Questons about livewell

[dozer1013]

I have a '88 Nitro F/S
One of the previous owners decided he didn't need use of the livewell so it was disconnected and the switch is gone
I wasn't sure the pump would even work so today I connected it directly to the battery and it whirred to life. Hurray!

There are four holes in the transom that I wasn't sure which was which but I think I have that figured out now but would like verification
I believe the holes are as follows (see pic)

1. livewell intake
2. bilge drain
3. livewell drain (definitely is because I filled the livewell and it drained out that one...see pic)
4. This one has a hose attached that I think runs to the bow

So my question here is, if I want to use the livewell, do I leave holes 1 and 3 unplugged? Is that how the water circulates?
Also, on the intake (see pic), something was hack-sawed off for some reason, I'm guessing it may have been a screen. Any suggestions for how to attach another screen?

On to the the livewell itself (see the pic for what it looks like inside and yes I'm going to clean it!)
Am I missing pieces?
I would only be able to fill the well less than halfway the way it is.
Is there an extension i could put on the overflow pipe or would I have to replace the whole pipe?
Also, what's to keep the water from draining when the boat's in motion? Wouldn't the lower drain hole need to be plugged? Or do you just leave the pump on and let it continuously circulate

I know that's a lot of questions so thanks for help on any of them

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Questons about livewell

To properly aerate the water in the live well there needs to be a gap between the fill & the water level

The water in the live well will slosh around when underway, it's water, not semi-firm jello :watermelon: particularly when throttling up or down enough to come up on or drop off plane. It's called the free surface effect:

Take your pick ^^^, either explains the 'low' overflow height. It doesn't look like the overflow's been broken, so it's likely as intended.

Use an appropriate sized drain plug IN the end of the live well drain.

May have hit something w/ the screen assembly on the intake, and once cracked/broken, the previous owner cut the fitting off flush. Depending on the sealant, you may be able to replace the entire assembly to get a screen. Can you access the inside of the transom to remove the intake hose & replace the fitting?

If you put water in the live well, and let it drain, it comes out drain hole #3? Correct?

The hose that runs to the bow, drain #4, might be connected to a compartment in the bow that has a drain: anchor & rope/chain storage, permanent cooler, etc....

Otherwise, it seems your labels & #'s are correct: You need a screen @hole #1, plug in #2 (bilge drain), drain plug in the live well (plugs the water 'up stream' from hole #3), #4 if a compartment drain, can probably remain w/out a drain plug.

 

[GT1000000]

Re: Questons about livewell

Let me try and help sort this out...
1-You should have a screen to prevent debri from getting sucked into the pump and possibly clogging or damaging it...You may have to forcibly remove all traces of the old intake and install a new one with the threads so you can screw in a screen...another possible redneck fix would be to try and epoxy a piece of window screen over the opening...
2-YES! you need a plug if you don't already have one...
3-Yes!
4-One way to find out where it leads to is to have someone put the hose up to that thru-hull while you look for where the water is coming in at...

On the overflow pipe;
Just go to your local home center, get a straight PVC coupler the same size as the overflow pipe and a section of PVC pipe and glue them together at the desired height with PVC cement...
You should keep it just below the level of the intake, otherwise you lose the aeration effect as the water comes in which helps to oxygenate the water and keep your catch happy, longer...
You can get a rubber type, expanding bilge plug for the open drain, pop it in when you are ready to fill, take it out when ready to empty...

You really don't want your aerator pump running all the time...it should have a timed cycle switch wired in or you can just turn it on and off manually...the main reason is that if it runs continuously, you could easily kill your battery...

 

[glenn property of pam]

Re: Questons about livewell

Is the pump the other side of hole 1. If it is the piece cut off is part of the pump and for $20 bucks just buy a new pump with the install kit from wally-world which is better value then buying the screen for 7$.
hole 4 sound like you have a front live well so it would be interesting to do as GT says and put a hose pipe to it and see where the water comes out.

