# Live Well / Thru Transom pump



## BottomDweller (Oct 25, 2009)

Hey guys, I've been thinking about putting in a live well and thru transom pump to fill it and drain it. I am however a little leery about cutting a hole in the boat. Any suggestions?
If I were to mess something up, how hard is it to fix the hole? Are there any alternatives that you would suggest? I am new to this forum and have not done any projects or much handy work but I am excited about working on this boat mod.


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## reiko1078 (Oct 25, 2009)

good question i had the same and will soon be building a baitwell for my boat. i read an article about a guy who took an igloo cooler (like the ones w/ the little spout for dispensing water) and put a bulkhead in the side of it near the top and used some vinyl hose w a bilge pump at the end. he just put the hose over the side so the pump was in the water and used that to fill the cooler w water. then he had another bulkhead and hose out the other side of the cooler running off the other side of the boat as a drain. thats prolly the easiest most portable system ive seen but i think the wiring would be a little janky. im thinking about building a little tank and putting it in my center bench. all you need to do in order to go through your hull is drill your hole and use a bulkhead w some sealant to make it water tight. if you need to fix just remove bulkhead get a small square of alluminum and use 5200 sealant to patch the whole. if im wrong on any of this please someone chime in. 
matt


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## dearl (Oct 25, 2009)

You could do it that way, but they make thru hull livewell pumps, eliminats the need for thru hull fittings. Your going to have to cut a hole anyway, check around wal-mart, I have seen them there, around $40.00 make sure you dont cut your hole to big in your hull, and use a good sealant like 5200. Piece of cake!


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## BottomDweller (Oct 26, 2009)

Thanks guys.
What would you use to cut the hole? My aluminum is very thin so I know I wouldn't need much but I just wanted a clean cut.


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## bobberboy (Oct 26, 2009)

You could use a hole saw - I have used one on my boat for installing lights etc. You can buy individual ones or get a kit with several at Lowes or HD. I think they come in 1/8" increments. The teeth may fill with aluminum but it is pretty easy to clean that out with a nail or needle-nose pliers.


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## BottomDweller (Oct 26, 2009)

If I did not want to drill a hole, would the pump and drain work if I ran the tubing over the back of the transom and down the outside back end of the boat?


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## Bugpac (Oct 26, 2009)

BottomDweller said:


> If I did not want to drill a hole, would the pump and drain work if I ran the tubing over the back of the transom and down the outside back end of the boat?



No, not unless you throw the pump overboard, and then pump the livewell out by putting the pump inside of it, Just srill a hole with a hole saw, youll be happier in the end...


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## Hanr3 (Oct 27, 2009)

I drilled three holes in my aluminum boat transom for a livewell and bilge pump. One hole to fill the livewell, one drain it, and a third for the bilge pump. I used aquarium tank sealant to seal the fittings. Get a bimetal hole saw kit and you'll be fine. I think the fill and bilge pump holes were 1" and the drain hole was 1 1/4", maybe 1 1/2". Check my signature for my boat /trailer remodel project. I haven't had any problems and my boat doesn't leak. I haven't even used my bilge pump yet. I also converted an old Coleman cooler into a livewell. Its all in my build thread, including some detail pics of the livewell and the transom. 

Drain hole
https://www.tinboats.net/forum/download/file.php?id=5898&t=1

Livewell pump- since this picture the tube has been cut, screen installed, and the sealant cleaned up.
https://www.tinboats.net/forum/download/file.php?id=5899&t=1

Inside view
https://www.tinboats.net/forum/download/file.php?id=5900&t=1


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## BottomDweller (Oct 27, 2009)

Thanks for the replies guys. Hanr3, thanks for the pictures. I plan to dig into your project a little deeper. I am assuming that you can only drain the livewell after you pull the boat from the lake..right? I saw that your drain hole is below the water line...Is my assumption correct? Thanks,


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## russ010 (Oct 28, 2009)

I fill and empty my livewell with one 800gph bilge pump that I toss over the side of the boat to fill, then pop it in the livewell to empty. I haven't drilled any holes yet because I'm still waiting to get my actual livewell in...


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## Hanr3 (Oct 28, 2009)

BottomDweller said:


> Thanks for the replies guys. Hanr3, thanks for the pictures. I plan to dig into your project a little deeper. I am assuming that you can only drain the livewell after you pull the boat from the lake..right? I saw that your drain hole is below the water line...Is my assumption correct? Thanks,



The drain hole in the transom is below the water line, however I'll put the overflow tube (plug) in before I launch and that keeps water out of the livewell until I am ready to use it. The top of the overflow tube is well above water line. Yes there will still be water in the drain line, however if I dont use the livewell that water will drain as I trailer the boat. When I catch fish and fill the livewell the plug is already in. On shore I'll take the fish out and pull the plug draining the livewell. I do open the livewell lid while the boat is parked so it will dry and not get moldy.


