Hobie Bait Tank Vs. Thresher Tank. - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

dorado50 · 09-02-2009, 08:50 PM

Think about this.. On the thresher tank water from sea is pumped into the tank from the surface,this fresh sea water then exits from top scupper on tank(as to prevent overflow). Therefore this new fresh water with all the oxygen does not reach bottom where it is needed most. That is why dines don't last as long especially in warmer water times. Not as much of a problem in winter months. The hobie tank deposits water from the bottom thus going upward (circulating oxygen before exiting thru scupper). I also use a thresher tank(three years now,same tank) and have never had a problem with it at all;I really like it.

FISHIONADO · 09-02-2009, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dorado50

Think about this.. On the thresher tank water from sea is pumped into the tank from the surface,this fresh sea water then exits from top scupper on tank(as to prevent overflow). Therefore this new fresh water with all the oxigen does not reach bottom where it is needed most. That is why dines don't last as long especially in warmer water times. Not as much of a problem in winter months. The hobie tank deposits water from the bottom thus going upward (circulating oxigen before exiting thru scupper). I also use a thresher tank(three years now,same tank) and have never had a problem with it at all;I really like it.

But do you have any shark safety tips?

dorado50 · 09-02-2009, 09:00 PM

Ha..ha..the shark shield is a must Dave!!! you know that.. that guy from the philappines says so

Adam12 · 09-02-2009, 09:18 PM

I absolutely love my Hobie tank, the only problem Ive run into is it getting clogged with eel grass or loose crap on the surface of the water.

What I did to alleviate this was, purchase more of the clear tubing from West Marine and made a longer intake. After the pump is primed I lift the front of the tank (while on the water) and turn the intake tube 180* ,so the scoop is pointed backwards. the intake has to be long enough so that when you lift it, it doesnt suck air and stays in the water. This works very well.

Hobie needs to come up with some sort of solution because the livewell costs $250 and its a real pain in the ass to have to lift your tank full of bait and rods in the holders then clear the clog and re-prime.

h2ofishfo · 09-02-2009, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dorado50

Ha..ha..the shark shield is a must Dave!!! you know that.. that guy from the phippines says so

ha i read that thread it seems to effect guys who are paddeling a hollowed out palm tree

Whizz Bang · 09-02-2009, 10:17 PM

It is not my intention to bad mouth the thresher tank. I like it, and have never owned anything else. I adjust for the dines fragility and as for the macs....well the macs you can beat em up, smack em around, leave them out of water, and squeeze lemon juice in their eye and they are just fine. God bless em.

deepdvr · 09-03-2009, 06:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dorado50

Think about this.. On the thresher tank water from sea is pumped into the tank from the surface,this fresh sea water then exits from top scupper on tank(as to prevent overflow). Therefore this new fresh water with all the oxygen does not reach bottom where it is needed most. That is why dines don't last as long especially in warmer water times. Not as much of a problem in winter months. The hobie tank deposits water from the bottom thus going upward (circulating oxygen before exiting thru scupper). I also use a thresher tank(three years now,same tank) and have never had a problem with it at all;I really like it.

When making a homemade 5 gallon bucket bait tank can you install the inflow at the bottom of the bucket? Most every homemade tank I've seen with an Attwood type self-priming pump has both the inflow and outflow at the top.

I've lost the majority of my kayak scoop of dines and/or chovys within 30 minutes or so after leaving the point loma bait receiver.

Holy Mackerel · 09-03-2009, 07:21 AM

I rarely use Sardines in my kayak tank, so I can't really comment, but dines/chovies have been rolling lately in my boat, and friends boats.

Water is warm as hell in the harbors, and bays right now, where the bait recievers are located. We usually are greeted with that caveat by the bait guys, when buying bait for running offshore, and most of it rolls in our boat tanks too.

That said, Hobie tank looks like a nice, quality, solid tank. I obviously use a Thresher, and like its low profile, works fine for my mackerel, and dines I sometimes sabiki up.

steveooo · 09-03-2009, 11:03 AM

Here is what I did, mostly from other guys that I have seen on here.

