Another Live Well Design

An idea that's definitely worth stealing. Thanks for posting.

DId you also add a fitting at the bottom somewhere to let the water out at teh end of the day?

Nice design!  Do you have an approx. Total cost?

I like it a lot!  Well thought out.  I'm curious how much all the parts ended up costing you?

Bret

The cost was around $100, about a third the cost of a Hobie live well. My cost for this build was around $80 because I had a lot of spare stainless nuts and bolts from outfitting my kayaks, leftover PVC fittings from a sprinkler project, I salvaged the brass swivel snaps from an old kayak seat, and I got a couple free 6V 10A batteries from Fishbucket.

Love it.

I have shied away from the square shape as i was worried the delicate little f'ing anchovies would beat themselves to death on the corners...

Am i just being overly cautious?

You probably could make a cylinder inside with a flexible sheet of plastic and put some holes in it for drainage if you are worried about the corners.

Because the corners of the live well is not a sharp 90, the anchovies are pretty good about swimming in circles as long as they are not over crowded.

The plastic insert is a good idea! I will definitely look into it.

DId you also add a fitting at the bottom somewhere to let the water out at teh end of the day?

Initially I did not. I would use my hand operated bilge pump to empty the live well before landing. But that got old quickly, so I added a drain plug at the bottom.

krusty
does it run constant or do you cycle it
if on constant how long do you get on the batt?

krusty
does it run constant or do you cycle it
if on constant how long do you get on the batt?

I let the bilge pump run continuously. A 6V 10A battery will last the whole day.

Awesome job on the live well Tim.

Jedmo

You're pretty krafty, Krusty. Now patent the darn thing and come up here and let's go get some mud salmon!

Very nice! Thanks for posting. I'm finishing up a hellacious relocation. I think I know what my first project will be in the new man cave.

I'm gonna need your help Guru to build my version 2.0 . My first designed has served me well over the years but its starting to go. It's holding on by bubble gum and tape. Lol.

I think i'll film it this time for my blog so others can build it too. 

Over the past few years, I made a couple changes to my live well.

1) A drain plug was added to the bottom of the live well to make it easier to empty.

2) The fine stainless steel mesh strainer on the drain tend to get clogged with scales if I pack the live well full of anchovies. This then results in water spilling over the top of the live well. So I replaced the mesh strainer with something with larger openings, a stainless steel sink strainer.

3) The live well was modified to fit a Hobie Revolution. Only the plumbings around the pump changed. The pump still draws water through a scupper. Having the pump on the outside of the live well gave it an advantage over the Hobie design in that it is much easier to access and clean out. All I have to do is press the red tab on the pump motor, twist it, and lift it out. I can then remove any eel grass or other kelp debris sucked in by the pump.

An added advantage of this design is no assembly is required. The pump and attached pick up tube are stored against the side of the live well. With the Hobie model, you must install the pick up tube before use, and remove it afterwards.

Over the past few years, I made a couple changes to my live well.

1) A drain valve was added to the bottom of the live well to make it easier to empty.

2) The fine stainless steel mesh strainer on the drain tend to get clogged with scales if I pack the live well full of anchovies. This then results in water spilling over the top of the live well. So I replaced the mesh strainer with something with larger openings, a stainless steel sink strainer.

3) The live well was modified to fit a Hobie Revolution. Only the plumbings around the pump changed. The pump still draws water through a scupper. Having the pump on the outside of the live well gave it an advantage over the Hobie design in that it is much easier to access and clean out. All I have to do is press the red tab on the pump motor, twist it, and lift it out. I can then remove any eel grass or other kelp debris sucked in by the pump.

An added advantage of this design is no assembly is required. The pump and attached pick up tube are stored against the side of the live well. With the Hobie model, you must install the pick up tube before use, and remove it afterwards.

That is a sexy bait tank you sexy mother......

Very nice!

Thanks for sharing!