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.