benjyw44, for the type fishing we do around here, casting to above water trees/stumps, bow mount is the only way to go. It pulls the boat instead of pushes and is more controllable. A rudder makes it even more so but I still feel I will have to have a spring-loaded rudder due to hitting underwater stumps occasionally. I saw someone, I think way back on this thread (last year) who built one but it was uber-expensive due to it being a sailboat rudder. But it was also very nice. I would love to have a less expensive alternative!

EDIT:  BTW, I have an Endura 50 or 55 and it is also 36", I forget the exact model, and it pulls the boat plenty fast if I want to max out.

9 hours ago, benjyw44 said:

Okay all...  I'm close to buying a Bass Raider.  I'm looking at the Minn Kota Endura Max 55/36.  The only question I have is bow mount versus stern mount.  I see advantages of each.  It seems that the overwhelming majority of this thread prefers a bow mount with rudder over a stern mount.  Can you share any specific experiences on why one is better than the other?  Sure I can move it once it's on, but I'd rather mount it plus my Humminbird in the right location.  Your experiences will help me make that decision.  Thanks all!!!!

The Endura Max is great because your battery will last you a good 6-7 hour session with no problem. It's worth the extra 50 or 60 bucks for the Endura. I have the 45lb. I cruise with the motor on the back with no control issues whatsoever. A rudder is one less thing I need to drag along with me. I plan on picking up the Minnkota tiller extension so I can fish right in the middle of the boat and have a ton of room to stretch. Front or back mount?  To each his own, I guess. From my experience and what I read here you are good either way.

I suggest mounting the trolling motor on the front. You will need to turn the head 180 degrees to get the handle facing you. Do this by removing one screw, turning it, and replacing the screw. I also use a tiller extension. I set the battery behind me. Because I cannot handle the weight of big batteries, I use a size 22 AGM battery from Cabelas (35 lbs vs. 70 or more). I have a 40 lb. thrust MK on the bow and it works great without a rudder in light winds. The shape of the pontoons help to keep the boat going in a straight line. More advise: run the motor below top speed whenever possible. On my 5-speed MK, the top speed draws double the amps as the #4 speed. The amp draw is like: 5, 10, 15, 20, 40. My battery never runs down in a day of fishing. I charge it with a 20 year old Sears 2-6 amp charger. Hope this helps.

1 hour ago, fishcat said:

...Because I cannot handle the weight of big batteries, I use a size 22 AGM battery from Cabelas (35 lbs vs. 70 or more)...

You made a good post, learned a thing or two in there.

FWIW, my Everstart Maxx 24DC battery weighs 46 lbs. I looked up Cabela's Advanced Anglers AGM Size 22 battery, which is the size you mentioned, and it weighs 39 lbs. I am surprised there is so little difference. Your post made me want to look for a lighter battery I could use for my little pond jumper boat. I wonder if there is one. The Cabela's battery I posted about is not much lighter and also not much smaller. My Everstart is 11x7x8 and the Cabelas is 9 x 5.5 x 9.25. So... hmmm... makes me wonder if the Cabela's is 'anything special.' From my limited knowledge perspective, it just looks a little smaller and lighter, plus I guess it is sealed, so, that is an advantage. I guess every little bit of weight helps but wonder if there is a smaller 12v battery that would power a troll motor for several hours like these do.

Hmmm... found this -- http://www.cabelas.com/product/Battery-Tender-Lithium-ATV-UTV-Battery/1941345.uts?productVariantId=4071870&srccode=cii_17588969&cpncode=44-152839745-2&WT.tsrc=PPC&WT.mc_id=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=04080990&rid=20 --

Does this type of battery work for troll motors? Probably not? If so, why not? TIA.

 

Academy sports.Madison Tn. Close to Nashville has the 10e for 549.99 I have a pic of it but it's to large to post. 

 I bought Mine 2 weeks ago . it was a hassle to get the origin slip from thier main office though.

