# A kicker motor on a tiller boat?



## traverse (Sep 29, 2005)

Anyone have any experience with a kicker motor on a tiller boat? Do you need a handle extension? Do you need a second seat pedestal? I would like it for pulling plugs rather than use my big motor. Thanks


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## Backwater Eddy (Jun 16, 2003)

If your primary concern is to save fuel or to slow down an electric motor in the 55# to 70# range will serve you well. Add's greater flexibility of use and speed adjustment. For extended use in trolling 2 12V batteries rigged together will offer the longevity needed, 1 may fall short.

If it is that your main tiller motor will not slow down enough to serve your needs there are some simple cost effective fix's for that to.

One is to waist power by trimming up the motor high as needed but still sufficiently deployed to allow good water flow to cool the motor. This will slow you down often enough to get 1 MPR speeds. Won't decrease fuel usage any, and may actually increase it.....but it works.

If that doesn't appear to help your situation a cheap tool is adding a 5 gallon pail to a rear transom cleat to increase drag...we call this a _Poor Man's Drift Sock_...works well too.

Simply add a couple 2" holes to the bottom of the pail, add two ropes to form two handles on top that cross each other and a D-Ring to secure the ropes together and to the boat line.

Now....Add a 5th line to an eyebolt mounted to the bottom of the pail off to one side....now add the 5th line to the D Ring at the top that the other ropes forming the handle...this is the _Dump Rope_...so by pulling it the pail will flip over and dump the water allowing it easy retrieval. Simple and cheap way to slow a boat or to slow a drift as needed.

Maybe one of these tips will help?


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

Ed mentioned some pretty good tips for trolling your speed...but my main question is, why not just get a good 4-stroke and use it for both? I'm not sure what size tiller you have, but 4's are so dang quiet and anything 115 and under should troll down in all situations.


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