Counterbalancing Livewell

[slammah]

Just got a hobie livewell for my mirage sport and I was stoked to that I could set aside my floating bait tube which I found annoying to tow around. Unfortunately when I fill the livewell (even just to half way) the back end of my yak sinks considerably and I start taking in water.

Is it worth trying to counterbalance the weight by adding stuff to the front of the kayak or is it time to upgrade?

[JasonG]

I keep a Reliable 36" kill bag with 20lbs of ice on the bow of my Outback and it sits nice and level in the water with the livewell filled up. But it's also a 400lb capacity kayak. Sounds like you may just be pushing capacity on that kayak, and adding more weight would potentially create another issue. If I remember correctly, the weight rating on the Mirage Sport is under 250lbs.

[PapaDave]

Time to upgrade, the sport is rather small with a small load capacity.

[slammah]

Thanks for the feedback! Gotta agree with the upgrade route.. pretty sure the load capacity is an issue

[monstahfish]

If you just got the v2 livewell, open the level adjustment inside and carry half as much water. You should still be able to handle a decent amount of bait.

[slammah]

yeah.. I was hoping that would be the case. Even with a half-full livewell, my kayak sinks considerably and I start taking in a little water. Pretty sure its the rudder holes being submerged that lets in a little over time.

I could only comfortably hold a little over 1.5-2'' of water. My sardines were barely submerged but it still kinda worked.

[FullFlavorPike]