Livewell Sea Chests

Hooker Electric Livewell Sea Chests

Sea chests are essentially plumbed boxes installed in the bilge by the boat builder or dealer. A single supply hose fills a watertight box that contains two to three live well pumps that, in turn, deliver clean, bubble-free seawater to the individual bait live wells. Sea chests naturally go hand in hand with stepped hulls. There are several advantages to this type of system. It helps to remove air and prevent air locks, especially if you have a lot of aeration with stepped hulls. With the pumps mounted outside, you have the benefits of them, not air locking and the ease of swapping a pump quickly should the need arise. Sea chests with the pumps resting in the normal accumulation of bilge water can become clogged with sludge and debris and seize from disuse. Finally, a sea chest simplifies the entire system. Everything is condensed with centralized access, meaning an owner doesn’t have to hunt for pumps, hoses, or wiring if they have a problem.

Hooker Electric’s Deluxe Livewell Sea Chests are manufactured with corrosive-resistant 316L stainless steel affixed on top with 3/4″ thick high-grade acrylic for quick visual inspection. Stainless steel boxes are simply more durable than the mainstream gloss fiberglass competitor models. Precision-tapped seal rings and neoprene gaskets combined with stainless steel fasteners assure a lifetime of use in the corrosive saltwater environment. Two and four-pump models are the most popular, although tournament anglers who have multiple wells and above-deck tanks for transporting massive quantities of bait will often go with a six-pump setup.

Hooker Electric’s 2500, 4500, and 7500 gallons per hour pumps circulate the water inside the chest. A two-pump chest holds approximately 5 cubic feet of water, while a three-pump model handles nearly double that amount. These capacities have ample reserves to compensate for intake fluctuations. Live bait aficionados customize the system by adding check valves or paired pump controls to regulate the water pressure so that sensitive baits like pilchards aren’t pummeled by excessive force. Hooker Electric’s own valve regulates each of the pumps so the velocity of water flow can be adjusted to suit the species of baitfish occupying each well. Obviously, ten dozen hearty goggle-eyes require substantially more water flow than a handful of relatively fragile threadfin herring. Having this ability to customize your bait-keeping abilities results in the healthiest live bait possible.

A few considerations include: The full installation of the chest requires ample room in the bilge compartment for installation. All chests should be configured with a shut-off valve in the main water line to stop the flow in an emergency. Regular inspections are time-consuming but necessary to check for marine growth and clear the pumps of debris. Back-flush connections allow for freshwater rinsing. Boats on lifts where the chests can drain will be less problematic than those constantly in the water. If healthy bait is important for your fishing experience, then adding Hooker Electric’s deluxe sea chest is worth the extra hassles.  

Configurations with Hooker Electric Product ID first for reference:

