Johnson Kicker Motor-gctid375424

[Guest]

Hello Everyone,I have a 2060 20ft Trophy Boat, I have few questions regarding this 1964 5.5 HP Johnson outboard motor. Do you think this would be ok for using for emergency purposes. Just in case my main engine fails. I really wanted a 9hp. I measured it and from the clamp down to the middle of the propeller it is 16 inches. So im assuming it is a short shaft. My uncle is asking $300. but i could probably get it for 250. he says it does run but i have not checked it out mechanically yet. Lets say it is running good, is $ 250 a good price for this? he also has the bracket for it, i have a swim platform with a outboard bracket for it. I could place the bracket lower then the platform.

[img]/media/kunena/attachments/vb/678859=26891-outboard.jpg[/img]thanksjoe

[Guest]

Just my opinion of course but a 5hp might be a little light for a 20 footer. I say that because a few boats back I had a 19' Sea Ray which I used to fish Lake Michigan. I had a short shaft Elgin 7.5hp which worked very well for trolling and as a back up. The good news though is often those old outboards were under rated as far as hp. Also old 2 stroke outboards are almost bullet proof and will outlast the owner. The only areas to really be concerned with are the lower unit seals and the cooling impeller assuming nothing is actually worn out and it runs.

Since it's a relative, maybe he'd let you mount the motor and give it a try out. You could see if/how it runs and whether it will provide what you need it terms of power?

[Guest]

Too small, too short. Might work as a troller in calm water but as soon as the boat starts to buck a little in rough water that engine will cavitate and be out of the water more than it's in. Basically useless.:arr

[Guest]

IMO - A short shaft 5 HP outboard on a 20' boat is only good for a trolling motor in calm water with little or no current. If the wind or current kicks up, your only option will be to go downwind and/or downcurrent.

[Guest]

I ran a 6HP short shaft kicker on a 17ft boat for a while, the adjustable height bracket is essential so that you can get it low enough into the water and get the prop below the hull bottom when in use. This is easier with the motor mounted to one side as the 'V' shape of the hull means it doesn't have to be as low as the main prop.

At the highest position the prop should either be out of the water or the top of the motor should be clear of the transom enough to tilt it completely out of the water, otherwise it will act as a second rudder.

I got about 3.5kn at full speed but its difficult to get a prop that's pitched low enough for it to work efficiently, a typical small outboard prop will be designed to be moving through the water at about 20kn at WOT so the extra slippage is huge with a larger boat and can stop the engine from reaching its power band. In terms of moving from a 5.5HP to a 9HP you'd maybe get to 4.5kn instead of 3.5kn so its probably not worth the effort unless it was a true high thrust 9HP.

One thing with small kicker motors is that you only get displacement speeds so no bow lift into heavy seas or chop, the ride home could be quite unpleasant in the wrong conditions, especially if you have an open bow boat. This is why I went with a 30HP kicker on my 175 with a custom de-pitched large diameter prop, it can still only manage 6.5kn but more importantly it can lift the bow as it tries to start coming up out of the hole.