Any Pelican Bass Raider Owners Out There?

[Bearsfan67205]

Did the 7 inch pedestal add on make the boat unstable ??

[BigBassHunter101]

What do y’all think about the pond prowler from bass pro?? Any different from the bass raider and why?

[OCdockskipper]

After going through the pros & cons for months, I finally decided to add a deck to the front of my Pond Prowler.  I had extra 3/4 Marine grade plywood & carpet left from when I made the original sub-floor a few years back.  At the front of the deck, I added 3 lids; one allows access to all of the wiring, the middle has a few items I use every trip and the 3rd stores emergency items like spare electrical parts & TM prop.

 

I added a mount for a stand up butt seat and got a new Garmin depthfinder.  I already had the Bigfoot and on-board charger, I just designed the deck around them.  I took it out for a quick spin today and liked the stability.  The higher center of gravity does change the balance points, but it is still steadier than a canoe.

 

The first picture is how the entire boat looks now.  The second is a closeup of the deck, while the third is a look back to how the front used to look for comparison.  It was a fun project.

[Chowderhead]

5 hours ago, OCdockskipper said:

After going through the pros & cons for months, I finally decided to add a deck to the front of my Pond Prowler.  I had extra 3/4 Marine grade plywood & carpet left from when I made the original sub-floor a few years back.  At the front of the deck, I added 3 lids; one allows access to all of the wiring, the middle has a few items I use every trip and the 3rd stores emergency items like spare electrical parts & TM prop.

 

I added a mount for a stand up butt seat and got a new Garmin depthfinder.  I already had the Bigfoot and on-board charger, I just designed the deck around them.  I took it out for a quick spin today and liked the stability.  The higher center of gravity does change the balance points, but it is still steadier than a canoe.

 

The first picture is how the entire boat looks now.  The second is a closeup of the deck, while the third is a look back to how the front used to look for comparison.  It was a fun project.

Very nice — how is the added weight? I sometimes struggle lugging around the one I have with no modifications.

[wasabi_VA]

Well done! Looks factory.

[OCdockskipper]

2 hours ago, Chowderhead said:

Very nice — how is the added weight? I sometimes struggle lugging around the one I have with no modifications.

It does make it heavier, but I am in the fortunate position that the boat stays in the water all the time, covered.  The few times I have pulled it out for yearly maintenance or to take it to another lake, I strip it down to next to nothing.  Because I made everything modular (for example, the bottom is 3 pieces - the deck, the mid floor & the battery cover), it is just like putting a puzzle that you know back together.

 

If I were taking it in & out of the lake regularly and in areas that had access to ramps, I'd probably invest in a trailer.  If I was taking it to hard to get to places with no trailer launching, I probably would keep it stripped down to limit the weight.

[Chowderhead]

7 hours ago, OCdockskipper said:

It does make it heavier, but I am in the fortunate position that the boat stays in the water all the time, covered.  The few times I have pulled it out for yearly maintenance or to take it to another lake, I strip it down to next to nothing.  Because I made everything modular (for example, the bottom is 3 pieces - the deck, the mid floor & the battery cover), it is just like putting a puzzle that you know back together.

 

If I were taking it in & out of the lake regularly and in areas that had access to ramps, I'd probably invest in a trailer.  If I was taking it to hard to get to places with no trailer launching, I probably would keep it stripped down to limit the weight.

Thanks for the explanation - very nice setup you have there. 

[TotalNoob]

On 2/28/2019 at 11:23 PM, OCdockskipper said:

After going through the pros & cons for months, I finally decided to add a deck to the front of my Pond Prowler.  I had extra 3/4 Marine grade plywood & carpet left from when I made the original sub-floor a few years back.  At the front of the deck, I added 3 lids; one allows access to all of the wiring, the middle has a few items I use every trip and the 3rd stores emergency items like spare electrical parts & TM prop.

 

I added a mount for a stand up butt seat and got a new Garmin depthfinder.  I already had the Bigfoot and on-board charger, I just designed the deck around them.  I took it out for a quick spin today and liked the stability.  The higher center of gravity does change the balance points, but it is still steadier than a canoe.

 

The first picture is how the entire boat looks now.  The second is a closeup of the deck, while the third is a look back to how the front used to look for comparison.  It was a fun project.

 

That's a terrific looking setup! ?

 

What is the height on the butt seat pedestal? Was this something you already had or something you recently purchased for the deck project? 

