Twin Troller is a good concept, but suffers from several design defects.
1. It's a basic pond boat with tunnels recessed into each pontoon. The tunnels start at pontoon bottom, rise 10" to accommodate the Motorguide 9" standard prop, then descend back down to pontoon bottom. That means all propelled water must rise and fall 10", using alot of energy.
2. Standard props work well at an 18" depth, but perform poorly near the surface, cavitating and ventilating. That's why there is no sound on their video. Standard props have only about 1/3 efficiency in reverse and make a lot of noise. Standard props have 4" pitch and will max out at 2.5 to 3 mph . . . no matter how small or light-weight the boat.
3. The boat is designed for calm fresh water ponds only. The cockpit floor is below waterline and is not self-bailing. If water comes aboard you must head for shore to bail. The seats do not retract to lower more stable heights, forcing a high center of gravity.
4. The foot controls pivot below the foot. Neutral is in the middle of pivot travel, but there is no adjustment for short or long legged operators. The foot is limited in pivot motion making speed and direction control very tedious and tiring.
All of these design opportunities were addressed in my Stream Dancer which won the 2008 International Concept Boat Design Award at the London Boat Show . . . but I have been unable to convince a manufacturer to take on a new project in this economy.
Meanwhile, I get calls and emails every day wanting to give me deposits for the first ones off the production line.
You can see my earlier efforts at streamdancer dot com. The boat now has taller bow and stern for coastal saltwater and more cargo space.
John Zimmerlee
404-394-6930
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