Who here fishes with their Sea Ray?

79TA7.6

79TA7.6

New Member
Jun 27, 2020
9
Boat Info
1995 220 Overnighter
Engines
5.7
I purchased my 1995 220 Overnighter this last spring. When I bought it I also opted to purchase the 15hp Mercury kicker. We did not get around to using the kicker this summer as I am a new boater and I wanted to make sure I was comfortable with the boat before I started playing with all the “extras”. I have already winterized the boat and do not plan to have it back in the water this year. We plan to purchase a swim platform and install it this winter, but I am trying to decide if I want to have the platform reinforced for the kicker.

For those who fish with a kicker, is the 15hp going to be too much for lake trolling? I do not plan to have this boat in a flowing river as I live just 30 minutes from Lake Roosevelt in Washington. Lots of open water here. I was leaning towards getting an electric, but I think for the weight of this boat I would need a pretty darn big one. I have a buddy who uses his electric for getting in real close to the shore with very precise movements.

Can someone provide me with pros and cons of a kicker over an electric?
 
Welcome to CSR. If you think you're going to install a kicker of any type in the future, now is the time to have the platform reinforced, not after you buy it and decide later to reinforce it.

Check out Swimplatforms.com for info on platforms. They're a great company and build quality products.

If you want to tow your boat down to the TriCities to have a VERY nice platform installed I'll give you the name of the guy who did mine. He installed it on the boat while the boat was in the water. He's an excellent fiberglass guy and he's inexpensive compared to the other companies around here. Here is a sample of his work.
 

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I would stick with a gas kicker motor for several reasons. Gas will give exponentially greater range. Electric will not last long with continuous trolling. Gas will move that heavy boat at a speed fast enough to troll. Electric will be a complete slug. Gas will be easier to install and maintain, especially a smaller outboard with an integrated fuel tank. Electric set up to move that boat will likely require 36 volts to move the boat at any meaningful speed. So, 3 batteries, charger, weight, and long term replacement cost must be considered.

Don’t think about one of the bolt on the outdrive electric motors either. Just the worst of both worlds.

The other advantage to a gas kicker is that you can limp home from a good distance and against wind or current.

The only advantage to an electric motor I see is to quietly move short distances while fishing.
 
Have you tried trolling with the main engine? I found it worked fine with my 270 AJ. Personally I would think using a kicker on a cruiser would be kind of a pain.
 
First of all, what does "trolling" mean to you?

Do you want to move the boat in a straight line while pulling a lure of some type behind the boat? Or, do you want to move up and down, back and forth, along the shore while you manually cast a lure toward the bank?

If the former, you want a gas kicker. If the latter, you want an electric "trolling motor".

Your 15 is the ideal kicker for your boat. Mounting it on the swim platform is very doable. If you want to move around the shoreline with an electric, your boat is not suitable. It would need to be bow-mounted to be usable and your boat is not designed for that setup.

PS - look for a fixed Panther horizontal mount.

P6090868web.jpg
 
Thank you all for the replies. This is my first boat so I am not sure how I want to use the trolling motor. All I have done in the past is shire fished, and that sucks. I am thinking since I have the kicker I will have the swim platform prepared for it. It sounds like this will do most of what I think I will need it to do.
 
OK funny story. I had a buddy got a new Amberjack and took some friends out. One of the guys was taking out his lures and hanging them on his brand new transom seat cushion, Ya, burying the hooks in the vinyl. My buddy was freaking out, Bottom line, dont take fishing peeps out on a cruiser.
 
The kicker will allow better control of the trolling speed. A kicker will also burn way less fuel than the main motor.
 
We use a 9.9 high thrust on our heavy 245. We also had one on a light 20' jet boat. They are great. If your 15 has the standard lower it will likely be fine. With a single engine, the gas kicker is the way to go. IMO, hands down, just for back up alone. If you do go that route, ensure it has a long enough leg to reach below the hull or reverse will be useless. The electric start options come standard with charging systems. Keeps the batteries topped up when using electronics and other accessories. Don't forget to leave enough room for the fish cooler on that platform.
 
This may be size related but when a new guy buys his first diesel cruiser down where we are, he is thinking about all the free red snapper and grouiper he is going to catch out at the 50 mile drop off. Then, the first thing that happens is his buddies show up in 4 door 4X4 3/4 ton pick ups and clog up the parking area behind our boats where none of us who rent those spaces have room to park, then after 3 weeks of that fun, the new boat owner, well fed on fresh snapper, is in the parts department trying to order new seat skins and new cockpit carpeting to replace everyting the 4X4 army who he took out the last few weekends poked holes in the vinyl with errant fish hooks and spilled fish juice, blood and slime everywhere. Walk within 6 boats of that guys slip and his boat is easily identifiable by just the smell alone. BTW, it was a nice diesel 40DA.
There is a fish market at the other end of the marina which is where we get fresh fish, If my kids want to fish, I charter a guide boat for them and put them with a good friend who is safe and catches fish every day.

So, nobody who plans to wake up tomorrow is going to fish off my boat.
 
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