90 horse merc trolling

[will nolan (swilly)]

what would you pros suggest for trolling with a 2001 90 horse merc 2 stroke. i am looking at a kicker which i know is best but for now would a spring loaded trolling plate work best. would it hurt my motor as it has less then 100 hrs and is practicly brand new. i dont want to carb it up. i am looking at a 2.5 mercury 2 stroke as trolling motor for a 16.5 foot fiberglass now. would this be enough to idle and troll the boat efficiently? thanks for any tips fellas

[dragnballs]

If you are looking for a trolling plate, I have one from Cabela's with the hydrofoil fins on it and have a 90 horse Jonson on my boat and have not had a problem with it in the last 10 years. You just need to replace the sheer pin every year. My brother in law has the spring one and doesn't like it as it takes a lot of power to get it up and the boat then on plane.
The one I have is called a hydrotroll by cabelas

[fishmaster176]

I had a Merc. 90 2 stroke on my StarCraft 176 and asked about trolling. The answer I got from 2 different experts (Merc. dealers) was NOT to troll with a 90 Merc. Mine was an '01 just like yours. The reason that I was given is that the 90 is an inline 3 cylinder and during low rpm's the water doesn't circulate well up to the top cylinder. The top cylinder can get hotter than the lower 2 cylinders. If you troll for an extended time, the heat builds up and when you open up the throttle, there is a sudden rush of cold water to the top and it can blow the head gasket and warp the head. Not a good scenario. I tried the kicker thing, but in the end, I opted for a new 4 stroke.
I have a "Happy Troller" that I was going to install, but was told that it restricts the flow from the exhaust and can lead to bearing failures at the prop. I cut a 3" hole in the troller plate to allow some water to pass through, but never tried it. The new engine trolls fine without it.
Hope this helps. Fred

[Reel Delight (Walt)]

My opinion on trolling with a 90hp or any large outboard .... Is why do it? Why put all those hours of trolling on any outboard that cost somewhere like $10,000 or more and not put the hours on a kicker that you can buy for hundreds of dollars or a thousand or two? My Yamaha T8 cost me under $3000 with power tilt and remote controls and is now some 3 years old and it has hundreds of hours on it. Yes it still purrs like a kitten and runs like it did on day one. But my big Honda is more than twice the age of the kicker and it has only 170 hours of time on it and it also runs perfectly! I also guarantee that my kicker uses less fuel at trolling speeds than the big Honda does at idle speed.

I could also speak about the safety factors of having the kicker as a back-up in case my main motor fails. I like to have as much redundancy on my boat as possible. Same reason I have a portable VHF aboard as well as the fixed 25 watt VHF radio.

There are other reasons for a kicker, such as mine uses the T-4 electronic steering system that I can control by radio controll from any position in my boat.

I have owned some dozen different boats and I have trolled by using trolling plates, electric trolling motors mounted on my big motor and other means. My past three boats all had a kicker outboard on them and I found out that there is no better solution in my personal opinion!

Just my 2 cents...

[fishingmachine]

I agree with Walt.I have a 115 optiomax and a 9.9 merc 4-stroke for trolling

[will nolan (swilly)]

yeah thats been my thinking all along. im looking at a 2.5 hp 4 stroke. that should troll me around rather well right?

[Reel Delight (Walt)]

I think you may want to be thinking a 6 or 8hp 4 stroke. A 2.5hp will be only a single cylinder motor and. Not very smooth running. Plus you will be operating the small outboard at higher Rpms in order to maintain trolling speeds. I suggest you buy a four stroke with twin cylinders as it will be smooth running and less noisey too. Plus with more horsepower the engine will work less and have extra to give when you need it. When headed into the wind, you will appreciate the greater horsepower. A single cylinder outboard really vibrates... I have been there and done that. I had a single cyl. 5hp kicker and the vibration really annoyed me.

[will nolan (swilly)]

thanks walt. i didnt think about the vibration. i def dont want that. what do you think about a 5hp tahatsu. 2008?

[Reel Delight (Walt)]

That outboard is the same as a Nissan as well as some year mercury motors. But do double check as I think their 5hp is a single cylinder as I did own one myself.

Go to online outboards.com and you will see that Nissan Builds the Tohatsu, as well they have a relationship with Mercury. The 2014 5hp is a single cylinder, so I am near positive the 2008 is as well. I purchased my Tohatsu online thru ebay brand new because the price was right and I used it for 2 or 3 seasons. My next boat and kicker was a 6 hp twin cylinder and was much happier with the lack of motor vibration. Yet that Tohatsu ran great and did the job for me!

