Two questions - Sirius XM tuner and bait tank

[BirdRock]

Hi All,

Have a 2010 Marlin that we've owned for 18 months. Love the boat. Added a 60-gallon bait tank in the cockpit but are also still using the factory bait tank behind port seat. We do a lot of live bait fishing in So Cal so using both allows us to carry a ton of sardines for offshore trips. The factory tank works well when it's calm but in any kind of mixed swell it will hydro lock and the raw water stops flowing until we stop the boat, flip the livewell switch on an off and basically let it burp and reset. Sucks when you kill off a 1/2 scoop of bait before you even get offshore and as it is now, we need to check the tank ever 5-10 minutes when running in bumpy seas. Anyone else run into this issue and have a fix?

Also, the boat has a fusion stereo unit and an XM antenna on the hard top. I don't see SIrius/XM as an option on the fusion display and when talking to the Sirius people by phone they are telling me there needs to be a SVX 300 tuner on the boat for them to activate service for me. I'm not seeing the tuner but not sure where it would be on a Marlin. Any ideas? Hard to believe the antenna was installed but no tuner. Not sure why I can't see it as an option on the Fusion display.

Thanks!

 

[DennisG01]

Is it possible your thru-hull for the pump is clogged with weeds or growth?

 

[loubeer]

I've owned a Marlin and now have a 330 Express with the same factory and added cockpit tank layout. I didn't have any problems with the factory tank performance. I would agree with Dennis - check the impeller on the pump (is it a Rule 1100?) for obstructions or even if the shaft is getting rusty. If it is over 4 years old, I would recommend replacement - they're cheap compared to the cost of lost bait!

 

[Legend]

Have a 2010 Marlin that we've owned for 18 months. Love the boat. Added a 60-gallon bait tank in the cockpit but are also still using the factory bait tank behind port seat. We do a lot of live bait fishing in So Cal so using both allows us to carry a ton of sardines for offshore trips. The factory tank works well when it's calm but in any kind of mixed swell it will hydro lock and the raw water stops flowing until we stop the boat, flip the livewell switch on an off and basically let it burp and reset. Sucks when you kill off a 1/2 scoop of bait before you even get offshore and as it is now, we need to check the tank ever 5-10 minutes when running in bumpy seas. Anyone else run into this issue and have a fix?

Also, the boat has a fusion stereo unit and an XM antenna on the hard top. I don't see SIrius/XM as an option on the fusion display and when talking to the Sirius people by phone they are telling me there needs to be a SVX 300 tuner on the boat for them to activate service for me. I'm not seeing the tuner but not sure where it would be on a Marlin. Any ideas? Hard to believe the antenna was installed but no tuner. Not sure why I can't see it as an option on the Fusion display.

Thanks!

Don't know if this will help with XM radio but I do not have the receiver or antenna, however, XM is now available to customers with streaming service. If you have unlimited service with your phone data and you are still in range of cell signals xm works fine. I lose service about 12 miles out. Good luc

 

[Sardinia306Bimini]

Will the pump air lock when speeding out or also when drifting?
Chris

 

[BirdRock]

Will the pump air lock when speeding out or also when drifting?
Chris

Only seems to happen when running 15-20 knots in mixed /bumpy seas. If it's flat calm and we run 25 knots we have no problem. Seems to be an issue with the air/water flow when it's rough out. The intake isn't clogged.

 

[BirdRock]

Don't know if this will help with XM radio but I do not have the receiver or antenna, however, XM is now available to customers with streaming service. If you have unlimited service with your phone data and you are still in range of cell signals xm works fine. I lose service about 12 miles out. Good luc

I'm way past 12 miles out consistently. Hence the desire for satellite connection vs cell.

 

[Hookup1]

The Fusion stereo units have a place to plug in the XM tuner. The standard car XM antenna plugs into it. I doubt this is what you have if its on the hardtop. I have this setup and can see and use XM from the Fusion unit as well as my Garmin chartplotter.

It you have a GXM52 or 54 puck mounted on the hardtop this includes a XM antenna and the XM tuner. It installed and operates differently than mine does. If you have this setup you need to do some reading. May come in thru the AUX stereo port and must be controlled thru your chartplotter.

What kind of pump is on your baitwell? Is it a centrifugal pump or a diaphragm pump. Probably centrifugal Rule 1100 GPH. Do you have a clamshell pickup or just a straight one? Should be a clamshell - drill 3 x 3/8" holes in the back of the clamshell. This will prevent too much water pressure from getting water in the pump. Look at mine below. Pop the pump out of the housing and make sure there is nothing on it.



These pumps are problematic but are inexpensive and easy to replace. I go thru one or two a year in the Florida Keys. Sucking up sand or seaweed.

I had a similar problem with a baitwell on my 29 Luhrs sportfish. Backing up hard would airlock the pump. Power it off and back on would clear the airlock. If you didn't see it you would loose your goggle eyes. That boat had a diaphragm pump and a clamshell without holes. I actually built a timer circuit that turned the pump off and on every few minutes. That was 25 years ago and my GW doesn't have a problem.

 

[DennisG01]

The intake isn't clogged.

Does the boat stay in the water? Did you check from both the inside and outside?

Is there a another thru-hull installed in front of it?

 

[Sardinia306Bimini]

Only seems to happen when running 15-20 knots in mixed /bumpy seas. If it's flat calm and we run 25 knots we have no problem. Seems to be an issue with the air/water flow when it's rough out. The intake isn't clogged.

When it is a continuous problem then I would guess that it's a "normal" problem.
My RIB's raw water pump I use a lot to clean the boat while fishing before all the crud dries is air locking always when its a bit choppy, even if I have a membrane pump, it takes a few seconds till normal water flow recovers. Similar problem as yours was on my Venture 34, but the Livewell was huge and the pump as well.

As DennisG01 wrote, another thru hull, transducer or something similar in front of the bait well pickup can worsen the problem.

You may switch to a membrane pump as already suggested by Hookup1,
that will most likely not solve the problem to 100% but lower the time to reestablish water flow to a for the bait fish acceptable time frame.

Chris

 

[Hookup1]

If I understand his problem correctly once it air locks it will not start pumping water until the pump is turned off. This is the exact problem I had with my Luhrs. It has more to do with the pump than the pickup. What type of pump do you have? Model number and manufacturer?