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Dan J. S.
 
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Default newbie question: trolling without a kicker

Camilo wrote:
"Greg" wrote in message
...
Hi, I just bought my first boat and I can't afford a kicker right
now. Is it possible/worthwhile to troll without a kicker?
Troy


What kind of engine do you have? If it is a 2 stroke the answer is
probably no. A 4 stroke will chug around at 1200-1500 RPM all day,
no smoke, no fouled plugs.


I've trolled all day with 175 hp V6 2 stroke - noisy, smelly and
burns a lot of gas compared to the kicker, but it worked. Not to
dispute that 4 strokes and/or kickers are better, but it can be done.
As a kid, we did all our trolling with a merc 65 hp 2 stroke. I
picked up a verrrrry old merc 9.8 kicker for very cheap and it works
great. Just something to keep in mind - the kicker might not cost as
much as you think.

Cam


A buddy of mine trolled on an old Johnson 25hp, for like 5 hours. The thing
died on him. Lots of carbon build up and other issues. Techs told him 2
stroke trolling can only be done in 20-30 mins spurts and then rev it up for
like 2 mins...