1997 Alaskan 18' live well

Above boat does not have live well. Does anyone know if it is possible to add factory live well? And, do you know location of factory live well? thx

rwoodruff1 wrote:

Above boat does not have live well. Does anyone know if it is possible to add factory live well? And, do you know location of factory live well? thx

The factory livewell was an option, but they do not show where.

HRG

1996 catalog shows a compartment on the front deck, where the person wearing blue is sitting. That would be my guess.

Putting a livewell system in a boat is fairly expensive, even if you do it yourself, comparatively to the value of the boat. If money is no issue and the boat has sentimental value, it’s very doable, but the cost and time doesn’t really pay great dividends for use or resale Imo. You might be better off selling and upgrading to a rig with a factory livewell in it in the long run. If that’s not an option, there’s big cooler options that are available without drilling holes in the boat, pulling floors and running all the plumbing, pumps, wires and such.

Good luck with it.

basseyes wrote:

Putting a livewell system in a boat is fairly expensive, even if you do it yourself, comparatively to the value of the boat. If money is no issue and the boat has sentimental value, it’s very doable, but the cost and time doesn’t really pay great dividends for use or resale Imo. You might be better off selling and upgrading to a rig with a factory livewell in it in the long run. If that’s not an option, there’s big cooler options that are available without drilling holes in the boat, pulling floors and running all the plumbing, pumps, wires and such.

Good luck with it.

Speaking of cooler ideas…

I have added a live well to a 16′ StarCraft SS before and the cost was actually quite reasonable. As a DIY project you should be able to put in a live well for 260.00 to 350.00 dollars. Yes there is a significant investment in labor, but nothing about the installation is difficult or real technical.
I wanted some new bells and whistles and had two options, replace the entire boat or refurbish my present boat. I opted to replace the carpet, put in new swivel seats and add a casting deck with built in live well. No there was no sentimental value in refurbishing the boat, but I could afford the DIY project without going into debt.
Live well tank
Live well plumbing kit

Huntindave wrote:

I have added a live well to a 16′ StarCraft SS before and the cost was actually quite reasonable. As a DIY project you should be able to put in a live well for 260.00 to 350.00 dollars. Yes there is a significant investment in labor, but nothing about the installation is difficult or real technical.
I wanted some new bells and whistles and had two options, replace the entire boat or refurbish my present boat. I opted to replace the carpet, put in new swivel seats and add a casting deck with built in live well. No there was no sentimental value in refurbishing the boat, but I could afford the DIY project without going into debt.
Live well tank
Live well plumbing kit

Agreed.

If a guy can do it themselves, it’s very doable. The time is what kills it for most guy’s and drilling holes in their boat. For people who don’t have the time or want to tackle it themselves, the labor cost is a killer. Especially if a floor has to be removed to do it to factory levels. For diy’er’s, it’s a fun project, but the time can add up if done to factory. If it has to be brought in to be done, the cost of labor is way more than it’s worth Imo.