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Mines very simple set up and will take some pictures this afternoon and postOriginally Posted by giddyup58
Hi all.
Accessorising my V19C project lurking hereabouts, and I'm wanting to know what the latest thoughts on setting up live bait tanks are.
I haven't done one for years, but the basics can't have changed.
One needs a good supply of aerated seawater, a drain to get it out, and a lid to keep the livies from jumping out.
I've noticed that a lot of refurbished "fishing" boats also have a clear front panel and LED lights fitted
Why? Just aesthetics? Does it keep the bait calm? It's a lot of work to do it neatly, but I'm happy to do it for a good reason rather than "it looks cool".
I'm not keen on drilling through the transom to fit a commercially available live bait tank pump, especially seeing that they all seem to have nylon threaded pipes as their mounts, which, if broken, can easily sink a boat...
I was thinking of a small pump (say 500gph), transom mounted to a S/S water pick-up, but that's going to look industrial...
But I like the idea of the spigot supplying fresh seawater whilst underway...
Photos of the actual tank.
IMG_0064(2).jpg IMG_0065(1).jpg IMG_0066.jpg
Ideas? Comments? Photos of your set up?
Many thanks
Harry.
Mines very simple set up and will take some pictures this afternoon and post
A bad days fishing has got to be better than any day at work......
A few observations. I have never understood why people insist on supplying water for a live tank through the transom. It means that the tank will drain when you take off to somewhere esle on the plane. or, if you fit a non-return valve, the water de-oxygenates rapidly if there are numbers in there. Both scenarios get your bait dead/dopey pretty quickly. Barely-alive bait often will not get a fussy fish to take.
As for the hull fitting, never put a plastic skin fitting through a hull. Use a stainless skin fitting with scoop , with a stainless ball valve mounted on it, fit the pump to the top of that. This will get the plastic bits on or above resting water level. Any decent pump will be able to lift a little--while something like the Johnson dual port I use on mine is a solid impeller, and technically non self-priming, as long as you start the filling process at rest, it maintains water supply under all scenarios--I can do over an hours run between spots and the livies are still happy.
I use the upstand type, and no, I don't have trouble netting the bait. You can buy a complete kit to fit out a tank, with upstand, sprayer, all necessary fittings, rather than try to cobble one together from individual bits. My boat came with the tank, and a drain, I found the process very easy to convert using this kit. It is a Flowrite Qwik-Lok, MW part 8680.
https://www.boathut.com.au/product/f...-rule-aerator/ This one shows as out of stock at the moment, but not too hard to find elsewhere. I would recommend this as it has the Quik-lok fittings which make connections under the tank easy. The Johnson pump has not missed a beat in over five years, and often doesn't get turned on for months.
As for the viewing window, I have never understood how bait could be kept happy having the watch humans moving around in close proximity with the clear window. Cool factor/keep kids entertained. IMO. Cut a viewing window in that aluminium tank, and the paint will almost immediately start to bubble with corrosion along the cut edge. Sure, it will do it under the tank where you plumb it as well, but at least that is out of sight. Pit falls of retrofitting anything to a painted aluminium boat.
Bronze is better then stainless. But there is a "plastic" type material out now that's good.
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Marelon is the material, seems good.
https://www.deckhardware.com.au/blog...mbing-systems/
With bronze, make sure it's top quality bronze not brass.
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But yea starting from scratch I'd sooner have " industrial look" then drill holes in the bottom of the hull.
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Plus with marelon you don't have the need to earth the thru hulls.
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I mounted a spare bilge pump on my transducer spray shield and took the hose through the old steering cable hole
I can use it to fill the built in tubs on the back of the boat or a tub/bucket on the floor
It only works when you're not moving though, and if you leave the hose end in the water and turn it off it will syphon back out which is handy for changing the water or just pull it out to stop it syphoning
It's also useful for wiping down the boat in conjunction with a rag, Yes it's all a bit manual but I'm happy with it and it was pretty cheap
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I would argue that, having seen bronze just snap and sink a boat. Never seen stainless do it. There is still rubbish bronze out there. As for synthetic types, well, personally I'd like to look more into that. iIve seen many brand-new "wonder materials" come and go. And there is absolutely no need to earth s/s through hull fittings in a GRP hull. It wasn't even a Survey requirement in the commercial hulls I used to drive.
