Kicker Bracket Location

[Deep Waters]

I have an Ericson 27 and I am installing a kicker bracket onto the boat. This boat already has an inboard engine and so this would just be used for light and quiet cruising, and as a back-up motor should the main one fail. The boat has never had a kicker installed before and this is the first time I’m installing a kicker bracket on any boat. I’m curious about optimal height to place the kicker bracket. I was thinking that to avoid as much cavitation as possible that it would be best to place the bracket so that when it is in the fully lowered position, the bottom most portion of the bracket is barely just above the water line. Is this a good plan? Is there any concern this would be too low and I might risk immersing the entire motor in the water in choppier seas? I sail exclusively in the Puget Sound.

[GordMay]

Mount the bracket such that the kicker’s anti-ventilation plate at, and parallel to, the boat’s waterline, when the bracket is down.
Since the outboard tiller is usually on the port side of the motor, most kickers are mounted on the starboard-side of the transom to facilitate easier tiller steering and throttle control while slow-trolling or putting home.
Thusly ➥ http://garelick.com/files/12.109.pdf

[psk125]

Sounds like you are worried about the A4 dying and are using the outboard for insurance. Submerging the outboard in a wave is a sure way to kill that one. (You’ve never had a wave hit the transom and send spray into the cockpit?) Getting the A4 overhauled or tuned up might be cheaper insurance. Also, are you planning a pull-start or electric start? The first may be difficult with the height of your transom, and wiring the second could be a problem too.