Kicker Motor Mounting Bracket

[Anonymous]

I'm thinking of putting a kicker motor on my Grady White Spirit 175. I'm looking at the 8 HP Nissan 4 stroke, 2 Cyl. That motor weighs 88 lbs and should be enough to push this 17.5 foot boat for trolling. Has anyone mounted a kicker motor on a boat this size. Any suggestions on a good mount would be appreciated. I would like something I easily mount and unmount the motor for those times that I don't plan on trolling.

Thanks for any help.

 

[JUST-IN-TIME]

get a soild mount

ask alan tani has a really good one

 

[pilotart]

+++ Agree with just a solid mount. +++

I just through bolted (two large stainless bolts w/washers and sealed w/5200) a hardwood of the appropriate size
that I had covered w/epoxy and one layer of glass fabric.

I have used it for the past ten years without any problems.

I have an old Honda 10 Hp 'short-shaft' and the prop is just below the edge of the transom.

No remote steering control and using the Yamaha 90 as a rudder works fine.
If you get into very shallow water, you can raise the Yamaha and steer with the tiller.

When when Honda is 'up' it clears the water and a pad on its hood rests on inner corner of port aft locker.

This is also a Spirit 175 and after removing port battery, it floats level with the 80 Lb. Honda installed.

 

[Anonymous]

Thank you both. Do you think the 8 HP is enough. I noted that you have a 10 HP. I'm not hard over on the 8 HP but from what I had read on larger boats I thought that was plenty.

Can you send a photo of your setup. I am wondering why you covered it with one layer of glass fabric? Is this just for water protection?

 

[pilotart]

I had started with a 2 Hp and that was clearly not enough.

Too much noise and almost no-go, actually had SeaTow come and ask if we needed assistance
when we tried it. :lol:

Wanted a four-stroke, so I could just use the extra outlet from the water seperator filter
and saw the classified for the Honda 10 Hp.

Honda now sells the same engine as an 8 Hp (rated at the prop) and it has plenty of power.

It is 10 Hp crankshaft at 5700 RPM, but with the highest RPM Prop (9.5x7") it will not approach that RPM at WOT.

No Tachometer, but at a silent half throttle, it approaches 'Hull Speed' (<4 Kt) and at full throttle,
it starts to create wake @>5 Kt.

My guess would be that 5 or 6 Hp is enough.

I will take measurements and photos later today.

 

[pilotart]

This photo was taken when I sold that Neptune 2 Hp on eBay:

Here is the only shot I could find that shows it floating (in fresh water) at Clewiston:

I shall shortly post mount dimensons and photos pf 'just' the mount.
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BTW just fir J-I-T; I used Firefox on a different computer (that had never before logged on to Great Grady for this session and also had the old photos stored).

 

[JUST-IN-TIME]

pilotart
your on marineengine.com also right?

 

[pilotart]

J-I-T; Yes, 55 posts, mostly Honda, few Yamaha and try to learn all I can.
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Dimensions 1 5/8" thick, 7 1/2" wide, 8" tall and 2 3/4 above transom

Bolts are 2 1/2" below transom top and 5" apart.

I did the glass to stabalize and waterproof, also to create a 'perfect' face against transom rear and around aluminum top of transom.

 

[JUST-IN-TIME]

ya i helped you out on some ?'s 8)

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks pilotart. This helps a lot. I will go with the solid mount. I haven't used the boat very much. A couple of test runs in the Potomac. I was having a lot of issues with bad gas since the boat sat for a couple of years. I think I have those all worked out. I want to use the boat for bay fishing and trolling for stripers. Have you used yours in any rough water?

 

[pilotart]

Spirit 175 is no-doubt a very wet ride in any sort of chop, other than that, it handles rough weather very well.

The morning after the Clewiston photo (above) was shot, voyage was from there to Stuart Florida.

First cold front of the season had just passed and it was low 40's with 30 knot North Wind.

Trip included 22 open miles across Lake Okeechobee with 25 miles of shallow lake to windward
and the rollers and 'browncaps' were 5' to 6' high and about 20 to 30 degrees off the Port Bow.

Face opening of my Foul Weather Gear channeled gallons of brown lake water into my shoes.

Did not see another boat under thirty foot, but never felt in any danger.
Progress was slow (4-5 mph) and I would have gone faster,
but SWMBO could not take the pounding, but the GW Spirit could have.

Total trip was 69 miles in 5.2 hours (normal Wx 3+ hour) or 13 mph average using 20 gallons total.
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I read your gas story and I am about to buy my first 30 gallons of E10 as that is all that is available now.

I have a bottle of Star*Tron Enzyme Fuel Treatment and perhaps I should buy a Filter Cartridge as well.

 

[Anonymous]

If it is anything like mine you should by a dozen fuel filters. It sounds like you use the boat pretty regularly so I don't think you'll have the same issues. I'm glad to hear that the Spirit can handle a bit of rough water. I had previously used my bass boat in the Chesapeake Bay but when the wave were 2 ft plus it was a very rough ride and we took on a lot of water. I figured the Grady would be much better. I don't anticipate going in 5 - 6 footers, I'm a fair weather fisherman.

Thanks for all the information.