Hobie Livewell priming

[jorluivil]

I just keep pedaling until the water starts to flow, sometimes it happens right away and other times it takes a few minutes.

[Raskal311]

Originally Posted by jorluivil

I just keep pedaling until the water starts to flow, sometimes it happens right away and other times it takes a few minutes.

yep, I've owned at least 8 hobie live well over 10 years and have never had issues priming the well. Pedaling ass off for about 15-30 seconds always did the trick.

[JohnMckroidJr]

Originally Posted by Raskal311

yep, I've owned at least 8 hobie live well over 10 years and have never had issues priming the well. Pedaling ass off for about 15-30 seconds always did the trick.

8 live wells in 10yrs? Why so many? other than replacing/removing on/off switches, my original and XL live wells are still going strong after 8years.

[Raskal311]

Originally Posted by JohnMckroidJr

8 live wells in 10yrs? Why so many? other than replacing/removing on/off switches, my original and XL live wells are still going strong after 8years.

I was buying a lot of used kayaks to test various models and they almost always came with a live well. Only issue I ever had was a crack on one of the well but never a priming issue.

[JohnMckroidJr]

Originally Posted by Raskal311

I was buying a lot of used kayaks to test various models and they almost always came with a live well. Only issue I ever had was a crack on one of the well but never a priming issue.

Nice, wonder what your doing different?

Today I opened the Livewell lid to find that the pump had become air-bound and the bait was oxygen-starved.

Seaweed had clogged the intake. I shut off the pump, gave a good blow on the discharge hose, and it cleared the intake. Problem solved without having to lift the Livewell to access the intake.

[vincentek9]

I have a Rule bait pump on my boat. It's below the water line + a thru-hull scoop (yes it is facing forward), and I still cant get it to self-prime even when cruising at 18kt. I always end up twisting the pump off so water fills in for a second before re-attaching and turning it on.

I've always wondered about how a kayak would do it. I presume a primer bulb would work great on yaks even with the smaller diameter because you don't need the kind of GPH flow that a boat requires.

[JohnMckroidJr]

Originally Posted by vincentek9

I have a Rule bait pump on my boat. It's below the water line + a thru-hull scoop (yes it is facing forward), and I still cant get it to self-prime even when cruising at 18kt. I always end up twisting the pump off so water fills in for a second before re-attaching and turning it on.

I've always wondered about how a kayak would do it. I presume a primer bulb would work great on yaks even with the smaller diameter because you don't need the kind of GPH flow that a boat requires.

Below the waterline, it should prime way easier than on a kayak. Good to know I am not the only one who has had issues.