Livewell on Pontoon

[bighermHK45]

Ok, I want to retrofit one of my underseat dry storage areas (lined with plastic) to act as a livewell. I am looking for advice or practical experience in doing the modification.

Thank you

 

[HotTommy]

I have no practical experience with this modification, but I do know a bit about how water pressure in a container pushes outward on the walls. Basically, the force on the walls gets greater as the water inside gets deeper. Likewise, the longer the wall is, the more force it will have to resist. That is why the strongest containers per weight are round like beach balls or buckets. So, unless the walls can be well reinforced, try to avoid long walls and deep water. .... Also think about how you're going to drain it when the need arises.

 

[WaterDR]

Not that hard!

You will need a drain hole. Best bet is to put a hole in the bottom of the tank....big enough for about a 1/2" or 3/4" PVC pipe to fit into and make a tight fit. You cut the PVC to about 6" and this becomes the overflow for the tank.

You then need an electric live-well pump and simply constant pump water into the tank. This keeps the water fresh and provides overflow. When you want to drain the tank, just pull out the PVC pipe.

You will need a rigid plastic tank. In some cases, like mine, the under seat storage is already plastic and would work as is.

 

[WaterDR]

You also need to make sure that the PVC pipe will fix solidly so it does not come off accidentally. I think they make snap fittings you can use.

 

[Silvertip]

Check right here on iBoats. They probably have a "drop-in" tank that will work nicely. Otherwise, check your local sporting goods store for picnic coolers. Being insulated, they will keep the water cooler. As pointed out, you can use standard through-hull fittings to make a drain, overflow, and spray bars. Your pontoon must have a bracket on the back of one of the tubes on which the pump is mounted. NO! A livewell pump cannot be mounted under the seat as they are displacement pumps and cannot draw water that high. The inlet to the pump must be under the water line. Iboats will have the necessary switch, timer (optional) and spray bar fittings.

 

[bighermHK45]

Thanks for all the advice. I think I have a better understanding on how I want to tackle the project. Thanks again.