Any Pelican Bass Raider Owners Out There?

[MT2]

I recently picked up a Pelican Bass Raider 8. Got some work to do to it, nothing major stuff like buying a battery, trolling motor, depth finder, rod straps etc.

I havent had it on the water yet, plan on getting it registered and a permit to fish a local lake next weeked. The guy I got it from said he stood in it and he's bigger than I so I hope it works for me. I dont think it'll be idea for bass fishing 2 people though, however I'll take my 6 year old to look for gills and cats.

Some friends and my fiance are trying to get me to paint it yellow & black. Its kinda planted a seed, but I doubt I do cos Im sure it'll look bad once it gets scratched up and we all know its going to get scratched. The reason for the colors is because of my use of Skeet Reese rods and my passion for the Iowa Buckeyes and Pittsburgh Steelers. Plus my oldest sons school colors are yellow & black.

[mtdoramike]

Most paints will not stick to this plastic very well. So I would research it thoroughly first before making up your mind.

[Scott Salvi]

OK I finally saw my transom flex...I know someone mentioned it earlier. I have a 4HP Johnson on the back and at full throttle the prop is under the boat! I'll have to dial it back a bit until I figure out how to reinforce that!

[uhhello]

Finally had a bass raider show up on the local craigs list. Looks pretty good for a good price. Only issue is seating. I know some of you have made pedastal seating but i'd like something with a back. Anyone see any issues with making the seating work without the original frame?

http://valdosta.crai...3171593900.html

[jaaron01]

_{You could use Lawn Chairs like the add says, but you could also add a plywood floor and buy pedistal seats like I did on mine. My only worry would be it looks like it's been outside in the elements for a long time, and these boats don't due well left outside all year long. I bought myself a new one for like 450.00, and bring it indoors in the winter time. Other than that it's on the trailer and under a canopy when not in use.}

_{Some folks don't care about the weathering, but I don't want a boat that weights a ton due to water inside the hull. It'll still float but will weight a ton. Are you using a trailer or loading it in the back of something?}

_{My pedistal seat has a back on it, so not sure what your talking about on that one.}

[Richard Arndt]

Finally had a bass raider show up on the local craigs list. Looks pretty good for a good price. Only issue is seating. I know some of you have made pedastal seating but i'd like something with a back. Anyone see any issues with making the seating work without the original frame?

http://valdosta.crai...3171593900.html

I think that boat is way overpriced for the age and shape it's in. You're going to have to put a decent amount of work into it just to get seating that works. Lawn chairs aren't going to swivel, and they're not going to be secure. If you want to take on the project, I wouldn't give the guy more than 75 bucks, and I'd shoot for 50. Just my opinion.

[Scott Salvi]

Seating is easy... 2x10's 1x2's and some 1/2 round trim...you can make benches that fit right into the factory groove. You can then mount a swivel seat to it from Walmart in the boat section...2 seats MAY cost you $50...tops... The boat does look a little weathered though. I'd offer him $150...take it or leave it.

[Scott Salvi]

BTW, I have a bench made like **** to control my Johnson 4hp gas motor...the stock seats are way too high.

[uhhello]

Yeah I wasn't going to offer him any more than $100 due to what you guys said above. Pictures can be deceiving though so I think I'm going to go take a look at it if it's still around when I get back into town on Friday. Headed to Disney World with the fam after being in Afghan and Kuwait quite a bit this past year. Looking forward to getting back to the fishing world

[Jim McC]

It doesn't include seats or the original seat frames?

[_Coelacanth_]

Hello everyone. I am the proud owner of my first boat! I just bought a new Pelican Bass Raider 10e. I'm very excited to finally be able to get off the bank and do some fishing in areas I previously didn't have access to.

I do have a few questions about the trolling motor setup though...

I bought a Minn Kota Endura C2-40. For the battery, I was under the impression that I needed more cranking amps for longer use. I bought an Everstart 12V marine battery, which has 625 cranking amps. This seemed to be the best choice for the money I had left in my budget.

My question is in concern to the wiring setup on the Bass Raider. Do I need to add a circuit breaker to the pre-installed wiring on the boat? I have read that Minn Kota recommends a 60 amp breaker. Is this something I can pick up at Walmart or Bass Pro shops? Also, is the wire gauge that comes in the boat adequate?

Any tips/advise on finishing my setup would be appreciated, as I don't want to foul up either my new trolling motor or boat by making a dumb beginner mistake.

Thanks in advance for any help offered.

[Jim McC]

Hello everyone. I am the proud owner of my first boat! I just bought a new Pelican Bass Raider 10e. I'm very excited to finally be able to get off the bank and do some fishing in areas I previously didn't have access to.

I do have a few questions about the trolling motor setup though...

