Modified live well & seat on a 14ft v-hull troller

[Fishingman48]

Hi all,
Well, been away for a bit and back with another question, well boat is getting there slowly
had new electric motor mount installed so just a matter of time before droppin her in,
However, on my Mirror Craft troller the live well is the rear center of stern and is also the seat for the
Operator/ skipper. now we have two lines' coming out one is hooked up to a pump & aerator to draw water in.
The other is for drainage w/ overflow tube to allow water & debris out however the drainage port is under water & i am use to having side ports where the dirty water would drain out from side port.
How does this work ""with a pump or natural overflow"" to get rid of dirty/ wastewater?
Is it from draw when water and debris is dumped into overflow drainage port, and just runs down through and out back under water, while trolling or boating to next area to fish?
I noticed a on and off switch for aerator to pump air and fresh water in on fish live well tank // however it seems the drainpipe is just that an overflow line connected to stern drainage port which is to the side of the stern drainage port for boats hull.
there is 1 intake port for aerator & two other's one for live well drain & one for hull drain , how ever as stated the drain for live well is underwater

I am taking it there is no need for a pump to force / draw water out while in use as is a natural flow of draw to pull out when going forward correct? & drainage pipe unscrews from inside tank to allow for complete drainage of tank when out of water which know . Pls correct on anything I may be missing or need knowledge of as want everything working correctly & have complete knowledge of.

I also noticed there is no bilge pump as no side drain for such, manufacturer never installed one when modifying this model should one be installed ??????

Never stupid question's

 

[Ray Clark]

I'm not 100% certain of your configuration based on your description. My 14' does not have a live well, but the lodge boats I fish when I'm on my annual Canadian trip do, so I'll describe those. Apologies if this seems simplistic or I don't understand your question.

There are three holes in the live well.

- One hole is up high in the cavity and is the inlet for the water pumped in by the aerator pump. This hole is used to do the initial fill and bringing fresh water as the fishing day wears on.

- One is in the bottom of the live well. This is the drain hole. We plug this hole at the beginning of the day; it takes a standard bilge plug. If this hole is not plugged, the live well will only fill to the water line you see on the exterior hull of the boat. When the plug is out, there is normally only a couple inches of water in the bottom of the well. Obviously, if this hole is NOT plugged while in use, then the live well will not keep live fish. We put the plug in when we want to use the live well, and we remove the plug at the end of the day when we take the fish out of the live well. Once the plug is removed, the live well empties itself, at least as far down as the actual water line on the hull.

- There is one hole near the top of the live well, and it is connected to the side of the hull. It is the overflow hole and is never plugged. When the aerator pump fills the live well to 100% capacity, then excess water will flow out of this hole. If this hole were plugged, then the live well could overflow, with the disastrous consequences that could could follow.

The dirty water is replaced only as it flows out of the overflow hole as the aerator pumps fresh water in.

In Ontario, the fishing regulations require the aerator pumps to run as long as there are live fish in the well. However, the lodge operator does not want the pumps to run while dry and instructs us to run the aerator pumps while the boat is stationary or at slow speed. The reason for that is that the intakes are on the transom and are not submerged while the boat is underway at speed.

Hope this helps.

 

[Fishingman48]

I'm not 100% certain of your configuration based on your description. My 14' does not have a live well, but the lodge boats I fish when I'm on my annual Canadian trip do, so I'll describe those. Apologies if this seems simplistic or I don't understand your question.

There are three holes in the live well.

- One hole is up high in the cavity and is the inlet for the water pumped in by the aerator pump. This hole is used to do the initial fill and bringing fresh water as the fishing day wears on.

- One is in the bottom of the live well. This is the drain hole. We plug this hole at the beginning of the day; it takes a standard bilge plug. If this hole is not plugged, the live well will only fill to the water line you see on the exterior hull of the boat. When the plug is out, there is normally only a couple inches of water in the bottom of the well. Obviously, if this hole is NOT plugged while in use, then the live well will not keep live fish. We put the plug in when we want to use the live well, and we remove the plug at the end of the day when we take the fish out of the live well. Once the plug is removed, the live well empties itself, at least as far down as the actual water line on the hull.

