Patent Document

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to fishing boats and more particularly to a structure that serves both as a livewell for storing freshly caught fish and as a bait well for storing a minnow bucket. 
     In bass tournaments and other fishing tournaments, it is a common requirement that the fish that are caught must be maintained in a live condition and released back into the lake or other body of water at the end of the tournament. Because of this and also to permit fish to be caught and kept alive in good physical condition for extended periods, some boats are provided with built-in livewells. The livewell is essentially a water tank in the boat that is large enough to hold the fish that are caught. Typically, water is circulated in the livewell by drawing water from its bottom portion and spraying water back in at the top above the water. Spraying the water through the air above the water level aerates the water so that air is made available to the fish in the livewell. 
     Minnows and other live bait are popular for use in fishing for crappie and various other small fish. The minnows are usually carried in a minnow bucket which is tied on a rope and suspended in the water over the side of the boat. The minnow bucket has holes in its side so that it fills with water when submerged. 
     In order to avoid harming the minnows, the minnow bucket must be pulled into the boat each time the boat travels between locations, and it must be thrown back over the side of the boat each time a new destination is reached. As can easily by appreciated, this procedure is cumbersome and detracts from the enjoyment of fishing. In addition, if the minnow bucket is inadvertently left hanging in the water while the boat travels at a significant speed, the minnows are destroyed. 
     The present invention is directed to a built-in well which serves the combined function of a livewell and bait well in a fishing boat. In accordance with the invention, a water tight tank is provided in a convenient location accessible to fishermen sitting on the fishing seats in the boat. An electric pump is operated by the battery of the boat and pumps fresh water from the lake into the well compartment. An overflow tube has a drain opening located near the top of the well compartment to drain off water so that the water level in the tank is maintained at the level of the drain opening. The water is delivered into the well compartment through a spray nozzle which sprays it into the air above the water level in order to aerate the water. Additionally, the nozzle is arranged to cause the water to move in a swirling pattern in order to keep it circulating. The pump can be cycled on and off by a timer switch, or it can be controlled by a manual switch. 
     Both a livewell and a bait well are provided in the well compartment. A panel having an opening sized to receive a minnow bucket permits the minnow bucket to be suspended from the panel with the bucket submerged in the water. The panel occupies only part of the well compartment, and the rest of the compartment remains unobstructed and provides room for live fish that have been caught. Consequently, the unit allows both newly caught fish and live bait to be maintained in a good condition in the aerated water contained in the well compartment. At the same time, the minnow bucket is readily accessible so that the fishermen can reach the bait from their fishing seats. Preferably, each half of the well compartment has its own hinged lid, and the lids can be provided with seat cushions so that they function as spare seats in the boat. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     ln the accompanying drawings which form a part of specification and are to be read in conjunction therewith and in which like reference numerals are used to indicate like parts in the various views: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fishing boat equipped with a combined livewell and bait well constructed according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the combined livewell and bait well on an enlarged scale, with the lids open and portions broken away for purposes of illustration; and 
     FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the electric circuit used to control the pumping of water into the combined livewell and bait well. 
    
    
     Referring to the drawings in more detail and initially to FIG. 1, numeral 10 generally designates a fishing boat having a pair of fishing seats 12 in which fishermen normally sit. Each seat 12 can swivel on a pedestal 13. In accordance with the present invention, a combined livewell and bait well unit which is generally identified by numeral 14 is mounted on the floor 15 of the boat at a location approximately midway between the two seats 12. 
     Referring additionally to FIG. 2, the body of unit 14 takes the form a generally rectangular tank 16 which is water tight. The tank 16 may be mounted to structural cross members 18 of the boat by means of angle brackets 20. The tank 16 presents within it a well compartment 22 which normally contains aerated water. 
     The water is pumped into the well compartment 22 by a DC electric pump 24 mounted near the stern 26 of the boat. Pump 24 has an intake 28 which extends through the stern 26 at a location below the water level when the boat is disposed in a lake or other body of water. Consequently, pump 24 draws water from the lake or other body of water. 
     The discharge 30 of pump 24 connects with a flexible supply conduit 32 which extends along one side of the boat at a concealed location, The conduit 32 extends beneath the floor of the boat and connects with an elbow fitting 34 which extends into the tank 16 through the bottom. The downstream end of the elbow fitting 34 connects with an L shaped flexible conduit 36 carrying a spray nozzle 38 on its end. 
