I watched a ton of videos and your modification was the most practical I've seen yet. When I get my boat and start modifications I will definitely give you a shout out.
Work of art! Thank you for the work you put into this video, and for sharing all these amazing idea! We just bought a Bass Tracker Bantam 2 on FB, very similar,and REALLY appreciate this info! You're great at this RU-vid stuff!
I love the professional look and design. Gives me ideas. I love these little boats. Mine got backed into so the front pontoon needs to be repaired. Great demo of your ingenuity.
I have this exact boat and been wrecking brain trying to come up with the most simple yet functional way to set it up. This video helped a lot. Probably gonna copy your set up
I got the sun dolphin sportsman and want to do some mods so i started watching vids. Yours is set up perfect! Great attention to detail. I love the rod cover boxes you built. 😎
Definitely the route I am going to go. I do not have the space for a full size boat yet. This type of boat is perfect to put in the garage and still have some father/ son time with my 10 year old. They don't stay young forever so can't keep wasting time
Of all the mods I have seen on utube yours us the best. I would change one thing and that would be on one side of the boat I would have change the 8’ lid into two 4 ‘ lids. You did a nice job, looks factory made. Good fishing.
Thanks for the comment and kind words Gary, I appreciate it! Great suggestion, I could see splitting one side into two smaller options being beneficial!
The side boxes are awesome , as far as tackle box under seat , find a milk crate that fits tackle trays and zip tie it to the seat bracket ( saw that else where ) .. nice clean set up you have
Love what you did to your boat. Mounting your transducer to your trolling motor is fine my brother has a ranger bass boat and his came mounted on the trolling motor.
bro i just brought this boat, and i'm looking into doing some mods and you by far have killed everything and everyone... you got my subscription....Nice
i just found this video and its perfect for what i need i have a raider 10e and after stepping on my rod tips and dropping one off the edge i went looking for ideas do you have any build videos id love to see how you wired that lights but over all awesome job i hope mine turns out half as good
Very well done! Really impressed with the thought, design and thoroughness of the job you’ve done. I sure wish I had the patience and skill required to do this kind of thing but I just don’t. You’ve thought through every detail resulting in an organized and clean design that is incredibly useful, simple and makes using the boat a pleasure. Not many have the ability to be so thorough and to know what to use, how to do it and can actually pull it off so well. If I did it there would be extra holes everywhere filled with silicone, the latches wouldn’t catch because I’d be off 1/8”, the boards wouldn’t fit and it would probably end up in the dumpster after I became so disgusted and angry with my inability to get any of it right. Thanks for sharing, well done!
This is one of the worst videos I have seen. Let me count the ways: 1. He drilled into the boat thus voiding any warranty. 2. Ever time he opens those lids to gain access to his rods and accessories, the weight of the lids are putting down pressure on the screws thus ??????? 3. The battery box is not a good fit and it appears that removing the Trolling motor will be difficult . 4. The battery box does not provide a standing platform nor room for a raised seat. I could go on but the fact is this built was not done by a seasoned fisherman. He should of studied what others have done and tried to improve instead he went in reverse. How about your running lights, what about a hoist , we can use some night lights ........I mean the things that can be done with a tiny boat is awesome.......but this is not the way to do it.........there is no need to DRILL A HOLE INTO THE BOAT......... Sorry brother.........just not my cup of tea.
Hi Robert! Essentially I just bought decent quality pine boards that were as long as the boat. I let the board hang over the front edge of the front rounded sides and traced the shape from underneath the board. I cut it a little narrower than my trace as I didn’t want the finished product to hang over the edges. I then measured how much height clearance I wanted under the rod lockers and added 3/4” pieces of pine at the right thickness so the left and right still sat level. Attached the hinges to test fit everything then took them off to waterproof and glue the carpet before reassembling to the boat. Hope that helps in lieu of a separate video! Reach out with additional questions!
It'd be nice if you could draw that up , make a blueprint of how you made those, AND how you made that battery box .. I am gonna do it to mine, but your's looks like it all came from the factory that way..! Man, you do some good work, and I like your attention to detail .. Damn fine work my brother.
my brother and I had one of these for 9 years. It got used every weekend and it was stored outdoors. We bought a pond prowler at Bass pro to replace it and that POS ripped on contour seams on both sides within 4 years. And that one was always garaged on a rack with wheels totally pampered and it didn't hold up at all.
Thanks for the comment Eric! Certainly much thicker plastic that they used to mold these older pontoon style 2 man rigs with. I’m pretty sure this one is filled with foam on the inside instead of hollow like a lot of what you see on newer models too.
