Bomber7

I'd like to see a picture if you have any - been thinking of doing that to my Sun Dolphin Sportsman 8' - just not sure how to mount one. Right now I have my MK TM mounted to the bow and have a big foot switch on it. Does pretty good just to steer I have to of couse use my hands.

nice - is that a foot control TM you have on your Raider?? if so you have any pictures on the set up?

what did you catch her with?

Nice!!!

I have one on mine - awesome little invention

Like BadBassWV stated the only regret I had at first was getting the 30lb MK - I guess fortunately for me I got a little lucky if you want to call it that, cause I had my drive pin break a few months after purchasing it. I took it back to Dick's - they had no problem with me upgrading to a 55 lb I only had to paid the difference. I think had I just wanted my money back they would have told me to send it back to Minn Kota - which would have been a hastle waiting for it to be repaired or a part to be sent. The 55 lb is a huge difference and I'm glad I have it now. I got you IM and answered back You will love your new boat - I never thought I would have this much fun with one of these pond hoppers -

Nice fish but I think you forgot your dog lol

Welcome aboard and I know you will enjoy your boat - one of the best inventions next to slice bread lol - can't wait to see your pictures - I love seeing different things people here have done to their boats. Gives me many ideas and helpful hints for my boat. Now if spring would finally show up here in Nebraska I can get my boat back on the water.

I only fish no wake lakes so haven't had it against big wakes but the ones I have the boat seems to do very well. Hope this helps

I just load and unload it from the back of my pickup truck - it's not too heavy unless of course I don't take out the battery, etc first. Sometimes I back the tailgate to where it is almost touching the water and unload it from there. It just slides right into the water - but that is at a concrete boat ramp with a dock. I would never try that from a soft bank. I load it in my truck stern first so it rest flat against the bed wall - if I use the tailgate to the water method to load it in I tie a rope to the two handles and left it up and the tailgate and then pull it in.

I have one and love it - I made a lot of modifications to it as well - I posted pictures on other threads about these little boats.

I'm thinking of doing that to my seats too

I have a sportsman sundolphin 8 foot boat - the thing I like about it is the deep side trays. I posted pictures of all the mods I have made to it on other threads about these types of boats - I can here if you want just let me know. I know you asked about powlers or pelicans and I think it's just personal preference, I'm very happy with my boat so glad I purchased it.

yeah I took my floor measurements to Lowes and they cut it for me - then I stapled the marine carpet to it. I mounted two handles so I could lift it out easy. Also put in a big foot switch for my MK TM. the rod holders work out great - only problem is I have so many rods set up for different fish - trying to figure out a better way to bring them all as some times I don't know what I'm gonna fish for.

the same boat I got - I posted many pictures in this thread of all the mods I made to it. If you need any help or suggestions just ask.

yeah that is the only draw back not having it to openly move up if it hits the bottom in shallow water or a stump - I usually just watch my depth finder pretty close if I'm getting in around shallow water, stumps well that is another problem. Most of the time when I'm in and around the trees (which we have lots of lakes that do) I am putting around in low speed, so if it hits one not the big of a deal as I just come to a stop. I might try taking the lock pins out and see if that works ... plus I have alots of other mods I'm thinking about once it warms up here some ..... yuck gonna hit -10 wind chill in the next few days ..... come on spring and summer get here already LOL We are getting a new no wake lake built close by and from looking at google earth there are a lot of trees that will soon be under water and honey holes for many of the fish they will stock it with .... can't wait. So it will make it 4 of these lakes within minutes of each other, I like to bounce from lake to lake if fishing is going slow and these little boats are great for doing just that.

Here is a photo of the rudder I made - basically is was metal I got from a road sign, a friend of mine cut it down to size and I used a steel pipe I got at Lowes. I purchased an MK TM bracket off e-bay for $30 and it works great cause if I need to adjust for different depths and shallow water I can - plus I can also tilt it up out of the water if needed.

nice fishies both basshead1 and py8pointer - my hunting season is coming to a close soon and I have been dreaming of landing a few big fish this up coming fishing season - just right now everything is frozen. I'll have my little pond boat out in full force once all the ponds thaw out.

These little boats are tons of fun - only got mine last year and even though I'm tied up with chasing whitetails right now and plus everything is frozen, I can't wait to hit the ponds in search of a whooper like you are holding there. Nice fish - I've have done plenty of different mods to my boat too - a lot of which I got the ideas from this thread. Plus it's fun looking at all the pictures people post of their rides.

I just measured my floor and took the measurements to Lowes - I bought a sheet of plywood and they cut it for me - fits perfectly. my floor width is the same front and back - so I just measured that and the length I needed. I know you asked this a while ago - I haven't been on this thread in a while so hope it helps.

if you are interested in making any modifications in the future a good thread to look at is at the link below. Lots of good stuff in there - when I first bought my pond hopper I never knew they were so popular. I was thinking of eventually getting a nice bass boat but since most of the lakes around here are no wake/5 mph restrictions I figured that I would hardly get it out on water where I could open her up. So the pond boat is more practical for now (still dreaming of one someday). Anyway this thread is full of pictures and instructions of what others have done to their boats. I have made some nice adjustments to mine and now it's a very confortable boat to fish from. I mostly go alone so it is set up that way but I can throw my second seat in it if I need to. The best thing I did was move the TM to the bow and a rudder on the stern to keep it from bouncing around. Works great!! I also put in a plywood floor with a bigfoot peddle for the TM and I love that. There are about 60 pages in this thread but well worth the look. http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/25442-any-pelican-bass-raider-owners-out-there/

Here is what I did for pole holders - if you don't mind drilling a few small holes into the plastic - get rubber grommets (Home Depot/Lowe's) and those rod holders that push into the ground when fishing from the banks (I got mind at Walmart) - they work great and I can adjust the angle to them as well. I also mounted rod storage that run length wise on one side of my boat - I can still fit small items underneath the rods.

sounds like you had a good time out. I had mine out this morning on Lake Wanahoo just west of Omaha - weather was awesome - nice and cool. Caught a few LMs - nothing to write home about but fun just the same. Here's a picture from my boat at the beautiful sunrise. Life is good.

I bought a mounting bracket for a Minn Kota TM off ebay for like $30 and I'm glad I did cause several times while fishing shallow water I have had to tilt it up cause it was hitting bottom. Not sure how something that doesn't tilt would work if in shallows. Anyway I tried to find it again on ebay with no luck but here is a site that does have them - a few more bucks then what I paid but just thought I would provide it anyway. The steal pipe I used I got at Lowe's and the sheet metal I got from a friend - but I have seen where someone used a piece of plexiglass - I'm sure you can get that at Lowe's or Home Depot as well. http://www.northlandmarine.com/MinnKotaTransomMountBracket07.htm

Cool I'm sure you will enjoy it - I have used mine every week since I purchased it back in June this year. Not sure about the waters in your area but here in Omaha Nebraska area there are several nice "no Wake" lakes so these pond hoppers are a perfect fit.