Plumb Livewell in XFactor... or Not - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

5-20 · 06-12-2014, 10:11 AM

I have plans to plumb the livewell in my xfactor that's on order, but now I'm starting to have second thoughts about doing so.

I'm not too crazy about having a bunch of holes in the 'yak, including one on the bottom of the hull for the pump. Also, I'm thinking I might want to be able to use that compartment for storage occasionally, which would probably be a lot drier/more effective without the inflow/outflow holes in it.

It seems like I would be able to minimize the risk of things going wrong with the livewell fittings one day (and sinking.... yikes!!!) while also taking advantage of its capacity by just buying an aerator and manually filling up/emptying the livewell as needed, and eventually buying a portable one for the back of the yak.

Hmmmm, thoughts?

OEX Sunset Beach · 06-12-2014, 10:18 AM

It is pretty slick and still leaves you with a center hatch, rear hatch and bow hatch for storage.

easyday · 06-12-2014, 10:30 AM

An Aerator is not going to keep bait alive in your well all day. I had an x factor for a while and I loved having the tank built in it was so convenient, and it doubled as a normal hatch when the tank well was not in use.

5-20 · 06-12-2014, 10:56 AM

Yeah, I know... in theory, I think it's fantastic. I'm just worried about stowing things in the hatch and possibly bumping into and/or breaking the pump, and having the stress on any of these plastic parts, either the pump or yak, turn into a failure (huge hole) in the boat when I'm a mile out...

easyday · 06-12-2014, 11:51 AM

Ive rolled it in the surf, been upp against jetties and docks, I really ised my xfactor and I never had a leak in that system. Tje only place I got water through, was the hatches esp the front hatch while breaking through the surf.

FISH11 · 06-12-2014, 12:44 PM

If it's installed properly it shouln't have any problems. The thing you have to dicide, is would you rather use the front as additional storage or the bait tank. The earlier version did not have the front tank and had the option to make the hatch behind the seat into the built in bait tank. Also Malibu make a removable tank that fits into the rear hatch area and uses the hatch lid to seal the top of the tank. That way you still have both front hatches for a lot of storage. Look in the online store for the OEX link and check out that tank option in the bait tank menu. Good Luck. Great choice on the X Factor.

dmrides · 06-12-2014, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 5-20

an aerator and manually filling up/emptying the livewell as needed

I did this for a while. I had a valve at the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket so I could control how fast it drained and used a pitcher to keep it full. The aerator worked, but with the constant cycling of water was not necessary.

It was a cool system, but it's a hassle to top off the tank every 10 - 15 minutes. After a few months, I added a pump and a battery.

My $0.02 is: If you want to keep it simple, use a bait tube. If you want to have a bait tank, use a pump. If you have an X-Factor plumb the internal tank.

Irishman · 06-14-2014, 03:07 PM

I have a bait tank for my xfactor that is the 5 gallon bucket kind out the back, works great. I have also gone the super simple route where I used the pump that's like a bike pump that we use it bail the water, attached a 2 foot length of plastic hose, pump water into the forward hatch and good to go, every 30 mims or so I suck out the old water and pump new in. It takes minutes and is nice to have the capability to fully empty the hatch prior to landing, very simple and your using gear you should have anyway. My xfactor is the older model and I was thinking the same as you, dragging on sand , loading and unloading onto truck had me stressed out about a leak while out on the ocean.

06-12-2014, 10:11 AM	#1
5-20 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Posts: 241	Plumb Livewell in XFactor... or Not I have plans to plumb the livewell in my xfactor that's on order, but now I'm starting to have second thoughts about doing so. I'm not too crazy about having a bunch of holes in the 'yak, including one on the bottom of the hull for the pump. Also, I'm thinking I might want to be able to use that compartment for storage occasionally, which would probably be a lot drier/more effective without the inflow/outflow holes in it. It seems like I would be able to minimize the risk of things going wrong with the livewell fittings one day (and sinking.... yikes!!!) while also taking advantage of its capacity by just buying an aerator and manually filling up/emptying the livewell as needed, and eventually buying a portable one for the back of the yak. Hmmmm, thoughts?

06-12-2014, 10:30 AM	#3
easyday Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Oceanside Posts: 1,470	An Aerator is not going to keep bait alive in your well all day. I had an x factor for a while and I loved having the tank built in it was so convenient, and it doubled as a normal hatch when the tank well was not in use. __________________

06-12-2014, 11:51 AM	#5
easyday Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Oceanside Posts: 1,470	Ive rolled it in the surf, been upp against jetties and docks, I really ised my xfactor and I never had a leak in that system. Tje only place I got water through, was the hatches esp the front hatch while breaking through the surf. __________________

06-12-2014, 12:44 PM	#6
FISH11 Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Pine Valley when not fishing La Jolla Posts: 2,643	If it's installed properly it shouln't have any problems. The thing you have to dicide, is would you rather use the front as additional storage or the bait tank. The earlier version did not have the front tank and had the option to make the hatch behind the seat into the built in bait tank. Also Malibu make a removable tank that fits into the rear hatch area and uses the hatch lid to seal the top of the tank. That way you still have both front hatches for a lot of storage. Look in the online store for the OEX link and check out that tank option in the bait tank menu. Good Luck. Great choice on the X Factor. __________________ MARK ......... 2016 MALIBU X FACTOR, 2020 SOLO SKIFF (Fishing Kayak on Steroids )

06-12-2014, 10:18 AM	#2
OEX Sunset Beach Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 163	It is pretty slick and still leaves you with a center hatch, rear hatch and bow hatch for storage.

06-12-2014, 10:56 AM	#4
5-20 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Posts: 241	Yeah, I know... in theory, I think it's fantastic. I'm just worried about stowing things in the hatch and possibly bumping into and/or breaking the pump, and having the stress on any of these plastic parts, either the pump or yak, turn into a failure (huge hole) in the boat when I'm a mile out...

06-14-2014, 03:07 PM	#8
Irishman Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 306	I have a bait tank for my xfactor that is the 5 gallon bucket kind out the back, works great. I have also gone the super simple route where I used the pump that's like a bike pump that we use it bail the water, attached a 2 foot length of plastic hose, pump water into the forward hatch and good to go, every 30 mims or so I suck out the old water and pump new in. It takes minutes and is nice to have the capability to fully empty the hatch prior to landing, very simple and your using gear you should have anyway. My xfactor is the older model and I was thinking the same as you, dragging on sand , loading and unloading onto truck had me stressed out about a leak while out on the ocean.