Any Pelican Bass Raider Owners Out There?

[atomicchicken]

Hey guys, when you are using an outboard do you haul the boat with it on or do you just throw the motor in the boat and attach it when you get to the lake? I've seen a lot of you say that the transom flexes under a decent amount of throttle so I am assuming it would flex during travel if I had it attached.

 

I've wanted one of these boats since I was 16. Looking forward to learning all the in's and out's to loading it and using it. My other boats have been huge pain in the necks.

 

I only have a trolling motor right now and even that I don't keep on the transom when the boat is traveling behind my truck.  I see it as unnecessary stress.  Can't say how much stress from it there is but even balanced on there I doubt it's actually good for it.  When I get an outboard I'll do the same.  I think the only way I would keep an outboard mounted would be if I transported the boat via trailer and had a support on the trailer for the outboard.

 

I'll sit back and see what those that actually have an outboard though do with theirs...

[pointhunter75]

I don't haul mine with the trolling motor or my Yamaha 2.5 HP 4 stroke attached. I wait until my harbor freight trailer is backed close to the edge of the water and clamp them on.

[DaveVE]

Thanks, guys. I look forward to testing it out this weekend. When unloading from the bed of a truck is it best just to back down a boat ramp as far as possible and then slide her out? I'm wondering if I can use a simple winch/ratcheting system to load it back into the truck the same way.

[atomicchicken]

I'll back down the boat ramp until I'm about the boat lengths away from the water.  I pull the boat out almost all the way and put the end down with the other end still resting on the tailgate.  I'll then take that end and swing it off and out of the truck.  Then I attach my trolling motor and put the battery in and then proceed to move the boat into the water.  For that I just walk each end into the water.  After unloading from the truck I'm at the waters edge so it's quick to get it floating.

 

I reverse the process to load it back into the truck.  It's quick and easy enough for me.  I like to keep things as simple as possible.

[wnspain]

Thanks, guys. I look forward to testing it out this weekend. When unloading from the bed of a truck is it best just to back down a boat ramp as far as possible and then slide her out? I'm wondering if I can use a simple winch/ratcheting system to load it back into the truck the same way.

I have no trailer, manhandle in and out of the bed of my truck. Not a real problem either way unless you get to launch/recover from ramp/bank that elevates the normal tailgate height significantly. I leave the TM attached because I mount my transducer on the TM. Still, unlike what others have stated, IMO very little stress on transom with proper positioning and a bungee to prevent excessive vertical movement of the TM shaft. Verified the amount of movement/transom flex with a bed mounted camera. There was no aft flex, and the forward flex was less than experienced under full power when in the water.

[SFM186]

hey all. just joined this forum because of this thread, tons of great info here!

 

i just picked up a used bass raider 10e for $100. it needs some lovin, but i'll get it back on the water soon. i'll try to post up before and after pics of the work i'm doing.

 

i bought this boat even though i have a 10ft flat bottom already, i've fished from them before and they're way more comfy compared to a row boat. i troll for salmon every weekend (using a much larger boat of course), but my 7 year old daughter doesn't really like that style of fishing. she gets bored with it pretty quickly. well she's been asking me to take her fishing lately so i wanted to get one of these, i think she'll like it much better than the old flat bottom. i know i will.

[Lost-my-bait]

Been reading this thread for the last 4 days, so much great info.

I'm buying my BR 10e next week, so many mod ideas it's crazy.

I picked up my trolling motor this morning, got me the Minn Kota Endura C2 55. It was on sale 229.99 and I had a 10% off coupon, walked out for 224 bucks. Couldn't pass it up.

My immediate plans will be:

Replace seats.

Install carpeted wood floor.

Mount small outdoor umbrella base to the wood floor in center and carry an outdoor patio umbrella in the boat for those baking hot days.

If it works I will update here, if it doesn't then I'll pretend I never did it

[Lost-my-bait]

To avoid drilling as many have done, is it not possible to use an adhesive like dura bond instead?

[atomicchicken]

To avoid drilling as many have done, is it not possible to use an adhesive like dura bond instead?

 

I guess it depends how strong dura bond is and what it is you're asking it to hold.  I don't see much of a problem putting holes into it as long as it's on the upper-half of the hull. Prolonged exposure of water to that half would mean your seam is under water which means those little screw holes aren't your biggest intake of water at that point!

 

I've added a paddle clip to mine on the inside of the boat and I'll be adding a couple of rod holders to it as soon as I get the chance.  Use a sealant along with the screws into the holes and you should be fine.

[pointhunter75]

5200 marine sealant is the best to seal any holes with

[Lost-my-bait]

Is it possible to pair 2 deep cycle batteries that are both seperatly enclosed in a minn kota trolling motor power center?

Or

Is it posible to pair 2 deep cycle batteries with 1 enclosed in the power center and the other external to it so the power center feeds off both batteries?

 

I am wanting to keep a spare battery in the boat for the just in case moments, might just place 1 in front and 1 in rear to split the weight.

 

My concern is that my motor is a minn kota 55lb and I get the impression it drains batteries faster than the 40's and 30's. True?

