Beginning Boater needs help and advice

[Ralph]

Hello forum

I recently had a 15 ft Bass Champ Agressor boat given to me by my brother. It was in very poor condition both boat and trailer. To date I have refurbished the trailer and had the hull buffed out and sprayed with clear coat. I am going to power it with and old but new Yamaha 40hp motor. What I don't understand is the normal operation of the live wells. There was a small pump that appears to be used to fill these wells. Would a person simply fill up the wells while fishing or does the pump run continuously to get fresh water to the fish that have been fought? Also there was no bilge pump in the boat when I got it. The live well tank pump is an Attwood Aerator 500. Is this pump big enough to be used as a bilge pump? Would really appreciate some expert advice.

Thank you

Ralph

[zebulon]

Hi Ralph........Welcome to the forum...... I don't believe that the fish that have been "fought" are in need of any fresh water

I also don't believe that the live well tank pump is large enough for the bilge pumping requirements. Let others that may be more knowledgeable chime in .......I'll be checking in later.

[Ralph]

I am still confused about how the live tanks work. The pump is connected to the top of each tank while the bottom hole in the tank simply runs to a drain at the back of the boat. Apparently I would have to have the pump running full time to keep any water in the tank.. Someone please explain the normal operation of live wells.

[SeaBass]

In my boat what you are calling the drain at the back of the boat, is actually the inflow. Unless you have another way for water to enter the boat, this is your inflow and not a drain, though it might actually be both.