mr 580

Cutter, scroll down about 10 topics and this question was discussed in a topic titled “kicker question” by Phil 2. Answer with a picture of a Honda on a Tiara with kicker tied to rudders.

Simrad Drive Pilot for hydraulic steering with Precision 9 and Nac1 installs easily and is controlled with Simrad Go Series or several Lowrance units. Pretty much the same AP as the Lowrance hydraulic steer unit but has the Precision 9 upgrade which shows up when it gets “sloppy”. Holds dead steady at trolling speed into the wind.

20” inch shaft is considered as “long” and is fine. The 25” inch are normally referred to as a sailboat model or “extra long”. For horsepower a 9.9 should do all you want on a 21 foot to troll.

Check wiring and connections- Ulterra’s are voltage sensitive. I’d look close at the plug-I’ve been told that a Battery Tender brand plug is a good one to use on that model TM. Check voltage to see if in spec.

Keeping motor in the water a bigger issue than power. 80” might not be enough in the wind on that size boat. A 60” is barely enough on a 17’ or 18’.

Walkarounds offer good storage space and accessibility to the front/sides for docking. Downside is you give up width of cockpit space and cabin space for sleeping. Rear deck space can be good especially if you get a bracket mounted outboard. If you look at I/O’s then a doghouse can take up deck room. IMO in today’s market, I would take hours and condition over brand with a 20 to 30k budget. Fall is a good time to look and prices likely less than next spring. Might not be a bad idea in your initial search to open top end up to see what an extra 10k gets you. Good luck and have fun looking.

Location of drain is probably most important piece of installation of live well or fish box. You want overboard drain so your location needs to be above water line. Draining into bilge is not the way to go especially if your boat is in a slip. If you have floor out and a blank sheet for your layout then having a cooler for a piece of your seating might be an option that would save a lot of plumbing, pumps and valves along with holes in the hull.

Changing environment with clearer water and spiny water flea have driven different line presentations more than preference or “fun” factor. When fleas choke up your rod guides so you can’t reel in kings, you have to adapt. Guys will run 30lb then leader down to 15 to 20lb fluorocarbon to get around the problem. If the fleas aren’t around, you can still run your 15 to 17lb like the old days just add the fluorocarbon leader.

X3 on staying away from pancakes. Torpedo/sharks are better for deep faster trolling on Lake Ontario. Going to 150’ you’d want 15lb if your riggers would handle them. Over 100’ 12’s start getting pretty good blow back.

Might be helpful if you posted a picture of the back of your boat and the swim platform. Some swim platforms will carry a kicker others will not. A 9.9 kicker should be all you need (100 to 120lbs). Auto pilot choices vary depending on what type of steering your main motor has and whether you want tied to kicker or a stand alone kicker system. More info will get more help for you.