Hi guys...I haven't posted on here since I bought my Bass Raider a couple of years ago. Been really enjoying in on my little bass pond. 

My property is pretty remote, and I just pull my 10 ft BR up on the bank when I'm done and flip it over, taking the seats inside the camp to lock up when I leave. But I've started to get some poachers onto my property, and have had a few game cameras stolen, so now I'm starting to worry about leaving the boat sitting out by the pond. 

It's about 300 ft from the camp, so it would be a hassle to bring it in and out all the time. I'm wondering if any of y'all have any ideas or experience with locking a BR up? If it had a through-hull scupper like a SUP, I could run a locking cable through and then around a tree, but I don't see any way to run a cable through my BR in a way that a thief couldn't easily defeat (like through the handles).

Of course, I understand that a motivated thief with time on their hands could get through anything I do. I'm just trying to make it harder. I have security cameras on it from a distance, and I don't think most people would want to spend much time in front of them.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

22 hours ago, VoodooShot said:

Academy sports.Madison Tn. Close to Nashville has the 10e for 549.99 I have a pic of it but it's to large to post. 

 I bought Mine 2 weeks ago . it was a hassle to get the origin slip from thier main office though.

Certificate of Origin should be in the owner's manual, at least mine was.

Anybody here build a rack out of PVC that fits in the bed of a pick up for transporting your Pelican? I tow a camper with my tacoma and i want to take my Pelican with me on camping trips but with the overhang of the 10ft boat in my 6ft bed it will interfere with my camper while towing. I'm thinking of building a PVC rack that i can set in the bed then set my boat on top and secure it all with ratchet straps to the factory cargo hooks that's mounted in the bed. When i'm not using the boat i can simply lift the rack out of the bed of my truck and store it in my garage with the boat. I don't want a bolt on metal type rack, i never liked the looks of those. I want something that's easily removable when i'm not transporting my boat.

If it were me, I'd extend the trailer tongue. 

Took the new boat on a trial run last night with dad. 8 footer did ok. Obviously the 10 would've been more ideal but for the price I couldn't pass up the 8 footer. Came bare bones with no seats. We made 2 seats with milk crates, clamp on seat swivels and 2 fold down seats. Didn't have the battery or trolling motor on but I think we're gonna make it work. 

2 hours ago, wnspain said:

If it were me, I'd extend the trailer tongue. 

It's a fairly new camper, i don't want to modify the tongue or frame. I'm sure that would void my warranty. I just found pics online of homemade PVC boat /kayak racks online that's made to fit in the bed of a truck. This is one.

I see where you're going with that now. At first glance it seems kinda high, but I guess not much higher than having kayaks on top of an SUV.

The only possible issue you might have with the back higher than the front would be in a very hard rain that flat surface will flow a lot of water onto your cab and windshield. But that's probably not a big issue and the improved aerodynamics might make it the way to go.

Good luck -- looks like you found your plans there.

I've been reading online about PVC racks cracking at the joints causing the rack to fail. I couldn't live with myself if i caused a accident because my Pelican became airborne while driving down the highway. Now i'm looking to spend $300 on an aluminum TracRac from my local Home Depot. Anybody here use one of these to haul their boat? 

Hi Dave, PVC is meant to pass fluids not be a structural component although some use it in moderation.  So I drove 400 miles to Erie, pa for some Steelhead fishing, on Saturday I stopped by the Dicks store in Erie, zero 10e,s.  Did not make it to the new Field and Steam store there.  My local store virtually never has them.  I'll be driving 65 miles to check another store this week. We,ll see what happens..,,. 

Anyone had any experience with the Bass Hunter EX?  It is 9'6 so almost as long as the pelican.  Was going to get a new pelican, but found a great deal on the BH with trailer, Depth Finder, and TM for less then the new Pelican.

