livewell drain

[rcl700]

ok im very new to all of this. I just picked up a 14'' fiberglass fishing boat this week. it has a 25hp johnson.My question is about the live well in the boat.
The live well goes all the way to the very bottom of the boat it is a fiber glass sealed in box.it has no over flow thru hull and no inlet.It does have a 2'' hole in the bottom. this area is only about 1/8'' thick around the hole and get thicker about 3'' out from the hole. My question is how can i set this up for use. I dont know what was in the hole prior to me geting the boat. If i leave this open and just put a grill over it it should fill to the water level of the boat and drain when the boat is removed. would this work?? it is so thin that to install a drain plug set up using some sort of thru hull hould no lett all of the water drain. i dont want anything to stick out past the hull because of the location being on the bottom. It may get knocked of loading the boat on the trailer. will it work to just leave it open? insall a bige pump to air mix into the water.Any help would be great. Thank you in advance.

 

[jevery]

Re: livewell drain

Just leaving it open will result in only 1" or 2" water in the bottom.
Previous owner may have used an overflow tube when using the livewell.

http://www.iboats.com/T_H_Overflow_...15598232--**********.566264956--view_id.40117

You could fill the well manually with a bucket and pull the tube to drain.

 

[rcl700]

Re: livewell drain

why will it only fill a few ''


i cant find these overflow tubes to fit a 2'' hole

 

[Silvertip]

Re: livewell drain

If the only hole in the livewell is in t he bottom the tank - it cannot serve both purposes (fill and drain with or without a standpipe). I will assume the "drain" goes to the back of the boat below the waterline. If so, the maximum amount of water that can get INTO the tank is when that level is the same as the water level at the side of the boat. The more load in the boat the deeper it sits in the water and hence the more water in the tank. That's basic physics and you can't make water run uphill without a pump. Now when you run the boat, the water would run back out since the INLET is now above the water line at the back of the boat. The answer to that is to buy the plug that goes into the drain hole. This is the most basic livewell system known to man. To improve it you need a livewell aerator pump plumbed so that it takes in water from a NEW inlet fitting below the water line on the transom. The outlet of the pump feeds a spray head at the top of the tank. A manual switch or a livewell timer switch turns the pump on and off. Instead of a plug, you use a standpipe in the drain hole. You run the pump manually until the water overflows into the standpipe and out the drain. An auto switch cycles the pump to keep fresh water in the tank. Note that I said "livewell" pump. They are different than a bilge pump. When you are done for the day, pull the standpipe just before you get to the dock. The tank will drain. Before you stop stick the standpipe back in if you want to keep the tank empty. Other wise it will simply fill back up to the water level outside the boat just like it did before the modifications.

 

[rcl700]

Re: livewell drain

This sounds great and low cost. i just cant seem to locate a standpipe that will fill a 2'' hole anyone know where i can get one?

also can the livewell pump be plumed over the transom insted of through for the pickup?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: livewell drain

Go to Lowes or Home Depot and head for the plumbing dept. Buy the shortest length of 1/2 or 3/4 inch PVC pipe they will sell you. It's cheap so if the shortest they have is 4 feet, buy it. Now look for anything that you can epoxy or glue into the 2-inch hole in the tank that will accept the standpipe. They have all sorts of reducers, bushings, solid plugs that you can drill out for the proper size. Get creative here. The standpipe needs to be a couple inches shorter than the top of the tank -- or shorter than that if you don't want that much water in the tank. The pump, spray head and hose you can buy individually or as a kit right here on iBoats. I also can't figure out why they would put a 2-inch drain in a livewell.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: livewell drain

You like so many others, always seem to want to avoid making a hole in the transom. No -- you cannot plumb the pump OVER the transom. Bilge pumps and livewell pumps are not LIFT pumps. They are not designed to operate that way. The inlets need to be below the water line. You drill a hole in the transom for the inlet of the pump. Apply the sealer, insert the pump, put the nut on from the outside and you are done with that part. Attach the hose to the pump, run it to the tank and attach it to the spray head. Add the switch to the console (or wherever) and you are done. For best operation, use a livewell timer ($30). In the manual setting the pump runs continuously so you use that position to fill the tank. Then switch to auto. The pump runs for 30 seconds and is off for a couple minutes. Some are adjustable.

 

[jevery]

Re: livewell drain

Many of these would fill a 2" hole.

http://www.discountmarinesupplies.com/Plumbing_Fittings-Thru_Hulls_Adapters.html

The Perko Threaded could be cut down before installing so it wouldn't stick up into the well very far.

Sorry iboats, insufficient selection for this particular need.