Adding a livewell to 1994 GW Seafarer

[Lucky Me]

I recently purchased a '94 Seafarer and want to use one of the port side fish boxes as a livewell. My boat has a pick up/strainer and a wash down pump so I have to add a diverter, also on the port side there is a pvc pipe under the gunwale which I think is for the livewell feed. My questions are, is an aerator set up or a recirculating set up prefered? Should I install the inlet high or low in the fish box? And do I use an overflow type of standpipe for the drain? Any help is appreciated.

 

[markrlindstrom]

I just took the livewell out of my 24' offshore this year. Turned it into a tackel box.
The filler came into the livewell up high. The drain came out the bottom and exited lower than the water line of the boat. So, I've now got an extra 1 1/2"hole to worry about.
Seems risky to me.....if the hose ever breaks or comes undone at the connection the boat fills up.
Grady must know what they are doing......ya think?

 

[Lucky Me]

I guess what I'm looking for is a description or picture of where the line feeding into the port side fish box comes down from the gunwale and enters the fish box. I really don't want to drill a hole in the deck above the fishbox if I don't have to. Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[Pez Vela]

I believe the under gunwale pvc line is designed to be used as a rigging tube, but you might be able to use it for your purposes. The better option for keeping anything alive in a live well or a bait tank is to bring "new" water in continuously, and simply allow it to exit from an overflow line. The design criteria (circular flow, no obstructions, etc.) is dependent what kind of live critters you plan on putting into your tank (days catch, hardy live bait, delicate live bait). One way to rig your conversion is to use the drain fitting at the bottom of the well as the inlet for water from your pump. This does not set up an ideal circulation pattern, but for hardy critters, it'll work. The next step is to move the factory overboard drain hose to a new thru hull fitting placed near the top of the well. Your wash down pump may not be rated for continuous use, so check on that if you plan on using it in that fashion. I could post pics, but my conversions are on a Sailfish.

 

[bobdevlin]

I rigged a Y fitting to the washdown pump and ran hose under the gunnel and into the well at the top. Yes I drilled a hole and worked thru the instpection plate to install the fitting. I used a standpipe in the drain and wired a Cabela's timed switch to the system. The switch runs the pump for 30 seconds and pauses for three minutes than repeats itself. It can be done just takes a bit of work. Good luck.