Anybody fit 9.9 and 25 merc 4str on SC Lodge 16

[ErnestE]

I was looking for Smokercraft 16 Lodge and bought a 9.9 merc 4stroke in anticipation. Then found used Lodge with 25 merc 4 stroke, very good deal. So, thought maybe I'd use 9.9 as kicker but I haven't gotten the 9.9 to the boat yet to see whether it will even fit,but these 4 strokes look huge (long time since I had a boat). Anybody out there run such a combo on Lodge 16? Weight an issue, if fits at all?
Thanks for any input.

[impeyan]

I was looking for Smokercraft 16 Lodge and bought a 9.9 merc 4stroke in anticipation. Then found used Lodge with 25 merc 4 stroke, very good deal. So, thought maybe I'd use 9.9 as kicker but I haven't gotten the 9.9 to the boat yet to see whether it will even fit,but these 4 strokes look huge (long time since I had a boat). Anybody out there run such a combo on Lodge 16? Weight an issue, if fits at all?
Thanks for any input.

I still have a 15' Lodge (used one season) that I am trying to sell on consignment. One of the reasons that I switched to a heavier boat is that the Lodge is so light in the front. With just a 20hp Honda on it, I had to move the gas and batteries to the front to get enough weight forward to get the bow down and I just had one motor. My neighbor had a 16 Lodge that he had the same problem with, a 30Merc 4 stroke is what he had, no second motor. He had to but one of those plastic hydrofoils on his to make it workable at all and he still wasn't happy. He used it one season and sold it.

I think in the 16' there is room for and extra motor, but adding the 100lbs will only make it harder to get the front down. I have seen more than one 16' with a second motor so it will probably fit. If it were me, I would put a trolling plate on the 25 and not put the kicker on.

I still own my Lodge, a nice boat only a year old with a new motor and there just isn't much interest in it. In my opinion, there is a reason you can find used Lodge Boats at such a discount.

Bets of luck with you, ron

[ErnestE]

Ron,
Thanks for the imput. I'm thinking I'll go with a trolling plate and/or an electric
ErnestE

[trollin4trout]

I've used the 25hp 4-stroke on the 16' Lodge for 8 years as only source of power. Trolls just fine with it. On rare occassions I'll use the drift socks to slow down a little.

It does seem to have only two speeds- troll and wide open. Anything in between is a little bow high. Power tilt though can adjust that where you want it. I do have a hydrofoil and that did help.

I have seen dual motors on the Lodge Series. Having had my boat pretty loaded a couple times- the rear is the last place you want all that extra weight. It looked scary to me.

[ErnestE]

t4t,
thanks for the advice. The drift sock is a good idea. Forgot about those. Used to use them above mcnary fishing for steelhead in the winter. My current obsession is fishing (actually, learning to) for kokanee in Wallowa Lake and super slow trolling seems to be the norm.

[impeyan]

Ron,
Thanks for the imput. I'm thinking I'll go with a trolling plate and/or an electric
ErnestE

I ran a electric trolling motor on my smokercraft with good success. I had two batterries in the front with number 4 wire to the back of the boat. I put the wires in a 1" flex for protection. It worked well as long as the wind wasn't blowing hard. When fishing on the bay or river for salmon, the wind just pushed the front of the boat aroung too much and the electric (40 lbs of thrust) just wasn't enough. I went to the trolling plate and used the 20hp motor and it worked fine. I also have a sock but just don't like them, though I do see alot of boats using them.

The smokercraft was a good boat for the money spent on it. The wide beam and flat floor makes it almost like some of the more expensive boats but alot less weight. After having mine a year, I decided more weight would be an advantage. I also wanted a welded boat as i run in salt water much of the time and got tired washing the boat each time. I think over time, the riveted smokercraft would fail at the rivets on the inside of the boat when being used in salt water. In fresh water, they would hold up just fine. Good Luck finding the right combination that works for you.

...ron

[ErnestE]

Ron,
Thanks again. The beauty of this forum is that there's always somebody whose "been there, done that" who can save you alot of time and expense in reinventing the wheel.

[Gizmo Man]

I have a 15' lodge with a 40 honda, electric start, a 7.5 honda and a 55# trolling motor on the back. Battery is in back of boat and I have no problem with it.

I would suggest you try it and see if it works for you.

I had a 25hp merc. bigfoot 4 stroke on it before I repowered it. Also had the other 2 motors on it.

Giz....