Washdown / Livewill Questions

I just picked up a 79 Manatee which needs some cosmetic work and an interior. I will be starting a project thread and updating as I take new pics and complete another phase. This site is awesome, I havent got much work done at work the last few days thats for sure. So here are my questions
I would like to add a livewell and washdown to my boat. I am not sure what my best solution will be. I have been reading different posts but still am not sure how I want to tackle this.

1. Should I get 1 pump to serve both the washdown and the well? I have read that a washdown pump might be too powerful to serve the livewell. Or can I just get a reducer fitting to slow the water down.
2. Do I have to put a thru hull? I am a little nervous about drilling a hole in the hull for this? If I do need to can anyone point me in the right direction as far as location? Or maybe a good installation PDF or something. Id like to be able to see it. Since I am fairly new to boating am not totally up to speed on the all the vocabulary.
3. I have a totally open deck right now and will be ripping up the carpet tonight and start prepping for the Duradek which is set to arrive Thursday. I was thinking about building a livewell and possibly a storage box/seat in front of the transom. Then I can plumb in what I need to get it all painted up when I paint the deck this weekend.


I really like this boats layout and the price I got it even makes me more willing to put a few bucks in to it.

Thanks

Re: Washdown / Livewill Questions

You can certainly use one pump for both purposes. You will need a "Y valve" to direct water from livewell to washdown and vice-versa. For the livewell, you will put a valve AFTER the y-fitting that you can reduce flow for.

You can put a bilge pump mounted on a bracket on the transom of your boat, but I'd opt for a larger/stronger pump mounted in the bilge with a seacock valve. You'll have a "clamshell" pickup through your hull that gets connected to the seacock valve, then a hose from that to your Y-valve, then two hoses from that. One going to the washdown system and the other to the livewell (with the valve you use to slow the flow down). You don't want to restrict the flow of water INTO your pump as you can burn it out quickly. Instead, you want to restrict flow FROM the pump to your livewell.

BE SURE that you have an overflow fitting that is much larger than the inflow. Remember that what is coming in is under pressure and what is overflowing is not! I'm a fan of 1 1/2" overflow lines, but that's just me!

Looking forward to the updates!

Re: Washdown / Livewill Questions

Thanks for your reply.
I like the idea of a larger pump also but to be honest I am not sure where my bilge is. I was looking last night and I definitely do not have a switch for one. I looked under one of the seats in the back by the transom and I saw a bilge pump it had wires connected to it but was sitting on top of the deck. Shouldnt it be under the deck? I thought that was the purpose of a bilge pump. I took some pictures last night of the boat but didnt take any of this bilge pump. I will tomorrow. So if I go with a larger pump will I need to pull up the deck to install a seacock and larger pump? How does that work Do I install it under the deck and some type of water intake on the transom?

Here are some pics of my boat.

Re: Washdown / Livewill Questions

Forget the seacocks and scupper type pickups. For your boat you need a very simple livewell pump or a washdown pump with a single through transom intake. You then use a "Y" with a diverter valve to direct the water flow. Livewell spray heads generally have an adjustable nozzle for volume so no separate valve is not necessary. Remember, a livewell pump is not self priming so the intake must be below the water line. Hence the through transom pickup. Don't over engineer this system. It is not necessary on your boat.

Re: Washdown / Livewill Questions

Thanks again. So basically just get a thru transom hose connector and make sure the outside is below water level. Then just connect a hose on the inside side of the transom to the pump and split the feeds off with a Y connector.
I am not trying to over complicate things, I agree with you simpler the better.

Thanks so much for all your help.

Re: Washdown / Livewill Questions

NO! You use a livewell pump. It's intake fitting IS the through transom fitting. Drill the hole, slide the pump into the hole and install the nut on the outside - using the appropriate sealants of course. The outlet of the pump then feeds the livewell.
Here's a livewell pump.

And here is a livewell spray head.



If you feel you really need more zip for washdown, then you would install a through transom fitting, hose to the washdown pump, then the outlet of the pump to the livewell and washdown system.