Anyone know how thick is most of the plastic on this type of boat? Can I use very short screws to attach light stuff (cup holders) to the top of the rails with out puncturing all the way through?

 You can't use short screws WITHOUT going all the way thru the plastic because It's only about an 1/8 of an inch thick.  But, for mounting light duty stuff just use short screws about a 1/2" long and use 3M marine sealant/adhesive on the screw and flange of whatever you are mounting.  You will be fine.   

5 hours ago, waverider969 said:

Anyone know how thick is most of the plastic on this type of boat? Can I use very short screws to attach light stuff (cup holders) to the top of the rails with out puncturing all the way through?

How about the command strips?

5 hours ago, waverider969 said:

Anyone know how thick is most of the plastic on this type of boat? Can I use very short screws to attach light stuff (cup holders) to the top of the rails with out puncturing all the way through?

Yes. You can use screws as long as they’re above the water line and put a little marine silicone around the screw head. I’ve screwed down my casting deck, fish finder,Scotty transducer arm,cell phone mount and a couple other things with no problems 

I have both an old Bass Raider 10E and a new Sundolphin Sportsman.  I have always run the motors on the back of the boats but I want to try a 30# on the front of the Sundolphin.  Is it absolutely necessary to use a circuit breaker when doing this?

No it isn't necessary, but you are risking damaging the motor or wiring if you don't.  All an in-line circuit breaker is is essentially the weak link in the chain, so if something happens, it pops first, stopping any damage or fire.

 

On the Pond Prowlers, the wiring to the front of the boat is pre-run at the factory and includes a small breaker in the connection side to the battery.  Is this not the case for bass Raiders or Sundolphins?  If not, most any marine hardware or BPS should have the breaker you want.

Thanks for the quick reply.  I'll pick up an in-line circuit breaker just to be on the safe side because as far as I can tell neither boat has one in the pre-run wiring.

 

Howdy, I just purchased an 8 foot sun dolphin sportsman at a bass pro in Tx. I already had a 2.5 hp mercury outboard and a little (unknown thrust) manual deploy foot control trolling motor. I plan to build a deck and put both motors on the boat. I have lots of questions/ideas, but will try to limit it to the most pressing for now. 

 

1. When I bought my boat at bass pro, they claimed they would handle the registration. I paid around $50 and filled out a form 143. Me and the cashier were both unsure on what the actual procedure was, but best I can tell, bass pro will send the pwd 143 form to tpwd, after which I can go get a title from the towd office? If anyone knows more on this process, please let me know. I'm more concerned about when this will happen, than if, as I was wanting to fish in the next couple days.

 

2. Has anyone stored their boat on its side, and if so did you experience any issues with warping? I need to be able to take up as little space as possible, and don't have the luxury if being able to instal a lift of any sorts. I was thinking of making a cart to hold the boat on its side and allow it to be rolled up against a wall. 

 

I have been through a good portion of this thread, but can't honestly say I've been through all 121 pages YET... so if these are repeat questions or have already been covered, i do apologize. Thanks. 

For question #2, I believe more of the strength of the boat is front to back as opposed to side to side, so it may be better to store it vertically as opposed to on its side.  I know that sounds counter intuitive, I am just basing it on how I see the boat flex when it is out of the water.  I have turned it on its side as well as lifted it up lengthwise and it just feels more stable when vertical.

 

Now that i think about it, rather than trusting what I believe, it might be worth a call to the manufacturer.  I could be way off & I would hate to cause damage to your new boat when the manufacturer recommends something else.

1 hour ago, John Walter Sewell said:

When I bought mine at Academy in TX I didn’t pay them anything for registration.

 They sent the paperwork off and I had to wait for documents to come in the mail to get my title and registration at TPWD. 

Academy gave me a printed temp registration that was good for 15 days. I stuck it in a gallon freezer bag and taped it to the side of the boat. 

It all checked out when the game warden stopped me for a safely check the day I bought it. ?

 

I store mine on its side so I can fit it in a 10x10 storage unit. It’s been like this for a year and I don’t notice any issues from storing it on its side. 

Hmm,  I might have to call bass pro and make a quick trip to the tpwd office. I asked what documentation I needed to keep for myself/what further action I needed to take and  was told "All I know is that you're supposed to pay $59 and fill out this form that I give it to the lady in the back" and of course the "lady in the back" was gone that day and couldn't clarify. I guess part of this falls on me for not knowing the registation process beforehand. 

 

As for the storage issue, I'll definitely call the manufacturer and see what they say, but it's encouraging to hear that it's been stored in a similar way without issue.

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.

First of all I'm 65 years old and I commonly camp "in a van down by the river." Launching a Sportsman 8 is not too bad using an extended dolly, but how do you get it recovered and loaded without a trailer on a boat (slippery) ramp by yourself? Posted this a couple months ago and wondered if anyone had an idea I haven't thought of. I do not want a trailer to store. Thanks.

 

BTW, I too store mine vertically resting on 4" polyfoam. 

