fishcat

If you can launch the boat on a grassy or sandy area, pull it up to level ground with your truck using a tow strap. Then lift one end onto the tailgate and quickly attach a rope and hook to secure it there. Finally, go to the rear of the boat and push it up into the bed. Sounds complicated but it's really not.

I store my Pelican 8e vertically with a strap against the back wall in my garage. Then I can drop it into my Ranger pickup. Have not had a problem in 7 years.

I second the idea to get at least a 40 lb. thrust trolling motor. I use a 40 and it's fine for my 8' Bass Raider when I fish alone. The new digital models look to be very efficient.

If the boat is a little wider than the pickup bed, just cut some lumber to fit and raise it up a few inches. It's strapped down anyway. I use a couple of 2x4's covered with carpet in the narrow bedliner of my '02 Ranger. Your bedliner has moldings for lumber. Slide the Bass Raider right up onto those and go!

There is a product call "Rivnuts" that you can use behind the plastic skin of the Bass Raider. Easy to install, sort of like the old Molly Bolts (which would probably work ok!).

I recently did some research and came up with these guidelines on battery drawdown: My 40 lb. thrust Minn Kota Endura draws about 5, 10, 15, 20, 40 amps on speeds 1-5. So my little 55 amp-hour battery will run about 3 hours at speed #4 before it falls well below 12 volts. A key thing is try not to run at max speed because that draws double the amps of the next lower speed. To make long runs, I start up slowly, work up to speed #5, then back off to #4. Otherwise, I run at 1 or 2 when fishing anyway, so the battery lasts the entire day. Be sure to charge it up when you get home. Also, use a fuse (carry extras!) or a re-settable circuit breaker on the red wire. The fuse will pop if you get stuck in weeds or rocks.

That all looks real good. I post some pics of my 8E soon.

I suggest mounting the trolling motor on the front. You will need to turn the head 180 degrees to get the handle facing you. Do this by removing one screw, turning it, and replacing the screw. I also use a tiller extension. I set the battery behind me. Because I cannot handle the weight of big batteries, I use a size 22 AGM battery from Cabelas (35 lbs vs. 70 or more). I have a 40 lb. thrust MK on the bow and it works great without a rudder in light winds. The shape of the pontoons help to keep the boat going in a straight line. More advise: run the motor below top speed whenever possible. On my 5-speed MK, the top speed draws double the amps as the #4 speed. The amp draw is like: 5, 10, 15, 20, 40. My battery never runs down in a day of fishing. I charge it with a 20 year old Sears 2-6 amp charger. Hope this helps.

My 2002 Ford ranger works great for the Pelican Bass raider 8e. (I purposely bought this boat so I could handle it by myself). I cut two 2x4's to lay in the notches of molded bed liner. The bed liner is made for doing this. Stapled some I/O carpet to the boards. I lift the end of the boat onto the tailgate, and push it up onto the carpeted boards, so the rim of the boat sets just above the top of the truck bed. Strap it down and go! When it's not in use, I stand my Bass raider up against the wall of my garage in a "cradle" made from scrap wood and a strap to hold it upright. I'll try to add some pictures soon.

I have a Pelican 8e. Many of my modifications were described in earlier postings. Regarding rod hold-downs, I tried a few things, but now use the little bungee and catch loop from TH Marine. I bought 3 on eBay -- 2 for the boat and one mounted on top of my pickup tailgate for when I drive to the pond without the boat. Because they are about 12" long, you need to mount them at a diagonal on each rail of the 8e. They work great, since the reels can rest down in the molded side rails and the strap keeps them from bouncing out. Just drill tiny holes, squirt some sealer on the screw and tighten down. The board mounted above the rails with a Velcro strap look scary to me, as a rod could more easily go over when you loosen the strap.

There is a smaller, powerful trolling motor battery available: the AGM from Cabelas. I use the size 22 version, which weighs about 35 pounds. I have never had it run down during a day of fishing with a MK Endura 40. Also available are the newer Lithiun Ion batteries, but the cost is very high.

Regarding the rudder: I cut a slot in a 3' piece of 1" PVC. Slid an old aluminum license plate into the slot vertically, and ran a small bolt through to hold it. I have not yet perfected a way to attach to the transom. I run my MK trolling motor on the bow transom (front), and have never had a problem steering or side slipping. But I don't go out on windy days!

You can easily mount a Fishing Buddy finder on the side of a Bass raider, instead of the front or back. Just use a short 1x2 or make an L-shaped block of wood to get the clamp tightened up against the plastic sidewall. (there is a photo of this back in this forum). Swing the hole for the finder to the outside and go! I also attach the finder to a screw eye with a short nylon rope in case it slips from my hand.

I use a Hummingbird Fishing Buddy 130 on my Pelican 8E. It works OK for showing depth, weeds, and surface temp. You can play with the sensitivity to show fish or other objects in the water, but not sure it's very accurate for fish (please post any tips for optimal use, guys). Also, I continue to try different wood or plastic shims behind and under the clamp, to get it to hold firmly on the boat rail (a short wooden 1x2 works well). Finally, use fresh "super" AA batteries and attach the unit to your boat with a short cord in case it slip overboard (I use an old nylon stringer cord with a small karabiner hooked to an eye bolt).

That boat sounds messed up. That plastic should not sag. Mine floats like a cork, high and dry. Sounds like those pontoons are taking on water. before sealing it up (I hope you can) be sure to dry it all out and be sure the foam is in decent shape.