August 2025 Column HOW MANY OUTBOARDS FOR YOUR BOAT PART 3...KICKER MAGIC By Capt. John N.Raguso In this third installment of “how many outboards are right for your boat?”we’re going to cover one of the simplest, easiest and most-effective ways to provide get-home insurance for any single engine inboard, sterndrive, or outboard powered boat… the auxiliary or“kicker”outboard Decisions, Decisions-
If there's anything that I've learned from searching for the optimum out- board setup with the 16 boats that I’ve owned and rigged over the past 47-years, it's that nothing beats the convenience, speed, docking maneu- verability and additional fishing time afforded by twin I-4s, V6s or V8s. But as a counterpoint, if you can't plane on one engine with a full load, the higher initial investment, added to the extra cost for fuel and main- tenance might not be worth it in the final analysis. You're dealing with double trouble tied to the transom, just waiting for one engine to take a vacation, while the other plows home at 8-knots, consuming about a mile per gallon in the process. If you're going creep home at that speed, why not spend $12,000-to-$15,000 less on the cost of your rig by opting for a small 8, 9.9, 15 or 20-HP kicker, which can easily be removed to per- form possible double duty on the family dory, skiff or inflatable? Plus, the hit at the gas dock will usually be less for a single primary power- plant, as will the cost of regular maintenance services and extended warranty plans. Primary, Secondary-
For those operators who desire to install an auxiliary outboard to support the main powerplant, this can be performed in a variety of ways and for many experienced boaters, it’s a great DIY project. With the majority of (gas) inboards, I/Os and out- boards using four-stroke formats, it’s comforting to know that 99.9% of today’s new small horsepower outboards employ a similar combustion process. When it’s time to fuel the auxiliary engine, this can be done by simply tapping a new brass barb on the output side of the primary fuel filter mount, running a new fuel line/squeeze bulb to the kicker and you’re in business. Be sure to leave enough slack in the line to account for the small outboard’s up/down and side-to-side travels when deployed.
I’ve had the best success with back-up outboards in the 15-to-25 HP range for pushing a heavy, deep-vee 23-to-25 foot boat out on the briny. In the calmer back bays, you might be able to employ smaller block 8-to-9.9 HP auxiliaries successfully. A 15-to-25 HP kicker should get you anywhere from 5.5-to-7 knots, depending on the horsepower rating, engine block size and propeller that isused. The smaller 8-to-9.9 outboards typically hit 3.5-to-4.5 knots when pushing you home at displacement hull speeds. When choosing a kicker, I always try to get a fuel-injected version, which solves the cranky carburetor issues that plague most auxiliary outboards that feature this old-school fuel delivery system. A kicker outboard with a battery charging circuit and/or electric start capability is an added convenience and safety bonus.
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