I've had 2 motors on my bass hunter since the eighties. And when the wind whips up, or a storm moves in? You'll be glad to have that extra power. Plus, while fishing its easier to maneuver a bow motor than the transom, it's right in front of you, not behind.  A variable speed up front has its advantages as well, you can slowly cruise down a shoreline flipping and pitching at the speed necessary and actually steer with your knee. When i first bought my boat I had a 10 lb thrust minn kota up front and a 36 in back, Later on, i got a 55 pd and replaced the 10,  the 36 is variable speed, and the 55 has the 5 forward and 3 reverse speeds. It couldnt of worked out better.

I dont know why some of the guys here use a rudder, other than a weight issue,...but then yet, my hunter is a 7'11" model and doesn't have a huge weight limit, and Ive been out with me and my brother (both 250 lbers) with both motors  2 batteries and tackle, its tight but a blast. Personal preference i guess. But the best part of having 2 motors and batteries is? Ive NEVER, ever, in over 30 years,. had to paddle back to the launch. Ive seen guys paddling in crawdads, jon boat, and raiders that only had 1 motor and 1 battery with them, because the fish were biting and they got caught across the lake when the battery died,... DOH!,. Ive actually towed most of them, (its really required) the others wouldnt allow their ego's to get that crushed.

I also own a 16 ft deep v tracker which i had a12 volt, 60 inch shaft, 55 pd thrust powerdrive (foot controllled) bow mount on it, i just replaced it with an ulterra and im now actually contemplating rigging the powerdrive on my bass hunter, by welding a clamp on the bottom of a minn kota quick release plate to mount it, and trimming the shaft down. to like 30 inches,.. I figure that the quick release mount is about 50 bucks, and a clamp cant be more than around 25 bucks for around 75 bucks total,... versus buying a brand new foot controlled bulldog motor for a several hundred. (Bulldogs are the only foot controlled motor ive seen with a clamp for transom mounting)  Then id have a foot controlled variable speed to fish with, and a total of 110pds of thrust combined to get across the lake and such

 Good luck with your rig,..they are a ton of fun when set up right

I got the carpet in with 2 sections kind of visible but I don't have an issue with it, glued it to some thin plywood. Added some non slip tape on the front instead of putting carpet over it. Put friction tape over the seat frames that slide in the plastic guides so the seat won't slide around unless I get up and move it. Trying to decide where I want to attach my 15lb anchor to.

 

Outdoor earth has them on sale.  In mountain grove MO. 475 out the door til June 13. 

 

I may have asked this but cant find it. Has anyone ever used a foot controlled bow mount type ) the one that is flat and you lift and fold over the trolling motor in water.) on the back of a bass raider? I am leaning more along the lines of a 3.5 hp motor for the rear other than a 24v trolling motor for the simple fact is the weight savings is crazy. 2 12v group 27 batteries we ahve here at work are 60 lb each.  600 lb max rating on boat that already limits me down to 480 lb. down to 420 when i add the front battery for the front trolling motor. I do not plan on loading this to the max but heck the motor and fuel with an extra gallon of fuel is WAY lighter than 150 lbs it would be other wise on the trolling motor and 2 batteries for the back. 

 

I am just afraid that a 55lb thrust on the front and a 55lb thrust on the back wouldn't be enough to move the boat in current water. 

27 minutes ago, Joshua Colvey said:

I may have asked this but cant find it. Has anyone ever used a foot controlled bow mount type ) the one that is flat and you lift and fold over the trolling motor in water.) on the back of a bass raider? I am leaning more along the lines of a 3.5 hp motor for the rear other than a 24v trolling motor for the simple fact is the weight savings is crazy. 2 12v group 27 batteries we ahve here at work are 60 lb each.  600 lb max rating on boat that already limits me down to 480 lb. down to 420 when i add the front battery for the front trolling motor. I do not plan on loading this to the max but heck the motor and fuel with an extra gallon of fuel is WAY lighter than 150 lbs it would be other wise on the trolling motor and 2 batteries for the back. 

 

I am just afraid that a 55lb thrust on the front and a 55lb thrust on the back wouldn't be enough to move the boat in current water. 

