1987 290 Livewell Drain?

[tomcat]

I recently bought a 1987 290 Tournament Master. I can't figure out if the thru the hull on the bottom of the boat that is piped to the bottom of the livewell is for draining or filling. If the livewell is filled by the livewell/washdown pump; and it is emptied by the battery operated submersible pump, then what is this drain on the bottom of the livewell for? Thanks if you can help!

[RickK]

Welcome aboard tomcat   :!:  :!:
A little mystery going on eh? On a boat that size I would say it would be a thru-hull that was the source of the water.  Where is this submersible?  On a baitwell or livewell there is usually a macerator on the drain to take care of anything in the line that could plug it up and then a pump sends it overboard.  I am thinking that the macerator and/or pump failed and it was cheaper to fix it the way the owner did with the submersible instead of fixing the real problem.  See if you can follow the the drain out of the well and see what you find.  Without pics this is pure speculation though.

[tomcat]

Thanks for the welcome Rick! I'll investigate the drain further. It just seemed odd to me to have another hole in the bootom of the boat that is not really necessary. No signs of any macerator!

[RickK]

Are you sure how many thru-hulls you have? You could have multiples, like for raw water wash down, air conditioning, I guess the livewell.  I would think that the drain for the well would be pumped through the side of the boat, above the waterline.  I don't know of anything that would drain below the water although I've been surprised before.

[tomcat]

Oh yeah! I'm more than a little nuts when it comes to knowing exactly how many and where every single hole in the bottom of the hull is. For some reason I've been like that ever since I accidentally sunk my 1958 Owens 35' Sportfisherman 1 mile South of the Chesapeake Bay bridge back in '93.

Anyway, the livewell does indeed have a drain to the bottom of the hull. Like you, I can't see how the livewell will drain this way. Would'nt the weight of the water in the livewell need to be greater than the weight of the water in the bay/ocean?

I found the same question on the discussion forum from another owner of a 290 from 2006. I messaged him but haven't gotten a reply yet. I guess it's one of those mystreries that may remain unsolved. Anyway thanks for your interest Rick.


Mark aka Tomcat

[RickK]

Well, we need to ask the pro's here - any ideas guys?  Anyone else have a drain that goes through the boat's bottom?

Mark, I guess I never asked - where/how does the submersible drain?  Maybe someone re-routed some lines and figured that the fishwell drain "went here".  If we rethink a little, does the alleged drain actually "fill" the fishwell and it drains some other way?  I guess it could do that?
The mystery continues....

[tomcat]

The livewell has a battery operated submersible pump that discharges through a TTH above the waterline. This giddyup has the look that it was added aftermarket by someone. The livewell fill is definitely "factory" and originates at the livewell/washdown pump and fills the livewell through an adjustable petcock mechanism in the livewell. The drain hole on the bottom of the livewell is also "factory', however when I got the boat it was severely clogged. ( your earlier point thet these drains should have a macerator to grind up fish parts etc.). Maybe, just maybe, someone added the submersible to empty the livewell since the bottom drain was clogged. What do you think?

Thanks

[RickK]

Sounds possible. So have you used it since you unclogged it?  Does it work ok?  I wonder if it "sucks" the water out of it while cruising and doesn't at standstill due to pressure.  You say there is a raw water pump for the fill?  Is there a ball cock or float in the system somewhere - maybe a float switch to turn on the pump?