My Bait Tank Ideas

[dsafety]

Very nice design. It is not clear to me where the water exits your pump but if you have some place to attach some kind of a tube, there is a very easy way to prevent water from draining from the tank without using a check valve.

I made this for my Hobie tank but the idea could be adapted to any other design that has a scupper intake pump with a threaded water outlet. All you need to do is install a 90 degree fitting with a short pipe extension that can be rotated. Here are the parts I used.



When you want to make sure that no water drains out, rotate the attachment so the pipe extends above the water line. If you want to let the tank drain, rotate the device so it is rests on the bottom of the tank.



I have also found that using this setup, I can easily clean the intake when it gets plugged with kelp. I carry a 12" piece of sprinkler riser with me. When the pump gets plugged, I insert the riser in the tube and blow some air through the system. It works every time.

Bob

[Iceman]

Good stuff!

It looks like your check valve will be below the water line, keeping water in the line, but the pump is above the water line. I would think you would still have to do your initial prime by pouring water in the tank to get water to the pump to draw. The Hobie design uses a 90 pick up that uses forward momentum to draw in the water.

Water inlet at the bottom of the tank is a great idea as bait will die down there with plenty of fresh flow just above them.

interesting stuff with the reverse polarity switch, I really like using 6 volts.

[trunknuts]

I'm new to this whole kayak fishing thing, so I'm trying to understand what you are trying to accomplish with the reverse polarity switch. Did you wire this up so that it can drain the water in your tank? If so, wouldn't the check valve on your pickup tube keep the water from dumping? Please excuse me if I'm not understanding your setup, I'm just curious since I will be building one of these soon. Thanks.

[BTF_David]

Originally Posted by trunknuts

I'm new to this whole kayak fishing thing, so I'm trying to understand what you are trying to accomplish with the reverse polarity switch. Did you wire this up so that it can drain the water in your tank? If so, wouldn't the check valve on your pickup tube keep the water from dumping? Please excuse me if I'm not understanding your setup, I'm just curious since I will be building one of these soon. Thanks.

Hi TrunkNut,
The reverse polarity is to pull water into the tank at a slower rate than the 6v at normal polarity. It basically reverses the turning of the motor and impeller, thereby making the impeller less efficient...bringing less water per turn. The Youtube video link shows the flow of the water with normal polarity and reverse polarity visually to help you understand.

When filling the tank, I like to go at normal polarity to make that process happen quicker. Also, if I need the water changed in the tank quicker, I switch to normal polarity.

But for delicate bait fish or my "normal" operation, I like the reverse polarity because the water rate is slower entering the tank. A bonus effect is the water exiting the drain is less...so there is less of the trickling noise you hear from the drain operating.

Hope that makes sense. Holler if it doesnt.

-BTF_David

[Iceman]

I usually prime at launch and it takes only a few seconds. A simple quarter twist opens up the motor and I pour 1/4 of a water bottle into to prime the pump. The check valve keeps the prime till I am ready to hit the switch to turn it on. It's easy to open up the pump on the water too.

Thanks for clarifying.

I use my multi purpose gatoraide bottle for the same purpose as sometimes my intake needs a little push.

[Kesepton]

So DSafety, that attachment is for keeping water in the tank without the pump on right?

Thats a good Idea about blowing through it though. I think its worth adding it just for that feature!

[dsafety]

Originally Posted by Kesepton

So DSafety, that attachment is for keeping water in the tank without the pump on right?

Thats a good Idea about blowing through it though. I think its worth adding it just for that feature!

The Hobie tank switch is placed in a location where it is very easy to accidentally turn the motor off when reaching back for a rod. I do it several times each trip. If you install the riser tube, you can keep the water from draining out if, (when) this happens and hopefully not kill your bait.

If you want to get more oxygen to the bottom of the tank, twist the tube to the drain position while keeping the motor on. Just don't forget to put it back in the vertical position or you run the risk of having the tank drain the next time you accidentally bump the switch.

As for using the tube to blow away debris, I initially tried the screen method but found that it would often get fouled with very small particles of kelp, whale snot or other things that would impede the flow. This is a much simpler way to solve the problem and it only takes seconds.

Bob

[BTF_David]

Yes, the check valve is below the water line. To answer dsafety...the pump is above the water line so that is the reason we need the check valve. So I don't lose prime.

Iceman,
I thought about the Hobie style, forward pickup. However, I've used this setup on my last bait tank and it works well. Hobie builds a nice bait tank and I don't think it's unreasonably price either. Unfortunately, it's too big for my hull.

I usually prime at launch and it takes only a few seconds. A simple quarter twist opens up the motor and I pour 1/4 of a water bottle into to prime the pump. The check valve keeps the prime till I am ready to hit the switch to turn it on. It's easy to open up the pump on the water too.

CobraTandem,
The drain on the bottom is water tight. It uses plumbing components for your sink so there is a compression washer that prevents any leakage. The threaded nut on the bottom are all glued up with marine goop.

[Jzo]

Originally Posted by dsafety

When you want to make sure that no water drains out, rotate the attachment so the pipe extends above the water line. If you want to let the tank drain, rotate the device so it is rests on the bottom of the tank.



Bob

Nice!