Hot foot, yes or no and why?

Mike H · Post by **Mike H** » Fri May 27, 2011 1:33 pm

I've been considering getting a hot foot installed in my Champion and am curious what people here feel the pro's and con's are of having one.

Thanks

froteur · Post by **froteur** » Fri May 27, 2011 2:17 pm

yes. keeps both of your hands on the wheel this way. also, it is very similar to driving a car so it should be comfortable to anyone who drives.

npangler · Post by **npangler** » Fri May 27, 2011 2:46 pm

yes, makes driving in rough water much easier + to many reasons to list.

Fishingnut · Post by **Fishingnut** » Fri May 27, 2011 3:26 pm

Two problems I have is when putting the boat on the trailer by myself its hard to keep the boat up against the trailer yoke to snap the hook and night fishing keeping the boat at 5mph my foot gets cramped up.

aNNieNsaLTIE · Post by **aNNieNsaLTIE** » Fri May 27, 2011 4:40 pm

I never had one before but after upgrading from my old Monark w/ a 90hp to my Ranger w/ a 150hp and then to my Basscat w/ a 225hp, what i feel about hot oots is it matter when your running those bigger motors.

I feel it's a safety concern for those who are choosing to jump from one spot to another at high speeds. I feel it is so important to have every muscle in your hands and arms to make those instant turns or jolts if something comes out of no where.

The delta is like driving downtown sometimes, tons of traffic...

Second when your trimmed out on plane, I rather be turning with 2 hands vrs 1. I have hot foots on both of my boats.

Steven

roaroar · Post by **roaroar** » Fri May 27, 2011 5:03 pm

My boat insurance requires to have a Hot foot or that type of foot gas peddle. Just re-new a few weeks ago and that was an added question. When searching for possible changing insurance another company required it also.

ken a · Post by **ken a** » Fri May 27, 2011 7:12 pm

Yes,In addition to the kill switch, another advantage of the hot foot is if you happen to be thrown out the throttle doesn't stay open. Also older motors are easier to start if you can tap the throttle.

tunaman · Post by **tunaman** » Fri May 27, 2011 8:33 pm

npangler wrote:yes, makes driving in rough water much easier + to many reasons to list.

Agreed - far too many reasons to list 'em all out.

I'll never own a bass boat without one, now that I've had one.

Roger

Dan Stahlman · Post by **Dan Stahlman** » Sat May 28, 2011 2:05 pm

I didn't think they were worth it before I got one in my newer boat, now I wouldn't be without one. As stated above, I think it's also a good saftey feature.

toddmc · Post by **toddmc** » Sat May 28, 2011 7:07 pm

Positives: Safer. Maybe a little easier in rough water. Better in tight handling rivers.
Negatives: Tougher to put on the trailer (I usually fish by myself). Your leg gets tired on long runs. I have heard that letting off on the pedal too quickly is bad for your motor (I don't know if this is really true).

I had one installed by Angler's Marine when I bought my Champion 188 new in 2008. I fish DVL most often and the Hot Foot is more of a hassle than anything. My sales rep tried to talk me out it, but I thought I would be spending more time in the river at Havasu and I went for it because they aren't very expensive. It is three years later, and I still reach for the lever throttle. Also, I rarely use my wheel trim. My next boat won't have either one.

civicrr · Post by **civicrr** » Sat May 28, 2011 8:15 pm

On the Delta, especially in summer, it is a huge benefit. Speeding up & slowing down for tight and/or blind corners, floating junk, giant wakes from those cruisers, misc idiotic boat owners, both hands stay on the wheel & you can adjust throttle simultaneously. I've had several 'family' boats although this is my first bassboat. With or without, the throttle type hasn't come into play when loading a trailer in my experience. On long runs, leg muscles can get tired. That has only been a problem when I've been dehydrated though.

If I had to do it all over again, I'd still buy one.

tunaman · Post by **tunaman** » Sun May 29, 2011 9:28 am

I have no idea why some folks feel it impedes getting the boat on the trailer? I have no problem launching by myself, personally.

And I don't experience cramping on long runs either - to each their own.

That is why it is an optional accessory - some love 'em, some don't.

Roger

Mike H · Post by **Mike H** » Sun May 29, 2011 10:28 am

Thanks for all of the replies.

How difficult are they to install and how much can I expect to pay if I have a shop install it?

offduty · Post by **offduty** » Sun May 29, 2011 10:54 am

tunaman wrote:I have no idea why some folks feel it impedes getting the boat on the trailer? I have no problem launching by myself, personally.

