Last reviewed: 2026-05-25 > Quick answer: Pairing a Mercury main outboard with a kicker or bow electric trolling motor gives you the best of both worlds: speed and range from the main motor, plus silent fishing finesse from the second motor. Common pairings: a Mercury 90 or...
Last reviewed: 2026-05-25
Quick answer: Pairing a Mercury main outboard with a kicker or bow electric trolling motor gives you the best of both worlds: speed and range from the main motor, plus silent fishing finesse from the second motor. Common pairings: a Mercury 90 or 115 HP main with a 9.9 HP ProKicker, or a 150 HP main with an Avator 7.5e for silent trolling. Expect $1,500 to $7,500 CAD (2026 ranges) for the kicker plus bracket, tie-bar steering, and dual fuel routing, added to your main repower. Many serious anglers eventually want a bow electric plus a kicker. At Harris Boat Works we rig the combination on Rice Lake fishing boats. Pickup at Gores Landing.
Most repower customers come in asking about the main motor. Serious fishing customers think about the pairing. Because the main motor and the actual fishing job are not the same task. This post walks through what we rig at HBW for Rice Lake and Kawartha anglers.
Why pair a main motor with a second fishing drive system?
Your main outboard is there to carry the boat, crew, fuel, and gear between spots, which on Rice Lake might be 5 to 10 miles. The main motor at idle is overkill for fishing: it burns more fuel than necessary, the prop wash spooks fish, and a 150 HP FourStroke is not designed to run at 1.5 mph for six hours straight. Running large outboards at minimum RPM constantly can also lead to carbon buildup.
A second drive system solves all three problems. It idles efficiently, runs quietly, and trolls cleanly. You travel on the main, switch to the kicker or electric when you arrive, and fish for hours on a fraction of the fuel, while keeping unnecessary hours off the big powerhead. Redundancy is the second benefit: if the main fails 10 miles from the dock, the kicker gets you home slowly but reliably.
What are the kicker and trolling motor options for a Mercury main?
Three options most Rice Lake customers consider. All prices reflect 2026 model year installed at HBW.
| Option |
Power |
Fuel |
Noise |
Endurance |
Installed CAD (2026) |
Best for |
| Mercury 9.9 HP ProKicker |
9.9 HP gas |
Gasoline |
Quiet idle, audible |
Unlimited with fuel |
$3,000 to $4,500 |
Most fishing boats, all-day trolling, big water |
| Mercury 6 HP FourStroke |
6 HP gas |
Gasoline |
Quiet idle |
Unlimited with fuel |
$2,500 to $3,500 |
Smaller boats |
| Mercury Avator 7.5e electric |
750 W output (roughly equivalent thrust to a 3.5 HP gas portable, not a literal HP rating) |
1 kWh battery |
Near-silent |
Hours at troll on one pack |
$4,500 to $6,500 |
Silent finesse fishing |
The 9.9 ProKicker is the most common choice. It has enough power to push an 18 to 20 foot fishing boat at trolling speed in chop, works as emergency get-home power, and idles smoothly. It runs on the same gasoline as the main motor and can share the tank through a dual-output water separator.
The Avator 7.5e is the right pick when silence matters. Walleye fishing in shallow water, bass tournament prep, or any situation where you want zero noise underwater. Mercury rates the Avator by output power in kilowatts and equivalent thrust, not by a direct gasoline horsepower figure. The "roughly equivalent to 3.5 HP" comparison is a shopping reference, not a literal HP rating. The technical spec is 750 watts at the prop. Our Avator 7.5e review goes deeper on the electric option.
When should you choose a bow electric trolling motor instead?
A bow-mounted electric trolling motor is a different category from a kicker. It is a small electric motor (usually 24V or 36V) mounted on the bow of the boat, controlled by foot pedal or wireless remote with GPS spot-lock features. It is not a get-home backup. It is a fishing tool for spot-locking, casting drift, and shallow-water finesse.
Choose the bow electric first when your fishing is about boat position more than travel endurance. Bass, panfish, shallow-water walleye drifting, and weed-edge work all lean this way. The ability to move quietly, hold a line on a drop-off, and keep your hands free changes the day.
A kicker makes more sense when the day gets longer and the water gets bigger. If you troll open water for hours, if you want a real backup engine, or if the boat already carries a big main motor, a kicker starts to make more sense quickly. Many serious bass and walleye anglers run both: a Mercury main, a Mercury kicker for trolling longer distances, and a bow-mounted electric for casting and spot-locking. It is belt-and-suspenders fishing rigging.
We do not sell bow-mounted electric trolling motors directly (Mercury does not make one in that category), but we can rig the wiring, mount the bracket, and integrate the system during your repower. Many customers pick up a bow-mount from a tackle shop and bring it to us for installation alongside the main motor.
How does the kicker mount, steer, and wire to the boat?
The kicker mounts on a separate bracket bolted through the transom alongside the main motor. The bracket gets the kicker far enough from the main that both motors can swing on their tilts and turn freely. Three rigging considerations matter most.
First, the bracket itself. Aluminum brackets are common and rated by HP capacity. A 9.9 HP bracket runs $400 to $800 CAD (2026 ranges). Some brackets are adjustable for height, which matters if your transom is non-standard.
