Looking to get a new kicker motor, It will be going on a 19ft searay. Going to go w/ the 4 stroke. Woundering which brands you guys have had good luck with. Want to get something in the 8-9.9 range. Will be installing a TR-1 on it as well. I have heard lots of good things about the Yamaha 8hp high trust. Was also thinking about looking in to the honda's. Boat dealer next to my shop has a new 2000 honda 9.9 for 1995.00. Were there any differences in the last 2-3 years w/ honda? Any feedback would be helpful.

9.9 4 stroke yamaha is awesome. It comes with a long shaft as well if needed. Yamaha is proud of their engines but they are great!

Three words......YAM A HA.

One thing to remember about all these small four-stroke engines is that they are all really succeptable to bad fuel / dirty fuel. The jets are SO small in them, they clog up very easily. So put a good in-line water separator/filter on whatever motor you buy.

Also, I've been told by my boat mechanic that the worst thing you can do to a motor is to run it at low RPM's all the time. They are hard to get the correct mixture on when they're running that slow, and they clog up with carbon and such... so whatever motor you buy, see if you can get it with a flatter pitch prop so it will run at a higher RPM for any given speed... you'll burn a tad more gas, but these things don't burn much as it is anyway.

Oh, and every time you come home and flush out your motors with saltwater, pull the fuel line off your kicker while it's running and let it run out of fuel... it helps prevent carberator problems as a result of old fuel gelling and varnishing.

I've got an old (1991) four stroke Yamaha 9.9 high thrust on my 19' Custom Weld. It came with my boat when I bought it. If I were to buy a new kicker, I might go with an even smaller hp motor, (for my boat), so the motor had to run higher RPM's, and therefore cleaner.

Just my $0.02

-N.

Thank for the info guy and gals! Looking at the spec. between the 8hp and the 9.9 seems to be very slight? Anyone know the main difference? I'll be using it for trolling which I do a lot of. So slow speeds and smooth and quite are very important.Yamaha seems to be getting the vote sp far.

I've currently got the Yamaha 9.9, and have had an older Honda 7.5. Both are/were great motors, and ran like sewing machines - smooth, reliable, quiet. I have never had a problem with gas, but I make sure to get good, mid grade gas fro a station that does a lot of turnover. My current motor runs off the main tank, so the fuel doesn't get old on it, and it has a good fuel filter/water separator, in addition to the internal filter.

The honda sounds like a good deal, I paid 2200 for my Yamaha (electric start).

One benefit to getting an electric start kicker is that it has an alternator and therefore keeps charging your battery while it's running. If you use electric downriggers, this can help you keep from running your starting battery down over the day.

Check out the weight difference...it could become a determining factor in your selection. I would say added weight can make a substantial negative impact on some boats. Just a thought.

FJ...out.

I run a '98 merc 9.9 4 stroke....has a yamaha powerhead Marsha :p works great for me, good point Steve....but In a few years the only new kickers sold will be 4 strokes, so you better pick up that new 8 hp 2 stroke in the next couple years......wish I use able to run a kicker this week......owell

Honda four stroke.Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

YAMAHA
All the rest

Also been considering upgrading to a four stroke to match my 115 four stroke Merc pump. My main question is with finding tha sweet spot and maintaining consistant speed with a four stroke. I,ve beeb around several 9.9 Mercs (including RR's boat) and all seem to be so sensitive that there is constant adjustment of throttle. My 8 hp 2 stroke moves very smoothly through all ranges and is easy to hold speed without throttle changes. Also noticed what appeared to be more vibration transmitted to the boat than what my 2 stroke transmits. Any comments?

Great info here, Wiser brings up a good question reguarding vibration. I would think that the four stroke would run smoother than the two stroke? As for idle adjustments I will be installing a TR-1 auto and should be fully adjustable. Different question reguarding brackets. Are any of you using the elec. martin brackets and if so how do you like them. I think I will end up w/ the yamaha 8hp h. thrust and will need to upgrade the bracket.

I have the Merc 115 HP four stroke and the 9.9 Merc. Bigfoot four stroke and love them both.!

Very quiet, smooth running, no smoke.. the 115HP is EFI so it starts instantly!
They are worth a look!

TH

I run an old honda 9.9 four stroke. It is great. Reliable, quiet, and cheap. I picked up mine used for about $400.00 USD. I have put about 150 hours on it and I love it. Starts with one pull. I did have some problems with corrosion on the kill switch and have disconected it. If you are like me and not made of money, do yourself a favour and spend a day looking at used 4 strokes.

I run a 22' glasply at about 3500 lbs. Top speed is about 5 knots.

I run an old Sears Ted Williams 7.5 horse two-stroke air cooled. You can hear me trolling your way.