# I did it again....



## inlovewithsurfin (Mar 10, 2013)

i have added a new boat to my fleet!!! as of tomorrow i will be the owner of a 1982 bass tracker III with a 50 Merc on the back. the boat is in rough shape cosmetically but structurally sound! the motor however wont crank for me... the starter just clicks... im hoping its just a dead battery. i can spin the motor by the propellor so it is not locked up. IF ANYONE OUT THERE HAS ONE OF THESE OLD TRACKER II'S I WOULD LOVE YOUR INPUT/ADVICE/WARNINGS! 
















as with all my other build threads pictures will be plenty! and please feel free to post your own pictures or build threads!


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## Quackkills (Mar 10, 2013)

Inlovewithsurfin I too have an old bass tracker. At the end of duck season this year I started the process of stripping her down to barebones. I found six ribs cracked that are in need of repair. Looking forward to watching your build. Good luck.


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## Bass n flats (Mar 10, 2013)

opcorn: good luck with the build those trackers are a great platform to create what you want to.


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## inlovewithsurfin (Mar 13, 2013)

got the boat home now... the trailer the boat was sitting on was 13feet SHORT!!! made for the scariest tow home ever.... made it safely and now have the boat sitting on a trailer it actually fits on now! also got a chance to screw with the motor a bit. i was able to get it to crank by jumping the starter solenoid. i think just throwing a new ignition switch on... the beast MIGHT fire right up? 

here are a few new pictures of her at home...


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## TxTightLiner (Mar 13, 2013)

Hey when you gonna open the boat yard for bussiness?
J/K.. 8) At one time I had 3 tinnys at my house and the wife asked me that.
Nice boat bro!
I can't wait to see how this one turns out...
That thing is gonna really fly with the 50HP on it.


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## inlovewithsurfin (Mar 13, 2013)

haha... i actually have three jon boats right now! and one inflatable boat in the garage... lol. definately a boat yard at my house!


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## JMichael (Mar 14, 2013)

If the solenoid was just clicking initially and you have since been able to get the engine to turn over by jumping across the solenoid, it sounds to me like you need to replace the solenoid.


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## inlovewithsurfin (Mar 14, 2013)

I completely agree with you about the starter solenoid! I don't think that's what I hear clicking though? I think I was mistaken and that the clicking sound is coming from the electronic choke when I press the ignition switch in... I also don't have a key for the ignition so buying a new ignition switch will solve that problem too. If I still don't get it to crank my next step will be the wiring and starter solenoid. Hopefully after all that she will fire right up! I have high hopes cause the motor is soo clean...


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## Loggerhead Mike (Mar 14, 2013)

You a bus driver?


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## inlovewithsurfin (Mar 14, 2013)

Lol... No I am not. My next door neighbor is and we share this parking area.


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## walleyejoe (Mar 14, 2013)

Im almost done with mine and all ready thinkin about lookin fo another one \/


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## Dennis Logston (Mar 15, 2013)

I have almost the same boat! 1982 Bass tracker, its the 15 ft model. I don't have a gas motor on it however, still looking for one. But i just got most of the rewiring done. Put a new switch panel in were the old one used to be on the center console and wired it up. Mine is in pretty decent shape seeing as most of its time it was in the garage. Still got the orange lines and bass tracker logo. Haven't got it out of the water yet however. But i will be following your build and maybe get some ideas!


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## TimRich (Mar 15, 2013)

Nice find! Congrats on the new boat!


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## inlovewithsurfin (Mar 15, 2013)

Dennis Logston said:


> I have almost the same boat! 1982 Bass tracker, its the 15 ft model. I don't have a gas motor on it however, still looking for one. But i just got most of the rewiring done. Put a new switch panel in were the old one used to be on the center console and wired it up. Mine is in pretty decent shape seeing as most of its time it was in the garage. Still got the orange lines and bass tracker logo. Haven't got it out of the water yet however. But i will be following your build and maybe get some ideas!




what kind of motor are you looking to put on your boat? do you have a build thread on your boat that i can check out?


