Can you quickly swap between two motors for one boat?

[hurricane_e]

I am beginning to pondering purchasing a new boat, and this info will go a long way in helping my desicion.

I would like to buy a glass boat and have my eye on a Ntiro X5, but the brand is unimportant.

One local lake I frequent (and prefer) has a 9.9hp restriction, but I also go to several lakes way the normal high horsepower engine is wanted.

Is there an easy way to switch out between two engines depending on which lake I would be going to?

Are there "quick disconnects" for steering, fuel, electrical?

Would a jack plate help the process?

I only want one boat due to the added cost not wanting to buy two sets of high end electronics, hassles with tackle storage, rods, life jackets, everything else moving between boats, insurance costs.

Do people mount a kicker on a bass boat?

I thought it would be a good idea to shed the weight of the large motor when you don't need it.

Anyone done this?

Any info would be greatly apprecated.

[Shane J]

Why not get a fully outfitted bass rig with all your electronics and whatever, and then upgrade to a huge (100+ thrust) 24 volt trolling motor for use on those occasions where only small motors are allowed? I've never seen a kicker on a bass boat, and swapping out a big motor for some 9.9 to fish for a day is not feasible.

[donmac]

No, you cannot easily swap a big motor with a little motor.  The holes will not line up.

Depending on local laws you may be able to leave your big motor out of the water or remove the prop and rely on your trolling motor.

Most modern bass boats have curved lines and cannot easily accept a bracket for a kicker.  I asked Ranger if they could install a kicker on a boat I ordered and they could not do it unless I went with a multi-species boat. 

If you REALLY need a kicker I'd go with a multi-species hull or an older bass boat hull with a flat transom so it'll accept a kicker bracket.

[RandySBreth]

You really need to double check with the regulations on the HP-restricted waters and be clear about the official policy before you go ahead and dive in. I have several HP-restricted lakes close by me that don't allow you to put the boat on the water if it has an outboard over the Max HP - prop taken off or not.

Make sure.

[K_Mac]

In IL. you can use a kicker motor on a larger boat. If you start the big motor for any reason you are in violation. There may be lakes that have site specific regulations that I am unaware of.

I fish a 50 HP limit lake regularly as well as a couple of 10 HP limit lakes. Neither of these lakes can be effectively fished with a trolling motor only. There is too much distance to cover. I have an 80# TM on my 18' aluminum and although I have plenty of power and can run all day on a charge, I could not fish these lakes with a TM alone.

If you are going to spend most of your time on HP limited lakes an aluminum boat is a better answer in my opinion. A glass boat is a joy on bigger lakes though...Good luck.

[hurricane_e]

Right now I have a 10year old 17' tracker w/ a 50hp.  With the thought of upgrading electronics, carpet, TM, reomving 50 for a 10hp I was going to try and get it all;  a new boat with new stuff that could have either 10hp or 150hp.  I guess that is in dream land.

I can keep tracker and upgrade, save for second boat and just swap electronics (TM for that matter) and other crap to suit where I am going fishing that day.

Does anyone else have more info, is there any hope for the perfect fit.

[cart7t]

I'm afraid the differences in a 9.9 and the higher HP outboard you would have on your X5 make the switch out unfeasible.

I would think a better choice would be one of those Minn Kota 3 motor drive TM units that bolt to the cavitation plate on your existing OB. They kick out 165lbs of thrust and allow you to steer the boat with the OB. You could probably take it on and off a whole lot easier than swapping OB motors and honestly, you wouldn't see that much speed difference between that and a 9.9 on a boat your size. They are pricey though.