Home › Forums › Bass Cat Boats › Livewells…. ???????
I appologize for the rookie questions, but Ive been through pages upon pages of the FAQs and still dont completely understand how my livewell system should operate.My boat is a 99 sabre equipped with a rocker switch dash (aerator, bilge and lights) and a timer (see below). I also have a switch in front of the throttle/ gear shift that says bilge on it, but I only have 1 bilge pump??I also have a valve (two postion, Empty and Auto).There are two pumps that are connected to the livewell system. One appears to suck water out of the bottom of the livewell, while simultaneously spraying water from the top out of two long spray bars. I dont know what the 2nd pump does.1) How are the livewell supposed to fill? 2) Do each of the two pumps draw water from the lake? 3) If all of the pumps are off, and I put the valve into the auto position, should the wells fill completely with water? or do the wells only fill with water from one of the pumps?4) Does the three position rocker switch that says aerator control both pumps?Thanks for the help. I am trying to get my wells going for a tournament this weekend.Kent
good questions. these are things I would have had questions about as well, picking up a sabre on friday. So Im glad you asked… lol Hopefully they will answer shortly.13 PIV w/ 200 MercIG: WarriorRiverCustomRods
Thanks, man. Enjoy your sabre! Ive had mine out 4 times now and I just love it. It handles like a porche on the water, just amazing. Got mine up to 63.5 last night on a 700 acre lake… ran out of lake to see what she really has, but there is definately more. Bank a hard left turn in that sabre and its guranteed to smile on your face! Fun fun boat for sure.
Empty to empty the live well, Auto when you want to use it and keep water in it..There should be some kind of pump in and pump out to get water into it and out of itAerator adds air to the water to keep oxygen levels in your water with fish in there and mine (newer 08) has a recirculate function which just takes the water from the live well and recirculates it… I am sure others will pipe in with more specific answers to your year and model…
The aerator pumps water into the well from the lake . — Use it to fill the wells also . — Recirculate uses the water in the well as a ” closed ” aeration system for when youre running down the lake . — My opinion is to put a frozen bottle of water in the wells and use recirculate this time of year for all aeration purposes . Lake water is getting pretty warm and doesnt carry dissolved oxygen well at all . ( Keeps fish happier and alive too ) — Should be separate switches for ” AERATOR ” and “RECIRCULATE ” functions , unless the rocker switch might be aerator one way and recirculate the other . — hope this helps. — HossLast edited by BIGCATTER on July 10th, 2013, 7:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Thanks Hoss,The first part definately helps.This is exactly what im hoping to get an answer to: unless the rocker switch might be aerator one way and recirculate the other I do not have separate switches.
so basically if there are fish in it, you should keep it on recirc?Does anyone here use “fish crack” lol? Ill have to google the correct name. Its that green stuff you pour in there to keep the fish healthy… “gets them all jacked up” as Casey Scanlon told me… haha…13 PIV w/ 200 MercIG: WarriorRiverCustomRods
Kent , easiest way to tell what the switch positions do would be to put some water in the well at the house and turn your switch on . — If it is “recirculate” it will pump water through the system , whereas the aerator function will do nothing since the boat is out of the water . — Hope this also helps . — Hoss
First this boat does not look like it is the factory installation from the image and we would be pressed to be accurate on a 1999 with unknown revisions. 1) How are the livewell supposed to fill? Most have a valve and the information on the valve operation is located in the FAQ section. The valves are labeled auto and empty, plus this would be a push in valve like a choke cable if equipped. There is a possibility that this is a base Economy Sabre which does not have a valve or the same equipment and depends on a drain plug. In that situation you plug the livewell and use the pump on aerator to fill and there also may be a recirculation pump on that same switch. This set up varies. If there is a valve then it will gravity feed to a point, then the pumps will take over the remaining volume. If there is no valve then the livewells are pump in only. 2) Do each of the two pumps draw water from the lake? Above should best answer the question though if you dont understand that you would have to be walked through the system. The livewells work on recirculation on one pump, the other is either a combination of recirc and fresh water, or if no valve exits these are pump in fresh water only on one pump for certain, the Aeration. 3) If all of the pumps are off, and I put the valve into the auto position, should the wells fill completely with water? or do the wells only fill with water from one of the pumps?The FAQ section has that information on how the valve operates. 4) Does the three position rocker switch that says aerator control both pumps?Above again should answer this as best we can. Again we are looking at pictures and have no idea exactly what you have. These usually were one pump on one side of the switch with the opposite pump on the other side of the switch. That can be as in on for up and off for down, or recirculation on up and freshwater on the other switch throw. Hope this helps and check out the FAQ section.BCBLast edited by Bass Cat Boats on July 12th, 2013, 12:15 am, edited 1 time in total.
Hoss, thanks for the suggestion, thats a great idea. Im gonna go give that a shot right meow.BCB,That makes sense if its not a factory install. I thought I had seen other sabres with the same set up, but I must have been mistaken.
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