This is the first time anything like this has happened to me personally, but I thought it would be worth posting a warning since we now know it can happen. Was running into Highport for the Media weigh-in yesterday, and when I went to throttle down, guess what, full throttle. For about 1 second I was really, really freaking out, then I quickly realized I could simply turn the engine off. The fear returned around second 3 when I became concerned that if I shut the engine down at full throttle, who knows what would happen to the engine. So I began to steer the boat away from the marina as I trimmed the boat all the way down to try to slow it down. I got it pointed to the west, towards Big Mineral, and began trying to free the hot foot unsuccessfully. As we bounced around the boat, I basically got down on the floor and realized my scale had blown down there and was stuck perfectly in the hot foot. After a few seconds I was able to pull it out. YIKES! That was a little exciting. To make matters worse, once I had that issue resolved I turned around and came off plane at the mouth of Ma Tuckers. Just as I did that a bass boat coming out of the cove got on plane and almost T-Boned us. I had to jump on plane to avoid the wreck. I looked at Woody and said lets weight these fish and get off this lake!

So be advised guys, try to keep the floor of your boat clean. It can happen!

glad you guys werent hurt

Thats why there is a loop on the pedal so you can hook your toe under it and pull it back if it sticks. If its not on there I would see my boat dealer. All the pedals have them but I have seen some dealers too lazy to bolt them on.

Good Post JVON, I didn't realize what the loop on the pedal was for until now.

my cable has been sticking for about a month. I am constantly pulling it up with my foot(hotfoot). I always have the kill switch around my wrist so I can yank it if need be. Glad ya got it in there safely Brett! those minute moments seem like hours when it happens to yourself.

gee, what about the kill switch. thats always an immediate fix to a throttle malfuction. bury the nose and wait for the wave over the back.

teamron

No damage killing it at WOT? just asking,

The same thing happened to me at last years Mcdonalds on Fork. One of the bolts backed out of the throttle cable while making a long run. I trimmed the motor down and turned the key off, took a litle water over the back but what else could I do. Sitting right in the middle of a boat lane during the Mcdonalds is not where you wanna be. But being that the cable end is threaded I did not loose the bolt and was able to reconnect it. I check it reguraly now.

no, if you can think fast enough to kick the motor into neutral after you pull the switch you won't get quite the watewr show off the locked prop. better than wishing you had McGuyver with you when it does happen.

teamron

done it with an empty gatorade bottle once, and something else another time 1st time freeked, and yankeed the wheel. Luckily I was in a Skeeter, and not a boat that Nose dives. Second time grabbed the kil switch.

Water bottles can get jammed up beside your Hot Foot as well causing it to stick.

the same thing happend to me at conroe last weekend in a customers skeeter boat that i took out for service he had no loop on the hotfoot i freaked out alittle just because i was running out of water so i just pulled the kill lanyard and took water of the back but it was all good.

couple of years ago on eagle mountain saw a brand new skeeter loading up at west bay hot foot got stuck while he was trying to throttle up on the trailer bounced off the side of the bow stop and nailed the concreate walls and it was badly damaged

I had this happen to me a few years ago. The bolt on the hot foot were the throttle cable connects came out and the throttle was wide open. I turned the key off got down to see what the HELL happen. Screwed it back in and went fishing. So the loop do not help when this happens. Just so you guy know when your cable on the hot foot comes off the motor is wide open. From that day on that is something that I check offen.

Maybe I'm just traditional, but what is all the hoopla about having a "Hot Foot" anyways??? To make it feel more like an automobile or what??? I personally like the separation of a boat compared to an auto. I remember when I got my first boat and still had the reaction of trying to hit the brake pedal. I'm tall too and I need all the leg room I can get underneath the console. They don't make seats and consoles for taller people.

Brett
Good thing this wasn't at Huites,might have hit a canyon wall. Ouch!!!!

Done that.....a few too many times!

Why not fix the problem vs endangering yourself and others?

I was thinking of adding a hot foot to mine. May reconsider after this post.

I didn't have a hot foot until about two years ago. I just didn't see the need. When I was having some fiberglass repair done, I decided to go ahead and add the hot foot and blinker trim. Now I am sold becuase I allows you to keep our hands on the wheel at all times while driving. This is especially helpful in real rough water when you are working the throtle and stearing the boat all at the same time. So I would add it for saftey more than anything, but they will fail just like anything.

On the failure note, a friend of mine was fishing Monticello and was running north. Mind you he was not running wide open just running up the lake. Well the hot foot appeared to stick and he pulled the kill switch to shut the motor off, but not after going under the bridge on plan and at a pretty good speed. He runs a Merc 225 EFI and it had a belt driven alternator on top of the motor. Well the belt broke and fell down and lodged in the throtle linkages. Pulled the belt out and no more problem.

the funny thing is i added my hot foot as a safety feature. #1 is if i leave the seat the throttle leaves to. before the remark comes about the kill switch is a good friend of mine hit a houseboat wake on amistad onetime and it knocked him into the passenger seat, problem was that the kill switch cord on his yamaha streched all the way across. he is not a small guy, needless to say after having the life scared out of him and probaly a few other things, he shortened the kill switch lanyard and installed a hotfoot. i put one in my boat after talking to a few people and have never regretted it.

teamron

oh yea ditto on the blinker style trim control

teamron

Don't reconsider, go ahead and add the hot foot. I would not have a bass boat without one now. It is safer in rough water that the hand control throttle just keep junk off the floor.

After you get one you will be glad you did.

The Hot Foot is safer in rough water and makes it better overall driving the boat. It would be like adding power steering to a car or truck that didn't have it before. It isn't needed but it is way better. Gotta love progress.

You say "they don't make seats and consoles for taller people" depends on what brand of boat you are looking at. There are several boat manufacturers that make boats with plenty of room between the seat and the console.

I have a Gambler, and it came with a hot foot. I did not know why it did until I wanted to take it out. What I was told the faster boats come with them because of the safty in having them. After driving with the hot foot I will not have a boat with out one. I like haveing both hands and trim on the wheel all the time. I feel like it is harder to loose control of your boat if you have both hands on the wheel.

Kill switch.