Rebuilding fish boxes on a 1974 Mako 15

[krizm200]

Hi everyone,

It's been 2.5 years, but most all of my 1974 Mako 15 has been rebuilt. One of the last projects is to refinish the fish boxes in the back left and right sides of the boat. The original owner had the batteries one in each fish box. The batteries are now in the center console along with the Perko switch. On to repairing the fish boxes and to my questions.

The small screw holes are filled with 3M Fiberglass fllled Bondo. Just need to sand and gel coat. There is a drain hole in the back of the fish boxes through the transom. I am planning on adding Garboard drain plugs at some point in the future. My greatest concern is wit the upper lip of both fish boxes. There are long holes inside where the sides meet the top of the fish boxes. It is almost like the fiberglass was never completed during the construction of the Mako. Is this normal? Does the water come up high in the boxes? If it does, I would think the water would go down into the bottom of the hull. I stuck my head into the boxes to see paper tape in the upper corners, very old and dried out. Can't believe the tape was supposed to be the only means to complete the boxes.

Also, I have never used fish boxes before. These are from 1974, no aerators or plumbing, only a hole leading out to the lake water. Is the idea to remove the drain plug and let the water into the boxes? Is it OK to run the boat with the plugs out of the fish boxes? I definitely want to use the boxes, but want to understand how.

Thanks for the help!

Mark

 

[GSPLures]

Is it possible that the original plumbing was removed at some point? I am not sure how livewells were back then but without an aerator or being able to refresh the water it would probably make a short life of anything you put in there.

 

[dingbat]

Fish boxes and live/bait wells have different functionalities.

Unlike a live well that is designed to keep fish alive, fish boxes are designed to store and ice your catch while out on the water.

Mine drains through a thru hull. Plug is in the box for ease of access

 

[kcassells]

Kriz, post some pics.

 

[gm280]

I have to say, you much catch an amazing amount of fish then I could ever imagine needing two fish boxes. If I used a fish box instead of a live well, I could keep my fish box in a shoe box or smaller...and that's on a really really great day of fishing for me too! I always hate buying minnows to fish with, because I get so confused grabbing one trying to figure out if it is a fish I caught, or a store bought minnow.. Same size for me. :laugh:

and that 's You need to decide if you want a live well or fish box. They don't do the same things for the fish. Like kcassells suggested, pop up a picture or three for us to see what you are talking about...

 

[krizm200]

OK, thank you all for the replies! At least right now, these are not live wells as there never was any aeration or plumbing for such. Ice in the boxes makes complete sense, and would not need the top side walls completed, the water line would never get that high. I think I will rebuild the boxes and consider making one of them a live well (just to say I did it). The other box can remain a fish box for ice. Like that idea.

Also have to say, I did catch a fair amount of fish out of Lake Samamish near Seattle WA, lots of Perch and Cutthroat. But the batteries were in the boxes, so no fish could go in. We are now in Cedar Park TX, and have not had as much luck on Lake Georgetown, but my understanding is the high lake temp keeps the fish from biting. Not giving up though. We are out again on Saturday going for catfish this time!

 

[krizm200]

And pictures of the boxes! The last picture shows the space at the top of the side walls to the top of the boxes. Hard to see, but the open space is there.

Mark

 

[kcassells]

Sorry I cant tell from the pics. Look like bad glassing job from past.

 

[krizm200]

That is what I think, bad glassing when the boat was manufactured. I'm going to close up the spaces, sand it down, and gel coat. More work for me, but I enjoy doing it anyway.

Thanks everyone!

Mark

 

[gm280]

If you are going to make one a live well and use a spray bar to aerate the fish, then you will need to install a pump to do that. And the typical pump fits through the hull to supply the pump with fresh water. But then you will also need some way to allow water out so you don't over fill the live well and start flooding the boat. Some use a stand pipe setup where they can control the water lever via the height of the standpipe. I would not close or seal over the lower drain fitting so that when you want to drain the live well, it will be easy to remove a plug fitting there. If you are interested in a spray bar and/or stand pipe, let us know and we can post some pictures to explain both those items.

 

[krizm200]

Thanks gm280. My plan is to replace the drain plug with a Garboard plug (using Garboard plugs for both fish boxes and the main drain for the hull). I have been looking at some diagrams of live wells online. I may make one of the boxes a live well in the future. I like the stand pipe system and the pump, but probably will not tackle the project until early next year at the earliest. I will fill in all other holes (besides the drain holes) and decide where I want to go from there.

My original thought was that the drain plugs would be removed so water could enter the boxes, but it seems that was incorrect. So much to learn!

Thanks again to all. Really appreciate the advice.

Mark