Yes, so much inferior materials with chinese now.
I thought the bonding is to do with stray currents in the pumps. Maybe no need if fully insulated pumps perhaps.
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Is there a need for a window, no, it's purely for those who like to host shows, serves no other purpose. I have a pump mounted on a bracket with a pick up scoop althoough I have seen where others have mounted one on the trim tab direct. I also have a scoop that you can have if it interests you which I used previously for a deck wash pick up but had to change once I modified the pod.
Another thing that helps keep your live bait alive is not to have any sharp corners inside your bait tank, sika a piece of ally or plastic into the corners helps them to circulate otherwise they have a tendency to push their way into the corners and expire quicker.
One of the sad signs of our times is that we have demonized those who produce, subsidized those who refuse to produce and canonized those who complain.
Thomas Sowell
Giddy, most important thing for me is new water has to enter the tanks water column at the bottom, not on the surface, overflow straight of the surface layer, keeps the water clean and turning over, makes an amazing difference for blue water bait fish. Other good for me ,round corners (oval = good), keep the tank to gunnel height or below, i recon the ones mounted high in a bait station or similar slop arounf to much. As per Dignity you can sccop through the pump suction without the pump running, works fine.
Scott
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"Most important thing for me is new water has to enter the tanks water column at the bottom, not on the surface"
Does this mean that there is no need to aerate the water?
"Overflow straight off the surface layer, keeps the water clean and turning over, makes an amazing difference for blue water bait fish"
So a simple overflow drain is all that's needed?
"As per Dignity you can scoop through the pump suction without the pump running, works fine.
While running, the water will push past the bilge pump and feed into the bottom of the tank?
Use a non-return valve to stop syphoning back out when at rest with pump turned off?
Many thanks, Scott
No you don’t need a window a frosted type lid and just check for dead baits often so they don’t affect the others
a internal blue or red light makes it easy to catch them at night though
a transom mounted pickup with a pump attached is a simple option but I found the pumps didn’t last long and assumed it was they were exceeding their designed rpm as a boat doing 25-40 Kph pumped more wate Le with the pump off then it did sitting at rest with the pump on.
the good thing is while underway you can do the pump off and conserve the batteries
Giddy,
- imo opinion spray bars onto surface a complete waste of time, key is moving the dead water from the bottom of the tank to the surface and out. Note in my boat the inlet is actually at the top of the tank (way we had to build the boat). I have a tap and 90 degree tapped in there at that point with a length of hose on the 90 degree that extends to the bottom off the tank. Key point you dont necessarily have to have the inlet cut into the bottom of the tank, its about coming up with a a way to discharge the new water at the base.
- I like a series of small holes at top water level through the side of the hull, better setup than a big overflow with a strainer, not much crap that doenst run out through a a series of 6mm holes verus shit blocking the strainer up. If your putting 800gph of inflow in there you need same capacity to get it out, you will be surprised re overfloe capacity needed.
- i use one of these in 800https://www.outbackequipment.com.au/rule-live-bait-pump-angled-500gph?cq_src=google_ads&cq_cmp=20405216784&cq_ter m=&cq_plac=&cq_net=x&cq_plt=gp&gad_source=1&gclid= CjwKCAjw15eqBhBZEiwAbDomEtR4JpOv4GlH1mxBqgYL0FTVbU 9UHtAbKysYpLQHrOU-ONI1bV2AaBoCEusQAvD_BwE . Put it through a right angle transom bracket and cut the suction end at and angle at a length where it will pickup underway. If the pump not running when your underway water will still pass straight through the pump and into the tank, this said i just usually leave the pump running all the time so i dont forget to start it when i come to rest. So basically just one suction/delivery line for both pumping/scooping if you get what i mean.
- No non return valv needed if you do the "hose to bottom" setup i have. My tanks will still syphon out as you say but instead of a non return i drill a 2mm hole into the 90 degree where it enters the tank. Given this 90 degree is at top water level it lets enough air in to drop the syphon when i turn the pump of,
Sorry for long winded explanation, trying to avoid a trip to the shed with phone!
I run 2 50 litre tanks in each transom corner, both fed by the common 800 gph, i can happilly keep about 40 big slimies fully match fit without a worry at all for as long as i want, not single tank the 500gph would be fine. It all about moving volume of new water in and getting rid of the dead water.
Scott
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