Bait Well

[Gina Marie]

I have a 45c 1987, the cockpit has a salt water wash down and a well at the rear of the cockpit. Can I make this a bait well or what other options are their for keeping live bait. Thanks Tom

 

[Banshee36]

I am not familiar with the 45C layout. Is your killbox in the deck of the cockpit? Is that what you are talking about making a livewell? My 36 has a livewell in the deck, it does hold a lot of bait, but you can make one out of a 35 gallon plastic drum and use the washdown pump to feed it. Its right on the deck ans you have easy access. I think that someone makes one that goes under the fighting chair, that would also be easy to plump and get the bait in and out.
JW

 

[Liquid Asset]

You can make Damn near anything a baitwell as long as you take in some concideration to the weight. Remember, water is heavy, so if the compartment is suspended from the deck, is it to much weight? Plus, are the corners round or square? Square corners cause bait to get stuck and kill themselves.

Worst case you have to reinforce the compartment that you want to make a baitwell and round the edges inside. I also recomend painting/gelcoating your baitwell a greenish-blue color. Some people think that colors that resemble their natural habitat are better for bait and have a tendency to help the bait live longer and not get over stressed.

 

[solanderi]

I have done exactly as you have proposed as a quick fix for sailfishing because my 45C did not have a live well. For sailfishing in in S Florida everything is about the live bait. I have a 30 gal white ....actually rubbermaid garbage can which I cut a hole in the side about 4 inches above the bottom for the in hose. I siliconed in a quick disconnect fitting at this site. I then cut a hole just below the upper edge of the rubbermaid to accept the exhaust hose. That hose is simply black plastic approx 3.5 inch diameter el cheapo stuff that nicely wedges into the side cockpit drains and I put the distal end of the hose into the starboard scupper.

I then use white bungy to encircle the top lip of the can and it attaches to some boarding step brackets. The system runs off the existing Jabsco sw wash down pump. What makes it moderately slick (after all its still a freaking converted garbage can.... is the quick disconnect).

The only problem with this system is that is works great and its hard to shell out 400 buks for a cool chem tainer or whatever when this one just does great. It regularly keeps 4-6 dozen pilchaards or threadfin herrings alive, no problem.