If you plan on fishing a river in a pontoon style rig you will need all the power you can muster. I think 36 pd thrust is like 2.5 hp

I fished the merrimac river in my rig before i put the 55 on it,..did ok but wished i had more juice,.I dont know what kind of current you will be facing, the merrimac isnt all that bad where i was..just make sure your batteries are at 100%, and if you have any doubts dont launch. better to be safe then stupid

Its not to bad of a river really. I think i am going to do the 3.5 hp motor in rear and the 55lb thrust up front. I should be fine.  We kayak and canoe down it all the time lol. There are a couple of quick s curves but thats about the worst of it. Its called spring river. 

I was just more debating on 2 electric or one electric and one gas. I think tho with the weight savings from going with one gas and one electric instead of all electric will be worth it as well.

I have looked a few times on the conversion from what hp rating the trolling motors would be rated at but haven't really found a good one to trust bc of so many variables.

Can someon tell me if this motor will work for the bass raider? here is teh specs on measurements. I dont have my raider yet so i cant measure. 

Transom Height to Center Prop: 21" 

Transom Height to Cavitation Plate: 16"

Also what weight anchor are you fellers using on the raider?

 

I have a 10lb. it thought 8 earlier post, but when I looked this weekend, it is a 10.

Thanks  I am sure I'll have more questions. Everyone here has been a great help so far. I need to find images of how everyone is mounting FF transducers. 

If you are thinking of mounting it to your trolling motor which I did, go to YouTube and there are a number of videos to show you how to mount it.  I would disregard the one however that shows using flex ties every 3-4 inches on the transducer cable as you will need to leave some slack for when the TM is put into and taken out of the water.

On June 21, 2010 at 8:03 AM, zerofivenismo said:

Andy,

I used to have a bass raider 10E, and I built a dolly to transport it for about $25.  This is the only pic that I have of the dolly since I sold the boat some time ago.  You can do a search on here for 'dolly' for an awesome homemade dolly.  I built mines similar to it.  PM me for more detailed explanation.

To Jkoch:  Yes you can fish standing in a 10 footer.

What size motor is that and does it push u and another pretty decent? 

If i asked this question already i am sorry and i can delete. I am looking to order my motor for the back of my bass raider so i can have it all here at about the same time. My supplier sent me some specs to go off of. Can someone help me with these specs and if they will work or not as i dont have the raider here to try and figure it out. Well that and its all Greek to me lol.. 

Here are the specs i was sent

Transom Height to Center Prop: 21" 

Transom Height to Cavitation Plate: 16"

On ‎5‎/‎16‎/‎2016 at 9:50 AM, Vernon Utsinger said:

Just joined and first post. Interested in getting into one of these and concerned about trailer with short tongue as you described.

Could a receiver extension possibly reduce the difficulty in backing?

Do you have a 10ft boat and if so does the extra length interfere with balance or turning?

Are you using the fold up trailer from HF?

 

Hey Vern, first time poster also. I've got a raider 10E I fixed up you might want to check it out and get some ideas. Let me know what you think and if you have any questions. google ( bass raider 502 )

2 hours ago, Raider502 said:

 

Hey guys I plan on having my raider out this weekend, Ill take some pictures and post them up so you guys can see what I did regarding some of your post and maybe that will give you some idea's on how I rigged out my boat. I have a video on youtube   bassraider502  

For anyone looking for a bow mount transducer and fish finder, I have the solution.  The Sully Portable Transducer Mount (Cabelas, $ 43.99). It's actually designed for pontoons but it fits perfectly on the front of the Bass Raider. My biggest hesitation in mounting anything was stripping out a mount in the plastic and this resolved that concern since it's all one piece. 

I had to make a couple modifications. First, I cut a small piece of poplar to use as a bumper in the clamp to make sure the arm doesn't press into the front lip of the boat. Then I cut another larger piece of poplar to use to mount my Humminbird. Both of those were sprayed with Flex Seal to keep them water tight.

The mount is easy to put on and easy to pull off. The depth is easily adjustable. The aluminum is rust free. And best of all, it kept me from screwing into the plastic. 

 

Bassraider 502 really nice set up.  I didn't see how you had your transducer mounted for your fish finder.  I have mounted my TM on the front and added a removable rudder to the back which works really well.  What are the advantages to TM on back of boat?

