2021 RT188 dry livewell?

[homebody]

How do I keep my livewell dry so it can be used for storage?
With the bottom drain closed I know water is not coming in that way since it holds the water that does come in.
I assume the water is coming from one or both of the two holes at the top of the livewell which are meant for overflow but water flows in when shutting down off plane, etc..
These are treaded so I assume there may be plugs available to close these lines.
Anybody know a source for these plugs?
Also, the drain in the bottom of the livewell is opened with the switch in front of the shift lever, Does that water drain into the bilge?

[Bill Reynolds]

Is the switch in front of your shift lever 3 position?
If so you can put it in “recirculate” mode and it will block water from entering the livewell.
The “auto” will block water from draining out when on plane but allows water to enter when floating around.
If it is a 2 position switch, you will have to plug the Drain to keep water out.
The water does not drain into the bilge, it drains out the same fitting that it flows in. There is a valve in this line that Is controlled by the switch in front of your shift lever.

[Pokie Pa]

Yes... What Bill says. I also put corks in both drain holes and put the screen back on transom drain.

[Pagregss]

Like mentioned, it's important to plug the holes on the outside of the transom or water is forced up into the livewell when you back the boat into the water. I store my life vests and rain gear in my livewell, except for tournaments.

[tcesni]

My livewell remains bone dry. Is that because I don't have a recirculation pump? I simply keep the plug in the bottom drain.

[Pokie Pa]

My livewell remains bone dry. Is that because I don't have a recirculation pump? I simply keep the plug in the bottom drain.

It must be.. BUT why don’t you have a RECIRCULATION option on your live well??? I thought that was on all live well equipped boats??? I might be wrong but every bass boat I owned that feature.

[Bill Reynolds]

It must be.. BUT why don’t you have a RECIRCULATION option on your live well??? I thought that was on all live well equipped boats??? I might be wrong but every bass boat I owned that feature.

This was not available on the RT until 2015

[Pokie Pa]

This was not available on the RT until 2015

Thanks Bill...

[tcesni]

Bill is correct and it was one of several changes made in the 2015 model directly due to angler feed back. I carry a recirculating pump (originally for a minnow bucket) that I've had for a very long time and have carried as a back up in the event I had a pump failure during a tournament. So if I get a decent number of fish in the live well, especially in warmer weather, I stick the recirculating pump into the live well and attach it to the 12V battery with clips. Its worked out well for me over the years.

[homebody]

Thanks for the various replies. The livewell on my 2021 is the same as on a current RT198p. I know thru the years Ranger made changes in design.
the livewell switch is 2 position. Closed or Open. With closed you have the fill and recirc options and the pump out option. Open allows the livewell to drain.
as noted in my original post I know water is coming in when I come off plane.
also as noted the two overflow lines have threaded terminations . The boat came with one threaded plug that blocks one overflow line.
I am looking for a source for these plugs. With no parts catalog I thought maybe some owner had found a way
to get a replacement threaded plug.
again thanks for your comments

[Bill Reynolds]

The pump, valve and fittings are the same on the on the RT188 and 188P and the system functions the same but the pump out and overflow on the P are at the bottom of the transom rather than near the gunnel. I was confused about the “2 position” switch since you have to have an open position to drain the livewell. From the pic and legend on the switch, I think the center position is there, just not marked as “drain”. I need to visit my Ranger dealer to figure this out.

