bait/fish wells

[cddetelich]

Just bought a Hydrosport dual console. Has bait well and fish well. Bottom of transom, under water line, has 3 brass fittings about 3/4" in diameter. <br />Wells fill by themselves at dockside, drain out under power. No pumps or standpipes. Seems as if I can put live bait in at the dock, but when I get under way the well will drain and the bait will be high and dry until I reach destination. How does this system work? Can I just plug the fill lines if I don't want them to drain/fill?

 

[mattttt25]

Re: bait/fish wells

it won't drain, unless you pull the boat from the water.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: bait/fish wells

There are two ways to deal with this. #1) With the boat out of the water, install a standard live well plug or standpipe in the live well. If its a true live well it will have a fill/aerator pump. If not, forget #1 and #2 that follows. #2) Cap off the stern line that allows water into the live well. Cut that line inside the boat at the transom and install a live well pump as low in the boat as possible so water from the tank runs downward to the pump. Route original fill/drain line to the input to the pump. Route the outlet of the pump "over" the transom (or anywhere above the water line). The fill/aerator pump will be used to fill the tank. The stern pump will be used to drain it. The existing system is a dumb design (like my Alumacraft which I quickly modified). Since the tank is always full of water its tough to catch the fish for removal and it takes two people to drain the darned tank under way. One needs to drive the boat and the other needs to either insert the plug or remove it as required. Otherwise the tank is always full and why run around with it that way when you have no fish.

 

[imported_scott_m]

Re: bait/fish wells

My buddy's Pursuit was set up the same way - if you plugged the drain line under way it would give some minor circulation. We thought this was neat, but what a pain carrying around a couple of hundred pounds of water when your not fishing. Recently was replumbed as described above.