[digitroll (ron)]

Sorry I can't resist. My view on running a main modern single efficient fuel injected engine for trolling and planing:

I ran the numbers after our trip to the Bar last week and comparing 11 years ago with my old two stroke 115 hp old smokey and my Honda kicker for this trip apples to apples. Using 150 hp 4 stroke data after 1 year and compared to my Honda kicker I used to use it would take me 15 years to break even on fuel usage savings for a 9.9 hp Pro-Kicker an investment of $4,000. Thats a lot of fuel savings running a kicker to break even just for the sake of saving your main engine folks!

My 115 hp 4 stroke on my former Sea Nymph boat had 829 hours on the clock after 6 years of trolling. A long way to go for 5,000 hours and that is only 6 years. Projected out at 140 hours a season it would take 35 seasons at that rate to hit 5,000 hours. I follow my 300 hour service or 3 years on plugs / impellar / belt and change oil at 60-70 hour intervals or twice a season for me.

Today's modern 2 and 4 strokes all fuel injected brands have documented 5,000 hours plus with most under 1,000 rpms. What will I do in 10-15 years?...... Buy another main engine as technology continues to improve just like cars. Would I want to keep the same car for 15 or more years? Most people trade or sell there car when it still has value and put the proceeds towards a new more modern and efficient vehicle. I know it was a mistake to keep my 1984 22 year old 115 classic two stroke with a kicker now back in 2006 before re-powering with a 30% more efficient fuel injected 4 stroke 115 motor in 2006. Saving the main engine hours till it's almost worthless down the road? Parts triple in price and some no longer available for your antique with low hours

I have been trolling with a main engine for 7 seasons and in my 8th season this year. Boat control / fuel injection / 50% quieter operation than any kicker on the market today / no heavy kicker and deep cycle group 27 in the back of the boat making the boat tail heavy. Fantastic autopilot performance. Never been stranded.

If your going to run a kicker make sure it's a twin cylinder.

Running single main engines is not for everyone and I get that. Some people want an escape plan. However, how many I/O boats out there pleasure (rec boats) run without a kicker or larger single engine charter boats? With today's fuel injected ECM motherboard controlled motors they will go into guardian mode (low rpm's) to get you home without hurting the motor if overheating.

It's all good! The glass is half full not empty. Lake Champlain and Lake Ontario is not like fishing offshore on the ocean with no sight of land. Fish the buddy system and carry a cell phone and have a VHF radio on board.

[digitroll (ron)]

Moreover,

Just ask Popster / Raz / Crazy Ivan / Phantom / Fly guy / Champ / Cardinal / C-Hawk / Fishmaster176 / Delgue / Surprise / Hawkeye / Black Ghost and John with his 90 E-tech on his Sea Nymph just to name a few if they would go back to a kicker for trolling?

The metaphor is similar to having an autopilot.

[MarknFish (Mark)]

It's a matter of opinion for sure, but I have 900 hrs on my 115 in five seasons and I will never go to the dark side of having a kicker. That's a couple thousand dollars worth of lures I can buy that I won't use a 5 years from now!

[digitroll (ron)]

Sorry to jump in on your thread Will. I am passionate about trolling with a main engine and having options as many have made that choice in the last 5 years.

With your current situation with the 90 hp. classic a 4 stroke kicker 2 cylinder is a great option.

Good luck!

Ron

[billfishermc]

I have no kicker, a 17ft bowrider and a 2005 etec 50hp. I troll all day and used a minn kota pd for steering from 2005 to 2012. (almost hands free). Replaced the electric in 2013 with a terrova 24v ipilot 80#(steers a course, follows a track, has anchor lock,). The etec output is 25 amps and enough to steer and charge the 12v and 24v bank using a mk alternator on board 12/24v charger while trolling. (fishing up north in the boonies -no electricity). The etec fuel consumption is very low and only needs plugs twice a year. If you want a bass/walleye/trout boat in one this is a good compromise. oh- trolling plate used for low speeds and to get enough alt. output.

I link makes sense if you can use lakemaster charts (follow contours or preplanned routes)
I also wiring up my truck to charge all 3 batteries (using the mk onboard on longer trips).

Sorry guys but autopilot is me with a ipilot!

bill

[fishmaster176]

Sounds like a great combo, Bill. I have the MK Alternator charger, but only for 12v, I think. I like my Bass time, too. No more home charging. Love it. Fred