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Author Topic:   Kicker for 16 ft Dauntless

John Tyler posted 05-24-2005 01:25 PM ET (US)
Hi, I could use some advice. I just bought a really nice 2001 16' Dauntless. It has a Mercury 90hp 4 stroke. I am considering buying a kicker for it. Before I spend the cash I would like some advice and opinions from otehr people on thier experience.
I will use this boat off the West Coast of Vancouver Island, and the ont he Oregon coast mostly for salmon fishing.
There are two things I need to do, get home, and go slow whgile trolling.
Will my 90hp go slow enough to troll with?
Do I need a kicker for safety?
If I get a kicker all of the ones I have looked at exceed the recommended weight capacity of 410 lbs for the hull. The 90 hp weighs 386 lbs and a Merc 8 hp 4 stroke weigh 85 lbs.
How concerned should I be about weight ont eh transom?
Any insight would be much appreciated.

Thanks
John
Marlin posted 05-24-2005 03:48 PM ET (US)
John,
I can't help you decide whether you need a kicker for safety, that depends on a lot of things, including what level of tow services are in your area.
As for weight, the 160 Dauntless is not a boat that tolerates excess weight aft very kindly. Put that 85 lb. kicker on board, fill the fuel tank, add a couple people, and your 90 4-stroke might have a tough time getting you up on plane. I think you would find that at the very least, a good-sized hydrofoil would be an absolute requirement.
Where would you mount it? Obviously the transom is designed for a single outboard, and some sort of mount would be required. Looking at the wood diagram at http://www.whalerparts.com/ , I see that there are reinforced areas in the transom (#58 looks promising, since the boarding ladder covers #53 and #57), but the sheet doesn't document what any of those reinforcement pieces actually are. A call to customer service could probably resolve that.
You'd probably need a sailboat-type retractible mount, otherwise your kicker would be sitting pretty deeply in the water. See http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/marlinsail/detail?.dir=d840&.dnm=f9d7.jpg&.src=ph for a picture of my 160's stern. It's in fresh water, but without the weight of a kicker. I think the 115 weighs about the same as the 90. As you can see, there's not a lot of room to mount anything on the transom.
I hope this info has been helpful.
-Bob
andygere posted 05-24-2005 04:20 PM ET (US)
I'd give these folks a call. They seem to specialize in kicker mounts for late model Boston Whalers.
http://tannermfg.com/tannermfg.htm
Go with the lightest kicker that will do an adequate job. Perhaps a 6 h.p. will be enough, and could save you a few pounds.
assaf posted 05-24-2005 04:22 PM ET (US)
adding 85 lb would probably cause the boat to porpoise at mid throttle. I had a 6hp 4st on my 17 outrage II , and at 55lb have pushed the boat to 5 kt.
fishinchips posted 05-24-2005 11:55 PM ET (US)
The merc 6hp - 4 stroke (same as nissan/tohatsu) weighs 55 pounds (short shaft) and 57 pounds (long shaft).
http://www.boatmotors.com/rebuilt_outboard_motors/
Just mounted a Merc 6hp - 4stroke on my 170 montauk with a retractable bracket (stainless steel).
Ken

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Author	Topic: Kicker for 16 ft Dauntless
John Tyler	posted 05-24-2005 01:25 PM ET (US) Hi, I could use some advice. I just bought a really nice 2001 16' Dauntless. It has a Mercury 90hp 4 stroke. I am considering buying a kicker for it. Before I spend the cash I would like some advice and opinions from otehr people on thier experience. I will use this boat off the West Coast of Vancouver Island, and the ont he Oregon coast mostly for salmon fishing. There are two things I need to do, get home, and go slow whgile trolling. Will my 90hp go slow enough to troll with? Do I need a kicker for safety? If I get a kicker all of the ones I have looked at exceed the recommended weight capacity of 410 lbs for the hull. The 90 hp weighs 386 lbs and a Merc 8 hp 4 stroke weigh 85 lbs. How concerned should I be about weight ont eh transom? Any insight would be much appreciated. Thanks John
Marlin	posted 05-24-2005 03:48 PM ET (US) John, I can't help you decide whether you need a kicker for safety, that depends on a lot of things, including what level of tow services are in your area. As for weight, the 160 Dauntless is not a boat that tolerates excess weight aft very kindly. Put that 85 lb. kicker on board, fill the fuel tank, add a couple people, and your 90 4-stroke might have a tough time getting you up on plane. I think you would find that at the very least, a good-sized hydrofoil would be an absolute requirement. Where would you mount it? Obviously the transom is designed for a single outboard, and some sort of mount would be required. Looking at the wood diagram at http://www.whalerparts.com/ , I see that there are reinforced areas in the transom (#58 looks promising, since the boarding ladder covers #53 and #57), but the sheet doesn't document what any of those reinforcement pieces actually are. A call to customer service could probably resolve that. You'd probably need a sailboat-type retractible mount, otherwise your kicker would be sitting pretty deeply in the water. See http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/marlinsail/detail?.dir=d840&.dnm=f9d7.jpg&.src=ph for a picture of my 160's stern. It's in fresh water, but without the weight of a kicker. I think the 115 weighs about the same as the 90. As you can see, there's not a lot of room to mount anything on the transom. I hope this info has been helpful. -Bob
andygere	posted 05-24-2005 04:20 PM ET (US) I'd give these folks a call. They seem to specialize in kicker mounts for late model Boston Whalers. http://tannermfg.com/tannermfg.htm Go with the lightest kicker that will do an adequate job. Perhaps a 6 h.p. will be enough, and could save you a few pounds.
assaf	posted 05-24-2005 04:22 PM ET (US) adding 85 lb would probably cause the boat to porpoise at mid throttle. I had a 6hp 4st on my 17 outrage II , and at 55lb have pushed the boat to 5 kt.
fishinchips	posted 05-24-2005 11:55 PM ET (US) The merc 6hp - 4 stroke (same as nissan/tohatsu) weighs 55 pounds (short shaft) and 57 pounds (long shaft). http://www.boatmotors.com/rebuilt_outboard_motors/ Just mounted a Merc 6hp - 4stroke on my 170 montauk with a retractable bracket (stainless steel). Ken