I liked the design of the Hobie tank, but it seemed too pricey to buy, and modify. Hobie does a good job of listening to customers, I’m sure the minor things that people tweak will be fixed soon enough.

I did the through hull pump, to an external petfood container.

The intake- no noticeable drag, never gets hung up. This is my 4th kayak with a through hull. I’m hard on my stuff, and I have never had a leak.

You can also barely see the flushmount transducer near the front of the yak in this pic

Inside the yak

Inside top of the yak

Garden hose fitting on deck

My fittings inside the petfood container. It holds about 3 ½ gallons.

In the crate

All hooked up

So far I’m very happy with this system. Its nice to be able to just put my seat and tank on and go ( If I ever actually got out and fished)

Andy @ OEX Sunset beach helped me lots as I worked out ideas of how I wanted it rigged. Andy, and all the OEX guys are also good at doing the through hull pumps if that isn’t something you are comfortable doing, plus they have all the fitting you need. Again, lots of great ideas on this site. Also both the Hobie and the Thresher tanks are well-built, solid tanks too.

Holy Mackerel · 09-03-2009, 12:29 PM

That's pretty cool Steve, you got me thinking about doing something like that!

blackcloud9 · 09-03-2009, 08:53 PM

Hobie has done a great job on their tank engineering and component choices in my opinion.

My Hobie Tank : $250
Works every time out : Priceless

A postage stamp piece of screen carefully gooped onto the water intake work great to foil the eel grass. Pointing the intake backwards removes the simple pedal self-priming feature.

I built these by hand for years before I gave Hobie input to their new livewell system, and I could never get close to the solidness of their final product ...

Billy V · 09-21-2009, 10:31 AM

I did buy the
tank and have used it 5 times since.

There are subtle differences from the Thresher tank. IMO each have their strong and weak points.
The Good.
Its as durable and simple as a Hammer!
My Thresher run on a 6V 12AMP battery was completely silent.
It could support 10 Mack during a fishing day without any problem (as you will be down to around 7 in no time anyway if you change out baits for the liveliest model).
When peddling you did not feel the tank weight behind you, and there was no sloshing that could cause a surging feeling with forward movement.
The pump never clogged, and could be easily placed back on board for a surf landing.
Fits inside a Milk Crate, perhaps the best benefit of all. You can take the entire General Store with you, and it fits neatly inside the crate.
You can install 4 very solid rod holders with PVC.

The Bad.
The over board pump does create some drag, and you will feel a slight pull to that side.
Some thresher tanks have the discharge slit on the same side as the intake, but this can be easily changed if you want.
(an elbow with clear plastic tube will route the water flow to the bottom of the tank.)
No, you can not keep a live Calico inside the tank.

The Hobie tank.

The Good
Fits nicely in the Hobie well, and has nice fit and finish, the connectors inside the tank look sealed well.
Has a lid! This does keep the bait calmer.
It has a very large capacity, and the water level is adjustable.
It will support 25 Greenbacks without a problem. (I tested this)
The water oxygen lever seems better because the pump is located on the bottom of the tank. The bait stays lively.

The Bad.
Its noisy, you hear the pump, and also hear the water draining out.
My intake tube has clogged every time I have used the tank, in spite of having used a coarse screen inside of the pick-up tube.
(this was due to small slime particles clogging up against the screen, not grass.)
You sometimes have to unhook the tank restraints, lift the tank (filled with water and bait), and remove the Pick-Up Tube to back flush to clear the debris.
The tip-off is when you do not hear the sucking sound the drain makes anymore, then you know somethings wrong and must be cleared. So there is a warning, and a fix, so to speak.
-You can do it if you are agile and careful. I have done it with a full bait tank and (3) rods in the rod holders. (You need to face backward in the seat, no problem for me.)
When the tank is reasonably full you feel the slosh and surge with forward motion. 7 or more gallons of water is heavy, and the tank is long, and big, so the water moves fore and aft with powerful peddle strokes. You can change this with a modification in your peddle stroke. A smoother longer stroke helps.
You should remove the pick up tube before surf landing (I do) even though it only hangs down 1". The Beach will tear it up.