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## BottomDweller (Nov 5, 2009)

Hanr3,

Sorry, I am still alittle confused on your last post. If you have time, can you clarify? After your post I looked at your pictures. You said that the the top of the overflow tube is well above water line. I could not see the overflow tube above the water line in the pics. It looks like everything on your transom pics were below the water line. Maybe I could understand it better if I got a feel for how your whole system works. I guess I am still in the dark a little on how everything would work from beginning to end. I know this is going to be a really stupid question to you, but I am so completely new with all of this.."What is the overflow tube used for and how does it work?, "I am assuming this is what is used to fill the livewell..?". I also noticed ironically, that I think I have the same exact boat that you have.


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## russ010 (Nov 5, 2009)

bottomdweller, this is how a livewell works

You have a livewell pump at the transom of your boat, below the waterline (you gotta get water somehow . This goes to the intake of your livewell - it can be above or below the waterline... most times you see it above the waterline as a spray bar which forces water down and as the tank fills, it adds oxygen (you'll see all the little bubbles coming up). That is pretty much the fill up process.

Next is areation. There are a few ways you can do this, but I'm just going to keep it simple so it helps you understand... You have another livewell pump at your livewell. The strainer will be inside the livewell, that motor outside. The hose coming off the motor will circle back around to above where you filled the water so that is can recirculate the water adding more water and ridding of carbon dioxide.

Then I think the way Hanr3 has his drain/overflow is one shot. But if I'm wrong sorry, I didn't take the time to go back and look. You have a drain hole in the bottom of the livewell to let the water out. Well, instead of putting a plug into it, you put an overflow tube. This tube catches and drains any water from overfilling or if you accidentally leave your pump on too long. It basically is a safety catch so that you don't fill your boat up with water.

To drain it, when you pull out of the water and while on the trailer, you pull the overflow tube out or drain plug in the livewell, and then take the plug out of whereever it exits the boat and voila, water gone.


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## danmyersmn (Nov 5, 2009)

The way russ described it is one way to setup a livewell. It takes two pumps and would work great. Especially if your in salt water and cant pull water out of the lake you still have a method to recirculate water..

Another option is like this.

You have a pump out the transom below the waterline. This pumps water to the spray bar above the "livewell waterline" This will fill the livewell and the spraybar will mix o2 with water. 

You then put a overflow in the side of the livewell. The overflow drains out the side of the boat. You will want to drill the overflow in the livewell an inch or two below the top of the livewell and the hole in the boat 1/4" below the livewell hole. The drain will also be larger then your pump line. If you look at this kit. https://www.cabelas.com/p-0001659012937a.shtml you will see how it works. The 3/4" hose runs from the pump to the spray bar. The 1 1/2" hose runs out the side as an overflow.


now, you turn on your transom mounted pump and fill up the livewell. Then you adjust the spray bar so that it only flows as much water as will dump out the livewell overflow. Then you can run the pump all day long if you wanted and it will just dump out the side. The best option is to put the pump on a timer so that it runs for 1 minute every 5 minutes or something to that effect. You can find a bunch of different options on live well timers. 

Finally you put another drain in the bottom of the livewell towards the back of the boat. This drains out the back of the boat right next to where your pump is. It can go anywhere you like really, but thats an easy place to put it. When we did my bud's 14' alumacraft we didn't have room to run the drain out the back of the boat so we went straight out the bottom below the livewell. I used fittings and hose for this that you can buy individually and so its not difficult to piece it together. I am not sure if they make different size fittings or not so if you go this route then you can grab a boat plug from the shelf and make sure it will stick into the fitting. I am pretty sure they are standard sized. 

When you are using the livewell you put a standard boat plug in the bottom drain. When you are done with the livewell you pull that plug out of the bottom of the livewell and it will drain.

With a setup like this you are brining fresh water into the boat from the lake so you don't need to run a recirculating pump. Put your livewell pump on a timer and its a done deal.

Now to be honest, I have my livewell setup like this but I am thinking about changing the setup when I put my boat back together. I am thinking about adding a recirculating pump. I am thinking about adding a second smaller livewell to my boat. I want to be able to seperate my catch from my bait. I now just toss my minnows and leaches into my livewell. I am thinking about adding a new pump that will draw out of the bottom of my current livewell and spray into a new smaller livewell. The overflow from the smaller livewell will flow back into the larger one. I don't quite know how I will figure this out but I am thinking on it. 

I also did a quick search on recirculate vs timer/fresh water method. Here is something I didn't consider.

