08-03-2009, 09:10 PM
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, patent-pending design made to work with 12-volt trolling motors of any kind and thrust that have a shaft-locking feature. The system consists of an innovative clamp mount and precision-engineered 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 ProControll mount and foot pedal are made of rustproof, virtually indestructible fiberglass reinforced nylon for strength, durability and long life in harsh marine environments. The mount's pivot shaft is machined from 17-4 precipitation hardened stainless steel; its stainless steel bearings are hermetically sealed for further protection from the elements. Weight of the mount and pedal combined is less than 9 pounds.
The ProControll foot pedal brings a modern look and design to the traditional style foot-control steering device that operates with a heel-to-toe rocker motion. Steering is achieved through a pull-pull dual cable system, the easiest to operate and most reliable of all mechanical-steer systems. Cables are plastic lined, 5mm coated steel for the ultimate in strength and smooth operation. The design allows trolling motor steering adjustments of up to 180 degrees.
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.
Foot-Steer AND Hand-Steer
Aside from the obvious benefit of freeing up anglers' hands for fishing, ProControll has many other advantages. The ProControll mount fits anywhere on a boat where its screw clamps can be secured, meaning it can often be affixed to a boat's transom, side or bow.
A big plus is for anglers who like to put their transom motors on the boat's bow so that it pulls instead of pushes. The ProControll design means the motor's head doesn't have to be reversed for this application as normally required; the motor can be simply positioned in its own bracket to run forward and then mounted to ProControll on the front of the boat for pedal steering, just like with a regular bow mount foot-controlled trolling motor.
However, a huge advantage of ProControll over the built-in foot-controlled cable systems is that it allows normal hand steering of the trolling motor at any time as desired. This can be especially effective when maneuvering in and out of tight areas such as stump fields, or in the unlikely event a cable should become inoperable.
In fact, hand controlled steering is recommended when the motor is being operated at high thrust settings above normal fishing operation, such as when using the trolling motor to move from one spot to the next, because of torque at high speeds. Normal fishing operation is in the 10- to 30-pound thrust range.
Installation Takes Only Minutes
The ProControll installation process is simple, first requiring the system's universal mount be secured to the desired location on the boat using the built-in screw clamps fitted with oversized and easy-to-grip knobs. Once that's in place, the transom motor is then affixed to the system's pivoting mounting block just as it would be fastened to the boat's transom.
For the wiring procedure, the trolling motor's positive wire needs to be cut about four inches away from the battery fitting, saving the loose end for later use. A provided ProControll electrical male connection is crimped onto the end of the positive wire just cut.
The ProControll has two positive wires and one negative wire aesthetically enclosed alongside the cables coming from the foot pedal in a rubber shield. The positive wire with the battery terminal connection goes to the trolling motor battery's positive terminal; the negative wire hooks to the battery's negative post. The pedal's other positive wire plugs into the modified power cable from the trolling motor. The trolling motor's negative wire goes to the battery's negative terminal. A high amperage relay provides the protective electrical communication link between the ProControll system and the trolling motor.
To hook up the steering capabilities, the foot pedal needs to be "rocked" into a level attitude. Then the trolling motor is positioned to run straight with the centerline of the boat. With that done, all steering functions are now controlled from the ProControll foot pedal. The pedal has a heel stop for easy no-look foot positioning.
ProControll's highly flexible braided cable allows the foot pedal to be moved in the boat as desired up to its maximum length of seven feet. The trolling motor's speed settings remain adjustable at the motor, but on/off functions are now controlled at the foot pedal. A three-position marine grade slide switch is recessed out of the way on the pedal's right side for selection of: off, continuous on and momentary contact operation. In the momentary setting, the user can turn the motor on by holding foot pressure on a micro switch located on top of the foot pedal, and turn it off by releasing the pressure.
Of course, even after adaptation to the ProControll system, the transom motor can still be used as it was before conversion. During the installation process, the user just needs to crimp a provided electrical female connection to the battery fitting section that was cut from the motor's power cord, allowing it to be easily reattached and used in its original form.
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, visit ProControll.com.
