19 hours ago, AmmoGuy said:

Would a rudder give a substantial improvement? 

 

I could not believe how much a rudder made a difference. Absolutely mandatory for these boats!

1 hour ago, dman said:

 

I could not believe how much a rudder made a difference. Absolutely mandatory for these boats!

 

With a trolling motor on the front I bet a rear rudder/skeg helps a lot. 

Have you tried paddling with/without? Is it noticeable there too? 

I have paddles both ways. Just leave the TM unless an area has a lot of surface vegetation. The rear skeg is always down. I have this vertical shaft unlocked so it will kick up if a hit an obstruction. Since the vertical shaft is hollow I can use a 1/2" x 8' solid fiberglass rod with a cap on top as a stake out pole in less than 3 FOW. Fun in the sun, always wear some type of protection. I wear loose UV resistant non-cotton long sleeve shirts. Wind flows through too!

Year two of trying to find this boat, anyone know where I can pick one up? All my bass pros are sold out and they don't know when a restock is coming. 

1 hour ago, TriStateBassin106 said:

Year two of trying to find this boat, anyone know where I can pick one up? All my bass pros are sold out and they don't know when a restock is coming. 

Do a search on search tempest I seen a couple yesterday I don’t know how far your willing to go but there out there.

https://columbus.craigslist.org/boa/d/lewis-center-new-10ft-pelican-bass/7283569091.html

I have a 10 foot bass hunter. It has no keel/rudder. The first time I went out pretty much all I did was nearly go around in circles. Very difficult to control.

I thought maybe if I put some weight toward the other end it would handle better. I moved the seat as far as I could toward the middle and still be able to comfortably reach the TM handle. I also ran the battery as far foward as possible.

It handles great now. No rudder needed. Problem solved.?

So I just ran into a pretty big issue on my new Pond Prowler 8. 
 

First, the front “transom” is extremely flimsy. Just hand tightening the TM screws I fell like I’m going to break the flexible plastic. 
 

But the real issue, is that my Motorguide R3 apparently doesn’t have enough clearance to use on this boat?  When attached to the bow or stern, the rub rail on the boat will not allow the TM to go into a vertical position. Big issue. Not real sure what to do at this point. 

I have a Motorguide R3 on the older version Pond Prowler that doesn't have the problem you describe, it works great.

 

Can you post a picture of the interference so we can visualize it better and maybe offer a solution?

14 hours ago, OCdockskipper said:

I have a Motorguide R3 on the older version Pond Prowler that doesn't have the problem you describe, it works great.

 

Can you post a picture of the interference so we can visualize it better and maybe offer a solution?

You can see that the shaft is against the rub rail, but it is not clicked into the vertical position. 
 

I can add a 1/4” plywood spacer to move the motor outward, but by my measurements it’s still going to lightly hit the rail. I can’t add more than 1/4” because there isn’t room in the mount. 

 

I don't understand why they didn't put a plate over the bow "transom" like on the rear. I'll probably make one and add it. It's way too flexible as is. 

I had been looking at pictures of the Pond prowler 2 & not the Pond Prowler 8.  The front ends of those two boats are different, hence why I was unable to visualize what you are showing in the picture.

 

You are correct, that is a bad design.  If it doesn't look lousy, can you attach a 2x4 to the mounting area and make it slightly higher than the current mount?  That will push the motor out to clear the rub rail and give you a new mounting area that is not too thick for the mount itself.

On 3/30/2021 at 11:58 AM, TriStateBassin106 said:

Year two of trying to find this boat, anyone know where I can pick one up? All my bass pros are sold out and they don't know when a restock is coming. 

Our Dicks\Field & Stream store has them right out front. Call around, you might have to take an afternoon and travel to one but it will be worth it.

2 hours ago, OCdockskipper said:

I had been looking at pictures of the Pond prowler 2 & not the Pond Prowler 8.  The front ends of those two boats are different, hence why I was unable to visualize what you are showing in the picture.

 

You are correct, that is a bad design.  If it doesn't look lousy, can you attach a 2x4 to the mounting area and make it slightly higher than the current mount?  That will push the motor out to clear the rub rail and give you a new mounting area that is not too thick for the mount itself.

