I finally got sick of wearing a path back and forth from the steering wheel to the kicker motor's grip throttle (which is a sprinter's matathon on gusty days!) so, I broke down and spent some $$. (Hey, I heard that collective GASP of disbelief from the Fishlakewinni. community!) Yes, I ordered a Trollking for my 5 hp. Merc. kicker!
The only problem is that I have to take the kicker off the "composite" bracket/Alum. mount to trailer the boat (following the kicker bracket Mfgrs quite specific instructions, NOT to trailer the boat with the kicker attached to the mount! & Hey, just about the LAST thing I need to see in the rearview mirror on Rt. 93 is my almost new ("mother-beautiful") 4 cycle, 5 hp. Merc. kicker off the bracket & bouncing down the highway in a cloud of sparks and a hearty "Hi Ho! Oh, S---!!")
& as I don't have a wet slip on Winni & likely never will (snif, snif) it's "a trailering I do go" several times a week.
The Trollking factoryguy said there's an 8in. pigtail on the servo (that attaches to the motor) and that there's a plug that attaches the servo to the cable that runs to the control box...hopefully, I can mount this connector on the OUTSIDE of the kicker, so it's easy to unplug. Rather than having to remove the motor cowl & unplug the servo from the cable & put the cowl back on, everytime I take the kicker off to ride in foam-padded comfort in the back of my pick-up. Which, hey I might have to do, in the end.
ANYWAY MY QUESTION IS: Has anybody out there already done some total-geekified modification like this to their Trolliking/kicker? (I'm probably not inventing the wheel here.) If so, please let me know.
Also, if you just take the cowl off and unplug it, let me know that too OK? (Maybe it's just me, sometimes it IS just me.)
In any case I'll let you know how it goes when I do it. (Perhaps the jury-rig specialist that I am, I can use a flat 4 wire trailer connector & pigtail/mount and attach THAT to the outside somewhere? Hmmmm...) Wheels-are-a-turning!

All the Best,

Gary

For 13 years, I tailered a 5 hp motor mounted on a kicker bracket on the back of a Sea Nymph. I used an adjustable strap to anchor the motor and the bracket to the boat so that it did not move, took the strain off the bracket from flopping around. Took many trips to Maine, Finger Lakes, Lake Ontario, Lake Champlain and Florida with this setup, no problems.

I have a 6 hp merc and trailor it 3 times a week to Winni and back with no problems. I am sure the manufacturer prints that as a "cover your a**" type of statement. If I where you I would not worry about it

you can (if the control king plug does not extend out far enough) put in another connector out side the motor some where this will involve cutting the wires and buying a 5 to 10 dollar plug connector but its better than seeing those sparks!!!!!

Thanks for the advice. You're probably right, it's just "the lawyer says we put this on the directions for liability protection." I'll figure a way to take the strain off the bracket with straps...I'll just strap that sucker down so well it couldn't fall off if it wanted to.

All the Best,

Gary

The pigtail is not long enough to mount the connector externally. The connector is a 4 wire (fine) and can vibrate loose if not secured to to remove tension during operation. On my Merc 6 hp 4 cyc. I use small wire ties to hold the connector and wires secured inside the engine cover. This "fix" certainly doesn't lend itself to removing the kicker daily.
A careful splicing of an extension to a point outside of the engine cover would work---but "careful" is the operative word--the wire is fine, the connector is small.
The unit itself performs excellently. I do not trailer my boat with the kicker mounted---

TankDriver the 8" pig tail wire they send is very small and may break if plug and unpluged everytime you use it. Like yourself I will not ride with the kicker hanging off the back of the boat. I cut the wires where needed and used the regular trailer plugs one four and the other two progs. They come out by the corner of the pull cord to connect. This works good and you wont have to worry about breaking the wires. Make sure you secure everthing to the inside with wire ties and use caps where joining your wires. Good luck Roland

Thanks Roland,

This is what I was thinking when I wrote my original email. I kinda figured somebody had already done this and all I had to do was ask.
On reflection I was still unhappy with the idea of leaving the kicker on the back (I used to do that with a different (steel) bracket and my old 3 hp, 2 cycle but it was MUCH lighter than this Merc.) & as a retired firefighter I saw too many "weird things happen" to actually be comfortable leaving my kicker "hanging in the breeze."
Hey, I can splice wires with the best of them & your placement of the wires, exiting the cowl at the corner of the pull cord rubber plug is a very good idea. I can do that. I take it the plugs hang just outside the cowl and you just plug them in there? Seems to me, if I leave some freeplay in the wires leading to the control, perhaps taping them together & forming a small "loop" that's free to move when the engine turns (just like there is on my 70 hp. wiring harness)it should work just fine.
Thanks everyone for the "wire tie it down securely inside the motor cowl" advice.
This is a "do-able" thing, for sure.

All the Best,

Gary