I bought a Minn Kota Endura C2-40. For the battery, I was under the impression that I needed more cranking amps for longer use. I bought an Everstart 12V marine battery, which has 625 cranking amps. This seemed to be the best choice for the money I had left in my budget.

My question is in concern to the wiring setup on the Bass Raider. Do I need to add a circuit breaker to the pre-installed wiring on the boat? I have read that Minn Kota recommends a 60 amp breaker. Is this something I can pick up at Walmart or Bass Pro shops? Also, is the wire gauge that comes in the boat adequate?

Any tips/advise on finishing my setup would be appreciated, as I don't want to foul up either my new trolling motor or boat by making a dumb beginner mistake.

Thanks in advance for any help offered.

That battery will be fine, as long as it's a deep cycle battery, and NOT a starting battery. The circuit breaker gets wired into the positive cable of the trolling motor, within 1 foot from the battery. Are you sure the manual says to use a 60 amp breaker for your 40 lb. motor? That sounds wrong. It should be a 40 or 50 amp breaker.

[_Coelacanth_]

Ah, you're right. 60 amp is for the 50-55# thrust. 30-45# thrust uses the 50 amp. Thanks!

The battery does say "starting" above the "Everstart" logo. I hadn't noticed that before. I will take it back and swap it.

[jeffo21]

what part of oklahoma do you live in? I also have a 10e and love fishing out of it

[_Coelacanth_]

I live in Choctaw.

I'm still trying to decide where I'm going to go for my first trip in my new boat. I was thinking about Wes Watkins, but I'm not sure yet. It's still going to be a couple of weeks before I take her out on her maiden voyage. I promised the Mrs. that I would finish the renovations to our house that I'm in the middle of before I took it out.

I wanted to go ahead and buy it though because I actually bought two. A close friend of mine, who is helping me with the work on the house is who I go fishing with. He doesn't have a boat either, so I bought him a 10e and the same trolling motor as a "thank you" for all the help he has given me.

I figured if I went ahead and bought it and told him about it, he would be extra motivated to help me get the renovations done faster!

[jeffo21]

LoL lucky guy. dont know where to tell you to go fishing around there.

[backwater4]

Honestly, cranking amps for an electric motor don't mean anything. You need a deep cycle battery that is able to be recharged over and over. They make different size deep cycles also. A 27 series is a good overall size. Some people go larger, but smaller might not last as long as you need.

[uhhello]

So I decided to stop waiting for a decent used pelican to pop up around here and am going to truck 3 hours up to Macon Sports Authority and pick one up along with making a stop at the bass pro shop there. Going to call ahead before I take off but I'm looking to equip it with the below motor and then possibly a lowrance elite 4x dsi

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product__10151_-1_10051_10210662

http://www.basspro.com/Lowrancereg;-Elite-4x-DSI-Color-Imaging-Fishfinder/product/53518000/247261?cmCat=CROSSSELL_THUMBNAIL

Any other suggestions. I'm pumped.

[jeffo21]

nope looks like a very good set up. but i would suggest a t/m mount for the transducer cause the plastic on these boats doesnt hold a screw well and if you hit a few stumps it will pull loose.

[uhhello]

nope looks like a very good set up. but i would suggest a t/m mount for the transducer cause the plastic on these boats doesnt hold a screw well and if you hit a few stumps it will pull loose.

Was my plan. Kind of disappointed that the unit doesn't come with a TM mount but whatever.

[jeffo21]

I bought my mount from johnny ray sports it mounts to the tm shaft and can use wing nuts with lock washers to make it where you can easily remove it if you want.

[uhhello]

Why is there such a price difference between academy, bps, dicks, and the like on pretty much the same type of boat?

[jeffo21]

couldn't tell ya. I bought mine at Academy, then they gave me a break on buying the tm from them too

[DrNip]

I live in Choctaw.

I'm still trying to decide where I'm going to go for my first trip in my new boat. I was thinking about Wes Watkins, but I'm not sure yet. It's still going to be a couple of weeks before I take her out on her maiden voyage. I promised the Mrs. that I would finish the renovations to our house that I'm in the middle of before I took it out.

I wanted to go ahead and buy it though because I actually bought two. A close friend of mine, who is helping me with the work on the house is who I go fishing with. He doesn't have a boat either, so I bought him a 10e and the same trolling motor as a "thank you" for all the help he has given me.

I figured if I went ahead and bought it and told him about it, he would be extra motivated to help me get the renovations done faster!

Looking hard at a Buster Boat myself and when I snag it I'll be hitting Wes Watkins myself. Only live a mile from it. Looking at the Buster Boat because it has a live well and ice chest integrated within it.

[uhhello]

I know some guys earlier had mentioned finding a cover for their 10' pelican but had differing reviews on it. What do people use?