I just sold my bass boat and am in the process of upgrading my old 14' Kingfisher. The 35 Evinrude is fine, but I need a new trolling motor. The current motor is an old motorguide foot control, but I think I want to switch to a bow mounted hand control because there really isn't enough room for the foot control and cables in the front (very small boat). The length of the motorguide is only 36" from the top of the motor to the bottom of the "skeg"......and all the bow mount trolling motors in my catalogs are WAY longer than that! The shortest I can find has a 42" shaft.....

My question......since I've never used a bow mount hand control motor, I don't know what shaft length to choose???? If I buy a new motor with a longer shaft, I'm afraid it will be too long when stowed and will be in the way.

Does a bow mounted hand control motor need a longer shaft length than a foot controlled motor???

If anyone wants to offer specific advice as to which model to look at, keep in mind, the motor MUST be a bow mount and it MUST be a 12 volt motor.

Thanks, Mark!!

Mark-

Do you fish standing or sitting? If you stand, you will need the control handle to be at a comfortable height. If you sit, can you comfortably reach where the motor will be mounted?

When I used to bass fish, I always had a hand control motor with a very small (app. 3"x3") momentary on/off pressure switch. It was wired into the head and was just used to turn the motor on and off. I always fished standing.
Worked fine for me!!

The motor can be mounted at an angle across the bow so as not to intrude into the interior of the boat very much.

Hope this helps

Bob

You need a shaft long enough to raise the control head to a comfortable level and still be well in the water. So yes, the shaft will usually be longer on a tiller control vs. a foot control. Mine is a Great White, which is a saltwater model, and I really like the loooong fiberglass shaft. The control head hits me about mid thigh, so it is easy to reach when standing up. The extra length doesn't bother me when stowed, but it is a 21' boat... When properly mounted, the stowed unit is roughly parallel and just inside the siderail. It shouldn't protrude onto the middle of the front deck.