adding a kicker to a 2019 Lund 1875 Pro-V, Merc 150: 9.9 or 15 ProKicker, and how to tie it to the main

buy the 15. the 9.9 ProKicker and the 15 ProKicker are the same powerhead, same weight, same lower unit with the tall gear ratio and the four blade high thrust prop. the 9.9 is the 15 with the throttle stop set lower, so you are paying 650 less to carry the same motor and get less out of it. on a 1875 with four guys and a full livewell the 15 will hold you into a 15 mph wind, the 9.9 will not.

remote throttle at the console, no question, if you are trolling from the driver's seat. the tiller is fine if you sit in the back and steer by hand, guys on Winnebago do that, but you said cranks and leadcore, you will be watching the graph not the kicker.

EZ Steer link: yes, and here is why. with the link, the kicker follows the main, so you steer the kicker from the wheel with the main tilted up and out of the water. without the link you are steering with the main motor in the water as a rudder, which works but it drags and the kicker fights it in a cross wind. the link is 250 to 300 bucks and an hour to fit. the ProKicker page on mercurymarine.com has the weights and the gear ratio if you want to see the two side by side.

guide on Mille Lacs, so i troll a lot of leadcore and a lot of crankbaits in june and july on the flats. i run a 15 ProKicker on a 2019 Ranger 620FS with remote throttle and the EZ Steer link, and honestly the link was the best 280 dollars on the boat. i drive from the console, the big motor is up, and the kicker tracks the wheel.

one thing the dealer will not tell you: the link needs the kicker and the main at about the same height at the tilt tube or the geometry binds when you turn hard. the Lund pad puts the kicker a little high. mine needed a spacer plate under the kicker bracket. ask them to check that before you sign.

and put a separate fuel line on it with its own primer bulb off the main tank, do not tee it. the kicker will suck air from the tee at idle and you will chase that for a season.

i will give the other side. i fish tournaments on the Iowa great lakes and a couple on Big Stone, and i run no kicker at all on a 2021 Skeeter WX2060 with a 250. troll control on the main gets me to 1.8, a drift sock off the bow cleat gets me to 1.2, and the Ultrex spot lock does the rest. that is a big glass boat though. on an 1875 with a 150 i think the kicker is the right call, the 150 at 550 rpm still pushes that hull too fast for leadcore on a calm day, you already found that out.

one thing: the kicker adds about 115 pounds to the port corner. watch your list with four guys and put the batteries on the starboard side if they are not already.

adding one from the SD side. Lake Kampeska and Waubay get rough fast and the kicker is also your get home motor. i have limped a 1875 Impact into the Kampeska ramp on a 9.9 ProKicker with a dead 150 in a 20 mph south wind, took 40 minutes for two miles. with the 15 it would have been 25. that alone is worth the 600 to me.