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## Dennis Logston (Mar 15, 2013)

Don't have a build quite yet, and I'm mostly just doing some rewiring since the guy who owned it before me replaced the wood and carpet and its still good. But i will get a few pictures up of what i've done with it and more modifications along the way.

It has a 70lb thrust bow mount minn kota on it, however i'm looking for a gas motor for it aswell, to hook up to the center console. Anything 20-40 HP will work aslong as it is able to hook up to the center console and turn and aslong as its cheap, i'm keeping an eye out on craigslist.


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## Scott1298 (Mar 15, 2013)

How many boats are you planning to keep? The number three is acceptable at my house... My only fear is that when I die, my wife sells them for what I told her they're worth! #-o


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## inlovewithsurfin (Mar 15, 2013)

Dennis Logston said:


> Don't have a build quite yet, and I'm mostly just doing some rewiring since the guy who owned it before me replaced the wood and carpet and its still good. But i will get a few pictures up of what i've done with it and more modifications along the way.
> 
> It has a 70lb thrust bow mount minn kota on it, however i'm looking for a gas motor for it aswell, to hook up to the center console. Anything 20-40 HP will work aslong as it is able to hook up to the center console and turn and aslong as its cheap, i'm keeping an eye out on craigslist.




well i would love to see some pictures of your boat!!!!


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## inlovewithsurfin (Mar 15, 2013)

Scott1298 said:


> How many boats are you planning to keep? The number three is acceptable at my house... My only fear is that when I die, my wife sells them for what I told her they're worth! #-o




As of right now i have 3 boats!!! unfortunately.... the acceptable # of boats in my house is limited to just 1 due to moving into an apartment in 2 months when i get married. i wont have space for all these boats and selling two of my boats will help financially towards the wedding... but i do have ONE MORE boat that has been left un-mentioned and un-seen... ill be keeping that a secret for now! but it will be my new pond slayer!


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## Scott1298 (Mar 17, 2013)

Newlyweds don't have as much time to fish as the rest of us... enjoy your honeymoon!!! (Then get back to fishing :| )


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## Pweisbrod (Mar 17, 2013)

Sweet ride! I will follow. Your other builds have been great.


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## inlovewithsurfin (Mar 31, 2013)

havent done much work on the boat lately... i have sold ALL of my other boats and have been trying to find an outboard for this tracker. (almost all the places i fish are HP restricted...) i havent been successful in finding a long shaft like i want/need for the 20in transom on this boat. and have settled for basically the exact same outboard i had on my 1436...

its a 91 yamaha 15 (labeled 9.9) short shaft... which means i will be cutting my transom down to accommodate the new motor. i know you guys are probably thinking i am crazy!? but i have been doing my research and even looked at another boat that had this done. i feel very confident that this will turn out fine and look factory when done

here is the new outboard and a rolling stand i built yesterday


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## inlovewithsurfin (Mar 31, 2013)

i know this is "tinboats.net" but since i sold all my other boats i had to get something to fish out of while my tracker is in the works....


a friend of mine gave me this 12foot sevylor inflatable for free and i have since customized it like i do all my boats! 


built custom flooring and seats...






















proof she catches fish!!!







my new personal best crappie!!!






boat is rated for 6 people or 900lbs and up to 4hp outboard...


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## TimRich (Apr 1, 2013)

Nice catch! I'm not sure I'd pack 6 people in that little boat...lol


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## inlovewithsurfin (Apr 1, 2013)

got some more work done today...


















as my yamaha is a short shaft i will have to take a few inches out of the transom... 






but that will have to wait for another day!


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## Zum (Apr 1, 2013)

Pretty sure if you bought or made a jack plate to move the outboard back a bit,you wouldn't have to cut the transom.
Hopefully some others will chime in on the subject....
I suppose though it isn't the end of the world if you had to do it,can always weld it back.