My decision was to buy both, and I will continue to use both.
There is not one clear Best Tank in my opinion.

mrJB · 09-21-2009, 03:46 PM

The reason the inlet is installed high on the bait tank is that if the pump fails or dies, the bait tank will not drain itself empty. Best use a separate drain plug or valve low on the tank to dump your water for the long paddle back. For a decent circulation, attach a 90-degree elbow inside the tank intake and point it towards the bottom of the tank.

09-02-2009, 08:50 PM	#1
dorado50 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: La Jolla Shores Posts: 1,626	Think about this.. On the thresher tank water from sea is pumped into the tank from the surface,this fresh sea water then exits from top scupper on tank(as to prevent overflow). Therefore this new fresh water with all the oxygen does not reach bottom where it is needed most. That is why dines don't last as long especially in warmer water times. Not as much of a problem in winter months. The hobie tank deposits water from the bottom thus going upward (circulating oxygen before exiting thru scupper). I also use a thresher tank(three years now,same tank) and have never had a problem with it at all;I really like it. Last edited by dorado50; 09-02-2009 at 10:09 PM.

09-02-2009, 09:00 PM	#3
dorado50 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: La Jolla Shores Posts: 1,626	Ha..ha..the shark shield is a must Dave!!! you know that.. that guy from the philappines says so Last edited by dorado50; 09-02-2009 at 10:10 PM.

09-21-2009, 03:46 PM	#13
mrJB Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: O.C. Posts: 352	Bait Tank Options The reason the inlet is installed high on the bait tank is that if the pump fails or dies, the bait tank will not drain itself empty. Best use a separate drain plug or valve low on the tank to dump your water for the long paddle back. For a decent circulation, attach a 90-degree elbow inside the tank intake and point it towards the bottom of the tank.

09-02-2009, 09:18 PM	#4
Adam12 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Whittier Posts: 126	I absolutely love my Hobie tank, the only problem Ive run into is it getting clogged with eel grass or loose crap on the surface of the water. What I did to alleviate this was, purchase more of the clear tubing from West Marine and made a longer intake. After the pump is primed I lift the front of the tank (while on the water) and turn the intake tube 180* ,so the scoop is pointed backwards. the intake has to be long enough so that when you lift it, it doesnt suck air and stays in the water. This works very well. Hobie needs to come up with some sort of solution because the livewell costs $250 and its a real pain in the ass to have to lift your tank full of bait and rods in the holders then clear the clog and re-prime.

09-02-2009, 10:17 PM	#6
Whizz Bang Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 396	It is not my intention to bad mouth the thresher tank. I like it, and have never owned anything else. I adjust for the dines fragility and as for the macs....well the macs you can beat em up, smack em around, leave them out of water, and squeeze lemon juice in their eye and they are just fine. God bless em.

09-03-2009, 07:21 AM	#8
Holy Mackerel Señor member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 1,627	I rarely use Sardines in my kayak tank, so I can't really comment, but dines/chovies have been rolling lately in my boat, and friends boats. Water is warm as hell in the harbors, and bays right now, where the bait recievers are located. We usually are greeted with that caveat by the bait guys, when buying bait for running offshore, and most of it rolls in our boat tanks too. That said, Hobie tank looks like a nice, quality, solid tank. I obviously use a Thresher, and like its low profile, works fine for my mackerel, and dines I sometimes sabiki up.

