Portable bait well advice please

[rick0520]

Hi, if a boat has no live well could I buy a round Moeller, drill a hole in the side near the bottom and run a hose from the raw water spigot into the Moeller, then cut another hole in the other side near the top and connect a basic hose allowing water to escape off the back of the boat? I would only need this for Massachusetts saltwater baitfish. If the water keeps constantly circulating through the Moeller thanks to the raw water pump will this work (and no need to aerate)? I'd filter both connections inside the Moeller so bait couldn't get into either hose.
Thank you!

 

[Fishtales]

Google it. There are plenty of ways to do this and make a decent livewell.

 

[SkunkBoat]

Yep, in past we've used a rubbermaid trash can rigged in a similar fashion. Make sure the overflow hose is much larger than the inlet.

Striper fishing for years I used a 50 or 100 qt cooler, drain near a scupper and a 5 gallon bucket to fill. Snagged a half dozen big bunker(menhaden/pogies) and could keep them alive long enough to get eaten...

 

[enfish]

This is the setup we have using a Kodiak PF32. It will keep 10 lbs of sardines alive all day and longer. Intake hose comes from the thru-hull in the bilge and through the bulkhead in front of the splashwell. Overflow hose goes over the splashwell and out the transom notch.

 

[rick0520]

Google it. There are plenty of ways to do this and make a decent livewell.
The internet has 1,000,000 articles that are "close" which I think is why this forum exists, allows users with expert trial and error to share ideas. Appreciate the feedback.

 

[rick0520]

This is the setup we have using a Kodiak PF32. It will keep 10 lbs of sardines alive all day and longer. Intake hose comes from the thru-hull in the bilge and through the bulkhead in front of the splashwell. Overflow hose goes over the splashwell and out the transom notch.
View attachment 19260

Very cool Eric, is that a yellowfin? Beauty! So the standard raw water wash pump is strong enough to power for a few hours at a time and keep it circulating? I can't see in the photo where the intake hose comes in, is it down towards the bottom of the tank? Thanks a million.

 

[enfish]

Rick, yep that’s a schoolie yellowfin. Here’s the best photo I have showing the intake (for some reason all my useful photos have fish in them ). The bait tank has its own dedicated thru-hull with a Rule 800 GPH centrifugal pump on it. But there shouldn’t be any reason you couldn’t Tee off of a single thru-hull you have for the wash down. My other thru-hull runs the factory live well and factory raw water wash down with a T and 2 separate pumps. I don’t think I’d would use the wash down pump as a live well pump except in an emergency. At least the one I have doesn’t have enough water flow to work well.

 

[seasick]

Take into account that raw water washdown pumps may not be designed for long running times (duty cycles).

 

[rick0520]

Rick, yep that’s a schoolie yellowfin. Here’s the best photo I have showing the intake (for some reason all my useful photos have fish in them ). The bait tank has its own dedicated thru-hull with a Rule 800 GPH centrifugal pump on it. But there shouldn’t be any reason you couldn’t Tee off of a single thru-hull you have for the wash down. My other thru-hull runs the factory live well and factory raw water wash down with a T and 2 separate pumps. I don’t think I’d would use the wash down pump as a live well pump except in an emergency. At least the one I have doesn’t have enough water flow to work well.
View attachment 19261

Fish pictures are great, you have a good life, that is a crime scene! I don't currently have a live well so there would be no need to T off. I have heard a lot of boats use the same pump for wash down and bait well so is your pressure the only thing that makes you say you don't think it would work? We don't take long trips, my estimate is each time we use it we'd need it going for 3-5 hours tops. Thanks again

 

[glacierbaze]

Rick, a lot of people use the same through hull for live well and wash down, but I don’t think many use the same pump. Live well pumps are high volume, low pressure(1100 gph), and washdown pumps are low volume high pressure(300gph/70psi).
What many people do is tee off of the same intake, to feed separate live well and washdown pump’s.
Rule, and probably others make a live well pump with a built in outlet on the bottom, to feed a separate washdown pump.
Search eBay for a Rule 1100 GPH tournament live well pump, for an example.

 

[rick0520]

Rick, a lot of people use the same through hull for live well and wash down, but I don’t think many use the same pump. Live well pumps are high volume, low pressure(1100 gph), and washdown pumps are low volume high pressure(300gph/70psi).
What many people do is tee off of the same intake, to feed separate live well and washdown pump’s.
Rule, and probably others make a live well pump with a built in outlet on the bottom, to feed a separate washdown pump.
Search eBay for a Rule 1100 GPH tournament live well pump, for an example.


Thanks a lot for this information. Maybe I can use this setup but just put in a different pump! Nice.

 

[Seafarer_Bob]

I made one out of a 45 qt RTIC cooler in my old Whaler. Used a 2" thru hull in the cooler for the drain and NPT for intake. It worked really well and served dual purpose as a cooler when I wasn't bait fishing and seat too.

 

[Hookup1]

I have an oval tank on the euro transom strapped to the fold down ladder. I use the Rule 47DR pump which has an extra outlet on it installed in place of the wash down pump connection. Works great.

 

[Willy-C]

I did the same as OnoEric with a temp tank setup. Although mine is made from a cut down 55 gal plastic drum the drain is same over the transom. The pump I rigged up was a cheap Wally World bilge pump hanging off transom with a custom alum bracket. It can be removed and installed quick depending on what type of fishing I’m doing.
The only thing I did different is I added an extra pump that recirculates the water in the bait tank when in a river and mackerel is my bait, they don’t like brackish water.
Here’s afew pics, one shows the bait tank when offshore I was using it for a bait table, I have since updated the bait table to something different.
Also, if it’s mackerel your are using for bait they seem to prefer round tanks so they can swim in circles better and not get caught in the corners.

 

[Sdfish]

I have the same set up as OnoEric, running it multiple years, 8-10 hours at a time.
I have a T off the raw water, so I can use the washdown when needed. My pump is in pic.
What bait are using?