     The water level in the well compartment 22 is controlled by a vertical overflow tube or drain pipe 40 having a drain opening 42 in its upper end. The drain tube 40 is mounted to the inside surface of one side of tank 16 by a mounting bracket 44, with the drain opening 42 located near but slightly below the top of the tank 16. The bottom end of the drain tube 40 connects with an elbow 45 which in turn connects with a drain system that directs water out of the boat 10. 
     It is noted that the spray nozzle 38 is located slightly above the drain opening 42 but still within the tank 16. Consequently, the water that is sprayed from the spray nozzle 38 passes through the air above the water level in the tank and is thus aerated so that the water that enters the tank is relatively rich with air. The nozzle 38 is also oriented and arranged to direct the incoming water generally along one side of the tank 16 near one end. This orientation of the nozzle causes the incoming water to swirl as it is sprayed into the tank 16, and the incoming water thus circulates the water in tank 16 in a swirling or whirlpool pattern to enhance the water circulation in the tank. 
     Tank 16 has a rectangular top access opening 46 which provides access to the well compartment 22. A square panel 48 covers approximately one-half of the top of the tank 16. The panel 48 is generally rectangular and is provided with a central round opening 50 surrounded by a circular rim 52. The opening 50 is large enough to receive the body of a conventional minnow bucket 54. The minnow bucket 54 has openings 56 in its side to permit the bucket to fill with water when submerged. An enlarged collar or flange 58 is provided on the top portion of the minnow bucket and is too large to fit through the opening 50. Consequently, the minnow bucket can be extended through the opening 50 with its body submerged in the water in the well compartment 22 and with the flange 58 resting on rim 52 to suspend the minnow bucket in the tank. The minnow bucket 54 has the usual handle 60 and a hinged lid 62 which can be opened to provide access to the minnows that are held in the minnow bucket. 
     In this manner, the portion of the well compartment 22 which underlies the panel 48 serves as a bait well 64 which receives the bait carried in the minnow bucket. The remaining one-half of the volume of the well compartment 22 remains unobstructed and unoccupied by the bait to provide a livewell 66 for receiving newly caught fish. 
     A pair of lids 68 and 70 are connected with the top of the tank 16 by piano hinges 72 and 74, respectively. Lid 68 can be closed to a horizontal position in which it covers the panel 48 and the underlying bait well 64. The lid 68 can be opened about the hinge axis to the fully open position shown in FIG. 2. The other lid 70 similarly can be closed to cover the livewell 66 which underlies it or moved about its hinge 74 to the fully open position shown in FIG. 2. Preferably, the lids 68 and 70 are covered by suitable cushions 76 and 78, respectively. When the lids are closed, the unit 14 provides spare boat seats in that persons can sit on the cushions 76 and 78 if desired. 
     Referring now to FIG. 3, the pump 24 is driven by a DC electric motor 80 which receives electrical power from the main battery 82 of the boat. Arranged in parallel between the battery 82 and motor 80 are an automatic timer switch 84 and a manual on/off switch 86. Switch 86 can be opened and closed manually in order to respectively interrupt and complete the electric circuit to control the operation of the motor 80. The timer switch 84 can be set to complete the circuit for a selected time interval and to then interrupt the circuit for another time interval. In this manner, the operation of the pump can be controlled either manually by means of the manual switch 86 or automatically in timed cycles by means of the timer switch 84. 
     In operation, the pump 24 acts, when energized, to pump water from the lake or other body of water through the delivery conduits 32 and 36 to the spray head 38. The water is then sprayed through the air above the water level in tank 16, and spraying of the water through the air aerates the water to maintain the water in the tank in an air rich condition. When the water level rises to the level of the drain opening 42, the entry of additional water into the well compartment 22 causes water to drain off through the drain opening and the drain pipe 40 such that it is eventually discharged back into the lake or other body of water. 
     Live fish which are caught can be placed in the livewell 66 by opening lid 70 and then inserting the fish into the livewell through access opening 46. The minnow bucket can be placed in the bait well 64 and can be easily reached from either of the fishing seats 12 when more bait is needed. Because the water in the well compartment 22 is replenished by the operation of the pump 24 and remains aerated, both the live fish and the bait are maintained in good condition at all times. It is also pointed out that the livewell 66 provides adequate room for the fish even when the minnow bucket 54 is in place in the bait well. 
     While it is preferred that the unit 14 be located between the two fishing seats 12 so that fishermen seated in either seat have ready access to its contents, the unit can be situated in other locations such as in the stern or bow where only one of the fishermen has easy access to it. It should also be noted that a single lid can be provided for the unit 14 and that the lid need not necessarily be functional as a seat. 
     From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all the ends and objects hereinabove set forth together with other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the structure. 
     It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims. 
     Since many possible embodiments may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Technology Category: b