Cooler livewell

[Braun]

hey guys, looking to turn an old cooler into a livewell. Does anyone have a large older cooler that they no longer use and want rid of it? ill buy it from you. looking for something at least 30inches on the inside.......

[chubbdarter]

go look in the bass poll thread...i put up a link for a guide in Flaming Gorge....maybe a idea you can use

[Kokanee9]

Garage sales are going to start soon with this warm weather. Might be an option.

[tacklerunner]

Just a thought but can you just build a wood box and line it with a styrofoam cooler which is easier to find in larger sizes and cheaper? Or perhaps line the box with a heavier gauge vinyl such as on old waterbed bladder or something similar. Not sure if you want it to be removable or not. I know the big azz coolers you are thinking of. Used them on the coast for big springs but they're damn pricey and it's unlikely anyone will part with one. Hope you find one though.

[Braun]

Ya ive considered this, actually i would just line it with styrofoam sheeting (the kind you stick to the outside of your house for insulation) and then line that with a thick gage Poly. This is alot of work though. and if it doesnt work out it would be a mess to take apart. A cooler is just really simple and easy and will offer the best insulation possible. plus, at the end of the day. all the wood, styrofoam and poly and glue will equal the cost of picking up a cooler. I havent taken custom framing one off the table but if i can pick up a cooler of the right size at the right price, I would prefer to go that route

[lifesaflyin]

Canadian tire sells Styrofoam coolers. pretty big ones too.

[nicemustang]

I can't remember....you weren't in the boat when mine wasn't in? I thought we had it at travers...

Anyway, I just pulled the boat out last night. I owe another guy some tips/pics of the cooler livewell I built. So I'll take some pics and details around it this weekend.

I got my cooler from Costco last year. It fits under the seat in my bowrider. Its narrow and long, about 14" wide by 32" long. It has a full lid but also a half door as well. So good for keeping the leeches in the circulating water. I did not put in a re-circulating pump or hard-plumbed it in, because it does take up space and I didn't want a permnament solution. The cooler has a garden hose drain, so I hooked up a garden hose end with a valve on it. This way I can empty it easier. The hose drains into the bilge area and I drain it out wit the bilge pump. To fill the cooler, i have a portable style bilge pump from CT with a long hose on it. So I just drop it in the water to fill cooler. Then in the cooler, I have a aerator to recirculate the water. I also have a thermometer in there to ensure if the water gets too warm, I can change it out. For power, I have a wire coming from my fuse box with quick connects. I can connect either aerator or bilge pump to it, it's long enough for that. I put a foam tape around the lid, to make it more water proof. I've had a 51 and 54 cm walleye in there for 3-4 hours and they were so lively that they were hard to catch LOL...so it must work!

I'll get you some pics on the weekend.

[Braun]

Sweet! no i didnt see it. when we were on travers you didnt use it, Im going to set mine up to recirc. drain into the bilge area, intake water from the back of the boat and hard plumb in the overflow. reason being is i really dont want the hassle of upkeep if i struggle keeping the temperature or . But i might reconsider once i see your pictures. If it works that well then it shouldn't cause an issue. do you recall how much you paid for that cooler at cosco? that is the perfect size but most im seeing are around 80 for something that would be long enough. I know i could find an older one for cheap and use that but it would be nice to find one thats long and narrow like yours. Would make things alot easier

[nicemustang]

I haven't been to costco in a while, but I remember one there....although have no idea the size. I think mine was 89.99, it came with wheels too.

For me because I have a bow rider....i use it for more than just fishing. It would have been nice to have a built in live well somewhere...but this works too. This way if I want to use a livewell in tourneys, I can do so and won't be worried about space. Otherwise it doesn't need to be in there because if I'm just fishing, I don't need a livewell. Even if I plan on keeping some, I'd rather save the space and use a stringer.

[Braun]

that was my next question, tournament . Because i know there are standards for livewells in most tournaments. I take it that if you were using yours for tourneys that they dont need circulation of fresh water to meet tournament standards?

[nicemustang]

No, just needs a aerator. It does not need to recirculate. There are also no size restrictions...although at the boat inspection they "could" say something....but SAWT is pretty good about it. Lots of guys running coolers as their live wells.