 

[dozer1013]

Re: Questons about livewell

To properly aerate the water in the live well there needs to be a gap between the fill & the water level

The water in the live well will slosh around when underway, it's water, not semi-firm jello :watermelon: particularly when throttling up or down enough to come up on or drop off plane. It's called the free surface effect:

Take your pick ^^^, either explains the 'low' overflow height. It doesn't look like the overflow's been broken, so it's likely as intended.

Use an appropriate sized drain plug IN the end of the live well drain.

May have hit something w/ the screen assembly on the intake, and once cracked/broken, the previous owner cut the fitting off flush. Depending on the sealant, you may be able to replace the entire assembly to get a screen. Can you access the inside of the transom to remove the intake hose & replace the fitting?

If you put water in the live well, and let it drain, it comes out drain hole #3? Correct?

The hose that runs to the bow, drain #4, might be connected to a compartment in the bow that has a drain: anchor & rope/chain storage, permanent cooler, etc....

Otherwise, it seems your labels & #'s are correct: You need a screen @hole #1, plug in #2 (bilge drain), drain plug in the live well (plugs the water 'up stream' from hole #3), #4 if a compartment drain, can probably remain w/out a drain plug.

Would a 6 or 8 inches more water in the well make a big difference?

And yes there is a anchor & rope/chain storage in the bow so that's probably it

Thanks

 

[Teamster]

Re: Questons about livewell

I didn't notice a spray bar for the aerator???

I know lot's of tournament anglers have high speed pickups to keep putting water into the livewell and letting it overfill into the boat to keep the sloshing down and help keep fish alive for weigh in,............

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Questons about livewell

I don't know if 6-8 inches more water will make a big difference. Probably not significantly more weight. Your boat won't list/roll as much as the 1@ the graphic I posted. How much water can you add before it starts to slosh out while underway. More likely then not it'll be sloshing fore & aft that causes spill over.

How much, I don't know. Not sure anyone besides a fluid engineer would be able to.

How diligent would you be about filling the well to a new 'full' depth once fishing and dropping the level every time before you fire up the OB & move? And repeat thru out the day....

A little sloshing probably isn't too bad. Its a boat, it will get wet. May even be less water then dragging a couple kids back aboard after tubbing.

 

[dozer1013]

Re: Questons about livewell

Let me try and help sort this out...
1-You should have a screen to prevent debri from getting sucked into the pump and possibly clogging or damaging it...You may have to forcibly remove all traces of the old intake and install a new one with the threads so you can screw in a screen...another possible redneck fix would be to try and epoxy a piece of window screen over the opening...
2-YES! you need a plug if you don't already have one...
3-Yes!
4-One way to find out where it leads to is to have someone put the hose up to that thru-hull while you look for where the water is coming in at...

On the overflow pipe;
Just go to your local home center, get a straight PVC coupler the same size as the overflow pipe and a section of PVC pipe and glue them together at the desired height with PVC cement...
You should keep it just below the level of the intake, otherwise you lose the aeration effect as the water comes in which helps to oxygenate the water and keep your catch happy, longer...
You can get a rubber type, expanding bilge plug for the open drain, pop it in when you are ready to fill, take it out when ready to empty...

You really don't want your aerator pump running all the time...it should have a timed cycle switch wired in or you can just turn it on and off manually...the main reason is that if it runs continuously, you could easily kill your battery...

How about this for another redneck fix. A sink strainer attached with small screws into the plastic fitting so that the intake is covered. I mean it's going to have to be replaced sooner or later anyway. I can do that quicker and cheaper than replacing the whole thing. I just want to get it ready to use for the long weekend coming up and don't have time for the big change outs

Wouldn't PVC cement be bad for the little fishes in the well?
I'm wondering how much water would get out if I didn't actually cement it but just added the coupler and pipe and tapped them snug....probably not too much I would think

 

[GT1000000]

