Who would put fish in these ?

[Holty]

I have the two below deck fish boxes in the rear cockpit of my mack. It has the small bilge pump to empty it out. I feel it would be a mistake to place any catch down there because there is not enough pitch to drain to the stern. I have had the boat set up on blocks all winter with a very good pitch for drainage.Water and crud seem to collect down there . So ,my question is why would I not want to drill a 1/2 in. hole in the foward part to dump the water into the bilge ? The space could be used for fenders,ropes etc. I am also discovering water builds up in the belly of the mack. I assume it is the same for all the 26 footers. I saw the recent threads concerning this. That pump that Lep talked about looks good.It will probably have to wait though.With all the modifications and improvements going on to make it "our" boat we are running out of time.Still many mandatory items to get done. I do enjoy working on that boat.

Holty

[Leprechaun]

Once you drill a hole in that belly pan you will have exactly the same setup I have.

This was how the factory set them up way back in the mid/late '80's.

This configuration guarantees a perpetually wet bilge if even one drop of spray or rain hits the hatches.

God-forbid they would have properly guttered those hatch ports, the way that, say, every other quality builder has done it for 20 years.

rgds, Leprechaun

[Greenmachine]

That fish box may get a little nasty and not drain just right, but it is 5 feet long and plenty big enough to handle a green bull dolphin or a nice size wahoo with a big mouth full of teeth. so If I was heading offshore fishing , store the fenders up front and use the fish box to contain those violent critters (at least until the die). The box is also very poorly insulated, but in my boat I just bring a few other 100 qt coolers full of ice.

if you catch a lot of small fish then, by all means use it for storing fenders.

bob

[Boat Drinks]

I use these all the time for dolphin and they work great, however the previous owner put in maceration pump and this chews up the caca
Boat Drinks

[CAPT GUTS]

Holty, your boat was from the south shore. You know, where the big ones live. I mean, hey, somebody just draged up a 25lb. fluke. Ever get a 25lb fluke off Target Rock?? Hell, no. You be leavin' those big boys to the shouth shore guys.
Maybe I could get you a shark trip on Bert1's boat!!
So put the fenders, rope etc in the fish box and don't be concerned about a little water in the bilge. That's the way it is.

[Holty]

Hey Capt. Guts, you are probably correct. There are no 25 lb. fluke off Target Rock. I do recall a Striped Bass massacre about 3 miles west of that spot Thanksgiving morning back in 2001. Bert 1's boat wasn't there but Bert was. He was standing in a 23 Steiger. By the way how is Bert coming with his rod holder arrangments for Better Homes and Gardens?

North Shore Holty

[CAPT GUTS]

Holty, my good friend, Bert has freaked out. He's more into decorating and shining things than fishing. But his boats' in and running fine excpt for a few minor things.
You've got him thinking about the pencil zincs in the heat exchanger. He's gonna call Lenco about the one he just got over the winter.