Live Bait Tank Problems

[port hacking addiction]

Wow this thread is getting intresting

[Scratchie]

Are you the new moderator?

No, I am! This thread has been posted by kyngfish to request assistance for a problem he has been having.

Vvidkid is quite welcome to create his own post if he/she is requesting their own information.

If the problem is of a similar nature than a polite request to join the thread is all that is needed.

We do not need members making unnecessary comments towards each other.

Scratchie!!! Mod team

[kyngfish]

It sounds like you have an inboard pump , ie the pump is inside the hull. Thats OK provided they have installed a suitable pipe (scoop) that picks up the water when on the plane.

If it is simply a hole in the bottom of the transom then you will only pick up water when at rest which is rather useless if traveling long distances on the plane.

Geoff

Hi Geoff,

Sorry I didn't respond earlier. Yes it is an inboard pump and there is no scoop just a hole at the very bottom of the transom with a mesh guard over it.

Can I still attach a scoop and if so what would be the best way?

Greg

[Captain Spanner]

My guess and attempt at help. It sounds like your pump normally works, then didn't work after traveling at speed or in rough conditions, stopped working, then after being turned off and turned on later, probably at rest after some time.

I think your pump works fine, has cavitated (sucked air) and then got an air lock and can no longer suck water because it needed to be reprimed. When you turned it off, over time the pump/line had been able to fill up with water again and reprime itself so it can pump water again. You are lucky your pump didn't burn out (I burnt an old one out running it dry like that and burnt out a brand newy sucking a fragment of broken balloon). A good pickup will minimise the occurrence of cavitation but will not fix it if it happens. I carry a length of thin hose that fits/seals inside the outlet of my pump line (where it plots into the tank). When the pump cavitates I first turn the pump off, force the whole hose (both ends of a 1.5m clear hose) under the water over the side of the boat so all of the bubbles come out and the line is full of water. Seal each end with my thumbs and force the sealing end into the pump line outlet then quickly blow on the other end to force the water into the pump line, stop blowing, then turn the pump on. Hopefully it will start pumping again. If not then repeat the whole process. Sometimes jamming your little finger in and out of the pump line outlet might provide enough pressure change to get it going, or splash/slap water into the pump line outlet.

Good luck.

[Geoff]

Hi Geoff,

Can I still attach a scoop and if so what would be the best way?

Greg

Greg As previously requested , a few photos will be of great assistance.

The larger boating places like Bias , Whitworth have a large range of fittings , one of which may do the job.

Bunnings also have a large range in their gardening section at a fraction of the price charged by the boating outlets,

If you find a suitable elbow , chamfer the leading edge so it will pick up the water when under way.

Geoff

[Marky mark]

Hi Greg,

Sounds like a quintrex? Could be a bit of a pain as scoops are designed for pumps outboard (like the ones I posted) or for inboard that gets fed through the bottom of the hull not the transom.

You could try something like a plain scoop off to one side then route the hose though the existing hole to the pump using a skin fitting, I've attached a few photos to give you an idea, these are from Whitworths but as previously suggested shop around. Be careful about hardware cheapies below the waterline though and don't use acid cure silicon, a good polyurethane sealant won't corrode anything.

Another option I could think of is to keep the pump in the bilge, seal off the hole in the transom (welding is best) and put a scoop in the hull and plumb that to your pump. The mesh part faces forward and gets flow at speed this could be an issue on the trailer if you don't put it in the right place.

Left field option is to leave the pump etc alone and put a scoop and separate pipe to the tank, that way pump works at rest and scoop works when running, could use the long scoop I show below for that.