Hello folks I'm new to this group. Like a lot of you, I have a Bass raider 10E. I had been searching for a used one for a number of years. I've gone and looked at a couple that were beat to death and of different makes. I found the one I've got now on Craigslist shortly before Christmas. My wife was nice enough to buy it for me as an early Christmas present. She talked the guy down to $300 and we loaded in my truck. Did I mention all this took place in the rain? I'd post some pics but I'm at work and will be till the 23rd. 

    When I got it, The boat was unmodified. It came with the old style non foldable seats, paddle, mushroom anchor, and most importantly a title. I had a Minn Kota 32lb thrust Trolling motor tucked away in the garage. Let the games begin. Now to be open I have a 17' Bass boat, 25' offshore boat, and I'm a Chief engineer on a 300' offshore supply vessel. You could say boats are my second language. First day home I robbed a battery out of the bass boat, replaced one of the seats with a folding seat I had on the shelf secured the TM to the bow and launched the Raider in my backyard pond. The maiden voyage went fine but I quickly noticed the TM wouldn't clamp tight enough to stay secure, I needed a deck and a bigfoot button. Not a problem. To Lowes I went, I picked up a 3/8" piece of ply wood and had them rip in two pieces. 20" for the "test" Floor and the remainder for general purpose. I also picked up a Trolling motor plug and socket to replace the stock unit. That was a simple install. To remedy the clamping issue I was having I cut a small piece of the left over plywood to the exact size as the front motor mount on the boat. I removed the two screw on the inside and used them to secure the wood. The trolling motor jaws open just wide enough to fit and they bite really well on the wood. Problem solved. I had to go back to work I returned home the day after Christmas. We did our family Christmas the next morning. I got a Garmin 4(something) combo unit. Still not wanting to put holes in the hull I tried mounting the transducer to the tm foot and I mounted the unit on top of the trolling motor, robbing power from the motor. Basically making the Garmin and the motor one neat package. Works great in theory. Not so much in practice. Sitting still it works perfectly, turn on the motor not so good. Ok strike one. Wanting to be able to easily remove the motor the transducer needed to be moved as well. Theres more to the story but this is becoming a book. Stay tuned. To be continued. 

Hello .I am new to this also. I am interested in getting a two man. Was wandering, is this bass raider 10 e the most popular 2 man for mods?

        Hello again. Lets see I last left off at,  strike one one with depth finder location. I promise I'll post pictures of my build when I get off the ship. However, I did not take any pictures of the Garmin mounted to the trolling motor. It was pretty slick but, as I mentioned before the electrical interference was horrible. So from there I decided to mount the transducer to the back of the hull.  Not wanting to put any screw holes below the water line, I decided I needed to install a mounting block. The back of the pontoons are rounder so simply gorilla glueing a piece of wood to the back would be a bit more complicated. No problem, I broke out the grinder. I cut a 6" pieces of 5/4 deck board that I had on hand and started sanding it to fit. I used a 36 grit flapper wheel on an angle grinder. A spindle sander would have been ideal but.... I don't have one. It took a bit of time but I managed fit the block fairly well to the shape of the hull. Next a liberal amount of Gorilla glue and I slapped it on the hull. I used Electrical tape to secure it in place till the glue dried. Duct tape would have probably been better, but I had electrical tape on hand. Once it was dry I simply screwed the bracket to the block and mounted the transducer, leaving the hinge bolt loose enough for the transducer to ratchet freely if it hits something. Transducer mounted, Check. I mounted the unit on the plywood flood and simply ran the wires along the edge of the floor securing them with insulated staples. As I mentioned this floor is the test piece. Once I fish it a few times I'll move things around till I like it. Then I'll worry about wire routing thru and under the floor.

          Another short coming I noticed after leaving the boat out in the rain was the lack of scuppers. Easy fix, road trip to West Marine. I picked up a 3/4" thru hull fitting, 3/4" bait well plug and a Bigfoot switch for the trolling motor. Back home I used a 1" hole saw to cut the hole for the thru hull fitting. I cut it in the molded recessed area in the stern. Ran a bead of 5200 around the fitting and stabbed it in the hole. Next a light bead around the mounting nut and tightened it as much as I could by hand, then one more full turn with pliers. The hull is hollow so I didn't want to over tighten. Once the 5200 sets up its permanent. I bought a plug for the drain just in case water comes in with me in the boat. Im happy to report it does not. I also picked up a cheap battery box from WalMart. I mounted the tie down strap brackets to the plywood in the stern with short brass screws. I mentioned before that I robbed this battery from my bass boat. Its a group 29 battery so its pretty stout as far as weight goes. When sitting empty in the water the battery keeps the stern just a touch lower this lets the new scupper work its magic. No more water in the boat. With out the expense of a bilge pump, automatic float switch, piping ect. 