 

I'm seriously contemplating doing some kind of seat in the front of my PP2. The ability to simply "swivel around" 360° without having to lift my legs over the seat bracket every time would be nothing short of amazing. Walmart sells some pedestal mount hardware, I think I'd be looking to mount it to a couple pieces of stacked 3/4" plywood at the front of the boat (no deck) ... but I'm not 100% on this yet. Definitely need the ability to move about from the bow to the stern as needed without the seat brackets always being in the way. 

 

Looking at your PP1 I feel like it's setup better than the PP2. The big thing I'm noticing now is that the PP1 has the metal or tin brackets over the plastic on both the transom and bow mount areas for the trolling motor. On my PP2 only the transom has the metal bracket - the bow is just naked plastic for some reason. This really makes zero sense to me as the intended design of these boats is to bow-mount the trolling motor. 

 

The other obvious difference is that the PP2 has more raises areas on the sides where I lay my rods down. The flatter design on the PP1 would definitely be preferable. 

 

Edit: Also was curious, you mentioned one of the compartments on your deck stores emergency items like spare electrical parts. What spare electrical parts are you keeping on hand in there out on the water?

[OCdockskipper]

9 hours ago, TotalNoob said:

 

That's a terrific looking setup! ?

 

What is the height on the butt seat pedestal? Was this something you already had or something you recently purchased for the deck project?...

 

...Definitely need the ability to move about from the bow to the stern as needed without the seat brackets always being in the way... 

 

The big thing I'm noticing now is that the PP1 has the metal or tin brackets over the plastic on both the transom and bow mount areas for the trolling motor...

 

The other obvious difference is that the PP2 has more raises areas on the sides where I lay my rods down. The flatter design on the PP1 would definitely be preferable. 

 

Edit: Also was curious, you mentioned one of the compartments on your deck stores emergency items like spare electrical parts. What spare electrical parts are you keeping on hand in there out on the water?

Thanks, I am happy with the way it turned out.

 

I bought the BPS power pedestal during the Spring Classic, it normally is $79 and was on sale for $59.  It adjusts between 22" to 29", the butt seat adds about 3 inches in height.  I'm 5'11" and I have it at about 25" up.  I think if it was a regular seat, 22" might be too high (they make a 16" - 22" model as well).

 

It easier to move about without the seat brackets, but on my first trip out, I found that I would hold the butt seat & pedestal as I walked around it.  The raised deck definitely changes the center of gravity, especially if you put all your weight on one side.  That might be less of an issue with the PP2, for I noticed they ride higher in the water than the PP1.

 

There are a pair of PP2's on my lake & I noticed both have kept their TM on the transom.  I didn't realize the lack of tin for the bow, I would thing that maybe a couple of pieces of flashing would replicate it.  If I was forced to put the TM on the stern, I would drive the boat backwards all the time.

 

I did notice the raised areas of the PP2.  It is almost like they aren't aiming the boat at bass anglers carrying 4 - 8 rods, but just fisherman with a rod or two.  I'm sure there is some kind of modification that could create a deck like surface for the rods.

 

In addition to a spare TM prop, I carry a spare Bigfoot, a spare adapter that plugs into the front receptacle, a spare fuse for back in the battery area, wire crimps & tool, electrical tape & wire nuts.  They don't take up much space (now that I have storage) and are handy to have just in case.

[Hudspace]

Hi everyone. First post, and i’m a little embarrassed. I just bought a new Bass Raider 10e, and feel like I got a pretty good deal on it. $420 at Academy after price matching one on display at Dicks. 

 

That said, I got it loaded up on the trailer and discovered a hole where the black plastic seal joining the upper and lower halves has worn. Hence the embarrassment; I can’t believe I didn’t catch this before I agreed to buy it. Anyway I pointed it out to an employee of the store but in the end I decided to bring it home because it’s the only one they had and I’ve been waiting a while. Thought I could repair it. 

 

Thinking about it on the ride home...i’m not sure what to do. If I try to repair it, whatever warranty is on it will be voided. I could try to exercise the warranty if there is one, though I’m not sure how to do it; the folks at Academy didn’t seem to know much about that. I could just take it back and hopefully do an exchange when they get another one in. Or I can attempt a repair. 

 

After reading this whole thread, it’s clear that there are some really smart people on this forum. Hoping some of them will chime in...

