Hobie Bait Tank Vs. Thresher Tank.

[Billy V]

I have long been a user of the Thresher Tank and do not have any complaints about this well designed product.

However. because I own a Hobie I am considering a change to the Hobie Live Well just because I may be able to benefit from a few tweaks as it is designed to fit my boat.

Can Anyone share their experience with the Hobie Bait Tank ?
-Are there any special tweaks that the tank needs.
ie. Do I need a screen to cover the pick-up tube.

How does it work compared to what you have already had for a bait tank?

Thanks in Advance
BV

[dorado50]

The hobie livewell circulates water from the bottom of tank, providing for more livelier and healthier baits.

[erinoo]

I use a small piece of net cut from an aquarium seine /minnow scooper; cost about 2-bits @ Wal-Mart…I also shorten my intake hose so the hose/black end piece sticks out under the yak about an inch or a little less… tweaks worked for me…<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

[forefrazier]

I have to say that I am a bit disappointed so far with the Thresher tank with anything other than macs. Have not put any 'chovies in it yet but all of my 'dines have been rolling pretty quick when getting bait at the receiver in Dana. Using a 6V batt and over the side bilge pump. Didn't have that problem with the Hobie tank. Might be the rectangular shape or just plain bad bait?? Anyone else notice this?

You will be happy with the Hobie tank...

[fishinkid2010]

I've had great luck with my Hobie bait tank. I've ran it all day from 6 am until 4 pm full of Sardines and Anchovies. I've also run it all day full of bass, the battery never died, and the bait and bass were still very lively. The only time I use a screen over the intake tube is when I'm fishing in thick kelp mats. Since I have a Revolution, I did not have to trim the intake tube. I believe though, that other Hobie models require some adjusting.
For me, the self priming nozzle works great. The tank works so well that my friend doesn't even bother to bring his bait tank when he goes fishing with me.

[erinoo]

I have had the same problem with dines at the reciever at dana in my hobie tank. Not sure if it's the dines or not.

[MVC]

I have used both tanks on my Hobie Revo and I like the Hobie tank much better. You can adjust the water level and you don't have to drag a pump over the side. I have had some problems picking up kelp and eel grass through the intake hose.

[Whizz Bang]

Yep,
With a thresher tank the dines are on borrowed time...even healthy happy ones ripped fresh out of the ocean, if I can, the dine goes from the sabiki to the hook...

I give dines about an hour in my thresher
tank before they are tits up.

[Gino]

i thought the thresher tank was a pretty good product. i was thinking about buying one.your guys reviews are giving me secound thoughts.

the hobie tanks im not much of a fan of, i know some people who have had a couple issues where bait kept diing on them, And they had to modify it or do some sorta change to fix it.

I use an self made tank and i have never had problems with bait dieing. total cost me 60 bucks to make, much more efficient than the $275 hobie tank.

[Billy V]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I have had good success with the Thresher Tank loaded with a dozen Macs.
Using a 6 volt- 12 amp. battery.
Dines tend to take a beating from the Macs, even if there are only 6 Macs. They are fragile bait.

I use them as soon as I catch them, and carefully hook them with the thinnest hook in the tackle box so they live long.

[dorado50]

Think about this.. On the thresher tank water from sea is pumped into the tank from the surface,this fresh sea water then exits from top scupper on tank(as to prevent overflow). Therefore this new fresh water with all the oxygen does not reach bottom where it is needed most. That is why dines don't last as long especially in warmer water times. Not as much of a problem in winter months. The hobie tank deposits water from the bottom thus going upward (circulating oxygen before exiting thru scupper). I also use a thresher tank(three years now,same tank) and have never had a problem with it at all;I really like it.

[FISHIONADO]

Think about this.. On the thresher tank water from sea is pumped into the tank from the surface,this fresh sea water then exits from top scupper on tank(as to prevent overflow). Therefore this new fresh water with all the oxigen does not reach bottom where it is needed most. That is why dines don't last as long especially in warmer water times. Not as much of a problem in winter months. The hobie tank deposits water from the bottom thus going upward (circulating oxigen before exiting thru scupper). I also use a thresher tank(three years now,same tank) and have never had a problem with it at all;I really like it.

But do you have any shark safety tips?

[dorado50]

Ha..ha..the shark shield is a must Dave!!! you know that.. that guy from the philappines says so:doh:

[Adam12]

I absolutely love my Hobie tank, the only problem Ive run into is it getting clogged with eel grass or loose crap on the surface of the water.

What I did to alleviate this was, purchase more of the clear tubing from West Marine and made a longer intake. After the pump is primed I lift the front of the tank (while on the water) and turn the intake tube 180* ,so the scoop is pointed backwards. the intake has to be long enough so that when you lift it, it doesnt suck air and stays in the water. This works very well.