---

Livewells can be operated to pump in fresh lake water or
recirculate livewell water. A recirculating system is es-
sential to provide aeration when the boat is on plane, when
the boat being trailered, or when you are controlling livewell
temperature (see below). If your boat does not have a re-
circulating system, add one. Brands of boats differ, so be
sure you understand the livewell control settings for fresh
water intake and recirculation.

On plane and on trailer are some valid reasons to have a recirculate pump. This is a darn good read.

Keeping bass alive.
https://tinyurl.com/yjlor8g

It is making me rethink the recirculate method.


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## weaselbob74 (Nov 5, 2009)

russ010 said:


> To drain it, when you pull out of the water and while on the trailer, you pull the overflow tube out or drain plug in the livewell, and then take the plug out of whereever it exits the boat and voila, water gone.



Why do you have to pull the boat out of the water to drain it? Even if the drain it below the water line the water will still drain. It will be a wee bit slower then if the drain was above water line, but it will drain.


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## weaselbob74 (Nov 5, 2009)

danmyersmn said:


> The best option is to put the pump on a timer so that it runs for 1 minute every 5 minutes or something to that effect.



I think this is a great idea. And then let the additional water drain out the overflow tube.


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## danmyersmn (Nov 5, 2009)

weaselbob74 said:


> russ010 said:
> 
> 
> > To drain it, when you pull out of the water and while on the trailer, you pull the overflow tube out or drain plug in the livewell, and then take the plug out of whereever it exits the boat and voila, water gone.
> ...




I think he was saying "then when your boat is on the trailer and you forgot to pull your livewell drain you can climb back in the boat, yank it out and toss the plug inside the livewell. The livewell will drain on your trip home. oh, and strap that seat down so you don't have to climb in the boat a third time."


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## Hanr3 (Nov 5, 2009)

My set-up is pretty simple altough a little complicated due to my livewell location.

Couple things to help you understand.
Waterline- that line which seperates above water from underwater. When your boat is in the water part of it will be underwater, and most of it will be above water. The point at which above water and below water is defined is called the water line. 

Capacity- If you removed your transom plug, the water will fill the boat until the water is at the same level inside as outside the boat, still the water line. Hopefully you have enough floatation in your boat so your boat still floats. If the gunalls go below the water your boat is sinking and you have exceeded the weight capacity of your boat. Your boat will continue to sink until it hit bottom. If you are under the capacity your boat will remain afloat and you can hang onto it until help arrives. you may be lucky and be able to rescue the boat as well. The main thing is the boat must be able to float when compleely full of water.

part II to come.


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## Hanr3 (Nov 5, 2009)

part II
This will be easier to explain with pictures.

This picture is the bottom of my deck in my boat.
The white tube at the top of the pic is my drain hose.
Next tube is my transducer wire conduit.
Next two are for electrical circuits.
Bottom white tube is my fill hose for my livewell pump.



This pic to show my drain hose attached to my livewell, old coleman cooler.



This pic shows my livewell fill hose.
Teh tube on teh left comes from my livewell pump which is mounted to my transom in the back of the boat. It splits to a fill spray head and to a airator head. When I turn on my livewell pump it airates and fills at the same time. What I cant do is airate while the boat is out of the water. I'll add a recirculation pump at a later date. 



Fill head on left, airator on right.



Overflow tube, It fits into my drain and plugs the drain. To drain the livewell I pull it out. To prevent overflow the tube is shorter than my livewell. 



In order for this to work, my livewell pump intake hose must be below waterline, transom mounted.
My livewell drain must be above waterline, boat water line. However it drains below the boat waterline and I do get water in my livewell if I leave the overflow tube/plug out. 
Overflow must be lower than livewell capacity and that creates your livewell water line. 
If your livewell drain is below boat water line your boat will fill with water until it equals the boats waterline. Most people put thier livewell plug in the livewell to keep it dry until needed, and then the plug is in place so you dont have to mess with it while the bite is on.

No question is a dumb question. We all had to learn it too. Your not born knowing these things. We all know fire is hot and will burn. Some of use learned it hte hard way, and some of us listened to others. I dont always listen to others.
:mrgreen:


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## bandgeek1263 (Nov 5, 2009)

Hanr3 said:


> Your not born knowing these things. We all know fire is hot and will burn. Some of use learned it hte hard way,



my first word was "hot!" haha.

when i get my boat i will have a fill pump, overflow drain, and aerator/drain pump.


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## BottomDweller (Nov 7, 2009)

Thanks guys for the great responses. This will help a lot. Let me know if you have any more thoughts. This is a real learning experieince for me since I have not done any kind of boat mod project before. I also posted a question pertaining to angled board cuts under "Boat Talk." Let me know if you have any thoughts on this also. Have a great weekend.


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