Thinking of getting a trolling motor I can troll cranks with. I’m debating about the value of spending +$2800 for a decent 4-stroke kicker vs. maybe 1/2 of that on an electric. Advantages vs disadvantages other than money out of pocket?? thanks Dave
I would say the biggest from a safety standpoint would be the range that the kicker would have should the big motor go down.
I’m not sure how long a 36v trolling motor will hold up if you are trying to run 2.5 – 3.2 mph down on the river in may/June. It would probably work really well in the fall up on Mille Lacs when going real slow, but the rest of the year, I think your boat control would really suffer in the wind etc….
I think a lot will depend on what kind of boat you have.I have a Vantage 36V 101 on a 2050 Skeeter and a T8.I rarely use the Vantage and use the T8 most of the time.However on a smaller boat you may not want the extra weight of a T8 on the back and a vantage would be the way to go.Most boats I see with 150 or less HP engines on the back go with Vantages and bigger HP go with kickers.
I run a 18 1/2ft Lund with 150 EFI Merc. as the main motor.
I do pull spinners on bottom bouncers quite a bit now using the front trolling motor 1 to 1 1/2mph most of the time. Main motor trolls at +2.5mph all the time, which is a problem with the spinners. sometimes still way too fast with cranks. I understand the boat control in the wind would be much better with a kicker, I just thought the electric might be a bit more quiet. I thought of running with a 24 volt system. I see Wade has the Vantage available for under $1000. Kickers are all $2500 and up. Anyone know how long you could run the Vantage trolling witha 24 volt system? that might be the answer there vs the kicker? thank again Dave
If you’re going to do any river fishing at all, you need a kicker.
If you’re anything more than a very casual troller, you need a kicker.
A wise man once said that the only thing a kicker will do for you is help you catch more fish.
I was on pool five dragging jigs on Saturday using my Maxxum 80# 24 volt. It was windy dragging down stream against the wind, I had to run my TM at 70 to 90% ran through my batteries d-mm quick. Roughly 4 to 5 hours they were done. Wrecked the rest of our fishing day.
Normal dragging days the electric works well and all day, but there are times it dosen`t cut it.
My advise go with the T-8 unlimited useage and more opptions. I don`t even consider the IF THE BIG MOTOR GOES DOWN thing the T-8 will help you catch more fish. Dustin`s favorite words and he is right. 
Jason,
thank you. guess I’ll have to save up a bit more and look for a decent used one out there. Besides the boat control advantage, I like the idea of a back up- when I’m out 5-10 miles from launch site. thanks Dave
A kicker definitly has its advantages esspecially on the river in strong current.
I have an 80 pound vantage that I would never want to be without but I really only use it for boat positioning and finese jigging. Sounds like the kicker is in your future.
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If you’re going to do any river fishing at all, you need a kicker.
If you’re anything more than a very casual troller, you need a kicker.
A wise man once said that the only thing a kicker will do for you is help you catch more fish.
I could not agree more
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I just thought the electric might be a bit more quiet.
I was at a seminar a few years back put on by a guide out of South Dakota, he was also a diver and he claimed that the electric motor was louder under water than the gas motor was.
One last question. How slow can you go with a T-8 or Merc. Pro kicker? can you go just .5? thanks Dave
You’ll have a hard time getting that kind of speed reproducibly unless you’re working against wind/current and/or backtrolling. For an ultraslow, finesse presentation, I’ll use the bowmount. My primary kicker applications are pulling cranks and spinners, with a low end of ~ 0.7-0.8 mph being as slow as I’ll go with the kicker (T8).
I agree 100% with Jason. 
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There’s one here. New T8s are in the $2500 range right now.
St. Cloud and Brainerd dealers are quoting new T8’s in the $2850 – $3000 range and they are all sold out and do not know when they are going to be getting any new motors in. Truly a “GENIUS” in marketing Jason 
$2925.00 Installed at a Yamaha dealer in Bloomington, MN.
Electric start tiller w/power tilt and trim!!
I feel some tension in this forum.
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