Second, steering. If you want the kicker to steer with the main (so you turn the boat from the helm without leaving the wheel), you need a tie-bar linkage. This is a rigid bar that locks the two motors so they steer together. Adds $200 to $600 in parts and labour. Most serious anglers want this.
Third, fuel and electrical. We plumb the kicker into the boat's main fuel supply by routing the main fuel line through a water-separating filter with dual outputs: one line feeding the main, one feeding the kicker. No portable red plastic tanks tripping you up in the cockpit. The kicker also needs its own starting battery connection. We add a switched bank with a battery selector so you can isolate the main and kicker batteries. Adds $150 to $400 in wiring. The Avator electric needs charging instead of fuel, typically from a 120V outlet at the dock or cottage.
What main + kicker pairings work best on Rice Lake?
A Mercury 150 HP FourStroke weighs about 455 lb on the transom. Adding a 9.9 ProKicker adds another 108 lb offset to one side, which is rarely an issue on a 20 foot fibreglass deep-V but can affect trim on a narrow 16 foot tinny. The Avator 7.5e is much lighter (about 43 lb without battery), often the better pick on smaller hulls. We check transom rating and waterline before rigging any second motor.
A few combinations we rig regularly at Harris Boat Works for Rice Lake and Kawartha fishing customers:
- 16 to 17 ft aluminum: Mercury 60 HP main + Mercury 9.9 ProKicker. Fast enough to cross the lake, quiet enough to fish for walleye.
- 17 to 18 ft aluminum or fibreglass: Mercury 90 HP main + Mercury 9.9 ProKicker. The most popular fishing setup we sell.
- 18 to 19 ft deep-V aluminum: Mercury 115 HP main + 9.9 ProKicker, or 90 HP main + Avator 7.5e for silent fishing.
- 20 ft fibreglass bass boat: Mercury Pro XS 175 to 200 main + bow-mounted electric (third party) + optional 9.9 kicker.
- 22 ft pontoon used for fishing: Mercury 115 HP Command Thrust main + Avator 7.5e as silent kicker.
Most of these pairings come in around $14,000 to $22,000 CAD installed for the combination (2026 ranges). A full main + kicker + bow electric package can land around $20,000 to $30,000 depending on motor class. Our Mercury repower cost guide breaks main motor pricing down by HP class, and our 9.9 ProKicker on Rice Lake guide goes deeper on the most common kicker we install.
What we see at HBW
Three patterns from rigging fishing boats every spring on Rice Lake.
The 9.9 ProKicker on a 17-foot aluminum with a 90 HP main is the most common fishing rig we sell. It is the boat that works for walleye trolling, perch fishing, family days, and the occasional bass run. If you are not sure where to start, that is a defensible default.
The biggest fishing-rig mistake is skipping the tie-bar linkage. Customers who skip it usually come back the next season to have it installed. Reaching back to the kicker tiller while running the main from the helm gets old fast.
The Avator on a fishing pontoon is one of our happiest customer rigs. Quiet enough to drift up on walleye in 8 feet of water, light enough not to throw the trim off, charges off the cottage outlet overnight. For the right customer it is a real upgrade over a gas kicker.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need both a main motor and a trolling motor?
If you fish seriously you will want both. The main motor travels between fishing spots. The trolling motor (gasoline kicker or electric) lets you fish quietly without burning the main motor at idle for hours and without putting unnecessary hours on the big powerhead.
Should I pair my Mercury main with a bow electric trolling motor or a kicker?
Choose a bow electric for shallow-water precision and spot-locking. Choose a kicker for long trolling days, bigger water, heavy chop, and true get-home backup. Many anglers eventually want both.
Can the Mercury Avator 7.5e be used as a kicker?
Yes. The Avator 7.5e mounts on a kicker bracket and runs near-silently at trolling speed. Great for walleye and bass on Rice Lake where noise spooks fish. Battery dependent: typically several hours at troll on a 1 kWh pack.
How much does it cost to add a kicker to my repower?
Including motor, bracket, tie-bar linkage, dual fuel routing, and wiring, expect $3,000 to $7,500 CAD (2026 ranges) for a Mercury 9.9 ProKicker on top of your main repower. The Avator electric kicker runs roughly $4,500 to $6,500 installed depending on battery setup.
Does the kicker need its own fuel tank?
Not usually. We plumb the kicker into the boat's main fuel supply through a water-separating filter with dual outputs: one line feeding the main, one feeding the kicker. No portable red tanks tripping you up in the cockpit. A small portable tank is also an option.
Will Harris Boat Works rig both motors together?
Yes. We install main and kicker, wire the tie-bar linkage for synchronized steering, integrate the fuel system, and water test the combination on Rice Lake before pickup at Gores Landing.
Ready to rig your fishing boat?
Build a quote at mercuryrepower.ca and we will match you with the right main and kicker combination. We are the repower side of the Harris Boat Works service team on Rice Lake. Same techs, same shop, since 1947.
Phone: 905-342-2153
Address: 5369 Harris Boat Works Rd, Gores Landing, ON
Service: hbw.wiki/service
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