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Livewell Question???

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River Rat

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I'm searching for a livewell I can use on the boat and remove when not needed. Will be using it mainly for live Bunker in the spring. In the 20 to 25 gallon size there are both round and oval available. Which is better?

 

Would it be reasonable to mount a livewell on the swim platform? This would save cockpit space.

 

I'm running a 27' Sea Ray Amberjack BTW.

 

Thanks!

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Go round. I think the swim platorm would be difficult to access, difficult to secure given the weight of water, and unsightly with the power and water hoses. A few of the local cc's have 55 gallon set ups just aft of their seats or leaning posts, portside. Port because they normally dock starboardside to, and set their net to starboard as well.

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Did you get it without the fishing package? My 270 Amberjack has the baitwell in the cockpit with a sink and cutting block. When I was in the Canary Islands fishing the Captain mounted a fish box on the swim platform for live bait(mackeral) and aerated with the salt water washdown. It was cumbersome but it worked.

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20 galons of water will weigh about 140 pounds. Putting that on the swim platform will be like having a person on it. That is OK when motionless but at speed ( and bumps) the weight will put a big strain on the platform. That might compromise the integrity of the platform. It will also shift the trim of the boat a bit. I would look at inside mounted portable units. I am curious. Was there a livewell option for you model year? If so, you could probably retrofit.

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Installation of something heavy on the swim platform is nearly always a bad idea for several reasons (weight, CG shift aft, CB shift, increased transom loading, bracket/connector loading, interference with fishing, etc.). Putting a RIB or dinghy back there is bad enough, but a live well filled with water at 8+ pounds per gallon creates a bad point load.

 

One thing you might consider is what several of the flats boats in the Tampa area use: a Rex-Air Livewell. They're round and in several sizes from about five gallons to 40-50 with built-in aerators. If my aging memory serves me right, I think that prices range from about $75 to $200 depending on size.

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I have 19 ft CC with a 42 gal Kodiak oval on my boat I keep it in the bow I have the most space there and get the beast ride with it up there. When its full its too heavy for the back, with me and the tank scupper under water.

The Kodiak can be run half full no need to fill tank which is a nice feature. I( take my tank w/me at the end of day.)

O'D

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View PostDick, How did you plumb it?

 

 

I have something similar on my 21 parker...i have a 40 gallon livewell mounted in the bow against the forward bulkhead....plumbing was a breeze... i put a highspeed pickup in the bottom of the hull near the stern just below the bilge access panel. to this I attached a ball valve and mounted my 1100 gph rule pump.the pump is wired below deck into the console breaker panel....the plumbing comes off the pump up through the starboard battery compartment chaseway....up underneath the coveringboard/gunwale fastened with pvc hose fasteners?

ending up in the bow...next the hose is simply connected to the tank fill spray nozzle.....another 2" hose (tigerflex)

comes off the top of the tank and is vented out through the port side via a 2" PVC thru hull fitting. The tank is setup to be completely removable and is fastend to the deck with quick release brackets....None of the hoses are visible and it is a very neat install. this tank is a great addition to the 30 gal livewell leaning post that came with the boat. Both these livewells are set-up to be used as closed circuit recirculators as well...i have a seperate pump mounted in each tank that I can use when i shut off the high speed raw water pumps...this is very handy when

I run way up into the tidal rivers where the water is brackish or even fresh...i can have two tanks of lively tinker macks/herring and still head to the upriver ledges that hold big stripers without my bait supply going belly up. The macks are extremely sensitive to low salinity.

 

the front tank does add substantial weight to the bow and makes for a smooth ride in a light chop...but when the sea kicks up you've got to drain that tank... or pay the price.

I'd post some pics but the boat is all covered up...remind me this spring

Super Fly Charters "The Master angler sets his sights on species of fish and methods of fishing that are so difficult that just pursuing them borders on madness"
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That is pretty redneckbiggrin.gif It looks like it would work pretty slick though...does igloo make a round cooler...my macks would get to beat up in the corners of that thing

Super Fly Charters "The Master angler sets his sights on species of fish and methods of fishing that are so difficult that just pursuing them borders on madness"
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A very complex engineering solution from the redneck cafishermen surprised me. I thought that this is how the redneck catfishermen did the the livewell thing: smile.gif

 

From: http://www.thejump.net/adventure/story13.htm

 

Water Moccasins and Aluminum Boats

 

Mark and I had bought our own aluminum boats and had them for some years. Growing up, a stones throw from the river bank, a boat was a necessity! Well, Jimmy finally saved up enough money to buy him a nice 12 ft long, wide bottom boat! One thing he was short of was a motor. One night we decided to go frogging on the river and Jimmy wanted to use HIS boat! We said OK, so I brought my 9.8 Merc (the one with no cowling) to put on it.

 

Naturally, we went nowhere without our guns! I had my REM. Nylon .22 and Jimmy brought his 20 GA, single shot. The night was going well and we had grabbed about 20 frogs when we came to a flat along the river bank. Gleaming back at us were the eyes of the two biggest bull frogs I had ever seen!

 

We had to ease the boat under some low overhanging cypress limbs when I heard an all to familiar "THUMP" in the bottom of the boat! I turned around to see a HUGE stub-tailed moccasin coiling up!

 

Mark and I vacated the boat ASAP into the shallow water of the river flat! Jimmy looked liked a scared canary perched on top of the boats transom, clinching the engine of the outboard between his knees!

 

Jimmy started screaming "What do I do?" I replied "Shoot it son, shoot it!" He did not even think about it when he reached over, grabbed his old 20 Ga. and blasted the head off! Needless to say, the boat had a nice big hole in the bottom!

 

We drug the boat on the bank where I ripped up my T-shirt, plugged the hole, then beat the shredded aluminum back down to hold it! Being a nice guy, I later heli-arced a nice patch over it for him!

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I have an 800 gal pump on the transom used 3/4 hose and regular garden snap on fittings. The tank fills from the botton and drians from the top. I bought the taller tank so it could drain over the thansom bot its too heavy to keep in the back so I have it in the frount and drain it on the floor I will drill a hole in the hull and drain it there, I just need to know exactly where I want to keep it. I will know better next year, I also have to throw the net better. There is a n "end of day" drain plug on the bottom that drains all but 1/4 inch out of tank.

O'D

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