I really like the mods you made putting the lids over the side trays and making them a secure actually usable storage that eliminates the chance of your rods getting knocked overboard. Only thing I can see I may have done differently is use piano hinges so I could mount the hinges under the outer side of the lid and to the top of the hull where you would not have the hinges mounted to the outside of the hull mainly for aesthetic reasons not function. In my opinion biggest mistake most people make when modifying these little boats is adding way too much weight going with plyboard flooring and large plywood decks in such a small hull, but your build for the most part eliminates this. Front box for the fish finder and anchor reel mount I like, also could incorporate a front navigation light socket and switches for the navigation lights on it as well just in case ever caught out longer than planned and it started to get dark . Rear navigation light socket could be incorporated into one of your side lids and the light for it stored in the side compartment when not in use. I would though put the trolling motor battery in the rear of the boat in a plastic battery box and use the front box for storage for things like life jackets, the navigation lights and other needed items that just seem to accumulate on a boat. Placing the trolling motor battery in the rear is more for a weight balance consideration since you have the added weight of the trolling motor and the box mounted on the front. One last addition it seems pretty common to mount a rear rudder on this style boats to help tracking and make it track better and not spin around so easy in the wind. Most people are just using a tilt bracket for a minnkota bow trolling motor (available on Amazon for about $40) and one of the best rudder ideas to to use in the bracket just cut the handle down on a cheap kayak paddle and used the paddle end as the rudder, Tat rudder set up is great because it can be brought up out of the water just like your front mounted trolling motor for shallow water and/or boat loading and unloading and transportation. Nice build overall. Really sensible! I am considering buying a boat of this style and may incorporate these side lids as it really is a smart addition to make those areas of the boat actually useful.
Very well done! Side note… if you make more videos please eliminate the music. Why guys feel they need music on their YT videos I’ll never know. Your info was awesome… keep it easy to hear what you have to say. Other than that… great job!!
Wish I still had my old Bass Hunter. Would have loved to have those rod lockers on it. I have the Pelican 10e now. Great boat but it has the worst rod wells I've ever seen. So shallow, and with all the weird contours this kind of build would be challenging. Hope someone takes it on and post a vid.
Thanks for the comment! Would definitely take a bit more finesse to do similar rod lockers on the Pelican 10e. Not impossible but I’m with you, would be interested in seeing a creative approach!
Thoroughly impressed with what you’ve done with this Bass Hunter! I don’t know what it is about these little boats, but I like them a lot! If you could/would, can you send me the dimensions in that box you made! P.O. Box 71, Bagdad, KY. I looked for this little boat but everyone is out of stock, I assume due to the pandemic. Just a badass little boat you have there!
Super nice setup! I have one question and that is what is the model number of your battery and where did you get it and does it last all day running the trolling motor and fish finder and occasional use of the lights? I also love the rod locker setup. I have a bass hunter just like this one and look forward to getting it all setup and out on the water.
Thanks for the comment and question! The battery is just a cheap EverStart group 27D deep cycle. Generally it lasts all day but I’m only going around smaller lakes/ponds and not constantly moving. I would suggest estimating your run time across all your electronics and their respective amp draw to determine whether certain battery setups would be sufficient for your needs. Hope that helps!
Fantastic job....you could possibly do this as 2nd job if there's enough folks with these boats. I have a 10ft Stalker 2 and a few of these mods, I'd love to do to mine.
Hey Bearded Fisherman! Here’s an Amazon link to the gas struts I used: www.amazon.com/C16-09322-C1609322-Quantity-Camper-Supports/dp/B007MUY8YK?pd_rd_w=lSZYX&content-id=amzn1.sym.89fc43d6-de9b-4937-b98f-39835844d87c&pf_rd_p=89fc43d6-de9b-4937-b98f-39835844d87c&pf_rd_r=4J9G431J2FZC46WVKGAT&pd_rd_wg=n27dM&pd_rd_r=52f972b5-ae24-48b0-a575-4ea5fb4ca9b0&pd_rd_i=B007MUY8YK&psc=1&ref_=pd_bap_m_grid_dv_rp_0_1_ec_t
Hi new subscriber here. I really like your anchor pulley system and the bracket that holds the anchor. I have looked unsuccessfully to find a a good setup. If you don't mind do you remember what brand your winch is?
Hey, I've been thinking about adding some upgrades to my own bass hunter and I was wondering if you could tell me what you used as for screws, I worry that I'll end up cracking something and was wondering if you had any tips for drilling into the boat
Ok, 1st off, Gotta be one of, if not THE coolest little boat mods Ive seen yet. Now some Q's. 1. Is this an 8 or 10 ft? 2. How did you go about waterproofing the wood? 3. With the battery, the storage box and the motor all in the rear, how well does it float? (ie does the rear sit a LOT lower or??) 4. I have an 8 ft. Do you think I would have the room to do all this? 5. Are the side box lid gas shocks at an angle because of length? 6. Can you give me links or help with finding the shocks you used? And maybe the anchor drop thing 7. You wanna come to FL and we can build mine? :) Awesome....simply awesome!!!
