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  1. #1
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    Sep 2020
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    Elgin, TX
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    ' - 85 DynaTrak 156New Guy needs livewell counsel

    Hey folks - long-time fisherman & paddler, 1st-time bass boat owner.

    I was bequeathed a 1985 Ebbtide Dynatrak with a 90 hp Yamaha 2-stroke. Here she is all yakked out while I'm working on it -
    BoatSide.jpg

    Previous owner was my best friend's father (and a 2nd father to me) who recently passed away. He took very good care of this boat - especially the engine - but 30+ years of use, wiring & parts fixes, etc. took a toll and it was in need of some updating and TLC to get it back on the water. I've finally started in earnest (mostly re-wiring), but even after pretty thorough research I'm a little puzzled by the livewell plumbing situation.
    The old pump & hoses were tossed before I had a chance to decipher the original setup. Here's some pics to show y'all what I'm looking at -

    BoatRearHatch.jpg

    Livewell Lid in center between the seats. I have removed hatch & the gas tank to access the bilge.


    BilgeCU_Port.jpg
    There's a depthfinder /transducer (?) in center of the bilge. Is there a better location for this? It's sealed down pretty tight. (Will be installing a new bilge pump here, once I figure out the livewell situation).

    20200927_153043.jpg

    Two thru-hull fittings in rear of bilge: - one with 3/4" barb fitting on the inside (Right now there's a drain hose connected to this, running from the cooler hatch in front of the console). The other thru-hull - lowest and centered - has a brass bushing & 1" snap-handle drain plug.

    LivewellPlumbingCU.jpgLivewellInsideCU.jpg

    On the back of the livewell, there's two holes up top and a drain outlet at the bottom. A 3/4" ID hose goes into the top-most hole and connects inside to a perf'd horizontal tube with a little shutoff valve. I assume this is for fill & aeration. Overflow hole (I assume) is 1-1/8"., slightly lower than the fill hole. Bottom drain outlet is a 3/4" OD barb. Drain hole is 1/2" ID on the inside with a snap plug for it, no threads or anything for a screen/strainer._Sooo...my question, I guess, is how would you plumb this livewell?

    - I feel like the barbed thru-hull fitting in the bilge should probably be a raw water intake, no? Except there's no threaded fitting on the outside for a strainer to screw onto (just the bulkhead fitting). Would you replace it with a different fitting to feed a water intake? I don't think the cooler drain needs to be connected to a thru-hull port (below the waterline). Can't it just trickle into the bilge to be pumped out?

    - Overflow of livewell : piped out to...where? I have one thru-hull above the waterline in the rear, for the bilge discharge.

    - Can I do a full recirc / aerate / exchange / pumpout with the existing holes in the well and hull?

    Thanks in advance for hearing me out. This is a labor of love for me and will mean a lot to the previous owner's family.

  2. Member Smalliefan2's Avatar
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    May 2016
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    Hixson, Tn.
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    #2
    I had a '86 156. Replaced the live well intake with a threaded thru hull fitting to add a screen.The orginial was just a through the hull. If I remember correctly, the top two holes in the live well, one for the pump to fill, the other was an overflow, which just drained to the bilge. Same for the drain at the bottom of the live well. You will also notice, the top of the live well is not well sealed to the top cap. I don't remember if my boat had the cooler up front. If it did, I found a plug and used it for dry storage. Many boats of that era had coolers or small live wells in the front.
    The barbed through the hull is the livewell intake. Add a 750 - 800 gph pump, and run the hose to the the areator bar at the top of the live well.I added a timer for my live well pump to add freswater.
    To do full recric, pumpout would be a project. My Ranger has that set up, and the Dynatrac isn't set for that. You would need an additional above the water line drain fitting for the live well, change the drain fitting at the bottom of the livewell. and add a selector and valve to the intake side.
    The lowest through the hull , brass , is for draining the bilge. I replaced mine with a fitting with a brass threaded garboard plug.
    Hope this helps. Been 14 years since I sold my Dynatrac. It did catch a lot of fish.

  3. Member
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    Sep 2020
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    Elgin, TX
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    #3
    Wow thanks! That helps a lot.
    Only thru-hull above the waterline was hooked to the bilge hose, I can only assume the livewell overflow trickled down to the bilge, which I'm told is generally not ideal.

  4. Member Smalliefan2's Avatar
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    May 2016
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    Hixson, Tn.
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    589
    #4
    Yea, draining into the bilge is not the best. I used to wash out the bilge with the garden hose if I used the live well in a tournament.

  5. Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2019
    Location
    Drums PA
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    #5
    Dyna Traks were some of the best built boats. My dad a 150 and a 180STE. Both were great rigs. Best of luck with your project. Put some finished pics up when your done!
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