[pointhunter75]

You have to stay 12 volt so watch this. If you do it backwards you'll get 24 and your tm is a 12 volt so you don't want that.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Sqmm2JgsO48

[Lost-my-bait]

Since the Bass Raider 10e comes prewired front to back, is that just for trolling motor to battery or do the wires come in handy for anything else such as fish finders?
Im clueless on fishfinders and transducers, mounting etc....
My guess from reading descriptions of different ones would be that I can mount the part that does the sonar stuff (is that the transducer?) directly to the rear mount trolling motor so it is deep enough as long as the motor is in the water...
Im looking for a good solution that does not require me to drill holes.

Also is there a reccomended fish finder thats not more than say 150ish? I was looking at hummingbird but I really know nothing about them... I do know that when I go fishing I almost always catch nothing more than a sunburn.

 

Thanks

[tfultz]

Finished!

[wnspain]

Is it possible to pair 2 deep cycle batteries that are both seperatly enclosed in a minn kota trolling motor power center?

Or

Is it posible to pair 2 deep cycle batteries with 1 enclosed in the power center and the other external to it so the power center feeds off both batteries?

 

I am wanting to keep a spare battery in the boat for the just in case moments, might just place 1 in front and 1 in rear to split the weight.

 

My concern is that my motor is a minn kota 55lb and I get the impression it drains batteries faster than the 40's and 30's. True?

yes, but if you wire them in parallel, both will feed the TM resulting in the same power for a longer duration, but no spare when the batteries go dead. (BTW - It is never recommended to take a battery to that point, causes severe longevity issues)  

 

Weight dispersal up to you. You more than offset the weight of batteries and trolling motor (unless you are very small or the batteries/TM combo is extremely heavy).

 

True, more thrust, the higher the rate of power consumption.

[Reyn]

Lost-My-Bait,

This is what I, and many others, have found to works best. Put your battery in the rear. Trolling motor in the front (purchase and splice on a plug that matches the female plug in the front to the trolling mother wires). A 45 pond thrust motor seems ideal. You will eventually want to put a clamp on DIY rudder on the back that you'll leave in a parallel position to cut down on the boat spinning around.

Your correct that the the transducer is the sonar pick up of the fishfinder. Most people purchase the clamp to put it on the trolling motor. By having the transducer in the front you will see what's under your boat as you move along. If you attach it in the rear ie. to the rudder, you will see what you've already past.

[Reyn]

Lost-My-Bait,

If you decide to put the motor in the front, be shure to adjust the head of the motor to allow the prop to be facing to the rear and also allowing the control head to be facing towards you as well. I have a Minn-Kota and it describes how to to do this in the owner's manual.

Good Luck.

[lilsweepr]

Lost-My-Bait,

To add to this, I have my minn kota 30lb on front, head turned as described and also have the plug mentioned above to utilize the built in wiring. I have the fuse for the trolling motor at the battery in the back. I have a fishfinder i put on a mounted piece of metal on the right rod holder and spliced the power into the plug in front. i put the inline fuse for the fishfiner on the wire going to the plug. I have not had any problem with the "main" fuse since adding the FF. I was afraid to just rely on the "main" fuse for the FF because it requires a lesser amp fuse. Spare fuses are kept in a prescription bottle(emptied) that I keep inside the battery case. 

I made a rudder out of pvc and even made a fishing buddy one.

[cdemarse]

If you have old trolling motor to use the bracket and shaft from this is a quick rudder that works great.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/301679249656?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[lilsweepr]

If you have old trolling motor to use the bracket and shaft from this is a quick rudder that works great.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/301679249656?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

I like that. I have been keeping my eye open for an old broken trolling motor but have been unlucky so far. I will try to remember this if I locate the trolling motor. I like the idea of being able to just raise the rudder if needed instead of removing it as we do now.

[cdemarse]

I like that. I have been keeping my eye open for an old broken trolling motor but have been unlucky so far. I will try to remember this if I locate the trolling motor. I like the idea of being able to just raise the rudder if needed instead of removing it as we do now.

I even popped the bar out of the bracket.  That way if I hit a stump it will lift up over it and drop back down.  Its a pretty slick set up.

[Reyn]

I purchased a Minn-Kotta trolling motor adjustable clamp, just like the one the comes with their trolling motors. I then cut a pvc pipe to desired length, slid it into the opening and attached a piece of plexiglass into a slot that I cut on the back side of the pipe. Drilled two holes and attached with screw bolts, lock washers and nuts.

[pointhunter75]

Here is my simple rudder/skeg, and I HIGHLY recommend a 7" riser for the seat. Academy is cheaper on the riser than wal mart.

[atomicchicken]

Here is my simple rudder/skeg, and I HIGHLY recommend a 7" riser for the seat. Academy is cheaper on the riser than wal mart.

Love the use of the clamp there.

[pointhunter75]

I have a Minn kota power center battery box with the built in breaker, one day my fuse holder melted, I think it got bent and lost connection and arced. Luckily my sister was with me and was able to hold it just right till we got to the ramp. If you have a separate breaker I'd recommend cutting the factory inline fuse out to avoid this risk. And always have an emergency paddle. I have the little telescopic one from wal mart.