Installing a kicker/auxiliary motor on R23

[amax]

Hi All
New to the RT world. Just bought a slightly used 2018 R23 and have been loving it!!
My question is, does anyone have info, suggestions, advice and pics of how you rigged up your kicker?
It will be primarily used as emergency back-up with a bit of trolling as well.
1) wondering about the pros/cons of using a tie bar to main (with autopilot)
2) have herd of some using the panther remote steering. any good/bad feedback?
Thanks and happy boating!!
Angus

 

[Ernie]

I added a Yamaha 9.9 like the factory. Recently I’ve thought that I might not have done it knowing what I do now. I don’t use it very much for trolling and never for auxiliary power, so in some ways it’s just weight. With just me or one other on board it clearly doesn’t impact my speed though) The towing insurance and reliability of the F200 might be a reasonable alternative to the kicker for boating between Olympia and the Broughtons. Comfort in having a backup motor is a good thing though. It’s a toss up probably.
I had mine installed in Seattle at a price that matched the RT factory price as an option or as an after market install. You can probably see it in my gallery photos.
I didn’t get the panther and my boat doesn’t have remote steering. I use a tie bar to connect kicker to main and it works perfectly. I thought that the panther was just one more delicate piece of electronics that could break.
The main thing about the kicker for trolling is that you still have to stand on the swim step to start it and to throttle up or down and engage the drive. I don’t know if others have tied the fwd/rev/neutral and throttle of a kicker to their helm controls or the remote for the helm or not. Might be possible might not.

 

[Ernie]

I added a Yamaha 9.9 like the factory. Recently I’ve thought that I might not have done it knowing what I do now. I don’t use it very much for trolling and never for auxiliary power, so in some ways it’s just weight. With just me or one other on board it clearly doesn’t impact my speed though) The towing insurance and reliability of the F200 might be a reasonable alternative to the kicker for boating between Olympia and the Broughtons. Comfort in having a backup motor is a good thing though. It’s a toss up probably.
I had mine installed in Seattle at a price that matched the RT factory price as an option or as an after market install. You can probably see it in my gallery photos.
I didn’t get the panther and my boat doesn’t have remote steering. I use a tie bar to connect kicker to main and it works perfectly. I thought that the panther was just one more delicate piece of electronics that could break.
The main thing about the kicker for trolling is that you still have to stand on the swim step to start it and to throttle up or down and engage the drive. I don’t know if others have tied the fwd/rev/neutral and throttle of a kicker to their helm controls or the remote for the helm or not. Might be possible might not.

 

[Water Bill]

I have the factory installed Yamaha 9.9 kicker with the Panther remote steering. I installed the Troll Master Pro 3+ wireless throttle and steering control unit myself. You still have to stand on the swim step to start, put the engine in gear and tilt it up or down. It is nice to be able to steer and control the throttle from the helm seat for extended lengths of time.

I have also found when using the kicker, if I leave the main outboard motor in the down position and turned off, it will act as a rudder and steer the boat while I am using the Garmin auto pilot. The kicker can stay strait and does not have to turn.

Bill

 

[az9133bm]

Angus,

We added a Yamaha F6 with a 20"shaft for a kicker and double duty on our Zodiac. See our "Arizona Trailer R-23" Photo Album for details.

We changed the prop to 7-1/4 x 6-1/2 and achieve 4 knots at half throttle. We also installed the Forespar Motor Mate to make the transition from boat to tender without risking our backs and losing the motor overboard.

We use the main engine to steer just fine underway. If you're in tighter quarters, it's easy to stand on the swim platform and use the engine's tiller.

Happy to answer any questions you may have.

George