Why so much? This question gets posed to us often when people see the price of our boat. They see other boats of a similar size and shape with a lower price tag, and it prompts them to ask this perfectly reasonable question. As consumers, we like to comparison shop, and you should! Are there cheaper boats on the market than ours? Yes, there are. Can you compare them to the Twin Troller? No, you can’t. That’s the challenge of being unique. People try to put you in a lane and compare you to other things on the market. In the case of the Twin Troller, you just can’t do that. Let me explain.
To be fair, let’s start with the things that we do have in common with other small boats.
- Our size. The Twin Troller is 10’ x 4’, which is similar to other boats on the market.
- Our shape. This one is only partially true. On the surface, we have a similar shape to other small boats, but underneath is a whole other story. We have a patented hull design on the bottom of the boat that houses our recessed electric motors, but we’ll get to that in a minute.
- …
Well, I guess that’s it. There are one and a half areas in which the Twin Troller can be compared to other small boats. Now, let’s talk about what makes us unique and a value for the price.
In-Hull Propulsion
The Twin Troller has not one, but two 45 lbs. thrust electric motors that are built into the hull. Other cheap small boats don’t usually come with any motors at all and must be purchased separately. The motors are recessed in the hull and behind aluminum brush guards that prevent damage to your motor or prop. It makes getting into places with shallow water, weeds, grass, or lily pads a breeze. You know, the types of places that fish like to hang out. The recessed cavities aren’t just for motor protection though. This patented design is one of the hallmarks of the Twin Troller. Which brings me to the next unique feature:
Stability
For its class of boat, there is nothing on the market more stable than the Twin Troller, and we welcome anyone to challenge that claim. The recessed cavities create an air pocket when the boat is first placed in the water. Once the motors are engaged, the air is purged from the cavities, and they fill with water that is drawn in by the spinning propeller. The result is a vacuum effect that holds the water to the bottom of the hull and encapsulates the motors completely. Essentially, the Twin Troller becomes a giant suction cup and glues itself to the water. This is what allows the Twin Troller to operate in such shallow water; as little as 8 inches to be exact. Instead of dropping a motor down into the water, we are bringing the water up to our motors. The suction effect also provides the best-in-class stability. When you lean and put weight on one side of the boat, the suction effect wants to pull the other side back down. The boat is constantly trying to self-level. This makes the boat virtually impossible to flip over. More importantly, it provides a rock-solid, stable platform that you can stand up on and fish all day without worrying about the boat becoming unstable and tossing you off. We’ve included the diagrams from our patent so that you can see how this works:
Hands Free Control and Unmatched Maneuverability
The next feature that makes the Twin Troller unique is its proprietary foot pedal control system. Now, I know some of you reading this are going to cry foul about this being unique to the Twin Troller. After all, foot pedal controls have existed in the market in all different shapes and sizes for a long time, and that is absolutely true. What sets ours apart is how we use the controls in combination with our boat. On the Twin Troller, each motor is independently controlled by a foot pedal. The right pedal controls the right motor, and the left controls the left. You rest your feet on the pedals while sitting on the comfortable and plush seats. To move forward, you push your toes down, backwards, and you rock your heels back. Alternating heel/toe on the pedals allows you to turn the boat.
If you’ll notice from the pictures and diagrams, the motors are mounted in the middle of the boat. This puts your pivot point in the center and gives the boat a zero-radius turning capability. Traditional boats put the motors on the bow or stern of the boat, meaning you must take wider turns to position yourself correctly. The Twin Troller instantly allows you to shift and rotate on a single point in the water, getting you into all kinds of tight places that other boats just can’t reach. It works just like a zero-turn lawnmower or a skid steer. The best part is that you never have to put your fishing rod down to mess with throttles or paddles. More casts equals more fish in the boat.
Comfort
The seats on the Twin Troller are known as “table height.” This means that they are 18” from the floor of the boat, which is similar to the chairs around your kitchen table. We can achieve this because the stability of the boat allows us to have a higher center of gravity, giving you all-day comfort. We have partnered with Tempress, a company that has been making high-quality marine seats in the United States since 1972, to provide us with durable and plush comfortable seats. If you’re like me, sitting down low in a kayak on a thin piece of foam or light mesh seat gets old pretty quick.
Construction
Typically speaking, the other cheap plastic boats on the market are produced by thermoforming a top piece and a bottom piece and then gluing them together, creating a seam around the middle of the boat like a belt. If you’ve ever owned one of these, you know that this seam is notorious for leaking. In contrast, the Twin Troller is produced by rotational molding. This is a negative space mold that is filled with powdered resin. The mold is placed into a giant oven and rotated, turning the resin into a liquid form so that it flows and coats the inside of the mold. Halfway through the process, closed-cell industrial foam is injected into the mold that fuses itself to the internal walls of the boat. The result is a single hull with no seams that is incredibly durable. The Polyethylene that is used is cross-linked, not linear. This means that on a molecular level, the resin creates a three-dimensional network that increases the strength of the hull and makes it resistant to high temperatures and UV exposure. This means no cracking over time and no color loss. We’ve heard comments about the cost of a “plastic” boat. The Twin Troller is not your ordinary flimsy and brittle plastic boat and will hold up better over time than a fiberglass or aluminum boat. Below is an image of the cutout of the floor of our boat to show you just how strong it is. Almost 2 inches thick and rock solid.
Made in the USA
The Twin Troller is proudly made in the USA. This is something that is very important to us. The hull itself is made at a facility in Iowa, and the final assembly and distribution are done in Michigan. We use as many US-based suppliers as we can for parts and components (some things just aren’t available in the US). We pride ourselves on creating jobs for Americans and supporting our communities. The reality of that position, however, is that it comes with a cost. It is more expensive to manufacture in the USA. With that cost comes a higher quality product, superior to others on the market. Our boats are all built by hand with care and attention to detail. We believe this quality and control far outweighs the increased cost incurred by domestic manufacturing.
Conclusion
While the Twin Troller may look like other boats on the market, it is anything but. Our unique design, built-in motors, best-in-class stability, hands-free controls, unmatched maneuverability, all-day comfort, superior materials and construction, and made right here in the USA, make the Twin Troller a value at its price. Without question, it is the world’s best small water fishing boat. Get yours today!
