Livewell Spillage

[graf703]

I have a 2000 190 Starcraft Starfire LE.

I get pretty excessive Livewell spillage/overflow when getting on plane or cruising around. The biggest complaint is the emptying of the livewell and then the constantly wet carpet. It seems the water level just flows right over the top as the boat angle changes. Does anyone have any tips or modifications they've done to remedy this?

[dan z]

Put a PVC tube in the drain hole and cut it a couple inches shorter than the total well depth. Then when it us full it will just run out. Just a thought as this us what we do in the river boat.

[Old Dewjabber]

+1

Also is there a gasket? How heavy is the lid,which way does it face,and does it close tight?

The 4 of those together would fix it! My $.02

[delcecchi]

Is there supposed to be an overflow? There is in my livewell, so if the pump is filling the excess runs out a hole out the side of the boat. Keeps it from getting too full.

But the pvc pipe in the drain will also do the job.

[harvey lee]

Sounds like you need an overflow pipe and a new rubber gasket seal between the top of the livewell and the lid when it closes.

If you have the overflow tube installed and the top 2 or so inches shorter than the top edge of the livewell, that will end your water over the livewell side issues.

If you have no overflow tube and you leave your livewell pump on aerate, all you are doing is pumping water into the boat instead of out the overflow tube.

[SkunkedAgain]

Everyone is spot on with their recommendations. If you want to go the zero cost route, just drain out half of the water before getting on plane and then fill it up with fresh when you get to a spot. Unless you're routinely running around with a well full of large fish, they can survive just fine with less water.

[graf703]

Good suggestions. I might have to take pictures when I get it out of storage this weekend to clarify it.

This live well only fills when I place a screw in pipe in the drain and then it drains over the top. I'm assuming this is the overflow pipe, correct? Generally, the pump does not outmatch the overflow.

I will have to check the lid for a gasket when I pull it from storage this weekend.

[delcecchi]

Maybe the pipe is a little too long?

[yaggie]

Is your live well pump running constantly or on a timer? If it runs constantly the over flow will not keep up. I had a timer fail once and failed to shut the pump off. Also if you have fish in the live well and have the side overflow which I believe you would, the tails of fish will get sucked against the overflow blocking the water in. The solution for this may be a cork plug cut in half length wise into the inside of the overflow. This prevents the fish tails from being sucked against the overflow. I discovered this after I through away a cork such as this on a used boat I bought and wondered why that was in the livewell.

[graf703]

Is your live well pump running constantly or on a timer? If it runs constantly the over flow will not keep up. I had a timer fail once and failed to shut the pump off. Also if you have fish in the live well and have the side overflow which I believe you would, the tails of fish will get sucked against the overflow blocking the water in. The solution for this may be a cork plug cut in half length wise into the inside of the overflow. This prevents the fish tails from being sucked against the overflow. I discovered this after I through away a cork such as this on a used boat I bought and wondered why that was in the livewell.

The livewell runs constantly in "fill mode". The switch has a refresh mode where it only runs every so often. The well doesn't have a separate overflow beyond the pipe placed in the drain.