 

[LonnieP]

2 hours ago, Hudspace said:

Hi everyone. First post, and i’m a little embarrassed. I just bought a new Bass Raider 10e, and feel like I got a pretty good deal on it. $420 at Academy after price matching one on display at Dicks. 

 

That said, I got it loaded up on the trailer and discovered a hole where the black plastic seal joining the upper and lower halves has worn. Hence the embarrassment; I can’t believe I didn’t catch this before I agreed to buy it. Anyway I pointed it out to an employee of the store but in the end I decided to bring it home because it’s the only one they had and I’ve been waiting a while. Thought I could repair it. 

 

Thinking about it on the ride home...i’m not sure what to do. If I try to repair it, whatever warranty is on it will be voided. I could try to exercise the warranty if there is one, though I’m not sure how to do it; the folks at Academy didn’t seem to know much about that. I could just take it back and hopefully do an exchange when they get another one in. Or I can attempt a repair. 

 

After reading this whole thread, it’s clear that there are some really smart people on this forum. Hoping some of them will chime in...

 

I’d return it. I’m sure they can order you another one.

[Muddyoldgoat]

Awesome thread with lots of great info. I recently picked up a 10E and have building it out.

I added a floor but went a slightly different route than anything I’ve seen posted. Lowe’s carries 3/8” 4x8 PVC sheets. I picked up a sheet for roughly $70 and used that as the base for my floor. I like that it’s 100% waterproof. I think it’s slightly lighter than same thickness treated plywood. The PVC does flex a little more than plywood but once laid flat in the boat, it is firm. I glued on some marine carpet and it looks great. 

[TotalNoob]

I've completed what I hope is the final version of the dolly I'll need to get my Pond Prowler II down to the shore and back as easily as possible. It feels really stable and can fit upside down inside the boat (in the bed of my truck) as I'm traveling. I'll probably make a few minor adjustments to it including adding some carpet at all potential contact points. Some pics below. 

 

 

I have a 55lb Traxxis for the bow in addition to a 45lb Endura Max at the transom. Two batteries. Below is a pic from a quick test run of the Traxxis the other day.

 

 

I added a rudder to the transom trolling motor and the control up front feels pretty good. I'm going the double TM/double battery route because I'm fishing a ~4000 acre reservoir known for random strong winds. Being cautious, not veering too far, staying close to the shoreline, checking the forecast, always wearing a PFD, and having backup propulsion are important to me ?

 

There are more things I want to do to this but by far the most important thing to get done next is getting both batteries to the stern and I'm hoping some minds sharper and more experienced than mine can help me out a little here. 

 

I need to move the minn kota Power Center to the stern of the boat. As you can see in that pic it's sitting up front there with the 5 ft leads from the 55lb traxxis attached. That won't work going forward, I was just testing the traxxis there - I need to have that space clear. I need to extend the leads on the Traxxis by possibly up to 10 ft though I think something like 7 to 8 ft will be plenty. 

 

Minn Kota shows in their manual to use 6 gauge wire for extensions between 5 and 10 ft on the 55lb thrust. The leads coming out of the TM are 10 gauge so I need to connect 10 gauge to 6 gauge for up to a 10 ft extension. 

 

 

I purchased the following to extend the cables:

-Dual Rated Splicer/Reducer (rated for #14 to #2 wire)

-Ox-Guard, anti-oxident compound

-Heavy Wall Heat Shrink Tube

-Rubber Splicing Tape

-15ft each of White and Red "6 AWG type MTW or THWN-2 or THHN or gasoline/oil resistant or AWM 600 volts .. 90(D)C.."

 

 

I'm thinking this should be pretty straight forward but I wanted to check with you guys here and see what you think/make sure I'm not missing or forgetting anything or that another better option exists to extend the trolling motor leads. Still need to pick up 6 AWG terminal connectors to connect to the Minn Kota Trolling Center (which has a 60 amp breaker).

[LonnieP]

TotalNoob, Why not just put both batteries in the back of the boat and plug your front trolling motor to the plug in the front of the boat?

[TotalNoob]

1 hour ago, LonnieP said:

TotalNoob, Why not just put both batteries in the back of the boat and plug your front trolling motor to the plug in the front of the boat?

I'd really like to. The prewiring is only 10 gauge. Per the minn kota chart above I need 6 gauge wire for the 55lb thrust traxxis.

