Livewell how tos?

Question

How do you make a livewell/bsitwell with little$$

Answer 1

You can easily build your own livewell with a simple cooler from Wal-Mart, a small pump, and a couple of hoses. There are step-by-step instructions, complete with pictures, at http://www.tropicalboating.com/fishing/l...

Answer 2

Main things about keeping fish alive in the boat are, oxygen, temperature, and getting rid of waste.

You'll need two thru-hull livewell pumps (one for bringing fresh water in, the other for recirculation and pumpout), some hose & pvc, an aerator bar and a container -- I'm thinking at least 15, 20 gallons.  And some 12-gauge wiring, couple inline fuse holders, 2-amp fuses, and a couple switches.  Don't be tempted to omit the fuses, they really can save you from a fire on board, which can really ruin a good day of fishing.

Drill thru the transom below the waterline, couple inches above the bottom, over to the side where it won't be in the way of anything.

It'll be nerve-wracking, drilling thru the transom, but just keep in mind that every bass boat ever made has thru-hull livewell intakes.

Seal the fitting with 3m 5200 marine adhesive sealant -- that's the only thing I'd use -- there are probably others that would work but make sure it's a "marine" sealant.  Regular silicone shrinks ever so slightly as it cures.  And the transom is a critical part of the boat, don't take chances.

You can use plain old garden hose from the pump to the livewell.

The tricky part is, how to drain it.  My livewell is built in;  the overflow drain is a hole in the side of the boat, and it has a drain hole in the bottom of the livewell that's open to the lake.

But I made a bait tank with a pump for recirc and pump-out, out of a 20-gallon tub ($5.00 at walmarts), and some pvc pipe & misc fittings.

First, a thru-hull fitting near the top with a hose fitting for connecting the fill hose (I connect a "Y" off the livewell fill pump to this for filling the bait tank).

Then a hole near the bottom of the tub with the pump mounted on the outside, pvc to carry the water to the top and recirculate it back into the tub through the aerator.  On the pvc, I've got a "T" fitting with valves, where I connect a 2nd hose for pumping out.  You could use a submergible pump, but you'd have to worry about it raising the temperature of the water.

You have to be able to refresh the water (after fish have been in there awhile water will start getting toxic to 'em).  Also 18 gal of water is nearly 150lbs you don't want to have to lift it out to empty it.

A lid cut out of 1/4" plywood, cut in half and put back together with a piano hinge.  

Insulated with an "emergency blanket" ($1 in the camping aisle at wallymart -- it's a big silver mylar sheet) taped on with clear packing tape.  It gets really hot here in the summer and that mylar is an excellent insulator -- same stuff covering the lunar module.

Bring some extra ice on really hot days.  I freeze water in gatoraid bottles & toss one in every now & then.

Actually in my bait tank, the recirc pump discharge is split with half going thru a venturi for aeration and current, and the other half thru an activated charcoal filter (a tupperware dish with a paint strainer bag full of acquarium filter charcoal).  But the bait I put in there is threadfin shad, which are really stupid and fragile creatures that'll die within minutes if conditions aren't just right.

For a livewell you wouldn't need to take extreme measures - an aerator bar would work just fine.  or better yet, a hose running around the rim with holes poked in it.  

When you fill it, leave several inches of empty space at the top, to give the recirculated water from the aerator plenty of time and momentum to carry oxygen into the water.

Answer 3

Get a 5 gallon plastic bucket. Then you will need a pump. Run a line up and aim the pump output back at the water. The object is to move as much water as possible to aerate the water to keep the bait alive.