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## inlovewithsurfin (Apr 3, 2013)

well i did it... i traded the Mercury 50 for a Johnson 9.9 (converted to 15) long shaft... even swap! the johnson starts and runs flawlessly! i was able to spray some carb cleaner in the carbs on the Mercury 50 and get it to fire over for the new owner! i think its gonna be a great motor for him!

also doing this got me inspired to start the tear down on my boat! heres some new pictures from today...















next is to take out all the NASTY WATERLOGGED foam!!! YAY!!! haha.... you should have felt how heavy the old plywood was! at least 3x's as heavy as new plywood.


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## Pweisbrod (Apr 4, 2013)

Great work! I'm glad you didn't chop down the transom. That set up will work great.


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## ifish4redd (Apr 5, 2013)

old trackers are great boats,you can do so much with them


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## pauldanielm (Apr 5, 2013)

Great little boat you got there!! I have been trying to find a nice 10hp or 15hp for my 14ft MirroCraft but have been unsuccessful.


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## ifish4redd (Apr 5, 2013)

inlovewithsurfin has a9.9 yamaha for sale he lives in va beach


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## inlovewithsurfin (Apr 5, 2013)

It's actually a Yamaha 15 with a 9.9 hood on it.. (The one pictured sitting on the motor stand with gas tank) Beautiful shape and runs great! You can email me at [email protected] if your interested


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## inlovewithsurfin (Apr 6, 2013)

borrowed the neighbors pressure washer today... cleaned her up a bit! 














hoping to get some more work done tomorrow!


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## Pweisbrod (Apr 7, 2013)

Looks good man!


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## inlovewithsurfin (Apr 7, 2013)

busted my butt today...

removed the last sections of rotting foam and cleaned up the inside of the boat. then sprayed the entire inside/bottom of the boat with "bed liner" spray paint. after that i got the major decking panels cut. for materials i used exterior grade OSB 3/4" plywood from lowes for $32 a sheet. and i had a 1/2" sheet of hardwood plywood left over from a previous project so for now this will be used. i have used non exterior grade OSB plywood on my last boat and havent had any issues with rot or swelling. so i am expecting this to last for several years.


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## ifish4redd (Apr 8, 2013)

looking good ,it wont be long till she gets wet


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## inlovewithsurfin (Apr 10, 2013)

getting there... still A TON left to do though!


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## bigwave (Apr 10, 2013)

Each one of your mods are progressively getting better........looks great =D> =D> =D>


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## inlovewithsurfin (Apr 14, 2013)

here we go!!!!! (disregard all the pollen all over everything)











She Floats!!!




I caught the first fish on the boat!




And we caught a few more... 







And finally a decent river crappie!




for her first test run i took my buddy and his wife as well as my fiance and i... yes 4 people!!! even with 4 people the boat was a little quicker than i was expecting. with all the wind and chop i would guess top speed was around 12-15mph. 

the boat isnt finished by any means... but she is fishable for now! got to put in fish/depth finder, replace the old nasty driving seats and also add a seat on the front and back deck. pole holders and more storage areas, bilge pump and airiator in the livewell, lights.... and im sure some more odds and ends


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## joseph101088 (Jun 8, 2013)

nice boat. is it sixteen foot? now that im back in the us im getting ready to buy a new alumacraft 1648 if everything works out. will be following your thread because i will be starting with a blank page. nice crappie to.


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## inlovewithsurfin (Oct 9, 2013)

been awhile since i have been on here... figured id post a few newer pictures of the boat. been working out great for me lately! thinking about re-doing the front deck in the near future... id like to raise it up higher like on the newer model bass trackers and i want to move the front seat further backwards because it is too close to the front right now.


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## Kismet (Oct 10, 2013)

Nice to see you posting again. You are a married man by now, right? Congratulations and best wishes!

You've come a long way, sir.

Nice boat-in-progress. You happy with engine, and how durable have those seats been?

Have fun, be safe.


