Any Pelican Bass Raider Owners Out There?

[pointhunter75]

Good deal! Glad to help.

[mattwade]

Ive done it! all 99 pages! I just recently bought a 10ft Pond Prowler off a swap site. Paid $500, boat is just over a year old and came with a trailer, 55# thrust trolling motor, 2 seats, 10# mushroom anchor, 1 collapsible paddle, extra propeller, storage box, boat light, extra boat plugs, transducer (waiting for the guy to find the fish/depth finder).  And also my son was very excited about the baby worm we found in the storage box! cant wait to do some modifications to it. I tried to look up info on here for Pond Prowlers but didn't find much. 

[pointhunter75]

Great deal

[RSM789]

Ive done it! all 99 pages! I just recently bought a 10ft Pond Prowler off a swap site. Paid $500, boat is just over a year old and came with a trailer, 55# thrust trolling motor, 2 seats, 10# mushroom anchor, 1 collapsible paddle, extra propeller, storage box, boat light, extra boat plugs, transducer (waiting for the guy to find the fish/depth finder).  And also my son was very excited about the baby worm we found in the storage box! cant wait to do some modifications to it. I tried to look up info on here for Pond Prowlers but didn't find much. 

 

Congrats on the boat.  I have the 10 ft. Pond Prowler as well & have found all of the info & modifications written about the Bass Raider easily convert to the Pond Prowler.

[pointhunter75]

Yeah they're basically the same.

[mattwade]

Ya, I've fished with my uncle this year out of his 10ft bass raider. Lots of fun wih all the ideas.

[Bozz]

Nice drop light. I've been wanting to try this. How are the results ?

I've used white lights for years but the green LEDs...wow. At one point, I thought there was TOO MANY baitfish under my boat.

[Bozz]

Bozz, what did you use for the clear tube part of the light?

Point, I used clear 1 1/2" schedule 40 PVC pipe. Inside that I had I think 3/4" white PVC wrapped in a spiral with a string of SMD 5050 green LEDs from SuperNight on Amazon. Watch who you are buying from or you'll have to wait for them from China or ??? Mine came in 2 days from here in Lexington, KY...I think the Amazon distribution center had them on hand here in the area is why I got mine so quick. I used some "submersible cable grips" from McMaster.com and I had about 20 feet of waterproof cable to use. Other than that...white schedule 40 end caps and I added about a 12" section on the bottom of the tube to fill with sand for ballast. I was guessing about how much weight it would take to make it almost neutral buoyancy and I nailed it first time. It will sink to as far as I want it to go (up to 20') and it's lightweight like that to handle. I had guys wanting to buy some at the ramp one night when I hooked up the battery clips. They had those you get from Walmart or ???...about a foor or so and about 1/2" diameter. This is a hefty piece of illumination I made.

 

I have had it down to 20 feet and it never leaked a drop. At first there was a small drop or two of condensation but no problems. The LED's are waterproof by spec but they are not meant to be kept in water.

[SHaugh]

I've used white lights for years but the green LEDs...wow. At one point, I thought there was TOO MANY baitfish under my boat.

I've made my own too... but only 3 feet long ... that thing is a monster... I haven't had the chance to test it, but it sounds like the cats whiskers for night fishing crappies... will give it a go this weekend.

[Bozz]

I've made my own too... but only 3 feet long ... that thing is a monster... I haven't had the chance to test it, but it sounds like the cats whiskers for night fishing crappies... will give it a go this weekend.

And a fun note about these LEDs...I hooked a small 9 volt battery....I'm talking about one of the little batteries you put in your smoke alarms at home...the little square shaped one...I touched the leads to the posts on the 9 volt and lit the thing up. Of course it was not at it's brightest but it goes to show the low draw on these LEDs, which is another great benefit when you use it all night.

[pointhunter75]

Thanks bozz. When you say clear pvc do you mean the clear flexible hose or actual hard pvc?

[pointhunter75]

And if it's the hard pvc,where did you get it?

[hoosierbass07]

 Those Pelican bass Raider boats must be tough.  At the Izaak Walton club I belong to, people leave their aluminum john boats out on the ground (chained up) all year long, even in winter.  I've seen a few of those Pelican Bass Raider boats too laying around chained up and they look sea worthy to me.  

[justwhit83]

These things are absolutely tough enough for some rivers, lakes and ponds. My bass raider is also a big conversation starter. I have started leaving a half hour earlier than I want to be on the water to account for all of the people asking about it. First time I've been slightly excited for winter. Finally have time to do some more mods.

[Bozz]

Thanks bozz. When you say clear pvc do you mean the clear flexible hose or actual hard pvc?

 

The "hard" pvc...it's just like the familiar white schedule 40 but it's clear. I had a couple 4 footers laying around. But you should be able to source it about anywhere that does PVC. Maybe Lowes or Home Depot? I haven't looked there but I would assume they could have it. Amazon, ebay? The clear is more expensive if I remember correctly than regular white. But you're gonna come in a whole lot less $$$ than finding & buying a comparable light online somewhere. I want to support the folks that help our favorite past time but at the same time...I'm not completely helpless and it's something I enjoy doing...tinkering, that is.

[pointhunter75]

Lowes doesn't have it. I've never even seen it before. I used the clear rubber one and a quarter hose to make mine.

[Bozz]

Lowes doesn't have it. I've never even seen it before. I used the clear rubber one and a quarter hose to make mine.

It's out there, Point. I looked at mine to see if there was a company identification but nothing but run numbers. It's apparently only used for specific applications where one needs to monitor the flow and it is supposed to be more expensive than regular white schedule 40 so maybe that's why it's not everywhere. Just Google and you'll come up with it. I cannot recall where mine came from...I found it in my shop and the light (literally) clicked in my head as to making my own submersible light.

 

[SHaugh]

you will need to order on the internet...  Amazon has it... ebay too

 

http://www.amazon.com/Pipe-Schedule-PVC-Feet-Long/dp/B00E2X88SC/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1413217641&sr=1-1&keywords=clear+schedule+40#productDetails

[pointhunter75]

They can keep it for that price! Lol

[Bozz]

I was thinking it was just shy of $20 for a 4 foot section.

That's about right if you're buying 8 foot.

[SHaugh]

It's nice heavy stuff.. and seals up well just like plumbing pipe... I wouldn't mess with anything less for something you want to sink in water and remain in good condition.

[pointhunter75]

The clear flex hose works great and is $3 a foot. That's what everybody uses on the kayak group I'm in. They're holding up.

[krginga]

I have seen a lot of bass raider people with different ideas on mounting sonar, well, I have had a Portable Transducer Bracket I bought from bass pro for years that used to put on the back of jon boats, well with the bass raider, I came up with another idea. I removed one of the front handles and just took two pieces of 2x4 and made a bracket to put the portable mount out far enough to use it on the bass raider. 

 

[pointhunter75]

Looks good

[mattwade]

looking for space saving storage ideas for my 10ft pond prowler. I will be fishing 2 in the boat. sometimes 3 when my wife tags along with my son and I.  any suggestions would be great.