Livewell

having a livewell installed in the center seat of my 1648 Alumacraft Jon semi V.

Someone suggested plumbing screened inlet at the stern which means hose all the way to the back and hide it somehow, another suggests plumbing inlet strait out the side of the boat towards the bottom.
Only inlets I've seen are the large screened bubble shaped ones. Not sure I like the idea of the screen protruding from the side of the boat?
Thoughts? suggestions? :?: Are there any with the screen screwed inside the inlet valve?

Are screens absolutely necessary? What I mean is, how do you plumb a hose to the back in a jon boat without cutting holes in the seats to the back?

You want it on the stern. You will more than likely scrape it off othe side

I don't have any input, but I'd like to do the same, in the same boat. Please update this thread when your done. I'm looking forward to seeing your livewell install.

Kevin, you don't need a screen protruding off the side of the boat. what you want is a thru hull fitting https://www.ebay.com/itm/Thru-Hull-Fitting-1-1-2-Boat-Livewell-Drain-/230723930147?pt=Boat_Parts_Accessorie and a in line strainer https://www.ebay.com/itm/JABSCO-46400-0000-TOILET-HEAD-PUMP-INLET-STRAINER-3-4-HOSE-/380379318096

What you do is drill a hole in the side of the hull and silicone the thru hull fitting, route a hose to your pump and install the strainer somewhere in between the two, somewhere where you can easily access the strainer to clean it.

You want to mount the thru hull fitting below the water line so you have constant supply of water.

If this is going to be a constant circulating system you will need to mount a overflow tube/drain so the water can bilge out, meaning over the side, either another thru hull fitting (above the water line) or a hose mounted over the side of the boat.

If you have a drain plug on the bottom of the live well and only need to pump water in then you don't need to worry about a overflow system. Does this make sense?

Personally I prefer a portable system and not a system permanently mounted. Reason being is Jon Boats are crowed for space as it is much less with a live well, some may disagree this is just my opinion.

Hope this helps.

P.S. I am going to build a portable live/bait well system just like the one on my post. I will take detailed pictures and step by step procedures if anyone is wanting to build one.

Thanks for the tips! appreciated.

Not sure I get the point about not needing an overflow. Only way that would work is if the pump were on all the time to keep the tank full, but you'd really have to balance intake vs drain. Otherwise you'd still need a standpipe to regulate water level.

To your point about space being a premium is understandable but this is going into the middle seat, so it's not taking up any more space. Truthfully it's making double use of space as it's a livewell/seat combo. It would seem to me that bringing in a portable livewell onto the boat would take up more space.

Thanks again for tips.

The overflow is necessary to keep the water cool and keep the fish from dieing. It really depends on where and when you plan on fishing. Up in WI it may not be as necessary as it is down south. Most livewell pumps are run with a two way (SPDT) switch. One position is constant on to fill the livewell, the second position goes to a livewell timer which will turn the pump on and off at regular intervals, keeping the water fresh.

A second comment, if you do use an overflow, there are two things that are critical. 1) The highest point in the hose cannot be higher than the highest level of water you want in the live well tank. A hose over the side won't work as an overflow. It would need a second pump to operate properly. Without a pump, the water will just overflow the top of the tank and run into the boat. 2) The hose should run at a slight downward angle from livewell to discharge port. This isn't as critical, but if you have any rises in the hose, water may become trapped, which will need to be blown using air before winter time so it doesn't freeze and crack your hose. Also, if there are multiple rises, a hydraulic lock can be formed which would prevent it from operating properly.

On my boat, the discharge is below the water line as well. This keeps the whole thing quieter, as the discharged fluid isn't noisily draining over the side when the pump is running.

Good luck!

Here's a page you might want to look at. It show a livewell conversion.
https://www.bigindianabass.com/big_indiana_bass/2009/03/jon-boat-livewells.html

Yep....thanks...I've been chatting with BigIndianabass admin for a couple days now on his conversion...has some nice ideas...he didn't use a screen on his intake.

