I'm looking to try to build or buy a portable salwater livewell for my small 17' boat. I'm trying not to spend a ton on the project but any input would be appreciated.
I have an old bilge pump that i was thinking about trying to use... My initial thoughts were to submerge the bilge pump in the saltwater to feed the tank, then just put a drain on the top/side of the tank to drain older water. Attach a switch to the wire connecting to the battery, so the pump wouldn't be pumping at all times.
I'll mostly be using it to store live mackerel/pollack for 3-6 hours at a time while I'm out fishing.
I don't have a lot of deck space on the boat.
Questions:
Is this a stupid idea?
Will the bilge pump motor burn out quickly since it probably isn't built for this type of application?
Will the bilge pump drain the deep cycle battery too quickly?
Do any of you have any other suggestions?
Also, any thoughts on something like this?? http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...-box.jsp.form1
A lot of guys use a bilge pump and a plastic 55 gal drum and have a few drain holes at the top like you describe. Google around and I bet you can find some plans. The ones I have seen have used a pickup hose and kept that in the water (rather than hanging the pump in the water). At 20 gallons the easiest solution for you may be 1/2 of a plastic 55 gal drum.
Two other things to keep in mind:
1) get a 90 degree fitting for inside the tub for the water input and aim it down a little and along the wall of the tub. This will set up a current for the bait to swim against (from what I understand this is key to bait survival), and
2) give yourself a drain plug/valve near the bottom so you can get the water out eaisly in a controlled way. (probably not as big a problem with 20 gals, but at 55 gals it can be a problem)
If this link doesn't work google "live bait larry.com" I have one of his transom mount bait pumps on my 17" Whaler and it works well and is by far the cheapest and easiest solution I've found.
It mounts to the transom so it picks up water on it's own while under way and uses a standard Rule 360 pump so it only draws a couple amps per hour at rest and cheap to replace.
The only problem I've had is when I left the boat in the water for an extended period while on vacation. Apparently electrolysis was bad in the marina I stayed at and it ate the center pin of the rule pump and killed it.
The well I matched with it is the Kodiak utp 14, it's only 14 gallons but with a small boat I don't have a lot of space and I didn't want to add too much weight. It holds at least a dozen full size pogies all day, that's all I need.
YES, i went through so many bilge pumps last year it was crazy until i bought a livewell pump...hasnt died yet...i do the same exact thing you do, but i took a 55 gallon drum and choped it off at the 45 mark and made a 1 1/4 hose for the drain, i just throw the livewell pump over with a heavy weight, secure the fill hose to the bucket of course... for the way out to the grounds i use my saltwater washdown
A couple of things if you go forward....stay away from square or almost square tanks,(saves space but fish don't like) and secondly your tank inside should be finished in a dark black gray color vs. white or ther lighter shades.
Bilge pumps and remembering to charge the battery was always the buzz kill when we used them on the northshore
Blue barrels were always available and often free that's why we used them
LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Reply With Quote