Thanks PPG Guy! Happy to help however I can! 1. This was a 9’ 6” model from the early 2000’s. 2. I used a Zinsser WaterTite product but there are other wood waterproofers with solid reviews like Ames Blue Max. 3. It was lower but maybe only an inch or two - was basically flat with me and another guy in the front seat. 4. I would think so, especially if you usually fly solo. 5. I mounted the base plate for the shocks to an angled section of the built in rod holders to put the force of the shock as perpendicular to the bar as I could. Essentially I didn’t want the pressure to be completely on the screws into plastic. 6. Gas shocks are 20lb, similar to this: www.amazon.com/Strut-Spring-Support-Cabinet-Sentry/dp/B08X4NM9QT/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=MXGDP5V9WQ19&keywords=8+inch+gas+shocks&qid=1638496789&sprefix=8+inch+gas+shocks%2Caps%2C98&sr=8-3. Here’s the anchor winch: marine.worthco.com/anchormate-products/anchormate. 7. That could be a fun adventure! Best of luck on your build!
On your transducer you asked for any suggestion come off the back of your boat with a piece of PVC put a t and run another piece of PVC through it and it would be adjustable
Awesome setup dude. I'm thinking about buying one of these types of boats and doing something similar with it. Was wondering how much does all that weigh?
Thanks Jordan! Between the rod lockers and box in the back (w/o battery), it probably added 35-40lbs. The boat itself isn’t the lightest of options - requires two people or a custom dolly even without the additions. The biggest thing weight-wise is the battery in terms of additions - obviously there are better options like lithium now instead of lead acid. I actually ran the boat for a day around a small lake on two lithium polymer rc car batteries (hence the connectors you see in the box). Just a matter of how much $$ or effort you want to put in! Hope that helps!
Beware of running lithium batteries with trolling motors. Check with the trolling motor manufacturers, since most trolling motors are designed specifically to be run with lead acid or AGM batteries. Lithium batteries can damage the motors.
I know with all boats the trick is to keep the water out and not in but do you have a scupper in yours or what do you do with the occasional water build up in yours?
Thanks for the question DTread! I definitely get water in the bottom when the lake is windy/rougher but it’s never been enough to need something like a bilge pump for. I left space for extra switches for things like a bilge pump if I ever saw a real need for one. Hope that helps!
Nice! I just picked up an 8 foot 1987 bass hunter for 150 bucks that I plan on modding out. It’s currently bare, faded, and doesn’t even have seats. I plan on doing something very similar to this. Once I sand it, paint it, and install some sort of seats. I love the rod storage idea. Is this an 8 foot or 10 foot? You might have said at at some point in the video but I must’ve missed it.
Thanks for the comment D O! Congrats on the great buy! Shoot me a link as you progress with yours, would love to see it! This one is 9’ 6” in length - maybe technically called 10 foot??
@@AlloyAndGrain gotcha! Mines right around 8ft so my space will be pretty limited. Starting the journey this weekend, so I’ll keep you posted! Might post a few videos on my page.
Thanks for the comment! They’re 6 inch, 20 lb versions that I found on Amazon. You should be able to search dimensions and weight to find suitable gas shocks for most applications. Hope that helps!
Thanks Paul! The gas shocks are 6 inch, 20 lb versions that I got on Amazon. Depending on your application, how much weight they’ll be holding/opening, and distance from open to close where mounting - you should be able to search those specs as your requirements might differ. Hope that helps!
@@AlloyAndGrain Thanks Justin. I was looking for the length which you provided. I really appreciate it. I’m using it for a deck door that I made for the bow area. Not a heavy door so what you used will work fine for me. Cheers
Thanks for the comment Brent! The rear box has several angles - it’s probably easiest to just measure your width to ensure it fits between the side rails. I cut templates for the side pieces out of cardboard and adjusted to my liking before heading to the table saw with wood.
Hi Paul - Yes, they’re 20lb gas shocks, just over 6” when compressed and right around 10” when extended. So the throw is a little less than 4”. Hope that helps!
Hi Anthony- I bought it at Bass Pro Shops, it’s called an Anchormate by Worth. There’s a similar product by Attwood - Anchor Lift System. Hope that helps!
Hey Angel - the seat stands came with the boat on mine. It looks like bass hunter might sell them separately though on their site: basshunter.com/adjustable-seat-bases. Make sure to measure and validate what they have now fits your rig, of course!
Thanks for the question LaBron! I honestly haven’t gotten hooked on it but suppose it’s a possibility with jerk baits or other lures with a few treble hooks. It’s really low pile outdoor carpet completely glued underneath so that might be reducing most of the snagging risk... It’s comfortable to kick the sandals off and put your feet up on though!
Wished I has seen this a lot soon. You may not answer this. However I will try. Anyway you could list all the parts and maybe where you got them? I'm not a very good DIY kind of guy. Anything you can provide information would be greatly appreciated. You did an Awesome job!
Hi John, thanks for the comment! I don’t think I can list all of the parts (and I doubt they’re all the best option for each unique build anyway)! A few common themes I’d share though… 1. Always go with stainless steel fasteners and hardware on marine builds. 2. Everything you add equals additional weight so be mindful and purposeful with every part as you plan out a build like this. 3. Look at other boats and non-marine projects for inspiration and adapt solutions to your needs. For example, RC cars use solid connectors and lightweight batteries, there’s an opportunity to parlay those to your use.
