Does this look unstable?

I want to add a livewell to my PA but I also want to keep my blackpack and cooler. I was thinking about re arranging my cargo area like this ms paint setup. But I'm wondering if having the livewell with all that water where it is will cause the PA to be unstable. What do you think?

I can't imagine that adding weight to the back of the kayak would make it less stable as long as the weight is balanced and not overloaded to one side.

Yes that's what I want to do on that drawing. The livewell will be off center of the PA, I'm not sure how that will effect the balance.

Sure you've run across this, but one gallon of freshwater weighs 8.3 lbs, one gallon of ocean water weighs about 8.6 lbs. Assuming this is an 11 gallon Vittles Vault type container & you're filling it to about 8 gallons, then you're adding 8 x 8.6 = 68.6 lbs. I'm guessing the fully loaded crate offsets about 20 lbs. So, you're about 48 lbs heavier on one side. Also, bear in mind water is a dynamic load. The interesting thing will be when you get broadsided by a wave or wake & the water sloshes to the outside. I'd test it a few times before going in anything rough.

I don't see a problem if you balance out the load. You'll just be a lil slower in the water

It will raise the boat's center of gravity and therefore yes, it will be less stable. Add to that the fact that water will move inside in the container which will exacerbate the situation.

Just how much "stabilty" you lose is going to depend on a lot of factors, such as the height of the container and how much water you put in it.

Not trying to tell you how to fish, but do you really need the crate AND the livewell on a regular basis? I'd just commit to live bait or artificials for the day & leave the other behind. You can add rod holders, tacklewebs, etc. to the livewell. Between that & the balance (no pun intended) of the PA storage it seems like enough space available for terminal tackle & some artificials if you still want them.

Stability aside, if you haven't built the livewell yet, how do you plan to route the inlet & drain tubing to the scuppers (or elsewhere)? Looks like one scupper will be covered by the crate as drawn. Your drain or inlet would have to be a tube over the side, I imagine.

Goofy thought, but could you fit the livewell into the empty Black Pack so you can keep using whatever you have attached to the outside of the pack? You'd need to cut holes for the inlet & outlet.

I think Gas Yakker has a good idea...set the livewell up for your trips with live bait- tacklewebs, rod holders, RAM balls, YakAttack GearTracs or MightyMounts and save the BlackPak for the days that will be pure artificial.

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I'll admit that this setup I have in my head is a bit overkill, but I want to have a setup that I will never have to mess with. When I get the urge to go fishing I can just dump some ice in the cooler and slide the kayak onto the truck bed and go. No messing around with tie down straps or anything. Another reason is I've never really fished with live baits before so I kind of always want to have my tried and true fishing lures with me. That's my intent anyways, plus why the hell not! lol.

I haven't made any cuts into my live well container yet, I want to be sure it's the setup I want before I go cutting holes in my $50 Vittles pet food container. My plan is if I go this route is to raise my black pack on some wooden blocks and run the intake hose to the scupper hole underneath it and then run the drainage to the scupper directly under the live well.

Best to do an on the water test. Just fill up your livewell with water before you cut your holes, set up your black pak and cooler the way you plan on using it and take it on the water and test it out. Then you can make adjustments based on what you found out. When you've tested it yourself there will be no doubt in your mind. Everybody has good advice but there are so many variables that it hard to know without testing.

Or ditch the cooler and use the front hatch for ice and holding fish or drinks?

You'll still probably be removing the livewell (really a baitwell in this case) frequently to give it a good cleaning, maintenance, etc. They can get pretty gnarly with slime, blood, sand etc. Easier to maintain off the boat IMO.

Why not center the bait tank and cooler, and move the contents of the black pack to the front hatch?