I was wondering if any of you guys troll with an in/out? I was thinking of getting a 2000 cuddy Bayliner with the 3.0 Mercuriser. I was wondering if anyone has used the trolling plate behind somthing similar to this and how it prefomed? Thanks M.H.
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I have the same engine and use it to troll. You really don't need the trolling plate, mine will go between 2.6mph and 3.4mph at idle depending on how many lures are in tow. My boat is also 17 1/2', so yours may troll a little slower. I had a trolling plate on it before and rarely used it. I've never needed to troll slower than it'll go without the plate.
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That depends on where you want to fish. With my 21' Cuddy 350 Mercruiser I get about 2-2.5 MPH at idle. At Bear Lake most folks I've talked to like to troll .7 to 1.5 MPH. To do this you'd either need the plate or a kicker motor. If you do a lot of trolling at this speed you'd probably want a kicker motor of some sort. On a nice clear day with no wind I've even used an electric trolling motor to save hours on the big motor. I have a trolling plate and do use it quite a bit. It gets me down to the 1 to 1.5 zone. If you decide to get one I'd use the Easy Troll as it has a spring hinge in the middle of the plate. I've forgotten it's down and headed for cruising speed. I know at 17 MPH you still won't bend it. (That's where I realized there was extra drag)
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you could also drill a few 1" holes in the sides of a five gallon bucket and tow it on a 10' rope behind you that'll slow you down quite a bit.
if you want to go even slower try towing 2 buckets.
just dont forget that they are there and try to take off.
DZ
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I tried the bucket thing before buying a trolling plate. Using two buckets, both for speed and balanced steering, I found it to be a pain in the arse but it did work.
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Ieeeehaaaaa!!!!
Be careful trolling with your inboard. Some inboards, you might get away with it. On the other hand, it specifically tells you not to idle many of your inboard Mercruiser outdrives for extended periods due to lubrication issues.
My ol' man found this out the hard way. $800 later and several hours worth of work replacing bearings, he's back in business.
By a trolling plate and or remote troll and a cheap small outboard......my two cents anyway.
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[right]Instead of a bucket, try a drift sock. They are a lot easier to get out of the water than a bucket when you are ready to take off![/right]
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Carplips .... that is indeed true if you troll at the lowest possible idle. My 350ci will idle down to 650RPM but will not maintain battery charging and it sounds like from your experience oil pressure is also a problem. I can't remember exactly the number you need to maintain, but it seems the breakover point was around 800/900 RPM. I'm glad you brought it up.
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I use a Honda 4-stroke 8HP kicker with remote troll steering and a Pro-Troll II for precise throttle control. This setup allows me to hold the exact speed (between .7 and 2.6 mph) I want to troll, and return to that speed easily after a catch, which in my experience sometimes makes the difference between a boatload of fish and the stink of skunk. Plus, a little four stroke kicker uses way less gas and is cheaper to maintain, also, no dragging around a bunch of stuff to get the fish tangled up in.
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Thanks for all the input,looks like I will be getting me a kicker!M.H.
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