And I don't experience cramping on long runs either - to each their own.

That is why it is an optional accessory - some love 'em, some don't.

Roger

+ 1

Leon Pugh · Post by **Leon Pugh** » Sun May 29, 2011 8:51 pm

Just my opinion but I feel a hot foot on any performance boat is more important than the kill switch and life jacket combined. The hot foot reduces the risk of accident, the others try to manage the damage!

Would you drive a Corvette hard with a Hand throttle, not the same as cruise control.

Running a hand throttle on these boats compares to NASCAR drivers running hand throttles!

There are two rules in tournament competition I would like to see changed. Life jacket goes on and stays on all day and a hotfoot requirement.

Deejay quick · Post by **Deejay quick** » Mon May 30, 2011 10:40 am

yes, yes and hell yes had one on my second boat and will never go back to not having one

fastcat · Post by **fastcat** » Mon May 30, 2011 1:13 pm

Have to disagree with the life jacket all day unless you are alone. Hot foot is a must much safer in all conditions especially rough water fighting rollers is much easier feathering the throttle.

ash · Post by **ash** » Tue May 31, 2011 7:04 am

Great feedback, I have only owned one boat and she came with a hot foot, I will have one on all my boats - great for running in the rough water or scootin around on the delta - keeping both hands on the wheel and feathering over rollers. As stated it can be hard on the engine to go from WFO to no gas - talk to your local mechanic for pros and cons I think the cons can be managed by the driver.

fishercurtis · Post by **fishercurtis** » Tue May 31, 2011 8:33 am

C&C quoted me right around 550 installed with the slide plate. I'm going to add one to new boat I'm buying

toddmc · Post by **toddmc** » Tue May 31, 2011 9:06 am

To clarify my earlier post. Putting your boat on the trailer is easier when you can use a lever throttle to keep your boat pinned to the trailer while you walk up to the bow and clip the strap to the bow eye. This is not a big issue, but it is nice to know that your boat is not going to slide back on steep ramps while you are walking up to the bow to clip the strap.

Leon Pugh · Post by **Leon Pugh** » Tue May 31, 2011 3:59 pm

Once you dertemine how far to back your trailor into the water, just full throttle, full trim up and it will push the boat on to the bunks and drive out, no need to hook up the winch the carpeted bunks will hold it place just fine. Takes me about 20 seconds to load the boat and start pulling out. I so not know any experienced anglers that don't do it this way.

tunaman · Post by **tunaman** » Tue May 31, 2011 5:13 pm

I don't put the trailer in deep and drive up on it... that takes care of it. When the eye hits the roller, I'm good.

And as far as added benefits go, I love being able to eat a sandwich or snack as I'm driving from spot to spot, which is far easier and safer if your hand is on the wheel and foot is on the throttle.

Roger

Leon Pugh · Post by **Leon Pugh** » Tue May 31, 2011 5:40 pm

Is that a Tuna sandwich Roger?

tunaman · Post by **tunaman** » Tue May 31, 2011 9:30 pm

Sometimes!

toddmc · Post by **toddmc** » Thu Jun 02, 2011 8:22 am

I do know how to put my boat on the trailer guys. Ranger, and other trailers that have 6" wide bunks, have more surface area to keep your boat from sliding back on the trailer when you drive up on it. Also, the bottoms on most bass boats are much flatter than my Champion. My Champion's have always wanted to slide back on the 4" bunks, even if only an inch or two, as I drive up the ramp . It is also hard on your bow eye to slam it against the winch. The bow eye on my first Champion came loose. For these reasons, I like to gently gas my boat onto the trailer, leave the throttle on, and connect the front of my boat before I head up the ramp. A lever throttle makes this a little easier. I know it makes me less of man because I am not willing to trust my high dollar boat to gravity as I pull it out of the water. So, I just catch bigger fish!