On 6/8/2016 at 9:53 AM, Joshua Colvey said:

If i asked this question already i am sorry and i can delete. I am looking to order my motor for the back of my bass raider so i can have it all here at about the same time. My supplier sent me some specs to go off of. Can someone help me with these specs and if they will work or not as i dont have the raider here to try and figure it out. Well that and its all Greek to me lol.. 

Here are the specs i was sent

Transom Height to Center Prop: 21" 

Transom Height to Cavitation Plate: 16"

Would anyone mind to measure the transom mounting top where th motor would mount tot he bottom where props would need to be in the water?

I just got the baby bass 8ft. It will be here tomorrow. I'll be installing a bow mounted trolling motor, and possibly a casting deck if the floor isn't wide enough. I will post pics when the project is done. 

On 6/7/2016 at 8:34 AM, Joshua Colvey said:

Thanks  I am sure I'll have more questions. Everyone here has been a great help so far. I need to find images of how everyone is mounting FF transducers. 

I mounted mine (elite 7) using a pvc arm that hangs over the side of the boat.  I'll snap a photo of it for you today.

Today is day two of my Northern Tool PWC trailer build.  All I have left if the lights and to tuck the 10E onto it.  I'll get some photos this afternoon when all is complete.  Looks it will all fit just fine, but that thing is a PIA to put together.

For mounting a transducer? My 8' bass hunter has a seam that sticks out about an inch or so, connecting the top and bottom sections of the boat...Originally I had a portable model fishfinder, the transducer had a suction cup with a metal bracket holding the transducer. I took off the suction cup, got a springclamp at home depot and clamp the bracket to the seam in the rear corner of the boat. cost me about $2.50

Raider502:  Nice looking boat and mods.  I've had my 10e for about 4 weeks now and been on the water 4 times.  I have a 5x8 Northern Tool trailer covered with 1x2 " plywood and a 1/2" plywood floor in in 2 pieces for easy removal.  No carpet yet as I'm still making mods. to the floor for seat and misc.  I built up the floor using 1x2 PVC board to allow space for mounting the base and reinforcement around the seat base.  I used a similar pedestal as yours and a quick release base and a quick release seat base so I can remove all of it or just the seat.  I'm leaving the rear as is except for a padded seat.  I mounted the TM in the front with a detachable Big Foot and load the boat on the trailer rear end first.  This allows use of the TM for unloading and loading and getting on and off the bank.  This works real well.

Now working on building guide ons of 1" PVC for back and front that will serve to keep the boat centered while towing.  I like your winch setup and have to modify my tongue area to mount one.  There is a cross piece on the V shaped tongue that restricts the crank handle.  I'll remove this and run a 2x4 from the frame to the open slot under the hitch that will give me a straight piece to mount the winch.  Also like your stop on the tongue.  So far I've been using Military Grade plastic ties on mods instead of screws/bolts and nuts where I can for several reasons: no rust or loosening from travel, no loose metal to puncture the boat and easy removal when changes are made. 

There are some very nice mods posted on here that have been a lot of help in selecting, planning and preparation.

I've seen trailers that have a center guide-on that fits perfectly between the sponsons.

So can anyone familiar with florida law tell me how impossible it would be to register one of these with no title? Seems like all of them I find on CL never have a title. I'm assuming nearly impossible and not worth the effort.

I received a couple replies on 1 or 2 of my questions. Was curious if i might be able to ask again. Dont want to make anyone made just looking to see if things would work before i buy. 

Can anyone tell or show pics of how they are mounting their fish finders and transducers?

Can anyone tell me if this motor will fit. Here are the specs,

Transom Height to Center Prop: 21" 

Transom Height to Cavitation Plate: 16"

 

If it helps i plan to run a 45 lb thrust trolling motor on front and this 3.5 hp motor on back if the specs i listed will work. Hoping to find someone with about same motor specs so i know it will work.

 

 

5 hours ago, Joshua Colvey said:

I received a couple replies on 1 or 2 of my questions. Was curious if i might be able to ask again. Dont want to make anyone made just looking to see if things would work before i buy. 

Can anyone tell or show pics of how they are mounting their fish finders and transducers?