Livewell issues

[mikesmiph]

Dan said to post something. Not sure I can get much advice in time, but here goes. On St Clair last weekend. Half way through the day I went to put a fish in my front livewell and noticed my other fish nearly dead. No water moving in the livewell. Got down under the console to check fuses and my shoulder stated getting wet. Looked down and water was coming up through the floor drain. Quick thinker that I am, (actually took me a bit to figure out), The hose from the pump to the front livewell is pouring into the bilge instead of making it to the livewell. Rear livewell seems to still be working, but its not really meant for 10 fish. We got to weigh in with only one dead.
Now, how I'm going to be spending 4th of July. I dont have a clue how to find the leak. Thats a long hose and its not out in the open. I also dont have a lake near to put the boat in. Any ideas at all? I dont even know where to start. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[djkimmel]

Can you at least find the end of the hose and plug it? Or pull it off the back end and plug the back end? Maybe plug the outside pickup? I'm not intimately familiar with the old Bass Tracker fiberglass bass boat layouts as far as hoses and wiring so I have no solution to getting your front livewell working again but if you could plug the flow in at least you have one working livewell and no flooding. You might be able to plug it with a bilge plug or something?

Maybe someone else familiar with that model of boat knows how to get to that hose / connectors up towards the front livewell and how to repair it?

[dartag]

Mike

try dumping a bucket of water in the front well and see if any water is making it back to the drain.  if the hose is loose you could tape a new one to it and pull it back to the pump.   

good luck.

[mikesmiph]

OK, looks to me like the fill pump isnt working at all. Its behind the gas tank. I'll know more tomorrow when I put it in Union lake at 6am. Bringing a bucket just in case. My plan right now is to buy a whole new livewell system and replace all the pumps to both livewells. Any suggestions on a good pump system?

[djkimmel]

If you can, get the pumps with the new motors that you can twist in and twist out so you don't have to replace everything each time anymore.

So you haven't found the actual leak yet?

[mikesmiph]

Going to look closer once its on the water today.

[LennyB]

If you can get at the hose, buy a new one and tape the new one to the old one and use the old one as a pull wire to pull the new hose through the concealled part of the boat. Reattach the new one to the livewell and intake fitting and you should be back to new. When joining the two to pull, I would actually drill a small hole at the point you join them for pulling and thread a piece of bailling wire to join them securely so they don't pull apart when pulling the new one in. Good Luck

[mikesmiph]

Great tip, thanks

[Mike S.]

Another way to do that would be a hose barb. That works really well. That's how they pulled my new fuel line through the rigging tube on my boat. Don't use any lube, put the barb in dry so that its real tight, and you should be golden.

[Waterfoul]

Go with Rule or Johnson pumps.  Both have replaceable pump motors.  Rule has a better warranty.  I know where you can get both.