      The Bigfoot switch was an easy install. I mounted it to the floor with short brass screws and ran the wires along the edge same as the depth finder. Cut and spliced into the negative wire going to the trolling motor plug. I did need to add a short piece, I simply matched the gauge that came stock with the boat. I think it's 10 gauge but I could be mistaken. So far thats all I've done. Once I'm happy with mounting locations I'll proceed with phase two. I will start with a new piece of plywood that I have on hand. Mainly because my first piece soaked overnight in rain water. I may possibly cover it with carpet or the anti fatigue mat from Harbor freight. Oh speaking of Harbor Freight I also built a simple dolly for the boat. But thats for another day. Stay Tuned.

Does anyone have any ideas on a rudder for my pelican bass raider ? I would love to set up my troller motor up front instead of in back .  The only problem is without the rudder my boat moves all over the place .

1 hour ago, Bearsfan67205 said:

Does anyone have any ideas on a rudder for my pelican bass raider ? I would love to set up my troller motor up front instead of in back .  The only problem is without the rudder my boat moves all over the place .

Several Ideas in this thread. This is what page 113. I've been reading it for several days now. Lots of good information here. Just start reading. Enjoy.

     Ok gang here's my question. Has anyone taken their Raider or similar style boat in swift current river? I live in Florida so most the rivers in my area are sand bottom. I have the Shoal river near my house. It's a pretty swift very windee river. Theres 2 places to launch on opposite ends of town.  As the crow flies its maybe five miles as the river twists its a 4 to 5 hour journey. I can stage the wife's car at the lower end, launch at the upper end and have her take my truck to the lower landing. I've made the trip several times. Although it's been many years ago in a 13' fiberglass river boat. I wouldn't dream of doing it in my 17' Bass boat. My Pelican on the other hand....That opens a new can of worms. I have a 32lb Minn Kota mounted on the front. I'm seriously considering getting a 55 for the back using it for a rudder and extra power for longer transits. I shouldn't need to worry about battery power the river will do most of the work. Plus its a pretty new 29 series battery I would be using the motor to basically slow my progress and keep outta the snags. I'm sure its stable enough. Not having a gas motor back up is my issue, I guess. 

5 hours ago, Bearsfan67205 said:

Does anyone have any ideas on a rudder for my pelican bass raider ?

I originally carved a piece of Plexiglas & clamped it on to an old trolling motor shaft that I had cut the motor & head unit off.  Later, I ended up using this (https://bullnoseproducts.com/rudder/) on the same TM shaft and it has worked great for years.

On 1/13/2019 at 11:25 AM, Bearsfan67205 said:

Does anyone have any ideas on a rudder for my pelican bass raider ? I would love to set up my troller motor up front instead of in back .  The only problem is without the rudder my boat moves all over the place .

If you balance enough weight to the rear it won’t need one. An extension handle on the trolling motor will help get your body back further 

On 11/26/2018 at 7:19 AM, Murphy S. Law said:

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I was actually able to start working a little on my new raider. I started with cutting 1/4" luan plywood for the floor. I then cut and fit some anti fatigue mats over that, that I bought at Harbor Freight for $7-8. 1 set came up 1/2 a piece short, so I bought 2 sets, and used the rest in my shop. I will prime/paint the luan for water proofing, and after any/all wiring of future mods is complete, I will velcro or double side tape the flooring to secure. I do want to be able to remove it easily when needed though. Cut width of luan was 20", and cut width for mat was 21".

 

 

That looks great. I’ve wanted to do something like this but nervous wind could get under it during highway trips somehow and fly out. Been thinking of a decent way to secure it

17 minutes ago, Dirt said:

If you balance enough weight to the rear it won’t need one. An extension handle on the trolling motor will help get your body back further 

That looks great. I’ve wanted to do something like this but nervous wind could get under it during highway trips somehow and fly out. Been thinking of a decent way to secure it

Well nuts would do the trick.

35 minutes ago, J Francho said:

Well nuts would do the trick.

That’s what I’ve been leaning towards. They’ve been mostly great for everything else I’ve attached on there

1 hour ago, Dirt said:

That looks great. I’ve wanted to do something like this but nervous wind could get under it during highway trips somehow and fly out. Been thinking of a decent way to secure it

Thanks. I didn't get around to securing it yet, and after taking the raider out for the first time this past Saturday, I really don't know if I will. I had all of my gear, tackle box, chair strapped upside down, carpeted deck, trolling motor and rudder laying in the floor while riding, and it didn't budge with all that stuff on top of it. I will post more pics of what I have accomplished on it so far soon.

Here is my rudder.

3 hours ago, Murphy S. Law said:

Here is my rudder.

Thats a new style trolling motor bracket! Must have been a Motor Guide to give up so soon. Just Kidding, LOL I've been waiting patiently (18years) for my 32lb Minn Kota to die. I really do like the looks of that. I was thinking about buying a new 55lb for the stern and adding a rudder to that. I've noticed if I sit farther back I don't have as many problems with it wandering. I'm in the 270 - 280 lb range, so I can make it pop a wheelie. lol.