[homebody]

Bill
there is no middle position. As I noted, the open position drains the livewell. All other functions are done with the 2 position switch in the closed position for fill and recirc. At the top of the livewell on one side is a white nozzle and an overflow drain. The white nozzle is the fill nozzle and is activated by setting the dash switch to run. it is pulling in water from the screened line at the rear bottom of the boat.On the other side is a red nozzle and another overflow drain. The red nozzle is used for the recirc if you set the dash switch to recirc. If you pull out the red nozzle to it’s indent and turn the switch to run, the livewell is pumped out.
there is the drain in the bottom center that is opened or closed by the open/closed switch. This drain is opened with the 2 position switch to drain the livewell. Next to this drain is another screened drain with valve which is where the recirc water is pumped from to and out of the red nozzle.
the diagram you posted does not reflect the configuration on my RT188.
I don’t know what is in a current 188p but my 2021 does match up with at least one new 198p that I have seen.
I also have seen where the manufacturer has made changes during the year for a particular model- step in front of rod box on a 188 when only officially on a 188p; coin box or no coin box; rod tie downs in different locations;etc
I think that what happens is White River uses what parts they have and you see continual variations within a model year.
if I can figure out how to post pictures I will post the correct diagram for my boat. Doesn’t mean it is correct for another boat but i just today used all of the features as I noted above.
regards
Don

[homebody]

I am still looking for the original subject of the post. My boat has 2 overflows- one at rear each side. The penetration into the livewell is threaded. The boat came with one threaded plastic plug that will block water from back washing into the livewell. I am looking for another identical plug to go into the other side.
Not pipe threads so nothing at hardware store will fit. I can always put a 1 1/8” drain plug in the second overflow to keep the livewell completely dry but would really like to have the 2nd plastic plug that was supposed to have come with the boat.

[Bill Reynolds]

I can’t visualize how this works with only one pump and one valve. The pic I posted is a screen shot from the current RT owners manual on the the Ranger website.
I will try to make a trip to the Ranger dealer tomorrow. Not a big deal but I would like to understand.

[homebody]

Took awhile to get images resized so I could post.
Attachments show the various nozzles and drains on my livewell aand the 2 position switch.
The one threaded overflow drain plug is also shown. I am looking for another one of these
The "pink" in the bottom - I was cleaning and disinfecting the livewell when this pic was taken

[Bill Reynolds]

I don’t know anything about Tracker livewells but after watching a couple UTube videos, it seems that you have one in your Ranger.
Could be wrong, but I know the Ranger system very well and I have not seen anything like what you have.
you started the thread trying to locate additional threaded plugs. The only place this plug appears in the Tracker videos is in the bottom drain plug. Suggest you check with Bass Pro parts dept.
Judging from the way the tracker system works, there must be 2 pumps as opposed to the single pump in the pre-Johnny Rangers.

[homebody]

I suggest you check out the “fishing with bam” utube “ how to operate the livewell on a 2021 RT198p” since it shows the exact same configuration that is on my rt188. He also shows some of the plumbing, pumps and switches that helps explain how these systems work.
I don’t know anything about tracker livewell but this configuration was on at least 3 2021 rt188 that I looked at.
there are also videoes on older model rt188 that show a different configuration compared to my 2021 model. Several of these older models came with 3 position switches.

I have the Ranger Al boat brochure that has the drawing you posted. Obviously does not apply to mine since mine has 4 penetration at the top and 2 at the bottom.
I believe this brochure also makes the statement that these boats also have the special Ranger sealed oil hubs. I only wish that was true!
what is obvious is they have not kept up the docs with what they actually install.
also, the bottom drain is controlled by the 2 position switch and there is a valve clearly visible. A standard drain plug would not fit.

I can use a typical 1 1/8 drain plug to block the backwash on the overflow. The threaded one is just much cleaner install so I am still on the hunt

[homebody]

It appears all of the livewell systems in the latest RT boats are based on the Flow Rite hardware and configurations which includes valves that allow multiple functions while still requiring only 1 pump.
Different year RT boats have used different "system" series components that Flow Rite offers causing some of the confusion.
Parts I need are available directly from Flow Rite.

[8theB8]

I used a spare compression plug from my Jon boat in the drain of my livewell. It's the kind with the brass T handle on one end and brass washer on the other end with rubber in between. I cut a little section of rubber out to make it fit perfectly. I get no water in my livewell, ever.

If you think water might be coming in from one of the other points you mentioned, try taping a Dixie cup to them, go fishing and see if you catch any water.