Quinte Fishing

Well when I went to use my livewell on my boat this weekend I discovered that when I flicked on the fill switch no water poured into the well, though I could hear the pump running and water flowing..... Let it run for a few seconds then turned on my bilge pump and water in the bilge.

Upon removing a bunch of screws from my front deck so I could lift it up a bit and stick my camera in to take a picture, I confirmed my suspicions, the fill hose to my livewell had come off and fallen down sticking out from under the bottom of my livewell.



Unfortuantely their is no access to get to the hose and reattach it without removing the front deck on my boat. My front deck is just plywood covered with marine vinyl flooring screwed down with ss screws. I have removed the screws and pryed up the front deck before to run wires, but I cannot remove the whole front deck to to the fact that my boat console/windshield sits on top of the deck.

Without removing the whole console/windshield I can only pry the deck up a bit....



There is no easy way to access the detached hose or to be able to have enough room to work and reattach the hose if I can figure out some way to grab it, tried several times already.

It looks like my two best options are...

1. Unscrew and lift up my whole full windshield double console and then unscrew the remaining deck screws to remove the whole front deck.

2. Make 2 cuts in my deck to create a separate removable front section, so I would not have to touch my console. The picture below shows the 2 cuts I would have to make (red lines) The areas where I would cut are only about 12" across, and there is a double metal support under when the cuts would be so I can add some extra screws to hold down the cut edges.



I am leaning towards option 2, because I don't really want to remove my whole console/windshield, plus by creating the separate front piece of deck, if I every had any other problems again (hoses or recirc pump under front deck) I could easily remove the front detachable section in a few minutes.

Just looking for any advice, thoughts before I start unsrewing my console or cutting my deck.

Thanks,

JimW

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"EyeCandy" 2007 Tracker Pro Guide 17 walk thru windshield, 115 hp Mercury Optimax, 6 hp Yamaha 4 str kicker, Scotty electric riggers, YakAttack Gear Trax, Scotty Orca rod holders

Smiths Falls DCI Redhawks Fishing Team Coach

If it's that bad, I'd make a six or eight inch access hole beside the live well. Use a hole saw and then create a flush mount round access lid. I'm sure you could pick up the mounting ring and lid at any marine supply store or Canadian Tire. This way, if you ever have to get at it again, just unscrew the six or eight inch cap. Hope this helps. Dave

West marine or maybe your local bait shop might have a catalog where you can get an access cover and do like Dave says.

Thanks for the tip, I'll look into the access hatch.

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"EyeCandy" 2007 Tracker Pro Guide 17 walk thru windshield, 115 hp Mercury Optimax, 6 hp Yamaha 4 str kicker, Scotty electric riggers, YakAttack Gear Trax, Scotty Orca rod holders

Smiths Falls DCI Redhawks Fishing Team Coach

Jim, if you have room this is the way I would go.

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/st ... ogId=10001

Al

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Captain - Team ATOMMIK/Rockets

If your going to make a hole what about something like this?

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/INNOVATIVE-11-X- ... 2c665a2879

Nice! Probably doesn't have clearance for it though.

If you cut the flooring you will have problems trying to seal the cut. I like the flange ones.

I am not sure that I would cut anything. If you ever plan on reselling the boat a cut may cut down on value. My guess is that this may be the last time that you will ever need to access the area, so why not do it the right way, take it apart and put it back together the way it was intended. Cutting corners (no pun intended) often leads to more work in the end, and my guess is that an unsightly cut in your front deck will bother you for years to come.
If I was in your shoes I would call all the buddies up that I have taken out fishing in the past and have them come and help me fix the boat. With the right amount of help it shouldn't take too long, and you'll have peace of mind knowing that the integrity of your boat hasn't been compromised. If you cut it and don't reseal it properly you'll have wood rot and mould issues that could contaminate the rest of your boat.

Jim...
My buddy has the same make of boat (tracker) and had the same problem. He ended up doing what others have suggested and cut a round hole for an access hatch. He also put one on the aft casting platform so he can access some of the wiring in the stern of the boat. Seems tracker doesn't think of these things when building their boats. hih and good luck with it.

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The Dude Abides.

Hey Jim. What is the hatch next to your livewell. It looks to me like you can pull out the screws in the aluminum angle and slide the livewell to one side but it would involve moving the small hatch next to it as well. My brother Bob had a Lowe that had pretty much the same setup and i had to replace a hose for him and i was able to get the hatch and livewell to slide enough to repair it. It is hard to tell for sure looking at the pic but i would study that method for sure...

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Fred Fisher....

Fishy Fishy In The Bay, Bite This Line And Make My Day....

The smaller hatch right beside the livewell is just the door to the bait well, which is part of the livewell. The livewell is rivetted in place so to slide it I would have to drill out the rivets, but I will have a look and see.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

JimW

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"EyeCandy" 2007 Tracker Pro Guide 17 walk thru windshield, 115 hp Mercury Optimax, 6 hp Yamaha 4 str kicker, Scotty electric riggers, YakAttack Gear Trax, Scotty Orca rod holders

Smiths Falls DCI Redhawks Fishing Team Coach

Drilling out the rivets is no big deal. We do it at work all the time. Too bad you aren't closer i'd give you a hand with it.

Bud,

I fourth the idea to cut a round access hole in the deck. I would install a 6" or a 8" T-H Marine Sure-Seal™ Deck Plate. They come in white, grey or black from Cabelas.

There is no way it would degrease the value of the boat. Try selling it with a livewell that isn't working. That would be worse.

Tip: Only use stainless steel mounting hardware. Instead of screwing to the deck, drill through and use SS bolts with washers and lock nut on the under side. Run a small bead of silicone around the fitting that mounts to the deck before you bolt it down.

BATMAN (good luck)

Cutting into the deck doesn't sound good. A better idea may be to put a permanent access hatch under your starboard console, mounted on the vertical - hidden from sight, no tripping , stepping, no problems with water leaking in.

Can you get at it from taking off the seat mount, or is that too small a hole and too long a reach?