Outrage 25 Baitwell plumbing and wiring

[russellbailey]

I intend to put a baitwell into my 1984 Outrage 25. It will be a 50-gallon model with dimensions of about 40" wide by 24" by 24". I will place it butted up to my leaning post, where it will slide partly under the post.

I have my middle and front [removable deck panels] up at the moment; there are three removable deck panels in the Outrage 25. I am considering running wiring and hoses beneath the floor to feed the tank. Ideally, I would run each to come up directly below the leaning post. However, that location is in the fuel tank area, and not in the rigging channels. I am wondering about the safety of that arrangement.

As is, there are numerous electrical lines running in the rigging channels, which are just outside of the fuel tank area to either side. These rigging channels are not sealed off from the fuel tank other than by the deck sitting on top of the channels, so it is not a totally open connection, but it is not sealed off either.

My other option is to run items up under the console, and then using removable pieces to connect between the console and the baitwell. That would be less clean and would have a hose running across the floor.

I'm curious to hear how others may have setup an on-deck baitwell on their Outrage or Revenge series boat, as well as any comments that anyone who has a factory setup boat may have.

Thank you, Russell

[msirof2001]

Randy Wood at Blue Water Bait Systems is a good person to talk to. He is West Coast and dedicated his career to bait solutions. Makes standard and custom tanks and performs installations. (714) 435-1299 http://www.bluewaterbaitsystems.com/
A great resource to share ideas with and get good information. He did the installation of a 45-gallon bait tank on my 1995 OUTRAGE 21. After he was done, it looked as if it was done by Whaler themselves. Very professional.

[russellbailey]

Thanks msirof2001.

Do you have any pictures of the wiring or plumbing of your setup? If so, I'd be interested in seeing them.

[jimh]

Regarding running electrical conductors for powering a pump by passing them through an area which is partly enclosed and contains the fuel tank: I would give this very careful thought. Gasoline vapor should not be leaking from the fuel tank, but there is always the possibility for that to occur, particularly on an older boat. The most likely source of gasoline leak in an older boat is from the large-diameter fuel hose that connects the tank to the fuel filler inlet and cap. Those hoses sometimes become permeable and some gasoline might leak through the hose wall, producing a bit of gasoline vapor. If any electrical conductor runs through the area of the fuel tank, it should be well insulated, have no splice or any sort of connectors, and be carefully rigged to prevent chafing or abrasion of the insulation.

An electrical pump in a sump area is probably more at risk for gasoline vapor to cause problems. Vapors might collect in the sump area. And pumps usually have motors with brushes that might have arcing. The wiring leading to them is not likely to cause sparking, as long as it remains well insulated and safe from abrasion.

[msirof2001]

Sorry Russell I don't [have the requested images].

All I can say is that on the 1995 OUTRAGE 21, there was an option called "Fishing Package #2" and one of the items in this package was a leaning post with integrated 35-gallon bait tank. The water-inlet was a drinking-fountain-like spigot at the top, and the water-outlet was a standpipe in the middle. The standpipe drain went through a hose and out a scupper below the water-line in the stern. East coast livewell is a West coast deadwell as anchovies and sardines cannot survive the conditions the original bait system rendered. The water in went directly to the standpipe and there was no aeration or circulation. We put a SureFlow 800-GPH through-hull pump into an OffShore 45 (Randy Wood owned Offshore Bait tanks before he sold the company and started BlueWater). The configuration let water in and out throughout the water column. We were able to use the same exit piping that the original tank had. As far as wiring, they hooked the SureFlow bait pump to the Spare switch on the rocker panel. It was clean and turn-key.