On 2/5/2021 at 8:26 PM, Captain Ken said:

Wow. What a wealth of information. Thank you! 

 

I just picked up my Pelican last night and brought her home. I went to the Bass Pro Shop looking to by a Pond Prowler but came home with a Pelican. I liked the seats better and it's a little wider (more stability) and the guy talked me into it.

 

I'll be fishing on a little lake I live on that is 1/2 mile long by about 50 years wide. The guy also talked me into a 30 pound thrust trolling motor when I was looking to buy a 45-55. I have not opened the box yet and I think I'm going swap it out for the bigger one. Thoughts?

 

Thanks again for this tread and I'm excited about doing some mods.

I picked up my new boat like yours a couple of days ago. Here in IL was snowing and driving freezing rain loaded in the snow so didn’t uncover before leaving for the 100 mi trip home. The next day I took of the plastic and found I had no swivel plates on the bottom of my seats . Called the Bass Pro Shop where purchased and they are ordering them. Also discovered damage to the black trim piece that goes around the belt line of the boat. Very, very disappointing start to my new 10E ownership.  Btw I bought the Endura 45 Max and a Garmin Striker 5 finder. 

Hey guys. Any pics of mounting a modern foot controlled trolling motor on the box of a 8' Pelican? In my case I'm running a Bass Baby but more or less the same configuration.

 

I currently have a Motorguide Bulldog which attaches to the front using a transom-style mount but I want to upgrade and get a variable speed unit. The 5 speeds of the Bulldog make it hard to get the right slow speeds I want, worse when the wind blows.

 

Want to see pics of how folks mounted the base since it can get in the way on such a small boat.

3 hours ago, wasabi_VA said:

Hey guys. Any pics of mounting a modern foot controlled trolling motor on the box of a 8' Pelican? In my case I'm running a Bass Baby but more or less the same configuration.

 

I currently have a Motorguide Bulldog which attaches to the front using a transom-style mount but I want to upgrade and get a variable speed unit. The 5 speeds of the Bulldog make it hard to get the right slow speeds I want, worse when the wind blows.

 

Want to see pics of how folks mounted the base since it can get in the way on such a small boat.

The endura max is variable speed and works perfect for these little boats. 

Ultimate setups. Look at the Troll King on both boats. 
 

 

 

What trailer do y'all recommend for transporting these Pelican/Bass Hunter boats? I would like to hit the highway and take the boat to the in-laws about 3.5 hours away.  Would a utility trailer or jet ski trailer be better? 

I use a Harbor Freight 4x8 trailer. Bought it for $289 a couple years ago. On mine I put a sheet of plywood on top. Works fine.

Hey all,

 

New 10E owner here, got the boat out once before winter hit and am now looking forward to several mods, and building my harbor freight trailer. One question I have is how do you manage weight distribution on your boat?  small outboard, marine battery and me all towards the back of the boat seems like a lot of weight at the rear of the boat. Do you move your battery forward? If so, how do you secure it?

On 2/10/2021 at 10:30 AM, wasabi_VA said:

I use a Harbor Freight 4x8 trailer. Bought it for $289 a couple years ago. On mine I put a sheet of plywood on top. Works fine.

That's what I bought and I just carpeted the plywood and now about to bolt it to the trailer. Next I'd like to add a winch. Any ideas on how to do that?

I've added the floor and did it in 2 sections so the front section I can pick up, turn sideways, and it becomes a casting deck. The trailer is almost done and I hope to be fishing by March. More mods to go. This is fun!

Looks awesome, Captain Ken! I still can't believe the bass raider comes with those nice chairs now. I think your dog is excited to go fishing!

On 2/5/2021 at 8:26 PM, Captain Ken said:

Wow. What a wealth of information. Thank you! 

 

I just picked up my Pelican last night and brought her home. I went to the Bass Pro Shop looking to by a Pond Prowler but came home with a Pelican. I liked the seats better and it's a little wider (more stability) and the guy talked me into it.

 

I'll be fishing on a little lake I live on that is 1/2 mile long by about 50 years wide. The guy also talked me into a 30 pound thrust trolling motor when I was looking to buy a 45-55. I have not opened the box yet and I think I'm going swap it out for the bigger one. Thoughts?

 

Thanks again for this tread and I'm excited about doing some mods.

 

On 11/29/2020 at 9:49 AM, Christ2000 said:

Hello i just waiting my PELICAN BASS RAIDER 10e, i want to use in saltwater inlet, what are your recommendation on this? manufacture just recommend me clean with freshwater after use

 

Thanks

New here but been reading this thread for YEARS. 

On 2/25/2021 at 10:36 AM, Doug k9crt said:

 

Wow they upgraded the seats. Mine is just like yours but came with the plastic ones. I upgraded to the low back padded seats. My back and under my thighs have never been happier.