- There is one hole near the top of the live well, and it is connected to the side of the hull. It is the overflow hole and is never plugged. When the aerator pump fills the live well to 100% capacity, then excess water will flow out of this hole. If this hole were plugged, then the live well could overflow, with the disastrous consequences that could follow.

The dirty water is replaced only as it flows out of the overflow hole as the aerator pumps freshwater in.

In Ontario, the fishing regulations require the aerator pumps to run as long as there are live fish in the well. However, the lodge operator does not want the pumps to run while dry and instructs us to run the aerator pumps while the boat is stationary or at slow speed. The reason for that is that the intakes are on the transom and are not submerged while the boat is underway at speed.

Hope this helps.

Hi, yeah I would agree with all that as had a live well on the side of my sylvan 14 ft fisherman which had the side hole for overflow on side wall of boat & aerator for intake& a drain cock 3 holes def.so// however this has only two holes pictures coming today if stop's raining, i personally am not a pro at all when come to boats still a green horn. Thing is the orig. owner plugged the hole's on the transom for drainage & intake outside on the lower section of the transom as only 3 ports there one for the hull to drain one for the drainage of live well and intake port for the aerator & inside the tank he broke off the overflow pipe and plugged that which is also the drain cock & ""the tank has only two holes"" intake for {water-aerator} @ top coming in from aerator which is one of the ports on stern and {overflow-drain} an outlet through bottom which connects to 2nd port on stern w/ a 12 in. over flow tube which is to be attached to drain inside tank when in use that has a screen on its top so big stuff doesn't clog draining of dirty water when in use, which I had to replace, so I am taking it** {{the drain which also has the overflow tube ""is doing the job of both"" over flow and when tube removed by unscrewing or pulling it out from base connection now becomes the drain for the tank}}** which may leave around maybe a quarter inch of water or less in tank and then the over flow tube must be replaced as not to lose or have it get banged around & damaged during transport.
It seems the aerator was never used to fill tank that I am aware of as see no water line marks inside tank but it work's // oh yeah! and a "On & Off switch" to turn aerator on and off//
is the only way I figured it works,
I was a bit confused too, as even bought a mini pump to put inside of tank for over -flow, but then I said to myself then what is the function of the overflow pipe??? Where does the water go when water flows into it while aerator replacing with fresh water and air? Only thing, I see is it's drawn out while boat is in operation, but lv's w/ a question how does overflow pipe work if stationary?? and want to freshen up live well? It continuously does it whether movement or not. This is what i found out the drain & ""overflow pipe" on {{drain cock}} does the job of two, at different needs. Moving or Not {1}.
this is what i found out while waiting for some feed back

When boat is stationary, the live well system still functions effectively to keep the water fresh and oxygenated. Here’s how it works:

1. Aerator Pump: The aerator pump continues to draw in fresh water from outside the boat and pump it into the live well. This process doesn’t rely on the boat’s movement; the pump actively pulls in water.
2. Overflow Tube: As the aerator pump brings in fresh water, the water level in the live well rises. The overflow tube allows the excess water to exit, taking any debris or dirty water with it. This ensures a continuous exchange of water, even when the boat is not moving.
3. Oxygenation: The aerator pump also helps to oxygenate the water by creating bubbles and increasing water movement, which is crucial for the health of the fish or bait inside the live well.

So, even while stationary, the system maintains a flow of fresh, oxygenated water, keeping the environment inside the live well healthy for your catch or bait.

1. Water Inflow: The aerator pump continuously brings fresh water into the live well.
2. Overflow Mechanism: As the water level rises, it reaches the height of the "overflow tube".{ aka "overflow Mechanism"}
3. Water Outflow: The excess water, along with any debris, flows out through the overflow tube. {{ Even if the drain port is submerged }}, the pressure from the incoming water will push the excess water out through the overflow tube.

So, I believe I am good to go!
I appreciate the return info!!
& hope what I also found out helps you with my issue & enlightens one's knowledge of the system.

As we go through life, we never ever stop learning!