Can I do this or not ? ( Trolling motor )

I was once feeling the same way you do Rodney about the trolling motor. I so much wanted to not have the foot control but wanted a hand control. I had used foot controlled on others peoples boats while fishing tournaments but never liked it and always felt uncomfortable.

However, after owning my own boat with a foot control for the last year a half, I can honestly say I wouldnt go back to hand controlled again. I love the foot control now. What was once a pain in the butt is now so natural feeling I dont even give it a second thought.

I think if you give the foot control a chance you will see what I am talkng about. A lot changes when its your own boat and you can do what ya want, when ya want, for as long as ya want.

As far as mounting a transom mounted hand control trolling motor.. Im highly doubt it. atleast not without some modifications.

Also, you can get one of these for a foot controlled:

http://www.basspro.com/servlet/cata...arClassCode=2&hvarSubCode=4&hvarTarget=browse

and then be able to do both.. foot or hand. They use to make one that had a sort of platform on it that you couild step on or kick. I forget what it was called. They may still make it. I will look for it. For a while back in the early and mid 90s it was the hottest thing going.

I wouldnt mind a foot controller so much if it wasnt so HIGH . Its a big step from the boat deck to the top of the controller. Go back and look at my boat picture and you can see how high the controller is

http://thebassholes.com/bassin-forums/index.php?topic=805.15

Now, I talked to a buddy of mine about it ( puting a hand controlled one ) and he called another guy that just had trolling motor work done and said you can get a ' kit ' that has the sleeve in it. He gave me the number to the mechanic so I will call him later to find out about it etc..

Yeah they are all that high... unless you have a recessed mount like the Tritons do. YOu get use to it though, I promise you that much. At first it feels all awkward and uncomfortable but after a while you adapt and dont even notice it. To start out Id recommend keeping the pedal set so you can lean against your seat/pedestal which will help you balance yourself until you are comfortable.

Im gonna have to lean against the seat then for now. I had it on high the other day and it was jerking me all around ( I didnt notice what speed it was on ). I set it on 2 now, BUT as you know from my other thread, I cant practice with it right now.

It also depends on the pedal design. Some of the older pedals are narrow and if your foot is on the pedal you are hitting the on off switch. My motorguide, and all the newer motorguides have enough room on the pedal that you can keep your foot on the pedal without hitting the switch, which means you can place a good portion of your weight on the pedal to steady yourself and not worry about being jarred around.. unless you are on high with a high pound thrust motor.

Fish, I'm gonna give you my two cents because it is free. I would not spend alot of money upgrading If you are gonna spend some money buy a new one like you want. They are not to high priced for the size you are talking about also i'd consider getting a little bit bigger motor they are not much higher and you can never have to much power. I wish you good luck.
Drew

I agree with Drew on getting a bigger motor. I have a 30lb motorguide on my 14' aluminum and I am forever wishing I had more thrust. Your boat weighs atleast twice as much as mine, maybe 3 times as much, so you will definitely be wanting more thrust eventually, especially if you fish in any current or high wind.

Well, I will have about a month to deside what I actualy do want or need. ( Paying to fix my truck now ) But yes I can see where the money spent to upgrade could be used to purchase something probably better.

BPS sells a "tray" or you can have one made (mine was 20.00 at our HS metal shop). Alum. works great, lowers the foot by 4 inches. Just takes nerve to saw into the floor of your boat bu its' worth it!!!!

Welcome aboard Deacon

Thanks for the info. I will be sure to pass it on to any of my friends that dont like a high foot controller. ( most of my fishing buddies converted to the hand controlled ones. That realy got me wanting to do it, and I am glad I did. I havent regreted it one bit.)

Thanks for the participation and welcome to TBH site.
Just a little cautionary note with recessed well trolling motor control trays. Be sure you have good drainage so any over the bow water or rain water doesn't fill the recessed well. Most older controls are not sealed where the electrical wire terminals are located.
Tom

Yeah. I had one of those recessed trays for about 2 years. I could never bring myself to cut into the floor so I sold it on Ebay. It had a drainage deal, but it wasn't "simple" to install. It required some additional cutting or drilling or something like that. I took the mounting screws off my foot pedal so its not permanently attached to the floor and I can usually find a comfortable spot.

The problem with some aluminum boats is stability standing in the front on one leg and running the trolling motor with the other. On my aluminum boat I installed a folding chair with a back on a telescoping screw in post and set down in rough water. Just raise the chair and lean against the back folded seat for calmer conditions when you want to stand up. The heavier glass bass boat have a wider more stable hull and waves don't tend to through you around as much. I don't the aluminumboat anymore and forgotten how tiring it was to stand and balance in the boat while running the trolling. I don't the recessed tray will help that much, the boat will still rock and roll.
Tom