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## inlovewithsurfin (Oct 10, 2013)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=331766#p331766 said:


> Kismet » Today, 10:57[/url]"]Nice to see you posting again. You are a married man by now, right? Congratulations and best wishes!
> 
> You've come a long way, sir.
> 
> ...




i am a married man now! haha... thank you for the congrats! 

i have been really happy with the engine! with two people and all fishing gear she pushes the boat 16mph. it has been reliable up until recently... i fished a bass tournament and in the excitement of weigh in i didnt lift the motor up before taking the boat out of the water. needless to say the one time i didnt lift the motor is the one time the motor hit the ramp coming out of the water and broke the motor mount which is part of the middle housing. so i rigged it all back together with a heavy duty strap and its back to normal. except now i am having running issues? it doesnt like to run at full throttle. revs up and down like it is starving for gas? i cleaned the carb (wasnt dirty at all) changed the spark plugs and put it back together... still does it! now i am thinking its the fuel pump or the primer bulb? when i pump up the primer bulb it runs great for a short time and then goes back to running like crap again. i am guessing either the fuel pump isnt doing its job or the primer bulb has gone bad and is not keeping the fuel flowing like it should?

the seats are the cheap walmart seats and i couldnt be happier with them! very sturdy and comfortable!


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## inlovewithsurfin (Oct 10, 2013)

i have recently become a member of Denali Rods Pro Staff fishing team... pretty excited about being a part of such a great company that makes really amazing fishing rods! i have been fishing several local tournaments and have been thinking about painting my boat... i have come up with something simple but sharp in my opinion! 





what do you guys think? 

also not really happy with the front deck i built.... i originally wanted to raise the deck up higher and bring it back further but in my haste i went for the easy route and just copied what was already there. now that i have been fishing out of it i really wish that i had more room up front and i wish the deck was set up higher to make pitching easier without having to worry about hitting the rail of the boat with the rod/lure. here is a couple ideas i stole for my deck...


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## longshot (Oct 11, 2013)

That looks like some of Dawson's work at Fish On Fabrications


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## Gators5220 (Jan 11, 2014)

Man I dig your new boat man, tracker boats are nice boats to modify.


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## inlovewithsurfin (Feb 16, 2014)

Ok... I FINALLY got around to doing the front deck the way i wanted... been so busy fishing that i havent had a free weekend to work on the boat. today i decided NOT to go fishing and instead i worked on the boat. ill let the pictures do the talking...



Before




All the bracing in... done with 2x2's for the most part with a couple 2x4 sections where the storage hatch is









All Finished!


















Really pleased with the way it turned out (except that the new carpet is grey instead of black like the old carpet... Lowes doesnt carry the carpet i used in the beginning anymore)

There is a battery/storage hatch up at the bow of the boat so now the battery is down below and out of my way. there is a large storage hatch right in front of the side console that i will store my BIG tackle bag. The fishing rods will be strapped down on the left side of the boat and i left the front deck open underneath for endless additional storage room. 

i used 1/2" plywood this time instead of 3/4" so i dont think i added much if any weight?


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## joseph101088 (Jul 20, 2014)

Looks amazing as always with your builds. Hopefully finishing mine when I get back and get the time.


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## inlovewithsurfin (Jul 20, 2014)

@joseph101088 thank you bud! good luck on your build!


little change has taken place to my boat other than recent work on the motor has taken place... had to put a new power pack and coil as well as hood latch, new fuel lines, and lower unit oil change. but she is back up and running now! I do however have a new tow vehicle! haha... 2011 f150 4x4 with the new 5.0 V8! SOOO much more power and way better fuel economy than the old bronco! 





NEED TO CLEAN THE ALUMINUM! any body have any good recommendations for a spray and rinse that will work well?





a picture from my 7th place finish yesterday... not top 3 but not last place either!


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## joseph101088 (Jul 21, 2014)

i told myself this year i was going to get into a few more tournaments. then work decides i dont get a summer in va. top ten is a win in my book.


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## inlovewithsurfin (Jul 24, 2014)

scored some coil/condenser cleaner today for free and went to work on the boat! turned out pretty good for about 45minutes of work. only hit it one time so its not perfect but my boat isnt perfect so im not too worried about it. 