1357 | (2 pumps 1.0)(4 x 1.5 inlets)(2 x .75 raw water) 14″w x 12.5″d x 10″h
1358 | (2 pumps 1.5)(4 x 2.0 inlets)(2 x .75 raw water) 14″w x 12.5″d x 10″h
1359 | (3 pumps 1.0)(4 x 1.5 inlets)(2 x .75 raw water) 14″w x 12.5″d x 10″h
1360 | (3 pumps 1.5)(4 x 2.0 inlets)(2 x .75 raw water) 19″w x 12.5″d x 10″h
2154 | (3 pumps 1.5)(2 x 2.0 inlets)(2 x .75 raw water) 23″w x 16.5″d x 12″h
2154INVP | (3 pumps 1.5)(2 x 2.0 inlets)(1 x 1.25 inlet) (2 x .75 raw water) 23″w x 16.5″d x 12″h
2154INVS | (3 pumps 1.5)(2 x 2.0 inlets)(1 x 1.25 inlet) (2 x .75 raw water) 23″w x 16.5″d x 12″h
2231 | (3 pumps)(2 x 1.5)(1 x 1.0)(2 x 2.0 inlets)(4 x .75 raw water) 19″w x 12.5″d x 10″h
2291 | (1 x 2.0 inlet)(5 x .75 raw water feeds) water 20″w x 14″d x10″h
2355 | (3 pumps 1.5)(3 x 2.0 inlets)(1 x.75 raw water) 12.5″w x 30″d x 14″h
2300 | (3 pumps)(3-1.0 outlets)(2 x 1.5 inlets)(2 x .75 raw water) 16″w x 10′ d x 9.5″ h
2301 | (3 pumps)(3-1.0 outlets)(2 x 1.5 inlets-RS)(2 x .75 raw water-RS) 16″w x 10′ d x 9.5″ h
2302 | (3 pumps)(3-1.0 outlets)(2 x 1.5 inlets-LS)(2 x .75 raw water-LS) 16″w x 10′ d x 9.5″ h
2534 | (3 pumps)(2-1 x .75 outlets)(2 x 2 inlets-LS)(1 x .5 raw water feeds) (2 x .75 raw water feeds)
1849 | (4 pumps 1.0)(2 x 2.0″ inlets)(2 x .75 raw water) 19″w x 12.5″d x 10″h
1848 | (3 pumps 1.0)(2 x 2.0″ inlets)(2 x .75 raw water) 19″w x 12.5″d x 10″h
1726 | (3 pumps)(2 x 1.5)(1 x 1.0)(2 x 2.0 inlets)(2 x .75 raw water) 19″w x 12.5″d x 10″h
1726INV | (3 pumps)(2 x 1.5)(1 x 1.0)(2 x 2.0 inlets)(1 x 1.0 dis. 2 x .75 raw water) 19″w x 12.5″d x 10″h
1741 | (2 pumps 1.5)(2 x 2.0 inlets)(2 x .75 raw water) 14″w x 12.5″d x 10″h
1742 | (2 pumps 1.0)(2 x 1.5 inlets) (2 x .75 raw water) 14″w x 12.5″d x 10″h
1743 | (3 pumps 1.0)(2-1.5 inlets)(2 x .75 raw water) 14″w x 12.5″d x 10″h
1745 | (strainer)(2 pumps 1.0)(3-1.5)same side (2 x .75 raw water) right side, center front
2606 | (2 pumps 1.0)(2-2.0 inlets)(2.75 wash down)
2712 | (2 pumps 1.0)(2-2.0 inlets)(2.75 wash down)
2696 | (2 pumps 1.0)(2-2.0 inlets)(2.75 wash down)
2152 | (Strainer)(2 pumps 1.0)(3-1.5)same side (4 x .75 raw water) right side, center front
1757 | (3 pumps 1.5)(2-2.0 inlets)(2.75 washdown) (no zinc fitting – per request)
1759 | (2 pumps 1.5)(2 x 1.5 inlet)(2 x .75 raw water) 12″w x 15.75″d x10″h
1760 | (2 pumps 1.0)(2 x 1.5 inlet)(2 x .75 raw water) 12″w x 15.75″d x10″h
1761 | (2 Pumps 1.0)(2 x 1.5 inlet)(2 x .75 raw water) 11″w x 10″d x 8.75″h
7524 | (2 x 1.5 pumps)(2 x 2 inlets 1-back x 1-side)(3 x front .75 MPT system feeds)

Specifications:

• All sea chests have 1-.50 pencil zinc unless otherwise noted
• Corrosive-resistant 316L stainless steel
• Hooker Electric pumps not included
• Standard powder-coated black
• Custom configurations are available, please call!

Hooker Electric’s Deluxe Livewell Sea Chests are featured in: Aquilla, Barker Boats, Baliss Boat Works, Blacktip, Caymas Boats, Cayo/Costa Custom Boats, Chaparral/Robalo, Cape Horn, Conch Boat Works, Contender Boats, Formula, Freeman Boat Works, Front Runner, Gamefisherman, HCB, Iconic Marine, Intrepid, Invincible, Lindell Yachts, Mag Bay Yachts, Merrit Boats, Orion Boats, Release, Spencer Yachts, Twin Vee, Valhalla, Viking Yachts, Winter Custom Yachts, World Cat, YellowFin Yachts, Billfish Boat Works, Jupiter Marine, Paul Mann Yachts,  Xcelerator Boat Works, and Mako Boats. Many more publications are forthcoming.

Hawaii, Alaska, Canada, and Other International Orders: Please place orders by phone only.