Hobie needs to come up with some sort of solution because the livewell costs $250 and its a real pain in the ass to have to lift your tank full of bait and rods in the holders then clear the clog and re-prime.

[h2ofishfo]

Ha..ha..the shark shield is a must Dave!!! you know that.. that guy from the phippines says so:doh:ha i read that thread it seems to effect guys who are paddeling a hollowed out palm tree

[Whizz Bang]

It is not my intention to bad mouth the thresher tank. I like it, and have never owned anything else. I adjust for the dines fragility and as for the macs....well the macs you can beat em up, smack em around, leave them out of water, and squeeze lemon juice in their eye and they are just fine. God bless em.

[deepdvr]

Think about this.. On the thresher tank water from sea is pumped into the tank from the surface,this fresh sea water then exits from top scupper on tank(as to prevent overflow). Therefore this new fresh water with all the oxygen does not reach bottom where it is needed most. That is why dines don't last as long especially in warmer water times. Not as much of a problem in winter months. The hobie tank deposits water from the bottom thus going upward (circulating oxygen before exiting thru scupper). I also use a thresher tank(three years now,same tank) and have never had a problem with it at all;I really like it.


When making a homemade 5 gallon bucket bait tank can you install the inflow at the bottom of the bucket? Most every homemade tank I've seen with an Attwood type self-priming pump has both the inflow and outflow at the top.

I've lost the majority of my kayak scoop of dines and/or chovys within 30 minutes or so after leaving the point loma bait receiver.

[Holy Mackerel]

I rarely use Sardines in my kayak tank, so I can't really comment, but dines/chovies have been rolling lately in my boat, and friends boats.

Water is warm as hell in the harbors, and bays right now, where the bait recievers are located. We usually are greeted with that caveat by the bait guys, when buying bait for running offshore, and most of it rolls in our boat tanks too.

That said, Hobie tank looks like a nice, quality, solid tank. I obviously use a Thresher, and like its low profile, works fine for my mackerel, and dines I sometimes sabiki up.

[steveooo]

Here is what I did, mostly from other guys that I have seen on here.

I liked the design of the Hobie tank, but it seemed too pricey to buy, and modify. Hobie does a good job of listening to customers, I’m sure the minor things that people tweak will be fixed soon enough.

I did the through hull pump, to an external petfood container.

The intake- no noticeable drag, never gets hung up. This is my 4th kayak with a through hull. I’m hard on my stuff, and I have never had a leak.
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d154/bigsteveorr/P9030006.jpg

You can also barely see the flushmount transducer near the front of the yak in this pic
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d154/bigsteveorr/P9030007.jpg


Inside the yak
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d154/bigsteveorr/P9030003.jpg


Inside top of the yak
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d154/bigsteveorr/P9030005.jpg


Garden hose fitting on deck
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d154/bigsteveorr/P9030002.jpg


My fittings inside the petfood container. It holds about 3 ½ gallons.
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d154/bigsteveorr/P9030010.jpg


In the crate
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d154/bigsteveorr/P9030009.jpg


All hooked up
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d154/bigsteveorr/P9030008.jpg


So far I’m very happy with this system. Its nice to be able to just put my seat and tank on and go ( If I ever actually got out and fished)

Andy @ OEX Sunset beach helped me lots as I worked out ideas of how I wanted it rigged. Andy, and all the OEX guys are also good at doing the through hull pumps if that isn’t something you are comfortable doing, plus they have all the fitting you need. Again, lots of great ideas on this site. Also both the Hobie and the Thresher tanks are well-built, solid tanks too.

[Holy Mackerel]

That's pretty cool Steve, you got me thinking about doing something like that!

[blackcloud9]

Hobie has done a great job on their tank engineering and component choices in my opinion.

My Hobie Tank : $250
Works every time out : Priceless

A postage stamp piece of screen carefully gooped onto the water intake work great to foil the eel grass. Pointing the intake backwards removes the simple pedal self-priming feature.

I built these by hand for years before I gave Hobie input to their new livewell system, and I could never get close to the solidness of their final product ...

[Billy V]

I did buy the
tank and have used it 5 times since.

There are subtle differences from the Thresher tank. IMO each have their strong and weak points.
The Good.
Its as durable and simple as a Hammer!
My Thresher run on a 6V 12AMP battery was completely silent.
It could support 10 Mack during a fishing day without any problem (as you will be down to around 7 in no time anyway if you change out baits for the liveliest model).
When peddling you did not feel the tank weight behind you, and there was no sloshing that could cause a surging feeling with forward movement.
The pump never clogged, and could be easily placed back on board for a surf landing.
Fits inside a Milk Crate, perhaps the best benefit of all. You can take the entire General Store with you, and it fits neatly inside the crate.
You can install 4 very solid rod holders with PVC.