201Pro · Post by **201Pro** » Thu Jun 02, 2011 9:16 am

I have one in my boat and would not drive one without it any more. That said, you must be careful using the hotfoot. With the SS reeds in our motors, if you let the hotfoot off the throttle and it springs back very fast. It would cause the reeds to slap onto the head and cause excessive wear. Over time, this can cause the SS reeds to fail. Not a good scene that that happens. Remember to let off the throttle gently when using a hotfoot!!

drew · Post by **drew** » Thu Jun 02, 2011 10:12 am

You can still put your boat in gear with a pedal throttle, plenty of thrust at idle in gear. FWIW I recently installed a Vance Fast Foot in my friends Skeeter and it works very nice.

toddmc wrote:To clarify my earlier post. Putting your boat on the trailer is easier when you can use a lever throttle to keep your boat pinned to the trailer while you walk up to the bow and clip the strap to the bow eye. This is not a big issue, but it is nice to know that your boat is not going to slide back on steep ramps while you are walking up to the bow to clip the strap.

drew · Post by **drew** » Thu Jun 02, 2011 10:18 am

That is a myth. The early Opti's with SST reeds have issues because they are are positioned to close to the crankshaft. The corners get broken of from being twisted from crankshaft windage. The later engines with the carbon fiber reeds don't seem to have this problem most likely because the reeds are stronger.

201Pro wrote:I have one in my boat and would not drive one without it any more. That said, you must be careful using the hotfoot. With the SS reeds in our motors, if you let the hotfoot off the throttle and it springs back very fast. It would cause the reeds to slap onto the head and cause excessive wear. Over time, this can cause the SS reeds to fail. Not a good scene that that happens. Remember to let off the throttle gently when using a hotfoot!!

toddmc · Post by **toddmc** » Thu Jun 02, 2011 11:54 am

Thanks for the info Drew, but my idle on my Optimax doesn't quite hold the boat in place on a steep ramp. It's nice to hear that I'm not going to trash my reeds by letting off the gas too quickly.

drew · Post by **drew** » Thu Jun 02, 2011 12:45 pm

Maybe you have your trailer buried too far or your idle is low. The benefits of a foot throttle definitely out way the few negs.

toddmc wrote:Thanks for the info Drew, but my idle on my Optimax doesn't quite hold the boat in place on a steep ramp. It's nice to hear that I'm not going to trash my reeds by letting off the gas too quickly.

Dan Pollard · Post by **Dan Pollard** » Thu Jun 02, 2011 12:49 pm

I have a Mercury Verado 200hp, and i can choose to either use the hot foot or the Throttle. To use the hot foot, I engage the motor, then step on the hot foot, and the hot foot stays engaged whether I go fast or slow. if i choose to use the throttle I just do not engage the hot foot, which I can not do if the speed of the boat goes faster than barely being engaged. There for i can use the throttle to load the boat, or give my foot a rest, in the fives etc. i did not know that all hot foots where not like this, since this is the only one i have had. i like it very much, feel much more in control, and safer. 2 hands on the wheel is much better in my opinion.

ACRon · Post by **ACRon** » Thu Jun 02, 2011 1:18 pm

Dan is it the same way with all Hot Foots or is your's a different model/brand. I would go with a foot throttle if I could still use the hand throttle in some applications or when my wife drives.

ASD · Post by **ASD** » Thu Jun 02, 2011 5:18 pm

Dans Verado is a fly by wire throttle so both can be used. most older boats are cable so it's one or the other

ACRon · Post by **ACRon** » Thu Jun 02, 2011 8:40 pm

Thanks Scott.

npangler · Post by **npangler** » Fri Jun 03, 2011 8:59 am

As for putting your boat on the trailer I will only say this, anytime you get up and walk away from the trottle especially at high rpm's your asking for trouble even when putting it on the trailer.

offduty · Post by **offduty** » Fri Jun 03, 2011 11:02 am

npangler wrote:As for putting your boat on the trailer I will only say this, anytime you get up and walk away from the trottle especially at high rpm's your asking for trouble even when putting it on the trailer.

I would have to think that this is probably true, although I see a lot of people get on the trailer this way. I was at Edgewater at Clear Lake one time and we could not use their ramp because so many people had got on the trailer by pinning their bow hook to the front roller on the trailer that they had created a berm at the end of the ramp from the thrust of doing this. I have figured out how deep the trailer needs to be so I can get on without the use of the motor and then winch on.

I usually have the jackplate all the way up and the motor trimmed up and coast to the dock. I keep a line tied from the front to back cleat on each side with a taught line hitch that makes it adjustable. This way as I approach the dock I just loosen it a bit as I coast in and throw it over a cleat. I then get out and get the trailer backed in and lengthen the rope with the adjustable knot so I can pull it on the trailer and have control of the front and back. I just walk the deck to the tongue area and stand on the trailer and winch it on. Sure you have to know how far to back in depending on the ramp angle and the boat touches the dock but the 99 TR-21 still looks great and it is actually very quick.

Bobp · Post by **Bobp** » Sat Nov 03, 2018 12:25 pm

Its only a problem puttin it on the trailor when the trailor is too deep

Tags

Notice