Looking back, it seems like I’ve always been involved with either building or fixing bait tanks on boats. The first one back in the late 60’s was built from what I think was some kind of aluminum beer keg my Dad scrounged up somewhere. The 30-some gallons were sufficient for our needs and we designed a custom opening with a cutting board lid, plumbed in a screened inlet and drain, primed and painted it with a coat of epoxy and bolted it down. It wasn’t pretty but it was our pride and joy and it held bait perfectly. Today, the steps we go through to build a custom tank are much the same...although the finished product is definitely a bit more sophisticated!!!

A perfect example of the whole process was played out earlier this year on the brand new Tiara 3900 “Pacific Edge”, now docked at the Crows Nest in Newport Beach The stock boat from the factory comes with a marginally effective transom tank, insufficient in both size and design for our West Coast style of live bait fishing. Once it was decided this boat would be doing some serious fishing this season, we needed to get busy in several areas.

Long before the power tools come out, much of the hard work is done with a tape measure and a sketch pad. First to be decided is just what the needs are, and then how to best accomplish them. On the Tiara, we identified three areas that needed help...the existing transom tank, the construction of a custom bulkhead tank and the addition of a bow bait tank.  At the end, every big job like this is a blend of time, space and budget. For this particular project, all the parts of the puzzle ultimately fit together perfectly.

The biggest challenge was the design of the bulkhead tank. At first Steve Lassley and I got together to discuss some options and we decided on the feasibility of deleting the existing built-in tackle locker and replacing it with a custom tank. Next, I met with Jon Anders (SeaPro), my best friend and long time partner in many custom projects. Jon builds lots of cool custom stuff for high end boats and we both like projects where the goal is a perfect match to the existing lines of the boat. Long before I got out the tools of mass destruction, we had designed the tank that would be as big as possible and still look like it was done from the factory.

When the plans were thought and rethought to our satisfaction, I got out my saws and grinder to remove the existing section of console. Once it was out, a lot of prep work was done prior to pattern for the new tank. Plumbing had to be capped off, wiring moved, the inverter relocated to another location, the edges ground straight and true. Then, Jon took over and the light weight sticks and glue gun came out, soon to be shaped into the exact exterior dimensions of the finished tank less the amount the outer layer of fiberglass would require.

The patterning process is critical to the creation of a fine finished product. Time well spent on this part of the project makes it possible for Jon to build the complete framework in the shop, put the fittings in, have the interior and rough exterior glasswork done and then take it to the boat with a reasonable expectation that it will fit as planned...and it did.

During the time the bulkhead tank was under construction, I completed all the necessary plumbing. The new dc pump, strainer, manifolds to interface with the back pump and plumbing, hoses and drain fitting were all installed and ready for hookup. When the tank came down, it was fit in with just a few minor adjustments. I hooked up the hoses, wired the bait light and wedged the tank into final position, ready for the final glasswork and polishing that would create a seamless blend into the existing console. Once the finish work was done, the new lid was installed, the pumps and plumbing checked out and the water level adjusted, the project was done and ready for bait.

Next up were the modifications to existing transom tank. This was a much easier job than the bulkhead tank as we were upgrading as opposed to all new construction. The existing inlet and drain screens in the tank may work for some kinds of baits somewhere, but not for what we do here on the West Coast. So the first order of business was to pull out the stock material and use it for a pattern to get the basic shape. Then the drain and inlet slots were cut in to both distribute the water through the tank on the inlet side as well as keep the bait in the tank and out of the plumbing on the drain side.

The opening of the original tank was redesigned with the addition of a splash guard to reduce the sloshing and motion in the tank during bad weather or when running at high speed. A custom starboard lid serves as both a cutting board and to keep the predatory seabirds from helping themselves to an after hours dinner. The stock pump was adequate but the plumbing was upgraded to a larger size for more flow. Another manifold was constructed to permit either pump the ability to supply either tank. Collectively, these improvements made a huge improvement to the tanks ability to serve our bait-holding needs.

Up forward, the installation of the bow tank presented another set of problems to solve. The original plan was to create a brand new design specific to the Tiara 3900, but after looking closely at our stock BT-3, I decided it would provide the perfect amount of bait capacity without the investment of time and money in a custom part. By the time the job was complete, the final look told the story...it was awesome!!!

The biggest challenge was to maintain sufficient space to work around the windless and yet have the tank far enough forward to get the inlet and drain hoses into the chain locker with showing at all. Luckily, by the time it all penciled out, I figured there would be just enough room to make it work and it did. I made up some angled fittings to span the space between deck level and the chain locker bulkhead and they worked perfectly.

On the inlet side, we just tapped into the existing salt water wash down system that was factory installed. A simple tee with a control valve was all that was needed to regulate the fill times. On the drain side, we went overboard just above deck level in the chain locker. We used a custom stainless steel thruhull made with an aft facing scoop to deflect both wind and wave. Both can affect proper drainage if the thru hull is mounted way forward.

The final addition to the tank was a custom rod rack that was designed and built by C-FAB (cfab.com) in Costa Mesa. They do an absolutely amazing job of both welding and polishing and they consistently turn out incredible work on all types of projects.( They also did the bow rail extension and other custom rod holders, but that’s another story for later). The part for the bow tank was simple; just space for two rods and a bait net.

With all three projects complete, the boat was now ready to fish. With two tanks aft, we had the ability to split the tanks to carry sardines and mackerel for those combo trips where you’ve got to be ready for anything. For the marlin tournaments, we loaded both tanks with about 75 hand picked greenies. We would add a few up forward, but that tank was primarily installed for use when we were actually fishing marlin...it saves the time and frustration of running aft to get a bait when all the action is forward.

The “Pacific Edge” is now at the Crows Nest docks in Newport Beach. If any of you want to see “state-of-the-art” in an under 40’ sport fisher, please be sure to stop by for a preview.  She’s just been professionally detailed for a boat show and shows beautifully.

Good Luck and Good Fishing!!!
Capt Mark Wisch
www.pacificedgetackle.com

Jon with the first fit.


Custom tent for dust protection when grinding.


Bait in the bait tank.


Transom tank-Lid on.


Transom tank-Lid off.


The bow tank.


The “Pacific Edge”.