Estimated budget cost: $140
Estimated time of work: ~3 hours


Material


Water drain holes






Rod holders


Inside view


Outside view


Water pump


Drain plug


Battery box




Big fish are out there and they prefer live bait, so go out there and get some!! Hope this helps

Tight lines and revs up!

Wil

Were does that clear tube go to?

the 3/4" clear tubing? it's attached to the bilge pump that feeds fresh water for the live bait. also, i have re-routed my yamaha spout into the tank via 1/4" hose, keeps the livewell fresh while in transit.

Is that Red Blue adapter the pump? Can you buy those like at Acadamy? Whats that brass fitting you installed were the drain spout was? And is that black vent just for overflow?

Nevermind i didnt see the text bellow the pics.

I think Torpedos drain hole is now plugged and he lets the water run out the top if I remember correctly.

You can get a pump at any marine store. It is a Rule 360 Bilge Pump. Run from $18 - $25 online.

I would also have the water discharge hole a bit higher then the inlet line. This will allow the water to cycle better.
The bilge pump battery will last longer if you have a rule bilge 360 instead of a 500. On my bilge pump 500 I only get about 5 hours of flow where as with a 360 I'm over 8 hours. You can add a timer and you will double your battery life. Kayak shops can supply most of these items. My concern is how many sardines can you place in cooler and how long will they last? In a kayak they last almost all day. With a jet ski, I would think they get beat up pretty good. Your thoughts and input?
Thanks
Jimmy

I'm starting to notice that my bait stays alive longer when there is enough water in the tank. My first tank, the water is usually 3/4 gone by the time I stop. Obviously the bait is going to roll. However, the water is usually near full even when I'm riding. This helped a lot since there isn't much room for the bait to bounce. All I did to the new tank was to make the drain outlet to a 1/2" tube. With the bilge pump running at all times, the water level stays a little above the drain outlet.

Give that a try first. Also, I usually don't go more than 40mph with bait. If you have a yamaha or a water sprout of some sort that fills the tank with water while riding, speed shouldn't matter too much.

where did you get the battery and battery box? was it pre-rigged like you see it or did you have to rig it up yourself? It looks like a small pelican case (what size?) drilled for a waterproof switch and for the power wires to the pump. Did you attach the battery box to the ice chest or does it just sit inside the rack? Thanks.

Kayak stores sell the battery and boxes. Here's one that seems to have pretty good prices:
http://kayakfishinggear.com/batteriesandcharger.aspx Click on "Bait tank/ Livewell" in the left column for the battery box. They are in so Cal so you could probably pick it up to avoid shipping.

Before I found that site, I was able to locate 6 volt- 6 amp sealed batteries at Home Depot. I wired them in series to get 12 volts and enough power to run the pump.