 

It makes sense, as I understand there would be resistance or power loss and possibly hot wires if I use just 10 gauge wiring to run the 55lb TM.

 

I'm hoping the items I purchased are appropriate for creating a mechanical connection between the two different sized wires, and if not, any info on alternate items would be greatly appreciated.

[LonnieP]

1 hour ago, TotalNoob said:

I'd really like to. The prewiring is only 10 gauge. Per the minn kota chart above I need 6 gauge wire for the 55lb thrust traxxis.

 

It makes sense, as I understand there would be resistance or power loss and possibly hot wires if I use just 10 gauge wiring to run the 55lb TM.

 

I'm hoping the items I purchased are appropriate for creating a mechanical connection between the two different sized wires, and if not, any info on alternate items would be greatly appreciated.

I’ve been using the prewiring with my 55 lb Minn Kota for over a year now with no ill effects.

[Murphy S. Law]

On 3/5/2019 at 5:50 PM, Hudspace said:

Hi everyone. First post, and i’m a little embarrassed. I just bought a new Bass Raider 10e, and feel like I got a pretty good deal on it. $420 at Academy after price matching one on display at Dicks. 

 

That said, I got it loaded up on the trailer and discovered a hole where the black plastic seal joining the upper and lower halves has worn. Hence the embarrassment; I can’t believe I didn’t catch this before I agreed to buy it. Anyway I pointed it out to an employee of the store but in the end I decided to bring it home because it’s the only one they had and I’ve been waiting a while. Thought I could repair it. 

 

Thinking about it on the ride home...i’m not sure what to do. If I try to repair it, whatever warranty is on it will be voided. I could try to exercise the warranty if there is one, though I’m not sure how to do it; the folks at Academy didn’t seem to know much about that. I could just take it back and hopefully do an exchange when they get another one in. Or I can attempt a repair. 

 

After reading this whole thread, it’s clear that there are some really smart people on this forum. Hoping some of them will chime in...

 

After seeing your gash in the rub rail, I felt compelled to try and help. I contacted Pelican, and asked how you could get the rub rail replaced, and here is their response...

 

"Good day,

Thank you for your interest in the Pelican International products. Please confirm the serial number ZEP, 5#s, a letter and 3#s located towards the back, outside, right hand side along with some photos so we may help with your request. We wold require his name, telephone number and shipping address (not a P.O. Box).

Thank you,

Linda Chartrand, Customer Experience Agent

Pelican International Inc."

 

I would contact them and see what they can do for you.

[TotalNoob]

10 hours ago, LonnieP said:

I’ve been using the prewiring with my 55 lb Minn Kota for over a year now with no ill effects.

Hmmm, you said you have the PP1 right? I wonder if the prewiring is different in it. 

 

I checked the wiring in my PP2 and it's 10 gauge.

 

 

Per the manual from minn kota for the 55lb thrust traxxis (below), 6 AWG would be the correct wiring size for an extension of 5-10 ft (see below). I have $335 into that brand new Traxxis and I expect it to perform correctly so I feel compelled to follow the guidelines as closely as possible. 

 

 

If the prewiring were 8 gauge or the trolling motor was 45lb thrust (or lower) I might feel differently. It seems like running the 55lb thrust through the 10 ft of 10 gauge prewiring is pushing it a little too much. 

 

Several pages back in this thread someone posted that they were using a 55lb traxxis at the bow and burned up their wiring. He also said he was a bigger guy ... I'm in quite the similar position here. Unfortunately nothing else came out of that post except someone stating that the extension wiring should have been thicker. Which brings me full circle to now.

 

Edit: I went back and found that older post I was referencing. It's the last post on pg 110 of this thread (here) from Fish 247 - response on the following page. 

 

He was concerned he was pushing too much amperage through the 8 gauge prewiring on his Bass Raider 10E with his 55lb traxxis (which was confirmed in the response). I have the exact same motor and the prewiring in my Pond Prowler II is just 10 gauge and I, too, am a bigger guy.  

[LonnieP]

That looks like the same size wire that's in my boat. If it makes you feel better it won't hurt a thing to rewire it with 6 gauge. Maybe I've been lucky to not have any problems yet using the 10 gauge. 

[Hudspace]

10 hours ago, Murphy S. Law said:

After seeing your gash in the rub rail, I felt compelled to try and help. I contacted Pelican, and asked how you could get the rub rail replaced, and here is their response...