1 hour ago, Tuna said:

First of all I'm 65 years old and I commonly camp "in a van down by the river." Launching a Sportsman 8 is not too bad using an extended dolly, but how do you get it recovered and loaded without a trailer on a boat (slippery) ramp by yourself? Posted this a couple months ago and wondered if anyone had an idea I haven't thought of. I do not want a trailer to store. Thanks.

 

BTW, I too store mine vertically resting on 4" polyfoam. 

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. 

Thanks, I have the dolly to make launches and recoveries at kayak type launch areas. I am looking for solutions for concrete boat ramps that have moss or vegetation attached below the waterline.

I haven't taken the time to read this very long old 121 page thread.

My late brother had one of these boats and made up a double sling harness with pulleys to lift the boat to his garage ceiling and lower down onto his pick up bed. He could do this alone easily. Bob also added retractable wheels to the transum that he used to launch the boat with. The wheels lifted up out of the water when in the water and worked good for him. I think West Marine has them.

He could lift the bow by hand and roll the boat into or out of the water, lift the bow onto the pick up tail gate, then push the boat into the bed by him self.

He liked his plastic boat, I didn't think it was safe.

Tom

1 hour ago, WRB said:

...He liked his plastic boat, I didn't think it was safe.

Tom

It really depends on the body of water you are on.  My Pond Prowler on Lake Forest is very safe & handy to get back into narrow areas.  Same boat on Lake Mead is a deathtrap, you will capsize when the first set of rollers from the afternoon wind come rolling in, even if you hide out in a cove.

 

Small lakes where the wind does not create rollers and most of the lake is no wake zones are its wheelhouse.  Using it outside of that is just using the wrong tool for the job.

hey guys what do I need to complete that positive terminal wire? pic attached 

What's the better choice between a lightly used late model pond hopper with 45lb endura Maxx motor and an older bass hound with 30lb Minn kota trolling motor, 2 stroke Evinrude, and trailer, if both were priced close to $1000?

On 9/1/2019 at 1:43 AM, @reelChris said:

What's the better choice between a lightly used late model pond hopper with 45lb endura Maxx motor and an older bass hound with 30lb Minn kota trolling motor, 2 stroke Evinrude, and trailer, if both were priced close to $1000?

While we're at it - add the bass tender 11.3 into the equation, also with older electric and gas motors, but no trailer.   

Wow.  121 pages and nine years of posts, and I killed the thread with two questions!

 

In hope of restarting this discussion, I ended up answering myself by going with none of the options mentioned above.  I found an older Sun Dolphin 120 that came loaded with outboard, gas tanks, foot controlled trolling motor, battery, fish finder, life preservers and trailer.  It has some tears in the seats, dings and ugly plastic repairs, but I'm pleased with the deal overall.  That being said, does anyone know if cracks like these can be fixed?  Someone obviously tried to hoist the boat by the rails and cracked the plastic where the rails insert on both sides.

On 9/8/2019 at 10:53 PM, @reelChris said:

Wow.  121 pages and nine years of posts, and I killed the thread with two questions!

 

In hope of restarting this discussion, I ended up answering myself by going with none of the options mentioned above.  I found an older Sun Dolphin 120 that came loaded with outboard, gas tanks, foot controlled trolling motor, battery, fish finder, life preservers and trailer.  It has some tears in the seats, dings and ugly plastic repairs, but I'm pleased with the deal overall.  That being said, does anyone know if cracks like these can be fixed?  Someone obviously tried to hoist the boat by the rails and cracked the plastic where the rails insert on both sides.

I would think it could be repaired. I've never had to do it, but I'd say try JB Weld or go on you tube and look at videos on "plastic welding." Good luck and happy fishing!!

Anyone put kayak rail systems like yakattack geartrac on their plastic boats? If so how well did it work for you?  I am think of mounting my transducer and fish finder on them. 

Hey there guy's and gal's. I've been away from the thread for a while. I've done quite a bit of fishing from the Raider. I must say, I love my 10E. No new mods keeping it pretty simple. 3/8" plywood floor with harbor freight anti fatigue mat glued to the wood and covered with gray outdoor carpet. 32lb minn kota on the front, group 29 deep cycle in the back and a Bigfoot switch screwed to the floor. I have a small garmin fish finder with a scotty mount for the transducer. A 7" seat riser and a comfortable seat. Just the basics. I keep the boat in the water. I have a small pond behind my house. The best mod I've done was adding a drain hole in the stern. I picked up a thru hull filling at West Marine used the correct size hole saw, a bit of 5200 and bam no more water in the floor. The reel pockets on the other hand... Can't have everything. I've taken the boat to several lakes in my area. The only problem I've run into is fishing flooded timber. Running one pontoon up on a submerged stump can be a bit unnerving. Add in wind and chop and it can make for a bad day. For the most part I pick my days, windy days I stay home. If the wind starts to pick up, I'm headed to the truck. I caught lots of fish out of my Raider and plan on catching lots more.

Hello all, I just purchased an older pelican 10e and the floor is bubbled upwards in the front portion of the boat. considering boiling water with towels. The bubbled area is considerably softer and more flexible than the rest of the boat so I’m somewhat concerned that its irreparable. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.