The Bad.
The over board pump does create some drag, and you will feel a slight pull to that side.
Some thresher tanks have the discharge slit on the same side as the intake, but this can be easily changed if you want.
(an elbow with clear plastic tube will route the water flow to the bottom of the tank.)
No, you can not keep a live Calico inside the tank.:)

The Hobie tank.

The Good
Fits nicely in the Hobie well, and has nice fit and finish, the connectors inside the tank look sealed well.
Has a lid! This does keep the bait calmer.
It has a very large capacity, and the water level is adjustable.
It will support 25 Greenbacks without a problem. (I tested this)
The water oxygen lever seems better because the pump is located on the bottom of the tank. The bait stays lively.

The Bad.
Its noisy, you hear the pump, and also hear the water draining out.
My intake tube has clogged every time I have used the tank, in spite of having used a coarse screen inside of the pick-up tube.
(this was due to small slime particles clogging up against the screen, not grass.)
You sometimes have to unhook the tank restraints, lift the tank (filled with water and bait), and remove the Pick-Up Tube to back flush to clear the debris.
The tip-off is when you do not hear the sucking sound the drain makes anymore, then you know somethings wrong and must be cleared. So there is a warning, and a fix, so to speak.
-You can do it if you are agile and careful. I have done it with a full bait tank and (3) rods in the rod holders. (You need to face backward in the seat, no problem for me.)
When the tank is reasonably full you feel the slosh and surge with forward motion. 7 or more gallons of water is heavy, and the tank is long, and big, so the water moves fore and aft with powerful peddle strokes. You can change this with a modification in your peddle stroke. A smoother longer stroke helps.
You should remove the pick up tube before surf landing (I do) even though it only hangs down 1". The Beach will tear it up.

My decision was to buy both, and I will continue to use both.
There is not one clear Best Tank in my opinion.

[mrJB]

The reason the inlet is installed high on the bait tank is that if the pump fails or dies, the bait tank will not drain itself empty. Best use a separate drain plug or valve low on the tank to dump your water for the long paddle back. For a decent circulation, attach a 90-degree elbow inside the tank intake and point it towards the bottom of the tank.

[Hypoxic1]

I love my hobie tank, however its not the most secure tank in the world with only 2 straps. I would recommend you add a few straps to the back of the tank so if you do get hit by a wave from behind your gear will remain secure. Also, on the little switch knob, unscrew the knob and put some loctite, or teflon tape ton the threads. The knob tends to spin off when you least expect it as they didnt put anything on there to bind it to the threads.
CHris

[blackcloud9]

BillyV -

Sounds like with your Hobie tank you would have to install the intake on the water and then remove the tubing before landing? Holy cow! I would be frustrated and screaming if I had to deal with that, ever....

You could trim the Hobie intake tube a little (so its flush with hull) and you can launch and land without ever messing with it at all. At just the right length, it will self-prime while pedalling, yet still can be beached with no problem. I have a postage-stamp sized, fine (window) screen gooped on the intake hole, and honestly, have never had a clog.

I have also customized the straps and installed 45 degree PVC trolling rod holders using a 90 degree PVC elbow and a few huge zip ties (Home Depot). See below, this is the main thing that they left out of my original requirements for a La Jolla perfect tank ...

Larry


http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y117/blackcloud9/Misc/RodHolders092109002.jpg

[Billy V]

I'm going to shorten the intake tube. It might pick up less debris.

I will also try the plastic tube to back flush the pump if needed.

[h2ofishfo]

BillyV -

Sounds like with your Hobie tank you would have to install the intake on the water and then remove the tubing before landing? Holy cow! I would be frustrated and screaming if I had to deal with that, ever....

You could trim the Hobie intake tube a little (so its flush with hull) and you can launch and land without ever messing with it at all. At just the right length, it will self-prime while pedalling, yet still can be beached with no problem. I have a postage-stamp sized, fine (window) screen gooped on the intake hole, and honestly, have never had a clog.

I have also customized the straps and installed 45 degree PVC trolling rod holders using a 90 degree PVC elbow and a few huge zip ties (Home Depot). See below, this is the main thing that they left out of my original requirements for a La Jolla perfect tank ...

Larry


http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y117/blackcloud9/Misc/RodHolders092109002.jpgwow! nice dont call me a biter when u see me in lj with those angle troller holders:cool: except ill use black zip ties cause im christopher lowell like that :D