Bassin_0502

There is a HUGE thread on these boats, Bass Hunter, Pelican etc. Check out "Any Pelican Bass Raider Owners Out There?" in this forum. It's about 100 pages long I think, lots of info on mods etc.

Same thing happened to mine. I used a hole saw to cut maybe a 1" hole in each pontoon and I seal them with an expansion plug, basically a rubber stopper with a bolt through it. Holes are above the waterline, but they are lower than the drain plugs already in place. Tighten the bolt and the plug expands to fit the hole. Just buy the right size plug at any auto parts store. I do like the idea of the aquarium pump, just never thought of that. Saves holing the hull, but those plugs have never failed me!

Salt water won't be an issue for the boat, but if your trolling motor isn't made for salt or brackish water it will be its maiden and likely FINAL voyage! Good luck.

Before leaving for your long ride, consider driving around town for 15-20 minutes. Once home, feel each hub and see if they got very hot. If they feel ok, you're probably good to go. If they burn your hand off, replace/repack before you leave for the lake.

I think I'd try to find out why 'half' the lights went out before investing any time or money in the project. Is it a right vs left 'half' or perhaps brake vs tail light 'half'. Wouldn't want to replace all the wiring just to find out it was the vehicle harness that was the problem and not the trailer at all. Of course, rewiring would certainly eliminate any problems from the trailer harness on back. (Just watch the ground, poor grounding is a very common problem.)

Had a similar problem not long ago with a new utility trailer. Drove me nuts.... Problem is almost always a poor ground. In my case, the lights needed to be mounted on an 'L' bracket which was then mounted to the trailer frame. This design requires that the 'L' bracket is grounded to the frame, which may not happen if the frame is heavily painted or if the bolts holding the bracket don't make contact. I ended up taking a 12 inch piece of trailer wire with the insulation removed and wrapped that around the bolt that anchored the L bracket to the frame. This provided a good ground and problem solved. Good luck!

I have a Pelican; it does not have the beaded texture that you show in your photos, even though, I had to sand the surface in order to get the Registration stickers to adhere. It does not add to the appearance! I like your idea of the plexiglass 'frame'. You might be able to rivet the frame and make it look even a little more finished.

Just picked a trailer at Harbor Freight, 4'x8' folding set up. Paid $259.99. Now comes the assembly!

Does anybody use the 40" x 48" Harbor Freight trailers for these boats? I know several of you have posted that you use HF trailers, but I'm curious how well the 48" ones work. Seem like they would be too short for a 10 foot boat?

Mounted mine on the trolling motor with a hose clamp and a bracket from MinKota. Put it right behind the skeg, works great and is well protected

I think in your Rod Geeks Review post you mentioned "Bob" said they had been painted and on their way to 'customs'. As an earlier poster here said, that's when it probably happened, an over eager Customs inspector removed, inspected, and repacked. It was the 'repack' step that hurt!

Don't know of anything clear, but I would think a spray can or two of gutter sealant would solve the leak problem if that is where the water is coming from. Tape the side of the hull to keep a neat edge.

Try some yard sales. Spring coming, lots of folks cleaning out their garages. There may be an Avid out there waiting for you!

x2 They are far more stable. Don't know that I've ever seen a commercial rod built that way though. Like Alpster, I build my own.

visit gpsfiledepot.com. I would rec staying with Garmin, $300 is plenty, lots of units to choose from at that price point. Lots of free legal maps on that site, but only for Garmin units.

Sure, you can do it. Usually when you a re building a rod, the handle and reel seat components are mounted from the tip of the rod (before any guide wrapping obviously) and glued/epoxied into place. The handle is often reamed out with a taper to match the rod taper at that point. In your case, you can consider a complete rebuild where all of the guides, foregrip, reel set, handle etc are removed (and trashed) and you are basically saving the blank. Depending on your skill level, you can leave the guides and reel set in place and cut off the EVA foam (carefully!) for both the handle and foregrip. You can purchase pre-made cork handles or glue one up yourself from cork rings. The center hole would then be reamed to match the rod taper, and the cork handle and foregrip would be cut lengthwise into two halves each. These would then be epoxied onto the rod in a sandwich fashion; again the success here is entirely dependent on the builder skill level. If only the handle and butt plug are replaced, and the reel seat is staying in place, you can slide a new handle on from the bottom. Only issue is that the forward end of the handle will need to be reamed out large enough to slide over the widest part of the rod blank at the bottom. There is no way to taper. You can use a couple of turns of masking tape around the blank at the forward end as an arbor. Just epoxy well. If this sounds more involved than you want to tackle, ask at shops near you for some names of local rod builders and get a quote from them. Search for Delaware Valley Tackle on this site, I believe he is a site sponsor. He can set you up as well. Lastly you might consider just enjoying the EVA handles! John

Tip tops are measured in 64's of an inch. Tell him to use (or get) a cheap drill index card from the hardware store. Read the rod tip diameter in 64's of an inch. So a tip that is 4/64 is a size 4 tip top.

It's not only that the line gets kinks and weak spots. When you learn to excel at backlashes like me,(!) you'll find it's sometimes easier just to start cutting line off.

Use a drill index to get the tip diameter in 64's of an inch and go buy a tip top with a tube with that diameter. Rod will be a little shorter, action a little slower, but it will fish fine.

Thanks Marty...I did find that thread in my search, PM is a good idea.

Hi guys, I'm hoping to get a visit in with my daughter when she gets Stateside after a tour in Afghanistan. She's stationed at Ft Drum in Watertown, NY. Maybe try a little bank fishing if there's time while I'm up there. What are folks using in the way of set ups and baits? What kinds of fish are hitting in late August, early September? Thanks!

Absolutely, just a single screw to loosen on my motor. You might want to rig up a rudder for the stern, those boats don't track very well at all, especially in the wind. Look around this section of the site, there is a thread that is about 50 pages long filled with neat customizations that guys have done to their Pelicans and other plastic models. One of teh most active threads on the site.Good luck

In addition to the great books recommended below, visit Mudhole.com They are one of the larger retailers in the rod building market. They offer 1 1/2 day classes at various locations around the country. For about $150, you will walk away on the second day with a nice custom built spinning rod and a decent amount of the tools etc you need to keep building. Instructors are great, and you will learn the basics by doing it yourself under their guidance. Kirkman's Rod building forum is a fantastic resource; the experts are extremely willing to offer tips and guidance. Linnk is rodbuilding.org Once you get one build under your belt, you'll want to go to the Rod Expo, held each year in late February. This past year it was in Winston Salem NC, previously in Highpoint NC. A playground of rod building supplies, technique demos, great suppliers etc. Bring your Visa card. Good luck

Visit mudhole.com They have tons of videos that will give you a good idea of the build techniques. They are great people to work with, very helpful. They also offer 2 day classes on rodbuilding in different cities around the country. For about $150, you get all you need to start building and you come away from the class with a 6'6" spinning rod that you built yourself. Lots of fun!

I don't know for sure, my version doesn't have them...but I'd make a guess that they might be used to plumb a supply and discharge for a livewell.