Re: Questons about livewell

I like your out of the box thinking on the strainer as a quickie fix...should be fine...just make sure the strainer is not TOO fine of a mesh that the pump can't pull enough water in...remember, most sink strainer are designed to have the water pressure push through and create an aeration effect, not have water "pulled through" it...:noidea:
Same goes for the fitting of the PVC pipe and coupler without any glue...not under any real pressure, so it shouldn't leak...
Although, using the glue, once it has completely dried, it shouldn't be of any harm to the fish...heck the amount of pollution we dump into the water and we still haven't wiped them all out has gotta say something for their immune systems...plus, in houses with PVC plumbing I have never heard of it being an issue...and most of us drink the water...:facepalm:
But hey, for the short term, better safe than end up with a bunch of floating fish...

 

[glenn property of pam]

Re: Questons about livewell

on my live wells I have aerator pumps the rear is for bait so it has a pump that sticks with suckers to the bottom of the well which works real well as I can use the water that the bait came in (blue stuff) and slowly add river water so I do not shock them. The catch live well has a air pump bubbler that keeps the fish alive (I still have to add fresh water every 20-30 mins to keep the water cool during the summer) The drain on the bait well does need a screen or the fish get a sucked in the drain line when the boat get's on or comes off plane and they plug the drain line or they get set free depending on your design.

 

[dozer1013]

Re: Questons about livewell

I like your out of the box thinking on the strainer as a quickie fix...should be fine...just make sure the strainer is not TOO fine of a mesh that the pump can't pull enough water in...remember, most sink strainer are designed to have the water pressure push through and create an aeration effect, not have water "pulled through" it...:noidea:
Same goes for the fitting of the PVC pipe and coupler without any glue...not under any real pressure, so it shouldn't leak...
Although, using the glue, once it has completely dried, it shouldn't be of any harm to the fish...heck the amount of pollution we dump into the water and we still haven't wiped them all out has gotta say something for their immune systems...plus, in houses with PVC plumbing I have never heard of it being an issue...and most of us drink the water...:facepalm:
But hey, for the short term, better safe than end up with a bunch of floating fish...

Hmmm, hadn't thought about an aeration effect
My thinking was that the whole thing would be submerged when the pumping was happening so the flow would be constant
I was looking at this assortment of 3 from Wally world which are cheap and I could pick the best size for the intake fitting. The bulbous end would be pointing away from the boat btw

Think these are too fine?

 

[dozer1013]

Re: Questons about livewell

on my live wells I have aerator pumps the rear is for bait so it has a pump that sticks with suckers to the bottom of the well which works real well as I can use the water that the bait came in (blue stuff) and slowly add river water so I do not shock them. The catch live well has a air pump bubbler that keeps the fish alive (I still have to add fresh water every 20-30 mins to keep the water cool during the summer) The drain on the bait well does need a screen or the fish get a sucked in the drain line when the boat get's on or comes off plane and they plug the drain line or they get set free depending on your design.

I've seen those aerator pumps you refer to. I have a battery operated pump (think aquarium pump) that I used to use in my bait bucket that I will probably use in the live well

The pic below shows the design of the live well. The bottom drain hole will be plugged except for when adding fresh water which of course would only be happening when the boats not moving much. With this design I would need a screen for the overflow opening?

 

[GT1000000]

Re: Questons about livewell

Yeah, I think one of those strainers would work perfectly...
And yep, I think a strainer on the overflow would be a good idea...

 

[dozer1013]

Re: Questons about livewell

Yeah, I think one of those strainers would work perfectly...
And yep, I think a strainer on the overflow would be a good idea...

Hmmm, maybe I can fashion one of those to fit on the top of the drain pipe somehow...

 

[java230]

Re: Questons about livewell

Hmmm, maybe I can fashion one of those to fit on the top of the drain pipe somehow...

Go to a local fish supply store. they should have strainers that fit right into standard PVC pipe.

like so:
Overflow Strainer - Slip


the hacked off livewell intake, the bulkhead may be threaded on the inside, some are, and that hacked off piece may have been threaded into it. Might be work seeing if you can unscrew it. They sell threaded strainers too.