 

The bow mount area on the larger Pond Prowler 2 is almost identical. It is not wrapped with aluminum either. 

 

Raising the motor wouldn't help. It needs to be spaced away from the bow.  I tried a piece of 1/4" plywood and that KIND of works. The shaft still touches the rub rail, but it will at least click into position. 

 

I ordered some stainless sheet. I'm going to sheath it like the rear transom. 

19 hours ago, AmmoGuy said:

...Raising the motor wouldn't help. It needs to be spaced away from the bow.  

 

I ordered some stainless sheet. I'm going to sheath it like the rear transom. 

 

I meant a 2x4 attached to the front so that you gain space out, but attached in a manner so that it is higher than the existing mounting area (creating a new mounting area since the old one would now be too thick).

 

In any case, your solution sounds better.  Best of luck.

On 3/30/2021 at 11:24 PM, AmmoGuy said:

So I just ran into a pretty big issue on my new Pond Prowler 8. 
 

First, the front “transom” is extremely flimsy. Just hand tightening the TM screws I fell like I’m going to break the flexible plastic. 
 

But the real issue, is that my Motorguide R3 apparently doesn’t have enough clearance to use on this boat?  When attached to the bow or stern, the rub rail on the boat will not allow the TM to go into a vertical position. Big issue. Not real sure what to do at this point. 

I had the same problem, check bass hunter boats and look under accessories, they make a transom extender for trolling motors, I installed it on my Field & Stream angler 10, works great! https://basshunter.com/transom-mount-extension-4#transom-extension

Here is my Field & Stream Angler 10. Enjoy!!!

Threw together a prototype rudder this afternoon. If it works well, I’ll clean up the design and attach it via a TM tilting mount. 
 

I use a cut down ore on a trolling motor mount. It works perfect.

 

13 hours ago, Born 2 fish said:

I use a cut down ore on a trolling motor mount. It works perfect.

 

That’s a good idea. Nicely done. 
 

I have a machine and fab shop at my disposal, so it makes sense to just build from scratch. If I didn’t I’d definitely go the paddle route. 

51 minutes ago, AmmoGuy said:

That’s a good idea. Nicely done. 
 

I have a machine and fab shop at my disposal, so it makes sense to just build from scratch. If I didn’t I’d definitely go the paddle route. 

I also have a machine shop at my disposal i’m a tool and die maker. This was just to easy and it works perfect.  

 

 

4 minutes ago, Born 2 fish said:

I also have a machine shop at my disposal i’m a tool and die maker. This was just to easy and it works perfect.  

 

 

 KISS is usually the best answer. 

 

I’m intrigued to see how much difference the rudder makes. 

56 minutes ago, AmmoGuy said:

 KISS is usually the best answer. 

 

I’m intrigued to see how much difference the rudder makes. 

It makes a huge difference for me my trolling motor is mounted up front. Without the rudder down the back is all over.

Tried out the rudder.  Wow, the boat handles 1000% better. It’s a game changer. 
 

I need a favor from someone that has an Endura Max motor.  If someone could measure the distance from the mounting surface (red line) to the shaft, I’d appreciate it. 

 

On 3/30/2021 at 10:58 AM, TriStateBassin106 said:

Year two of trying to find this boat, anyone know where I can pick one up? All my bass pros are sold out and they don't know when a restock is coming. 

I just found a BR 10e NXT in stock this weekend at Bass Pro in St. Charles MO.

 

2 hours ago, Marc Hufnagel said:

I just found a BR 10e NXT in stock this weekend at Bass Pro in St. Charles MO.

 

I found a guy off Facebook Marketplace who's gonna sell me a 10E with upgraded seats and a hummingbird fish finder/trolling motor for 800$ best part about it is it's one town over for me. I'm going this evening to take a look at it. 

Does anyone use a Minn Kota Traxxis? 

 

It's time for a new TM, and my current motor is a Motorguide 30" shaft.  I hate having to hunch over every time I need to use the TM (I'm pretty tall).  I thought the best bet would either be a 36" Traxxis with the tilting handle, or a 42" Endura Maxx?  Thoughts? 

 

The only issue is the Traxxis doesn't seem to be available many places? BP/Cabelas says "this product is no longer available"?