Before/After




also ordered a ''Mini-Tach" on ebay for $25 so that will be here soon and i will be able to get the RPM's at WOT... here is a pic of my current prop size and how low my outboard sits to the bottom of the boat. looks like i am about 2 inches too low? i have been doing some research and am considering building a jack-plate? anyone see a benefit or harm in doing that? I am trying to squeeze out as much speed as possible! once i figure out my max rpm's i will be ordering a stainless steel prop with either a higher or lower pitch to obtain more speed and correct rpm's... anyone out here have a 9.9-15 hp on a big heavy jon boat? looking for some tips on gaining top speed!


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## Kismet (Jul 24, 2014)

Boy, you've come a long way from the guy with the girl-friend and the tiny boat in the big water!

Nicely done, on all fronts.

Quite sharp. =D> =D> =D>


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## Timtactical (Jul 25, 2014)

Check out my build, I have some info listed on prop calculation. I have a OMC Johnson/Evinrude 9.9 that has been converted to 15hp.

The conversion basically frees up an extra 500 rpm with ends up being about 3-5 mph 

9.9- 5000 rpm
15-5500 rpm

When I run my motor in the drive way with dog ears on it, it screams like a dirt bike. On the water under load it is really quiet but still moves the boat pretty well.


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## inlovewithsurfin (Nov 11, 2016)

been awhile since I've posted on here... figured id check in and post a few updates!

this is what i have been up to.. fishing the FLW BFL series bass tournaments 

my rig... 2011 Ford F150, 2012 Skeeter ZX20 with Yamaha 250, and 2016 Palomino 550 camper





had a buddy give me this 14ft (skinny tin) (boat and trailer only) so i decided to deck it out and added live well for the local hp restricted lakes...






































After a few trips in the 14 skinny i decided it just wasn't gonna do for my needs.... UPGRADED! 1640 Landau boat and trailer. Transferring over the "9.9" Evinrude and Minnkota trolling motor

















don't let the middle piece of plywood fool you... that was put there by the previous owner. this boat will be almost completely decked when i am finished!


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## inlovewithsurfin (Nov 15, 2016)

got a little bit of work done on the new tin... 






























still a LOT left to do... ordered all the parts to make the center tote a livewell. TONS of carpet to install, hatches to cut out, electrical wires to run, and throwing around the idea of a rod box.


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## inlovewithsurfin (Nov 22, 2016)

finished the decking, carpet, and hatches this weekend... all thats left is the plumbing for the livewell. parts are ordered and on the way!



















hatches...














livewell...


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## inlovewithsurfin (Nov 29, 2016)

got to work on the livewell today... 

used a hole saw to cut the drain and fill holes and installed the plumbing for them. the pipe in the middle is removable to allow complete draining of the livewell when out of the water. this system will run off one pump pumping fresh water in. it will fill to the top of the overflow pvc pipe then drain out the side of the boat.


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## inlovewithsurfin (Nov 30, 2016)

livewell completed... 

found a "plug' at home depot that fits the factory drain tube from the original livewell ... (had to be hammered in and sealed with marine sealant)




finished product...


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## Fire1386 (Dec 3, 2016)

Very nice installation of the livewell, very clean looking..... Is the livewell supported by anything, or sitting on anything?


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## inlovewithsurfin (Dec 3, 2016)

Fire1386 said:


> Very nice installation of the livewell, very clean looking..... Is the livewell supported by anything, or sitting on anything?





thank you very much! the livewell is supported by the two 2x4's attached to the bottom of the livewell box. those 2x4's rest on the bottom of the boat and then the top of the box is screwed into the framing for the decking.


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## inlovewithsurfin (Dec 3, 2016)

here is a link to my youtube video of the livewell running... i need to shorten the drain tube so there isn't as much water but other than that it works great!

https://youtu.be/d1nZCtBua1w


also a couple pics from today...


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## Fire1386 (Dec 4, 2016)

Ah very good.... Liked the video of the livewell. Looks like it should work well for you. Does your pump run constant or a timer setup on it for every few minutes to run?


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## inlovewithsurfin (Dec 4, 2016)

Fire1386 said:


> Ah very good.... Liked the video of the livewell. Looks like it should work well for you. Does your pump run constant or a timer setup on it for every few minutes to run?




for now i have it wired to an on/off switch. periodically i will pump fresh water in as needed.


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