Hi all. I’m a newbie.
Living in Minnesota, I fish northern pike primarily and largemouth bass. Last spring I bought a new 17 foot boat powered by a 90 HP Yamaha outboard. I do not have any “kicker” motor. I’m wondering how bad (or good) it is if I were to do a lot of trolling with my outboard. In reverse, the speed is perfect for the type of fishing I do. I’m not a walleye fisherman so I do not need to “crawl”. Not being a mechanic whiz, do I run the risk of fouling my plugs on my new four stroke, or not. If I were to get a kicker motor, I’d want one that I could control via my steering console if that were even possible. Any help or advice out there? Thank you.
N.
How slow are you looking to troll ??
How heavy is your boat , could you get by with an electric Trolling Motor . I don’t think you should have a problem with a four stroke fouling plugs .
My Alumacraft Navigator is around 965 pounds dry. The outboard motor trolls the boat perfectly at the speed I want. I do have a bow mount trolling motor, 70 pounds thrust, 24 volt system that can also do the job of course, but I just wondered if the 90 would foul up if I used it instead for a long day on the water, to save my batteries on the trolling motor.
Your four stroke motor should run no risk of fouling plugs - it is basically just like any other four stroke engine out there and can idle indefinitely - I have a 20 HP Yamaha four stroke on my walleye boat and can putt around with it all day. My big boat has a 150 Optimax on it an I have used it for Wiper fishing in Utah once my trolling motor batteries have been exhausted (trolling at 2.5 MPH with a 20 foot boat tends to drain them in just 4 or 5 hours) and even that motor will not foul plugs. an Optimax is not a four stroke, but just like a four stroke, there is no oil injected directly into the combustion area and it is the oil in hte mixed gas of a two stroke that will foul the plugs (this was all explained to me by the boat dealers mechanic so my description may not be exact - but the point is the same - four stroke should not foul plugs).
My friend has run his 115 Yam with no problem , just make sure your gas is kinda fresh , that would be your big concern , plus an excuse to get out more !!
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