09-03-2009, 11:03 AM	#9
steveooo Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 1,922	Here is what I did, mostly from other guys that I have seen on here. I liked the design of the Hobie tank, but it seemed too pricey to buy, and modify. Hobie does a good job of listening to customers, I’m sure the minor things that people tweak will be fixed soon enough. I did the through hull pump, to an external petfood container. The intake- no noticeable drag, never gets hung up. This is my 4th kayak with a through hull. I’m hard on my stuff, and I have never had a leak. You can also barely see the flushmount transducer near the front of the yak in this pic Inside the yak Inside top of the yak Garden hose fitting on deck My fittings inside the petfood container. It holds about 3 ½ gallons. In the crate All hooked up So far I’m very happy with this system. Its nice to be able to just put my seat and tank on and go ( If I ever actually got out and fished) Andy @ OEX Sunset beach helped me lots as I worked out ideas of how I wanted it rigged. Andy, and all the OEX guys are also good at doing the through hull pumps if that isn’t something you are comfortable doing, plus they have all the fitting you need. Again, lots of great ideas on this site. Also both the Hobie and the Thresher tanks are well-built, solid tanks too.

09-03-2009, 12:29 PM	#10
Holy Mackerel Señor member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 1,627	That's pretty cool Steve, you got me thinking about doing something like that!

09-03-2009, 08:53 PM	#11
blackcloud9 Kayaker Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Big Rock, WindanSea, La Jolla Posts: 413	Hobie has done a great job on their tank engineering and component choices in my opinion. My Hobie Tank : $250 Works every time out : Priceless A postage stamp piece of screen carefully gooped onto the water intake work great to foil the eel grass. Pointing the intake backwards removes the simple pedal self-priming feature. I built these by hand for years before I gave Hobie input to their new livewell system, and I could never get close to the solidness of their final product ...

09-21-2009, 10:31 AM	#12
Billy V Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bay Ho Posts: 1,382	I did buy the tank and have used it 5 times since. There are subtle differences from the Thresher tank. IMO each have their strong and weak points. The Good. Its as durable and simple as a Hammer! My Thresher run on a 6V 12AMP battery was completely silent. It could support 10 Mack during a fishing day without any problem (as you will be down to around 7 in no time anyway if you change out baits for the liveliest model). When peddling you did not feel the tank weight behind you, and there was no sloshing that could cause a surging feeling with forward movement. The pump never clogged, and could be easily placed back on board for a surf landing. Fits inside a Milk Crate, perhaps the best benefit of all. You can take the entire General Store with you, and it fits neatly inside the crate. You can install 4 very solid rod holders with PVC. The Bad. The over board pump does create some drag, and you will feel a slight pull to that side. Some thresher tanks have the discharge slit on the same side as the intake, but this can be easily changed if you want. (an elbow with clear plastic tube will route the water flow to the bottom of the tank.) No, you can not keep a live Calico inside the tank. The Hobie tank. The Good Fits nicely in the Hobie well, and has nice fit and finish, the connectors inside the tank look sealed well. Has a lid! This does keep the bait calmer. It has a very large capacity, and the water level is adjustable. It will support 25 Greenbacks without a problem. (I tested this) The water oxygen lever seems better because the pump is located on the bottom of the tank. The bait stays lively. The Bad. Its noisy, you hear the pump, and also hear the water draining out. My intake tube has clogged every time I have used the tank, in spite of having used a coarse screen inside of the pick-up tube. (this was due to small slime particles clogging up against the screen, not grass.) You sometimes have to unhook the tank restraints, lift the tank (filled with water and bait), and remove the Pick-Up Tube to back flush to clear the debris. The tip-off is when you do not hear the sucking sound the drain makes anymore, then you know somethings wrong and must be cleared. So there is a warning, and a fix, so to speak. -You can do it if you are agile and careful. I have done it with a full bait tank and (3) rods in the rod holders. (You need to face backward in the seat, no problem for me.) When the tank is reasonably full you feel the slosh and surge with forward motion. 7 or more gallons of water is heavy, and the tank is long, and big, so the water moves fore and aft with powerful peddle strokes. You can change this with a modification in your peddle stroke. A smoother longer stroke helps. You should remove the pick up tube before surf landing (I do) even though it only hangs down 1". The Beach will tear it up. My decision was to buy both, and I will continue to use both. There is not one clear Best Tank in my opinion.