Yep new bracket. I think it was  $33 on eBay. I couldn’t find a used one. Here is more on my rudder...

Replaced bolts with eye bolts to use bungee cord. This keeps the free swinging arm in place if an obstacle is encountered. Also a pic of a pin with a cotter pin to keep the lever latch on the bracket open to allow the rudder to free swing for obstacles.

I like it even better now! Outstanding Idea. What did you use for the shaft? PVC or did a shaft come with the bracket?

1 hour ago, Hi-Powered Red Neck said:

I like it even better now! Outstanding Idea. What did you use for the shaft? PVC or did a shaft come with the bracket?

3/4” x 30” metal pipe at Lowe’s in the plumbing section. I believe around $13 for this length.

The rudder fin is made from 3 pieces of 8”x10”x1/8” lexan plexiglass sandwiched together with ss bolts, nuts, and washers, and the whole shaft and fin was painted with 3 coats of krylon fusion spray paint. These little things add up. I have around $60 in the rudder assembly total!

My anchor control.

The trolling motor bracket screws kept trying to slip a little, so I have added skateboard grip tape on the front transom plate. Going to test tomorrow.

Garmin Striker 4cv. Wiring tbd, and still learning how to read.

Battery for my Garmin, Velcro’d to the tray... perfect fit.

Quick connect Anderson plugs soldered to all battery/tm wiring so I can easily swap the tm to the back if I want.

Also, my front tm plug is so tight getting in and out, this helps.

My emergency paddle.

My extendable gaff.

And finger?

Note, if I was to start over on the paddle and gaff mounts, I would use something different than the yak gear plastic ones here. They are too tight, they are not durable enough to properly tighten to the boat without cracking the mount itself, and were the biggest pita! I give them a 1 star for poor material/design. But once you drill the holes in your raider, it’s kind of too late to change mounts without doing something with the open holes. I ended up using rubber well nuts, but had to drill out the mount’s holes to fit larger bolts through. Again, BIG pita! They are really made for through hull where you can reach inside to apply nuts.

4 hours ago, Murphy S. Law said:

The trolling motor bracket screws kept trying to slip a little, so I have added skateboard grip tape on the front transom plate. Going to test tomorrow.

I had the same problem. My solution was a scrap piece of 3/8" ply wood. I cut it the same size as the forward transom plate. I removed the screws and used them to secure the plywood. The Trolling motor clamp opens just wide enough to go over it. And it really bites into the wood. No more trolling motor slippage. When I have to replace the plywood, I'm thinking about a 1/4" on each side. My TM shaft rubs on the rub rail in the fully down position. Its not that bad but sometimes I have to push the locking dogs into place after I've had the motor raised. I normally leave the boat in the water unless I'm pond hopping. I can only fish my little 5 acre pond so much. I work 14 on and 14 off. So when I'm home the raider lives in my truck during the week. I fish while the wife's at work and the boy is in school. When I get home I'll post pics of my build. I just got it for an early Christmas present. My 17' Glasstream already hates it. So much easier to load up and go. I've fished 6 ponds that I've been looking at for years now. Of course out of the six I'd as one was worth a return trip. I'm Chomping at the bit I get home the 23rd. This time home I'm finalizing the floor. I'm thinking of the harbor freight anti fatigue mat over plywood with some gray carpet covering the lot.

I used 2 spring locks on the right side attached them where the boat 1/2`s come together and made a pole out of 3/4 pvc sharpened 1 end filled it with sand made a handle for it like a flats boat push pole...oh I filled the sharp end with in with jb weld....I tie it to the bracket right rear and have had no issues...it kinda works like a power pole Sept way cheaper....if you can't push it in the bottom ot the lake it will at least float..it's 8 foot long....shoulda made it 10 ....if I go deeper I just drift....my g/f occupies the front so not to bad in the wind....hope this helps

Just food for thought, the academy sports that I purchased my bass raider from has not received any new bass raiders in store. They have, however placed one of the what looks like a pelican predator boat in the display space instead. Also, it looks like online, academy is still selling the bass raider, but have increased the price from $599.99 to $639.99. 

I have come to the humbling conclusion that I am too old to load and unload my raider into my Chevy Silverado bed. Actually, it is doable, but I don't want to have to keep unloading and reloading everything out of the raider just to be able to manage the task. I want to keep everything loaded to fish so I can pull up, put in water, fish, dock, get boat, and leave. 

So I have located an old harbor freight 4x8 trailer that I actually got for free. I am in the middle of updating everything on it to use for my raider. So far I have replaced the existing wheels/tires with new ones that I also got for free due to a recall hf has on them, and I have dismantled the frame from the axle, and removed the old plywood. I am now about 60% finished with grinding the old chipping paint and rust off so I can paint it black. I am also installing new led lights and wiring, and replacing plywood and carpeting. The local tag office will inspect it when finished, and tag/register it as a "homemade trailer". 

I can't wait to have it all come together, because I love this little boat, but I hate the loading/unloading process. Then again... maybe I'm just lazy.?