"other" trolling motors

It just kinda hit me, how many different brands there used to be -

I know some members here are still running the Johnson/Evinrudes,
but how many had or remember the Mercury Thrusters? We had one
on a bass boat one time, stout for a 12V but noisy as all get out.

And also, anyone remember Byrd and Ram? Another bass rig of ours had
a Byrd on it, bow mount hand control, had a real long handle with what
looked like a motorcycle grip on the end of it - real simple, compact motor,
seems like it just had metal toggle switches for 12/24, and maybe 3 speeds...

The Ram, a MD here locally, a really great fisherman, swore by the Ram
motors. All I can remember about them is they were foot control, white,
and seems like they had die-cast aluminum props. He had a dimmer switch
from a truck rigged up on a block of wood for a on/off switch.

Then there was Pinpoint briefly before it got gobbled up by MG -

Did I leave any out? Sorry for this ramble, but not much going on lately,
just felt like taking a walk down memory lane - I'll shut up now :rolleyes:

Jeff, I replaced my Mercury Thruster with a 24 volt Johnson and except for no variable speed I think it is the best TM I have ever had, don't like Motor Guide at all or the one I had, mount was very loose and noisy.

Jeff,
I had a shakespeare sigma that I used on my one man boat for 22 years,that I just replaced a couple years ago, and I also remember a pfluger (sp) trolling motor my cousin had when I was real young. We were using it in a pond on a 10ft boat and the thing quit working and started smoking and never worked again!!:eek: :eek:

had 2 mercury thrusters on bass boats back in early 70,s --steering cables broke on both of them :mad:

Dang, I gotta bite, that is right! Forgot about those two - matter of fact,
I think somewhere in the old barn I've got (whats left) of a Pflueger...
so old it had a switch for 6V or 12V on it - in it's prime it was slightly less
powerfull than paddling with a big stick :p thanks for bringing back some
more memories :)

I had a RAM hand control 53 lb thrust.
Johnson
Mercury,
M/K
And a few more.
The first one was a 1980 model 17 lb thrust. LOL

Ted Williams trolling motor. Don't for get the Ted Model.........

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Cane Pole

Ted Williams trolling motor. Don't for get the Ted Model.........

---

If I remember right the only place to get those was Sears & Roebuck. They had a lot of fishing gear named for Ted.

Yep, Ted Williams - had a lot of stuff at Sears with his name on it.
Outboards, guns - I remember asking someone once, who the heck
is Ted Williams? Seemed like they told me a baseball player or something?
Way outside my area there :)

Didn't Western Auto sell trolling motors too?,
think they said "Wizard" on them???

what about Silver Troll? The first one to have electric motor steer. had a disc on the pedal that you twisted with your foot.

There was one thing all these motors had in common, Most of the components were made by Borg-Warner.

The first trolling motor to gain notoriety was the "TRACKER" MADE BY HERSHEDE-HALL CLOCK of Starkville, Mississippi. The motor was created by a handicapped fly fisherman with one arm, using a heater blower motor from a Chevy pickup. Somehow he waterproofed the motor and made it work. I made the first boat it was used on. It was a Tuffy 1415 made in West Point, Ms., which later became Fisher Marine. The man who created the motor sold his idea to Hershede-Hall Clock company in Starkville, Ms. They produced the first trolling motors under the Bass Tracker Label. Johnny Morris bought the copyright to the "Tracker" label and named his boats "Bass Tracker" in around 1977

The clock company that produced the first "Motor Guide" trolling motors, and was eventually bought out by Mercury Marine of Brunswick Corp.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by willsjwills

what about Silver Troll? The first one to have electric motor steer. had a disc on the pedal that you twisted with your foot.

There was one thing all these motors had in common, Most of the components were made by Borg-Warner.

The first trolling motor to gain notoriety was the "TRACKER" MADE BY HERSHEDE-HALL CLOCK of Starkville, Mississippi. The motor was created by a handicapped fly fisherman with one arm, using a heater blower motor from a Chevy pickup. Somehow he waterproofed the motor and made it work. I made the first boat it was used on. It was a Tuffy 1415 made in West Point, Ms., which later became Fisher Marine. The man who created the motor sold his idea to Hershede-Hall Clock company in Starkville, Ms. They produced the first trolling motors under the Bass Tracker Label. Johnny Morris bought the copyright to the "Tracker" label and named his boats "Bass Tracker" in around 1977

The clock company that produced the first "Motor Guide" trolling motors, and was eventually bought out by Mercury Marine of Brunswick Corp.

---

Every time I hear the name Brunswick, makes me nervous. I had a 1973 Harley. Brunswick owned Harley at that time and made things cheap to make a BUCK. The Sportster was a POS! I own a MERC!

I haven't heard Silver Troll in a long time. There was another about this time too, but I can't remember.

Lejay Electrol, air cooled, motor on top, curved shaft, go through a battery in minutes. I believe Minn kota bought them out, would have been about 1965-1968. First electric I ever saw, my dad and I thought we were rich. NO MORE PADDLING!!! possum1

Electrol...with a curved shaft and 2-bladed nylon prop (1965). They were strictly transom mount and would run a fully-charged starting battery completely dead in about 2 hours. Didn't have many deep-cycle marine batteries available during that time period.

yea, I know what you mean, CP. I helped to build Triton aluminum boats to what is was a year ago. Then Brunswich bought it. Now our future is uncertain. We have some folks working here that were at Fisher Marine who went through He4444 after Brunswick bought them out. The plant was eventually closed down

Another motor I thought of was "Lazy Troll". If I'm not mistaken, that was a motor made in Georgia.

A buddy of mine had a Shakespeare "Neptune" transom mount on his 12 ft jon boat. Only one I have ever seen.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Cane Pole

Ted Williams trolling motor. Don't for get the Ted Model.........

---

My neighbor has and still uses a Sears Ted Williams model. It has 2 speeds (slow and slower) controlled by a toggle switch. I ran it a couple weeks ago and stayed confused the whole day. LOL

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by willsjwills

yea, I know what you mean, CP. I helped to build Triton aluminum boats to what is was a year ago. Then Brunswich bought it. Now our future is uncertain. We have some folks working here that were at Fisher Marine who went through He4444 after Brunswick bought them out. The plant was eventually closed down

Another motor I thought of was "Lazy Troll". If I'm not mistaken, that was a motor made in Georgia.

---

I thought Tracker bought out Fisher Marine.

My buddy had a old shakespere. Don't remember the model but it was green.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Cane Pole

I thought Tracker bought out Fisher Marine.

---

I don't know the facts, but isn't Tracker somehow in bed with Brunswick?
I took it that was the deal behind the switch from OMC to Merc motors
years ago - also the motorguide tm deal on trackers? Maybe somebody
that knows can clear it up. Jeff

You fellows brought back some long-dormant memories. I have had all the trolling motors you mentioned at one time or another. You are correct about the Thruster being loud. The Ram was a good motor, but it had the largest motor on it of any, at least twice as large as the current models. I had it in 1979. The Thruster was in 1976. I had one Eagle that was manual control that had a lot of thrust, but could not be tightened to where it would not rattle. It was on a 1980 Venture. The handle had been broken off by the previous owner who admitted he was "relieving" himself in the middle of the lake and lost his balance, grabbed the handle and broke it off. I think I would have made up some story before admitting that!