I now have to keep my 8' BassBaby outside the garage and need a cover. I tried a 10'x12' tarp but it's a pain to hook up and remove with bungies. Does anybody have any experience with the aftermarket covers for these size boats? I see several at Amazon, BassPro, etc.

On 7/12/2020 at 8:08 PM, D Rock said:

Anyone ever taken these little boats to the saltwater? Any problems? 

New here and just read this post. There is a fella on youtube whose handle is Zoffinger and he uses the BR exclusively in saltwater. Might find some good info there. 

BTW, I have seen your youtube vids and they have been a wealth of information. 

For those hesitant about drilling holes in your boat, the Bass Pro Lunker Lounger chair comes with 2 rod holders that clamp onto the legs. I put those on the seat frame of my BR and it fits snuggly. Gonna buy another chair for the Wife and use the other 2 for the other BR seat frame. When you want to ise them for the lounger, just clamp them back on.

There's a new version of the Bass Raider in stores.  I went to Academy and looked at one this evening.  On the side, it says 10e NXT.  I looked it up right there in store and only BPS and Cabelas have any info on it.  https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/pelican-bass-raider-10e-nxt-fishing-boat

 

The boat pretty is pretty much the same, but with upgraded chairs. 

 

I have tried to contact Pelican about buying those chairs but no response. They look comfortable.

On 3/4/2021 at 8:49 PM, stlwx21 said:

There's a new version of the Bass Raider in stores.  I went to Academy and looked at one this evening.  On the side, it says 10e NXT.  I looked it up right there in store and only BPS and Cabelas have any info on it.  https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/pelican-bass-raider-10e-nxt-fishing-boat

 

The boat pretty is pretty much the same, but with upgraded chairs. 

 

That's the one I got and my maiden voyage was today. I love it and the chairs are wonderful. Thanks for all the help guys. It turning out perfect!

What size rivets are y'all using for these boats? Are y'all applying sealant after using the rivets? If so, what kind? 

 

Thanks

i, too, had problems with the 10e nxt i picked up a few days ago at BPS. the rub rail had a gash in it - it was only packaged in a single sheet of thick plastic...very disappointing. also, i ordered the nxt, not the 10e and the side of the boat says "10e". watched a video about this boat before i ordered it, and the pelican guy points out the nice, new "metallic" gray color of the top hull on the "upgraded" nxt, but mine is a flat gray. 

waiting to hear back from bps about returning this one ?

does your nxt have a "metallic color" upper hull?

i just received this leader cover and put it on my bass raider nxt. the nxt is just slightly over 10' long and the cover fits just ok. it will cover the whole boat, but loosely and rain is going to pool on top. it will only fit if the seats are folded down. it has elastic around the edge but not a string to tighten. no straps to tighten if we took the boat on the road.

Leader Accessories Molded Pond Boat Cover Fits 8'-10'L Pond or Bass Boats

On 3/10/2021 at 8:08 AM, Carol Scotece Minton said:

i, too, had problems with the 10e nxt i picked up a few days ago at BPS. the rub rail had a gash in it - it was only packaged in a single sheet of thick plastic...very disappointing. also, i ordered the nxt, not the 10e and the side of the boat says "10e". watched a video about this boat before i ordered it, and the pelican guy points out the nice, new "metallic" gray color of the top hull on the "upgraded" nxt, but mine is a flat gray. 

waiting to hear back from bps about returning this one ?

does your nxt have a "metallic color" upper hull?

My 10e came with a big cut in the rub rail and kept getting worse. Pelican sent me a new rub rail. But when I installed it the corner’s don’t look as good as it did from the factory.

I have a field and stream angler 10 and I’m curious about what electronics everyone is running. I have a hummingbird piranhamax DI and a garmin Stryker 4. I run sonar on one and mapping on the other or if someone is fishing with me I’ll run sonar on both and put one in the back. I’m wanting to get a singlet unit that will do everything I need. I would prefer something with clearer sonar. 
 

Also, is a casting deck reasonable if you plan to fish with another person?

I have a BP Pond Prowler 8 (Sundolphin) that I use to fish a small lake near my house. Motors are not allowed, so I paddle the boat around the lake.  However, the thing basically tries to spin in circles when you dig in on one side. Too much energy goes into spinning the boat instead of propelling it forward, and I constantly fight keeping the boat headed in one direction. 

 

I've read a lot about rudders in this thread. Would a rudder give a substantial improvement? 

You need a front and rear keel of some type.

For me, I use a trolling motor on front and on the rear, the (non-locking) vertical shaft and mount of an old trolling motor. I attached a 1/4" x 8" x 10 wally world cutting board to the vertical shaft which sits 2" under the surface. Since I use a removable sole (deck) so if I need to, I stand up to paddle with an adjustable SUP paddle. Best paddle option in my opinion.