Hobie bait tank fix

[YakDout]

Alright guys so had a little problem with my bait tank last time out. My switch had corroded to the point where it had broke off and I wasnt able to get the tank to work. We all know how important live bait can be when it's the only thing the fish are going to eat sometimes. I ended up hard wiring my pump straight to the battery and I suggest it to anyone that has had a switch fail. And if your switch has not failed yet, it's only a matter of time. I can attest that the pump feels a little stronger without the switch in the circuit.

While I was in my tank I wanted to solve two other problems that I have been having with the design of the tank.

1) The problem of your battery dying and the tank draining immediately and the remaining bait dying off.

2) When the tank is draining, all the scales and debris get sucked back down into the pump. The last couple times I took my pump apart to clean it was completely filled with scales.


So this is the fix (which I can't take credit for because I think Tjones did something similar)

I found a flex hose from home depot that had a 3/4" female side that screws right onto the outlet of the Tsunami 500 pump. Now when I don't want the tank to drain when the power runs out or if my pump stops, I can reach into the tank and pull the flex hose out and it will keep it from draining.

Now to stop the scales and debris from coming back into the pump I tied one of the washing machine lint trap screens onto the end of the flex hose.

The SKU for the flex hose is #577205
And the SKU for the lint screen is 648181

For under $20 this fix was worth it to kill two birds with one stone on fixes that I think the Hobie tank should have integrated from the factory.

The whole thing took about 10 minutes and here are some pictures.

The hard wire should be self explanatory.

[socal.beach.bum]

Great idea. Will have to try it out

[Dannowar]

That thing looks like a rust magnet

[YakDout]

Originally Posted by Dannowar

That thing looks like a rust magnet

The stainless steel quality is probably better on this flex hose than it is on all the hardware in the tank.

Haters gonna hate.

[CheapPelican]

$.45 + scrap 3/4" pvc talller than the over flow pipe.

[YakDout]

The didn't want to go that route, but thanks. Obviously I realized that I could have put pvc in place of the flex hose.

[CheapPelican]

Not tryin to be a troll, but what do you if you suck up a bunch of scum, plastic bag bits, eel grass etc?

[jorluivil]

Originally Posted by YakDout

1) The problem of your battery dying and the tank draining immediately and the remaining bait dying off.

You could have made it easier on yourself and just installed a check valve

2) When the tank is draining, all the scales and debris get sucked back down into the pump. The last couple times I took my pump apart to clean it was completely filled with scales.

What are you using for bait that would cause the pump to fill with scales? If you bait is losing its scales chances are you're putting way to much bait in your tank and they're literally beating each other up. I try to keep no more than handful in my tank, if I start to run low I'll make additional bait as I fish.


Now to stop the scales and debris from coming back into the pump I tied one of the washing machine lint trap screens onto the end of the flex hose.

This doesn't make a whole lot of sense. You installed the hose to keep the scales from flushing back into the pump and to keep the water from draining out. If you're going to pull the hose out of the tank you shouldn't have to worry about scales getting back into the pump because the hose is no longer in the tank.....right?

Also, whatever debris makes it past the pump will now get caught in the mesh, 1 piece, 2pieces, 6 pieces and before you know it the mesh it cluttered with crap. How are you going to get the debris out? Are you going to flush it back into the pump? Isn't that what you're trying to avoid?

Originally Posted by CheapPelican

Not tryin to be a troll, but what do you if you suck up a bunch of scum, plastic bag bits, eel grass etc?

Maybe he's carry one of these to help him when that happens

[alanw]

Sounds like a fix in search of a problem.

[YakDout]

Originally Posted by alanw

Sounds like a fix in search of a problem.

Please tell me all the problems I will have. Mr engineer sir??

[TJones]

Originally Posted by jorluivil

Maybe he's carry one of these to help him when that happens

. Craftsman 210 pcs .

[alanw]

Originally Posted by YakDout

Please tell me all the problems I will have. Mr engineer sir??

I don't know, I'm not an engineer. But it's not too hard to imagine, like Jorge said, crap that makes it past the pump will get stuck in the mesh, killing your bait first, then getting flushed back through the pump when you drain the water. I like the solid pvc solution. Turn it 90 degrees to drain. Keep it simple.

