# Project River Hawk a few questions..



## FSUfisher (Jul 16, 2007)

You shouldn't have a problem using the kicker plate to mount the motor. In fact, many others on here have done similar things. Just make sure that you do the math to get it right the first time, so no re-drilling holes in the transom. Also, I would think about bolting the motor to the plate as well.
One thing I will say though is that my father has the exact same motor and I used to put it on my Riverhawk (15'4" model). Although I'm still fairly young and dangerous, I would not have been fully satisfied with the speed attained from it, and my boat was a little lighter than what you have.
I don't see why you would have to worry about the skeg, unless it is maimed so it hampers performance through causing excessive drag. I have about 1/2 inch missing from the bottom of my current motor and it's not a problem.
Finally, I would put the battery in the front. These boats are sensitive to weight displacement, and you are putting a (relatively heavy) four-stroke on the back. Putting the motor up front will give you better performance with the motor; you should level out faster and better and hopefully will have no porpoising problems as well as a slightly faster top end speed. As far as light batteries, I don't know much other than they can run you a lot of money. I'd personally get a good mid-grade (maybe gel cell) battery.
Get in touch with Brett on here. He's the Mac-Daddy when it comes to technical stuff like motor angles, displacement and mounting heights.
Oh yeah, definitely post pictures of your boat. I'd love to see it!


----------

