works best for you.
--I use swivel mount which allows me to put extended arms out to the side or I can swing them to go straight out back.
--I use quick release... can get a lock so not stolen as easily.. so when you water ski they can be left behind or stored out of the way.

--with fiberglass always look at reinforcement of attached area to reduce stress.. I used aluminium plate rather than washers to reduce stress.
--as stated depening on thickness of gunnel you may find side mount better option..or even internal flush deck mount.

--older fiberglass boats often have wood at stress points.. ensure any holes and areas around bolts etc are sealed to prevent water penetration.

--as to kicker, although I have it attached to my main for steering when trolling I also have an extension arm as some times in windy conditions or if back trolling or holding for jig fishing you need to be able to quicly adjust the motor.. its also only about $30 as opposed to other options.

Great post, thanks.

how do you keep your batteries charged for say a weeks worth of fishing? If you haven't heard or smelled the lastest 4 strokes, you could be in for a treat. I can carry on a normal conversation a full throttle with my 200 hp yamaha, a kicker is even more quiet. I don't even think my 2 stroke is noisey, just some smell and not bad at 50:1

This is what i was going to ask

I used both my electric and kicker this past year. On an absolute dead quiet wind day, I could fish all day on the electric. And it beats the pants off a 4 stroke kicker when it is working with favorable conditions. Autopilot is worth a bundle. The best of both worlds would be to have BOTH! I would however, start with a kicker and eagerly save for a complimentary electric to add to my arsenal.

This is probably what i will end up doing...

 

[lowe1648mt]

kicker and trolling motor

On my boat I have a merc. 9.9 trolling motor. it is electric start and power trim. It also has a 6 amp charging curcuit. I use the same batteries( 2 group 24 deep cycles wired in parallel) for the trolling motor. It takes a couple of days of all day use to run down the 6 year old batteries if I don't run the 9.9.
If I run the 9.9 some each day I can go almost forever on the batts.
If I do run down the batts, I can troll on the 9.9 at 1 mph , sometimes a little slower is possible.
I don't have a larger motor, but with the right set up you could use a larger motor to charge the trolling motor batteries also.
If I were to run the batts down all the way, the 9.9 starts easy on the rewind pull cord.

 

[platypus]

--good point on the batteries.. I also use 9.9 4 stroke electric start same reason.... If I run down batteries I can use pull start and 9.9 charges the batteries enough to then start main motor.
--also have solar panel as supplement... all these extend battery time as I fish in remote areas where no direct power is available.
--I alternate during the day sometimes troll with main, then kicker... usually use bow mount electric if casting or holding for jigging