Live well or storage and just carry a cooler?

[BernieP]

Hi guys great forum!
Im redoing my late 80s 14 foot Polarcraft semiv. It has sat for about 20 years and I recently decided to get it back in action.
Ive been welding up all the little holes from decking and transducers over the years. I had it almost fully decked but it was too heavy with two people in it and ended up just going with a small front deck as mainly flat place to mount a low seat pedestal. Worked out great. In the pic you can kinda see the new one.

Im torn on whether to do away with the center seat live well and make it storage, then carry a cooler for fish I keep or to keep it like it is.

The fitting on the bottom is a potential for leaks but I never had any problems in the past and it was pretty handy except when my buddy borrowed it and left some fish in it and I didn't find out for a week in July, wheeew that one was rough.
On the other had the boat definitely needs the storage.

Here is a pic of the new transom board I made out of two pieces of white oak laminated together. Just after I coated it with penetrating epoxy.

 

[LDUBS]

Hiya BernieP. Here is my thinking:

If I were going to use the live well just to keep fish I'm eventually going to take home, then I would do exactly what you say and use it for storage. Put the fish you want to keep right on ice in the cooler. I would also think about if it is necessary to disconnect or dismantle the live well. Maybe just put a cork in the drain and use it for storage.

If I were using the live well to keep fish that would be released, I would keep the live well.

Terrific job on the transom board.

 

[BernieP]

Hiya BernieP. Here is my thinking:

If I were going to use the live well just to keep fish I'm eventually going to take home, then I would do exactly what you say and use it for storage. Put the fish you want to keep right on ice in the cooler. I would also think about if it is necessary to disconnect or dismantle the live well. Maybe just put a cork in the drain and use it for storage.

If I were using the live well to keep fish that would be released, I would keep the live well.

Terrific job on the transom board.

Yeah I think I'll just cork it and wait and see if I have leaks that require me to dismantle the port. If I do that will be when I weld a plate over it lol.
If I had time I might take that center seat out and build a frame for a large cooler but right now I need to get it ready or I wont get to use it at all this summer.
Thanks

 

[FishingForSupper]

I second the cooler idea. Storage is limited on a small boat and with a cooler you have more options. I used one of the power bubble things to turn a cooler into a livewell. This gives me the option of having a livewell, fishbox, or I can leave it at home if I’m just doing catch and release. I can also move the bubbler to a bucket for bait and retain the cooler for ice. Plus, you can move the cooler to wherever you want it/need it. Especially important if you need to redistribute weight!

 

[user 18775]

I bought a boat thinking I was going to tourney fish, but the livewell that was not plumbed correctly from the factory. Didn't tourney fish, and ran it like that for 18 years. When I rebuilt it the livewell was removed which is how I figured out the factory messed up the installation. I pulled it to square up the edges and make the lids bigger. Now my 3 tackle bags and a lunch cooler are all in that space.

A big ice chest gets added for an all day trip in hot weather, or on a grocery getting mission.

 

[BernieP]

OK now i'm thinking about cutting the middle seat top out and adding some aluminum framing so that I can lower a biggish cooler in there and have a lid/seat over it. But that might have to be next winters project. I'm going to be hard pressed to get this thing going by spring now.
Thanks for the input.

 

[turbotodd]

Cooler. I don't always keep all the fish I catch thus if I'm going somewhere that I ain't keeping any, pull the cooler out and have more floor space. If I am keeping any, cooler stays in, with ice, fish go right on ice from the water. They seem to have a better taste that way.

 

[ClemsonAlum]

Here is my 14 ft Polar kraft circa 1960. I bought it with all the seats ripped out, and put back in the front and rear benches. I love having the floor space in a little boat. Don't mind the junk. I have an actual front seat in second pic.

-Kurt
14', 1960 Polar Kraft, '73 9.5 Evinrude

 

[LDUBS]

Here is my 14 ft Polar kraft circa 1960. I bought it with all the seats ripped out, and put back in the front and rear benches. I love having the floor space in a little boat. Don't mind the junk. I have an actual front seat in second pic.

-Kurt
14', 1960 Polar Kraft, '73 9.5 Evinrude

That is nice open 14' boat -- looks like a dance floor.

 

[ClemsonAlum]

Thanks. It's not so open once you add gas tank, battery, and other stuff though.

-Kurt
14', 1960 Polar Kraft, '73 9.5 Evinrude

 

[Tbair]

I had the same thoughts about weather or not to live well the boat. I finally came to the storage and I found a fish basket on a chain that I can put over the side of the boat to hold fish like a live well. Dont forget to pull them in for any kind of speed tho!

 

[LDUBS]

I had the same thoughts about weather or not to live well the boat. I finally came to the storage and I found a fish basket on a chain that I can put over the side of the boat to hold fish like a live well. Dont forget to pull them in for any kind of speed tho!

"Dont forget to pull them in for any kind of speed tho!"

Yeah, don't pull a Griswold. Haha

 

[Tbair]

I had the same thoughts about weather or not to live well the boat. I finally came to the storage and I found a fish basket on a chain that I can put over the side of the boat to hold fish like a live well. Dont forget to pull them in for any kind of speed tho!

"Dont forget to pull them in for any kind of speed tho!"

Yeah, don't pull a Griswold. Haha

National lampoon has some of the greatest boating scenes ever haha

 

[skipper123]

Most times I put fish in my fancy live well they die, both my live wells are storage and a fish kill bag gets the days catch, nice and cold.