Poormans Boatright said:

P.S. I am going to build a portable live/bait well system just like the one on my post. I will take detailed pictures and step by step procedures if anyone is wanting to build one.

Click to expand...

Can we make it an article on the homepage?

KevinWI said:

Yep....thanks...I've been chatting with BigIndianabass admin for a couple days now on his conversion...has some nice ideas...he didn't use a screen on his intake.

Click to expand...

Cool I was kind of afraid to use a pump at the through hull fitting. I think that's how he did it. I would like to keep all the pumps in the live well if possible. I just don't know much about livewells yet. I do see a lot of live well pumps with long shafts for through hull connection. I am just afraid of it snapping off from age or impact. I was thinking of a through hull fitting below the waterline then hose ran to the livewell pump inside the livewell, the hose should fill with water in turn priming the pump. I just don't know for sure. Like I said I have no experience with it.

Jay415 said:

KevinWI said:

Yep....thanks...I've been chatting with BigIndianabass admin for a couple days now on his conversion...has some nice ideas...he didn't use a screen on his intake.

Click to expand...

Cool I was kind of afraid to use a pump at the through hull fitting. I think that's how he did it. I would like to keep all the pumps in the live well if possible. I just don't know much about livewells yet. I do see a lot of live well pumps with long shafts for through hull connection. I am just afraid of it snapping off from age or impact. I was thinking of a through hull fitting below the waterline then hose ran to the livewell pump inside the livewell, the hose should fill with water in turn priming the pump. I just don't know for sure. Like I said I have no experience with it.

Click to expand...

He doesn't have his pumps "IN" the livewell, his are outside the seat under his deck and attached to the hull....but for mine, I don't have the deck to hide the plumbing, so I'm going to put the pump(s) in the empty space under the seat next to the tank. I will have to cut out an access hole at the bottom and just install a "kicker plate" at the bottom removable by screws to get at the plumbing when needed.

I suppose its always a worry about it snapping off, but whether it's at the transom or thru the side of the hull, the risk remains the same.
less of a chance dropping something like a gas tank or anchor or accidentally stepping on it if its under the seat, than at the transom IMO.

do you need 2 through hull fittings? one for fill and one for overflow/empty?

Jay415 said:

do you need 2 through hull fittings? one for fill and one for overflow/empty?

Click to expand...

Yes, I'm figuring one on port and one on starboard side. The fill side will be the side closest to where all the switches will be installed at the back of the boat near where I sit. (logical)

I'm having the aluminum tank and lid prefabbed at the local marine shop nearby....will cost me some $$, but I want it done right. When all done, I'm hoping it will look and function like it came with the boat.

oh ok I already have an aluminum tank in my center seat so I would just have to plumb it. Just found this:
https://www.bassboat-solutions.com/plumbing.html

I was thinking about just using a pump connected to a hose and drop the pump in the lake to fill, and then use for spray bar, and then the opposite to empty or water change. Just for a while to see if I'll actually get use from a livewell or if the added weight will affect performance and balance

You can always go that route. When I began the idea of this project my thoughts were that I wanted to make it look and function like it was original and not cobbled together. If I wanted to do that, I'd just use a cooler...much cheaper....but if I'm going to spend a little money, might as well do it so it operates with a simple flip of the switch....no muss no fuss!

I have mocked up my tank out of cardboard (scaled down model) so the fabricator and I are on the same page. I'll post up a short video of it as soon as the paint dries....it's a little crude, but I don't have CAD skills and it gets the idea across. (ok, I was bored today and I am excited to get this project started.

For anyone interested, here is a short video of my cardboard mockup of the livewell I plan to have fabricated out of Aluminum for installation in my middle bench seat of my Jon boat.
[youtube]Jn_ZGIiWFLM[/youtube]

Very nice! And well planned! I agree the flip of a switch is the way to go!

RE: Can we make it an article on the homepage?

Jim, yes of course you are welcome to use any of my ideas/posts any you see fit, maybe some of the other members can benefit from them.

Thanks, take it to fabricator tomorrow...was hoping to get more input.

Awesome livewell! Cant wait to see it finished.