Fishing Boat Live Well Question?

[GrandpaD_2020]

I have a 1997 Starcraft Superfisherman boat with 3 live wells.
The two wells at the bow appear to run off the same 3 way rocker switch to fill water into the wells.
The well at the Stern also has a 3 way rocker switch.

If I press the stern switch up, water fills the well.
The middle setting on the switch if OFF.
What does the switch do when it is the bottom position?

Same question for the bow wells and switch.

The bow wells never appear to fully drain when the plugs are removed.
Could the rocker switch bottom position be something to help drain the water out of the wells, or is it just a recirculator
to give oxygen to the water?

[lifeshort]

@GrandpaD 2020

I have a 1997 Starcraft Superfisherman boat with 3 live wells.
The two wells at the bow appear to run off the same 3 way rocker switch to fill water into the wells.
The well at the Stern also has a 3 way rocker switch.

If I press the stern switch up, water fills the well.
The middle setting on the switch if OFF.
What does the switch do when it is the bottom position?

Same question for the bow wells and switch.

The bow wells never appear to fully drain when the plugs are removed.
Could the rocker switch bottom position be something to help drain the water out of the wells, or is it just a recirculator
to give oxygen to the water?

Mine are
pushed on top intermittent. Runs a while and shuts off, runs a while shuts off. To keep fish alive but not run continuous
Pushed center off
Pushed bottom run all the time

Water in your livewells is coming in from the lake

[Kent]

Mine are shut off and used for storage. I probably should use them occasionally, but I find the additional storage space more useful.

[wiperhunter2]

My forward live well does not drain fully either, I think it has to do with the angle of the boat. Like Kent said, I don’t use mine for fish, just storage.

[GrandpaD_2020]

My front wells are both used for storage but the back one gets used for fish.
This is the one that I’m interested in knowing how the switch is operated.

It appears that either up or down, both add water to the well.
I thought one would just circulate/aerate the water.

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@wiperhunter2

My forward live well does not drain fully either, I think it has to do with the angle of the boat. Like Kent said, I don’t use mine for fish, just storage.

Kelly thought that the front wells may have a suction pump/sump pump that works with the switch turned down.
This would help empty the wells.
I haven’t tried that yet.

[wiperhunter2]

@GrandpaD 2020

My front wells are both used for storage but the back one gets used for fish.
This is the one that I’m interested in knowing how the switch is operated.

It appears that either up or down, both add water to the well.
I thought one would just circulate/aerate the water.

---

@wiperhunter2

My forward live well does not drain fully either, I think it has to do with the angle of the boat. Like Kent said, I don’t use mine for fish, just storage.

Kelly thought that the front wells may have a suction pump/sump pump that works with the switch turned down.
This would help empty the wells.
I haven’t tried that yet.

Try leaving it on in one position after it’s full, see if it will turn off after a number of minutes, then try it in the other position Once your livewell is full up to the overflow, it should just run out and not overflow, unless the drain is blocked. IMO in one position or the other it should turn off after a few minutes. Not saying it isn’t impossible but I can’t say that I have heard of a boat having a sump pump. My boat does not have a three position switch, so I can’t give you any first hand info.

[GrandpaD_2020]

You may have the answer, Curt.
I have never left the switch in the bottom position for longer than a few seconds.

I will try that out on my next trip out.

[2knots]

Mine runs continuously in one position and the other on for a few minutes then off for a few, middle is off

[GrandpaD_2020]

@2knots

Mine runs continuously in one position and the other on for a few minutes then off for a few, middle is off

When it is in the run and stop mode, does it continue to do this as long as the switch is in that position?
In other words, does it cycle?

[2knots]

@GrandpaD 2020

@2knots

Mine runs continuously in one position and the other on for a few minutes then off for a few, middle is off

When it is in the run and stop mode, does it continue to do this as long as the switch is in that position?
In other words, does it cycle?

Yes

[lifeshort]

@wiperhunter2

My forward live well does not drain fully either, I think it has to do with the angle of the boat. Like Kent said, I don’t use mine for fish, just storage.

To keep the water from draining into my livewell from the lake and keep my front well dry I put the plug in it. I can also turn the water off at each livewell so no water is pumped in when I turn the live wells on. That way I can use the front one for storage and it stays dry and the rear one for fish etc. I use my rear one like a sink to wash hands etc as much as I use it as a livewell. Turn on the water soup up and rinse off under the running livewell water. Saves leaning over the side of the boat as I get older.

[wiperhunter2]

@lifeshort

@wiperhunter2

My forward live well does not drain fully either, I think it has to do with the angle of the boat. Like Kent said, I don’t use mine for fish, just storage.

To keep the water from draining into my livewell from the lake and keep my front well dry I put the plug in it. I can also turn the water off at each livewell so no water is pumped in when I turn the live wells on. That way I can use the front one for storage and it stays dry and the rear one for fish etc. I use my rear one like a sink to wash hands etc as much as I use it as a livewell. Turn on the water soup up and rinse off under the running livewell water. Saves leaning over the side of the boat as I get older.

I leave my plug in as well on my forward livewell but I was still getting water in it, until I figured out that water was coming in from my overflow, ended up have to plug it as well.

[Therapist]

I would bet that in one position the pump is pulling fresh water in from the lake. On the other position, it is recirculating the water from the livewell to oxygenate it. Most wells have that feature. Up is pulling water from the lake, middle is off, Down is recirculating the water in the well !!

[lifeshort]

@Therapist

I would bet that in one position the pump is pulling fresh water in from the lake. On the other position, it is recirculating the water from the livewell to oxygenate it. Most wells have that feature. Up is pulling water from the lake, middle is off, Down is recirculating the water in the well !!

Easy to check. Next time I load the boat will leave the livewell full, before leaving the tie down area will hit the switch and see if it recirculates or not.

[GrandpaD_2020]

@Therapist

I would bet that in one position the pump is pulling fresh water in from the lake. On the other position, it is recirculating the water from the livewell to oxygenate it. Most wells have that feature. Up is pulling water from the lake, middle is off, Down is recirculating the water in the well !!

This is what I thought they did.
I don’t use the live wells very often.
Next trip I will pay attention to what happens with the switches in each position.

[catchinon]

My livewell has a plug that is a tube that fits in the drain and functions to flow water out when the well is nearly full so it can’t overflow. A lot of times when I get a boisterous catfish in there they knock the tube out of the drain and the well goes dry. Anybody know how I might brace it or something to keep that from happening?

[Tin-Can]

@catchinon

My livewell has a plug that is a tube that fits in the drain and functions to flow water out when the well is nearly full so it can’t overflow. A lot of times when I get a boisterous catfish in there they knock the tube out of the drain and the well goes dry. Anybody know how I might brace it or something to keep that from happening?

Craig, does your live well tube thread into the hole or just press in ?
My little Lund has a tube similar to yours, but it screws into the live well hole to allow well to fill. The top of the tube allows water to flow back out to prevent overfilling. Then to drain the live well I un-screw it.
Have learned to stop at the top of the ramp so boat has a good angle down, pull my live well plug and the hull bilge plug to drain while I get stern buckles secured. That way both drain more completely ( illegal to go down the road with plugs in).

If your live well tube does not thread in, maybe find a piece of PVC the same diameter, cut it long enough to push further down the hole and about 2 inches below where the well cover is to prevent overfilling.

[catchinon]

Thanks Forest. I’ll experiment and see what works.