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

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.

09-03-2009, 08:53 PM	#1
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	#2
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.