Besides, it seems like your problem is scales, not the drain. Always better to fix the cause than to treat the symptoms. Why are you getting so many scales off your bait? Something is wrong, scales = beat up bait.

Also, to drain the water you could just dump it out. It's just a bucket.

[CheapPelican]

Originally Posted by jorluivil

Maybe he's carry one of these to help him when that happens

That's ridiculous, everyone knows Hobie uses SAE hardware. He could leave half of that at home

[YakDout]

Never once sucked up a plastic bag. Scum? Could you use it in a sentence please? And eel grass (the only thing on the list that gives me problems) well, that usually stops in my pump. Which is one reason I didn't go your cheap route. When pump clogs, unplug battery and blow some air through the hose.

I really do appreciate your concerns though..

Got any more?

[TJones]

Don't give tjones credit . Someone else posted up pics of this brilliant idea already . The hose I use is a plastic flex hose . Threaded on both ends . A cap can be placed on end after priming to retain water . The advantage of using flex hose is that you can inhale to prime , or blow to clear debris . On my new tank , the fist thing I did was bypass the switch . Highly recommended. Great thread . Horrible scenario is having spent 2 - 3 hours making bait , only to have scratched out three greenies. Now you find yourself in a wide open bite . Reach for a Mac and everyone is floating due to a failed switch . . Been there , done that .

[CheapPelican]

Originally Posted by YakDout

Never once sucked up a plastic bag. Scum? Could you use it in a sentence please? And eel grass (the only thing on the list that gives me problems) well, that usually stops in my pump. Which is one reason I didn't go your cheap route. When pump clogs, unplug battery and blow some air through the hose.

I really do appreciate your concerns though..

Got any more?

I guess you got all the bases covered. Might be hard to blow air through a screen like that if it's all clogged, unless you remove it by cutting the zipties. You could try removing the hose and sucking the stuff out. Let us know if that works.

Everyone else should just save the $20 for the bait barge.

[YakDout]

Originally Posted by CheapPelican

I guess you got all the bases covered. Might be hard to blow air through a screen like that if it's all clogged, unless you remove it by cutting the zipties. You could try removing the hose and sucking the stuff out. Let us know if that works.



Everyone else should just save the $20 for the bait barge.

The clogging will , once again, be on the outside of the screen. Not much makes it past my intake, and for the 4th time, it gets stuck in the pump. I appreciate it though you inexpensive-crow.

😬

[CheapPelican]

How is this going to stop your tank from draining if the hose is laying on the bottom like that. If your pump fails and the tank drains, most likely the only way you will notice is when your bait starts flopping around. By then its already too late.

One more time, where does all the debris get stuck?

I just want to know all the details before I do this awesome mod.

[YakDout]

Jorlu,

I thought of the check valve. But when you want to drain your tank you have to hold it open to let water drain. Something you may not have thought about.?? And sure I could do that but you like to keep it "simple" right?


And please explain to me how the scales go back into a pump when the hose is connected to the pump and in the air?? Not sure how this is confusing for you??

I don't know Spanish but basically I'll be lifting the end of the hose (STILL CONNECTED TO THE PUMP) out of the tank when I don't want the tank to drain.

It will really make sense to you if you don't think about it.
😬

[jorluivil]

Originally Posted by YakDout

Jorlu,

I thought of the check valve. But when you want to drain your tank you have to hold it open to let water drain. Something you may not have thought about.?? And sure I could do that but you like to keep it "simple" right?

Or you can just pull the overflow off out like I do, "simple" right?


I don't know Spanish but basically I'll be lifting the end of the hose (STILL CONNECTED TO THE PUMP) out of the tank when I don't want the tank to drain.

It will really make sense to you if you don't think about it.
��

Its doesn't matter if you don't speak Spanish. I don't speak Korean but can hold a conversation with Tony for hours. I don't speak Vietnamese but talk to Roby often. I don't speak Japanese but I manage to text and talk to Jim (deamon) without a problem.

I know what you're trying to accomplish with your fix, I'm just giving you some constructive criticism, if you can't handle it I will delete my post so that anyone that doesn't speak Spanish doesn't get offended by me English, or whatever you're calling it

Tight lines and happy clogs