Hobie Livewell vs Livewell XL?

Hey All

I am trying to decide between the Hobie Livewell and the Hobie Livewell XL? I live in Canada and can get the regular Livewell fairly easily but I can't seem to get the XL. I have a Pro Angler 12, but it might be nice to swap the Livewell over to the Revolution 13 my wife has ordered.

As I will be using the Livewell to store brook trout, (8-12" max), will the regular Livewell do? Also, if I can't find the extra long tube needed for the Pro Angler, would I be able to find something similar at a hardware/plumbing store? (Anyone know the size?)

Thanks for your input.

If you're looking to purchase a livewell asap, I would recommend the regular livewell. It should work fine for keeping a handful of brookies. The Livewell XL would provide more space for your catch, however we've experienced a high volume of reed switch failures and are currently working on a permanent fix...You will need a 7" x 3/4" piece of clearflex pvc tubing for use of a livewell with your pro angler.

You should be able to order the longer tube assembly from your dealer though (part no. 72021051).

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Howie Strech
Parts & Accessories Product Manager
Hobie Cat USA

Is the Livewell XL failure problem fixed now? I'm about to order one next week. Thanks!

We're getting closer, but still in the testing phase. We'll definitely notify the forum users when it's an official "go". For now, you can place an order...status is still back ordered, however. We apologize for the inconvenience, but want to be sure the re-release is something we're absolutely confident in.

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Howie Strech
Parts & Accessories Product Manager
Hobie Cat USA

You will love the Hobie XL Bait Tank!! I've had mine for a year now and I've made several modifications to it: Attached a spray tube on the inside out of the water and along the inside top so the water will not drain out should I cut the pump off and (2), changed my reed switch out to a marine grade toggle that works perfect.....did not want to wait on the newer switch.

Use it for live bait or a livewell for brim, crappie, etc

You will love the adjustable water level feature as well!!!

Thanks

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Hobie Fishing Team
Great Outdoor Provision Company Fishing Team
Polar Bear Coolers
Accent Paddles
Columbia Sportswear
Astral PFD

Agree 100% with Luv2fishnpaddle. I also changed my reed switch out to a marine grade toggle switch and had a faceplate made as well.

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Steve Stubbs
USAF (retired)

SeaDek Fishing Team
Unfair Lures Pro Staff
Ziptailz Ambassador

2015 Pro Angler 14 - Papaya
2018 Compass - Sea Grass

Fyi...

The Reed switch problems have been solved.

We redesigned the switch housing and the way the reed tube is supported in the housing. All good after significant testing.

The issue was a tolerance between the housing and the glass reed tube and the epoxy used to support it. If the housing was bent or impacted... the glass tube could fracture at times. That fracture released the inert gas in the tube and allowed the contact reeds to become miss-aligned or when exposed to air and moisture... corrode. This made switch function erratic. This was only discovered by having the switches x-rayed. We could not determine if the reed tube was failed in any other way. The redesigned reed housing is stiffened and has additional room inside for the glass reed tube to "float" in silicone rather than epoxy. All this allows the reeds to survive impacts and bending from switch installation and use.

The Reed system is an excellent choice due to the non-corrosive nature of the sealed tube. Now that we have this problem figured out... we once again have the best possible solution for a marine grade switch!

We expect 1-2 months to get replacements made and will be replacing all of these reeds that have sold on XL tanks and for what stock we have in stock here before we start shipping XL tanks again.

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)