 

On 3/12/2016 at 10:14 PM, 68dave said:

Anybody here build a rack out of PVC that fits in the bed of a pick up for transporting your Pelican? I tow a camper with my tacoma and i want to take my Pelican with me on camping trips but with the overhang of the 10ft boat in my 6ft bed it will interfere with my camper while towing. I'm thinking of building a PVC rack that i can set in the bed then set my boat on top and secure it all with ratchet straps to the factory cargo hooks that's mounted in the bed. When i'm not using the boat i can simply lift the rack out of the bed of my truck and store it in my garage with the boat. I don't want a bolt on metal type rack, i never liked the looks of those. I want something that's easily removable when i'm not transporting my boat.

 

When I tow my bumper-pull camper I also often times will have my bass raider 10e in the bed of my truck.  What I did was built a cross member for the rear of the bed that has uprights that sit in the two rear post holes.  This causes the rear of the boat to be raised enough to not interfere with the camper.  I will jack-knife the trailer before the boat touches it!  Works like a charm and it allows me to put down the trail gate to pack gear beneath the rear of the boat.

If needed I know I have a picture of the setup somewhere.

1 hour ago, atomicchicken said:

When I tow my bumper-pull camper I also often times will have my bass raider 10e in the bed of my truck.  What I did was built a cross member for the rear of the bed that has uprights that sit in the two rear post holes.  This causes the rear of the boat to be raised enough to not interfere with the camper.  I will jack-knife the trailer before the boat touches it!  Works like a charm and it allows me to put down the trail gate to pack gear beneath the rear of the boat.

If needed I know I have a picture of the setup somewhere.

What size bed on your truck? my truck is a tacoma with the 6ft bed. This is a pic of my truck & camper. If possible post a pic of your set up, thanks. I'm planning on hooking my truck up to my camper to help determine the best method of transporting my boat while towing.

 

Yeah my trucks bed is 6 1/2'.  I was prepared to bring it up higher if i had to.  It's not going anywhere.  Made from pressure treated wood.  The crossmember is angled so that it mates with the bottom of the boat at the same angle.  Like I said, It supports the boat with the tailgate down so I can load cargo under it.

 

Thanks for the pic. I'm gonna hook up my trailer and measure to see how much clearance i have.

On 3/14/2016 at 11:03 AM, Jon W said:

Anyone had any experience with the Bass Hunter EX?  It is 9'6 so almost as long as the pelican.  Was going to get a new pelican, but found a great deal on the BH with trailer, Depth Finder, and TM for less then the new Pelican.

 

They get good reviews, if the hull is in good shape go for it. I know they have dry wells for valuables, so that's a plus.

here's a review 

 

On March 3, 2016 at 8:50 AM, Canam13 said:

A 32 will move it along and you be able to cover smaller lakes no problem. Bigger  lakes you would want to move up to a 45-55lb thrust. My TM is mounted up front with a rudder in the back. I find that's the best setup for me alone or with a partner. 

Good luck with the boat, enjoy!

What did you use for the blade part? (Or whatever you call it) looks like wood. I used a piece of plexiglass and shattered most of it off today. Needing something more durable. 

7 hours ago, GonFishin said:

What did you use for the blade part? (Or whatever you call it) looks like wood. I used a piece of plexiglass and shattered most of it off today. Needing something more durable. 

It's plexiglass, I believe 3/16 - 1/4" thick

Thanks TommyX

 

I did.  Picked it up yesterday.  No holes, was one spot that was already fixed very well. He had modded two drain plugs already. He had actually already put down plywood and instead of the sliding seats he installed perm 13 inch pedestals into the plywood. With two seats and the full thing it is kinda heavy, not sure if I like that, but I can always by the normal seat mounts if I don't like them once on the water.  Once I get it washed up I will post some pics.

I am looking at getting a trailer from. Harbor freight. They are like 40 of 42 inches wide. Online days pelican beam is 52...anyone used one of these harbor freight trailers.?