Here's the boat with my new livewell which meets the new 2008 BnT livewell requirements.
It does not meet the min requirement for a "running livewell" as spelled out in the DFG special permit given to the SCBBBC.
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This is an old 48 quart Igloo that had a busted hinge so It was sacraficed for the cause.
The aerator mounted to the lid is a Big Bubbles aerator which runs 85 hours on 2 "D" batteries and pumps 7/8 liter of air per minute.
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Here are the working parts of the system.
The pilge pump connects to the spray head in the lower right of the pic. The aerator is connected to the 5" stone and the hose is fixed to the wall so not to tangle with the fish.
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The lid was cut in two leaving an opening that measures 12"X8" for the fish door.
The latch system is bungee cord and some clamps and hooks screwed to the ice chest. An opening this size will fit bass up to 15 pounds through it, barely! ;-)
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I added an 8" extension to my frame to move a crossmember further rearward. This allowed the use of a taller livewell. The big bonus was room for an additional rod rack and more tackle storage.
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Here's a side view of the livewell mounted on the boat. You can see the bilge hose connected to the tank, the aerator mounting and the air hose routing.
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Rear view of the livewell when mounted.
Note the new rod storage on the cross member and the replacement hinges.
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A web strap with a quick connect buckle on each side secures the livewell to the boat.
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Here is the tank filling up. My 500GPH bilge pump fills it up in less than 2 minutes.
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When refreshing the water you will produce oxygen adding bubbles at the same time with the use of a spray head.
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Here is the aerator in action. Oxygen is key to keeping the catch lively until weigh-in.
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In this photo you can see how much O2 is going into the water when both the pump and aerator are running. Most often if you look in your well the fish will have their heads right in these bubble streams.
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This is what we are after. Just add fish and your good to go!
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This pic just shows the drain holes doing their thing while the pump runs.
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