Media Contact
Gary or Crystal Dollahon (866) 907-1605
ProControll is a foot-steering system, patent-pending design made to work with 12-volt trolling motors of any kind and thrust that have a shaft-locking feature. The system consists of an innovative clamp mount and precision-engineered 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 ProControll mount and foot pedal are made of rustproof, virtually indestructible fiberglass reinforced nylon for strength, durability and long life in harsh marine environments. The mount's pivot shaft is machined from 17-4 precipitation hardened stainless steel; its stainless steel bearings are hermetically sealed for further protection from the elements. Weight of the mount and pedal combined is less than 9 pounds.
The ProControll foot pedal brings a modern look and design to the traditional style foot-control steering device that operates with a heel-to-toe rocker motion. Steering is achieved through a pull-pull dual cable system, the easiest to operate and most reliable of all mechanical-steer systems. Cables are plastic lined, 5mm coated steel for the ultimate in strength and smooth operation. The design allows trolling motor steering adjustments of up to 180 degrees.
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.
Foot-Steer AND Hand-Steer
Aside from the obvious benefit of freeing up anglers' hands for fishing, ProControll has many other advantages. The ProControll mount fits anywhere on a boat where its screw clamps can be secured, meaning it can often be affixed to a boat's transom, side or bow.
A big plus is for anglers who like to put their transom motors on the boat's bow so that it pulls instead of pushes. The ProControll design means the motor's head doesn't have to be reversed for this application as normally required; the motor can be simply positioned in its own bracket to run forward and then mounted to ProControll on the front of the boat for pedal steering, just like with a regular bow mount foot-controlled trolling motor.
However, a huge advantage of ProControll over the built-in foot-controlled cable systems is that it allows normal hand steering of the trolling motor at any time as desired. This can be especially effective when maneuvering in and out of tight areas such as stump fields, or in the unlikely event a cable should become inoperable.
In fact, hand controlled steering is recommended when the motor is being operated at high thrust settings above normal fishing operation, such as when using the trolling motor to move from one spot to the next, because of torque at high speeds. Normal fishing operation is in the 10- to 30-pound thrust range.
Installation Takes Only Minutes
The ProControll installation process is simple, first requiring the system's universal mount be secured to the desired location on the boat using the built-in screw clamps fitted with oversized and easy-to-grip knobs. Once that's in place, the transom motor is then affixed to the system's pivoting mounting block just as it would be fastened to the boat's transom.
For the wiring procedure, the trolling motor's positive wire needs to be cut about four inches away from the battery fitting, saving the loose end for later use. A provided ProControll electrical male connection is crimped onto the end of the positive wire just cut.
The ProControll has two positive wires and one negative wire aesthetically enclosed alongside the cables coming from the foot pedal in a rubber shield. The positive wire with the battery terminal connection goes to the trolling motor battery's positive terminal; the negative wire hooks to the battery's negative post. The pedal's other positive wire plugs into the modified power cable from the trolling motor. The trolling motor's negative wire goes to the battery's negative terminal. A high amperage relay provides the protective electrical communication link between the ProControll system and the trolling motor.
To hook up the steering capabilities, the foot pedal needs to be "rocked" into a level attitude. Then the trolling motor is positioned to run straight with the centerline of the boat. With that done, all steering functions are now controlled from the ProControll foot pedal. The pedal has a heel stop for easy no-look foot positioning.
ProControll's highly flexible braided cable allows the foot pedal to be moved in the boat as desired up to its maximum length of seven feet. The trolling motor's speed settings remain adjustable at the motor, but on/off functions are now controlled at the foot pedal. A three-position marine grade slide switch is recessed out of the way on the pedal's right side for selection of: off, continuous on and momentary contact operation. In the momentary setting, the user can turn the motor on by holding foot pressure on a micro switch located on top of the foot pedal, and turn it off by releasing the pressure.
Of course, even after adaptation to the ProControll system, the transom motor can still be used as it was before conversion. During the installation process, the user just needs to crimp a provided electrical female connection to the battery fitting section that was cut from the motor's power cord, allowing it to be easily reattached and used in its original form.
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, visit ProControll.com.
Media Contact
Gary or Crystal Dollahon (866) 907-1605