Traditional hand operated transom-style trolling motors can now be foot controlled, regardless of whether the motor is mounted on the boat's transom, bow or side ...thanks to an ingenious and affordable new aftermarket product called ProControll.
ProControll is a foot-steering system made to work with 12-volt trolling motors that have a shaft-locking feature. The system consists of a clamp mount and foot pedal that, together, turn a transom mount trolling motor into a foot-steered model with selectable continuous-run or momentary on/off operation.
Costing little more than $100 and easy to install, ProControll provides the same kind of hands-free advantages that come with the much more expensive bow mount foot-controlled trolling motors.
"I grew up fishing in Kansas on a limited budget and with a boat having a trolling motor on the back," explained ProControll inventor Richard Mynster. "From my own experiences, I knew firsthand the frustrating compromises of trying to fish and operate a trolling motor at the same time. ProControll is the result of those experiences and my inherited mechanical inclinations."
Mynster and other officials at RM Industries, a Kansas City, Kansas, design and development firm specializing in the introduction of marine products, say ProControll meets all their original objectives.
"We wanted this product to be quality built, made in the United States and affordable to every angler who owns a trolling motor, regardless of his or her level of fishing skill and participation," said president Michael Rhodes. "Based on the responses we got from trolling motor manufacturers, sporting goods buyers and anglers during our recent debut at ICAST, our design homework and efforts seem to have been right on target. We couldn't have asked for a better reception to ProControll than what we received."
The real beauty of ProControll is that its mount and foot pedal are a self-contained steering system that work independently of the trolling motor; that's why it can work with any transom model having a friction lock, so the shaft can be snugged in place and kept from turning in its own bracket. ProControl's pivotal mounting block is what turns the fixed-position motor when the user works the foot pedal, applying toe pressure to steer to the right and heel pressure to go left.
ProControll On The Water Soon
"We fish, too, and therefore have tried to think of all variables that anglers encounter while fishing from a boat equipped with a trolling motor," added Mynster. "We believe we've done that with ProControll, while keeping form and function as simple as possible."
"This product is definitely fisherman friendly," said Rhodes. "We're also confident that anglers will like the other products we're working on right now at RM Industries, too."
ProControll will be available this fall through fishing tackle and marine retail stores and will sell for around $110. For more information, please visit ProControll.com.