Trolling Motors Hand or foot controlled?

[Pole Bender]

My current boat is big and has a small trolling motor which requires a lot of effort to keep the boat under control. I have been looking to just replace the boat with a smaller boat but after yesterday I am not sure. Looked at a Triton 196 and my wife says why are you looking at a boat like that and wear is everybody going to sit. So I started really thinking about what would make my current boat easier to fish out of and a larger trolling motor is the answer. Now to my question, do you use a hand controlled or foot controlled and what are the pro's and con's of each. I know all of the ones I have thought of but got to thinking someone on here might bring up something I have not thought of yet.

Here is what I am thinking about 100lbs of thrust and 36 volt. I currently have 56lbs and 24 volt. This is on a 21.5 foot Pro Craft F/S that is 8 foot wide. Room for the extra battery is not a problem.

[satdoc1]

My current boat is big and has a small trolling motor which requires a lot of effort to keep the boat under control. I have been looking to just replace the boat with a smaller boat but after yesterday I am not sure. Looked at a Triton 196 and my wife says why are you looking at a boat like that and wear is everybody going to sit. So I started really thinking about what would make my current boat easier to fish out of and a larger trolling motor is the answer. Now to my question, do you use a hand controlled or foot controlled and what are the pro's and con's of each. I know all of the ones I have thought of but got to thinking someone on here might bring up something I have not thought of yet.

Here is what I am thinking about 100lbs of thrust and 36 volt. I currently have 56lbs and 24 volt. This is on a 21.5 foot Pro Craft F/S that is 8 foot wide. Room for the extra battery is not a problem.

there are several things to concider also. 1. what are you doing with the boat-(a) jig fishing (b) spyder rig trolling. 2. seating in your boat - (a) several seats to fish from (b)one seat to fish from. what kind of boat do you have , sounds like a party barge to me. with a foot control you will be able to move around vs having to operate from one spot with a hand control.

[bigfish5]

I Used To Be A Hand Control Lover. My Brother Still Does. But I Bass Fish A Lot And Fishing Topwater Or Swimming A Jig It Is Harder To Control The Boat. It Is Harder To Sell A Boat With A Hand Control Trolling Motor. Those Are The Only 2 Draw Backs I Know Of. The Pluses Are It Doesnt Hurt My Back Near As Much. When I Stand Up And Fish With My Foot On A Foot Control My Back Bothers Me. Also You Have To Worry About Broken Cables. It Is Really More Just What You Are Comfortable With. I Fished With A Hand Control For Years And Loved It. I Have Fished The Last 11 Years With A Foot Control And It Is Fine Also. I Fish A Lot Of Bass Tournaments And Crappie Fish Also. It Is A Little Easier For Me To Keep Fishing Running A Foot Control. I Use It With Out Thinking Now. But When I Used To Use A Hand Control All The Time It Was The Same With It. It Does Seem To Me That The Foot Controls Break Down More Often But That May Just Be That I Fish More Often Since I Have Had A Foot Control.

[Speck]

Minn Kota auto pilot/ co pilot. That will solve either dilema

[Just Jiggin]

Smaller boat & bigger trolling motor.:D The Motor guide is used by most pros & the only thing I seen on the bassmasters classic. Tom I would think you would need at least a 100lb thrust for your boat & the small amount of space you have & your storage arangement I would think a remote or hand control would work for you the best. Good luck.:D

[crankbait mo]

My next trolling motor would have wireless hand-held /with foot pedal control and built-in transducer less cluttered to deal with can control the boat from anywhere.....nice... more room for spider rig and me.. the older I get the bigger I get........

[beagle man]

pole I have the terrova auto piolit,built in transducer, and can run it from any where in the little boat I have. there nice and easy on the bat. digital control and all.

[mr. baker]

I bought a new 21 ft Basscat once and assumed I needed 36 volts and 100+ pounds of thrust. If you ever accidentally hit high bypass while you have the motor turned to the side you WILL go for a swim. It was overkill and not needed. I took it off and went to the 80 lb range and it was plenty. Frankly, in all the years of bass fishing tournaments and fishing in days of heavy wind and being on the trolling motor all day, I only ran out of juice once with a 24 volt motor. Not really sure it is necessary to have 36 volts or 100+ lbs of thurst. Those that spidder rig all day long may think differently about the 36 volt issue. Consider that with 36 volts you not only have the cost of another battery but you have extra weight in the boat and the need to charge a 3rd battery.

On the issue of hand vs. foot control, I think it just comes down to what you are used to and feel comfortable with. If you ever watch Jim Duckworth videos he swears by a Minn Kota hand control that has a superior turning mechanism that is geared to turn in greater proportion to the turn on the handle. Looks pretty good. Others swear by foot control. I have always used foot control but again, it is just what I am use to.

[shockley32]

Go with what you're comfortable with. I've had both and prefer the foot control.

Brad

[bigfish5]

I bought a new 21 ft Basscat once and assumed I needed 36 volts and 100+ pounds of thrust. If you ever accidentally hit high bypass while you have the motor turned to the side you WILL go for a swim. It was overkill and not needed. I took it off and went to the 80 lb range and it was plenty. Frankly, in all the years of bass fishing tournaments and fishing in days of heavy wind and being on the trolling motor all day, I only ran out of juice once with a 24 volt motor. Not really sure it is necessary to have 36 volts or 100+ lbs of thurst. Those that spidder rig all day long may think differently about the 36 volt issue. Consider that with 36 volts you not only have the cost of another battery but you have extra weight in the boat and the need to charge a 3rd battery.

On the issue of hand vs. foot control, I think it just comes down to what you are used to and feel comfortable with. If you ever watch Jim Duckworth videos he swears by a Minn Kota hand control that has a superior turning mechanism that is geared to turn in greater proportion to the turn on the handle. Looks pretty good. Others swear by foot control. I have always used foot control but again, it is just what I am use to.

i guess its all in how you fish. my partner has an 80lb 24volt trolling motor. we run out of juice more than 50 % of the time . we have to put jumper cables on the starting battery to finish the day regularly. i had a 109 motor guide on my last boat and we ran out of juice with it a couple of times. now i have a 101 minnkota . i have had it about a year and we have not run out of juice yet. but very few people cover as much water as we do.