 

"Good day,

Thank you for your interest in the Pelican International products. Please confirm the serial number ZEP, 5#s, a letter and 3#s located towards the back, outside, right hand side along with some photos so we may help with your request. We wold require his name, telephone number and shipping address (not a P.O. Box).

Thank you,

Linda Chartrand, Customer Experience Agent

Pelican International Inc."

 

I would contact them and see what they can do for you.

That was kind of you, thank you. I may do that.

 

I actually ended up returning the boat to Academy in order to exchange it for the other one they had. Would you believe it, that one had the exact same issue... not quite as bad though. This one doesn’t actually appear to be a hole in the hull...just in the black trim where the upper and lower halves meet. I still wasn’t keen on buying the boat with a defect and I was about to just ask for a refund, but then the manager offered to take another $100 off the purchase price. In the end I just couldn’t pass on that, pretty much a brand new boat with what I HOPE is just a cosmetic flaw, for $329 out the door. 

[Shard_Hunter]

7 hours ago, Hudspace said:

That was kind of you, thank you. I may do that.

 

I actually ended up returning the boat to Academy in order to exchange it for the other one they had. Would you believe it, that one had the exact same issue... not quite as bad though. This one doesn’t actually appear to be a hole in the hull...just in the black trim where the upper and lower halves meet. I still wasn’t keen on buying the boat with a defect and I was about to just ask for a refund, but then the manager offered to take another $100 off the purchase price. In the end I just couldn’t pass on that, pretty much a brand new boat with what I HOPE is just a cosmetic flaw, for $329 out the door. 

did academy have a sale going on for it to be $429? all i can see online is $640 and i was going to gift my dad a bass raider since he is wanting a small boat to fish out of and he also does a ton of pond fishing so i figured it would be a good boat to get him

[Hudspace]

9 hours ago, Shard_Hunter said:

did academy have a sale going on for it to be $429? all i can see online is $640 and i was going to gift my dad a bass raider since he is wanting a small boat to fish out of and he also does a ton of pond fishing so i figured it would be a good boat to get him

Shard_Hunter my local Dicks had one on sale for $419 and I got Academy to price-match it. That price wasn’t advertised on Dick’s website, so when the Academy store manager called Dick’s to verify the price, they said it was a discontinued item, hence the sale price. 

 

[Shard_Hunter]

Just now, Hudspace said:

Shard_Hunter my local Dicks had one on sale for $419 and I got Academy to price-match it. That price wasn’t advertised on Dick’s website, so when the Academy store manager called Dick’s to verify the price, they said it was a discontinued item, hence the sale price. 

 

ahh nice, sucks for me though, only sporting store withing 40 minutes for me is academy and dunhams

[Hudspace]

12 minutes ago, Shard_Hunter said:

ahh nice, sucks for me though, only sporting store withing 40 minutes for me is academy and dunhams

Maybe call around, if you can find one cheaper, Academy’s policy is that they will not only price-match, but they’ll take an additional 5% off.

 

But if it makes you feel better, I have a repair to do on this one before i’m comfortable putting it in the water. Hopefully you won’t have the same experience.

[Hi-Powered Red Neck]

On 3/8/2019 at 6:25 PM, Hudspace said:

That was kind of you, thank you. I may do that.

 

I actually ended up returning the boat to Academy in order to exchange it for the other one they had. Would you believe it, that one had the exact same issue... not quite as bad though. This one doesn’t actually appear to be a hole in the hull...just in the black trim where the upper and lower halves meet. I still wasn’t keen on buying the boat with a defect and I was about to just ask for a refund, but then the manager offered to take another $100 off the purchase price. In the end I just couldn’t pass on that, pretty much a brand new boat with what I HOPE is just a cosmetic flaw, for $329 out the door. 

Man you stole that boat!!! You paid 29 dollars more than I did for a used 2010 model! I wouldn't worry to much about that "hole". Looks to me like its just in the rub rail. It is covering the seam where the two halves are stapled together. To my knowledge there is no seal between them. However, I could be wrong about that.  Plus it sounds like Pelican send you a new rub rail. To put your mind at ease, I'll give you an example. I drilled a scupper hole in the aft deck of my pelican. When I'm (270lbs) standing at the back with a group 29 battery the water comes just flush with the floor. So if you get that rub rail in the water you've got bigger problems. Congrats on a great bargain!!! You're really going to enjoy it. I know I love mine.