Skeeters Do It, Rangers Do It...

Even some johnboats have been known to do it. The "it" I'm talking about here is ending up with a vapor lock in the boat's livewell pump.

Until a week ago, I never had a clue this sort of thing happened. But that all changed during the May 3rd Dewey Mullins Memorial Bass Tourney. When I hit the switch for the port livewell, I heard the pump running; however, no water was entering the hole. With the other livewell operating normally, I didn't really see a problem. It was just a matter of making do with the one working livewell that day.

Later in the day, the port livewell finally came on line, so I didn't pursue the issue with my mechanic as I originally had thought I would. Instead, I waited until my next outing, which turned out to be a repeat performance of the earlier incident. That's when I contacted my mechanic, and he checked out everything for me this past Tuesday.

We backed my boat in the water at the ramp for testing, and just seconds later, my mechanic said he knew what was wrong. The pump was vapor locking. He then laid out what my options were.

If I wanted to stay with the pump already installed, I always should launch the boat with the livewell control valve in the "open" position, which, if I understand the situation correctly, serves to prime the pump. And should another vapor lock ever occur on the water, I should run the pump while backing up the boat, which usually will cause water to start dumping in the hole. In some cases, you may have to back the boat a bit faster than normal.

Another option--and the one I went for--was to replace the pump (with one similar to what is pictured left). It has been my experience that, once things start acting up, they usually only get worse. And I, for one, don't like being on the water with a faulty piece of equipment. I've been there (albeit accidentally) a few times, done that, and have the T-shirts to prove it.

A check of the Internet today revealed that boats of all kinds have reported problems with vapor locks in their livewell pumps. In some cases, owners even have had to reroute hoses and such before they completely resolved their problems.

Perhaps I'm only telling everyone something they already know. If that's the case, I apologize for boring you. However, if this information gives even one person a leg up on what to do, should you ever encounter a similar problem, then I'm happy I shared.