B31 Kill box and Tackle Station

[Ironworker]

I'm planning on building a two part kill box and bolt on tackle station specifically to fit the B31 cockpit.

My criteria is to be light, rugged, well insulated and large enough to handle 5 large Wahoo or 6 Tuna. I hope that it will hold roughly 200#s plus of ice. My current plan is to have a bolt on tackle station/rocket launcher that fits the back half of the kill box. The front (facing the stern of the boat) with have a lifting lid but will also serve as a seat and the tackle station will serve as a back for the seats.

I'm going to make the tackle station removable so that the whole box could be a platform or have the capacity for multiple seats. If I'm pleased with the prototype in use, then I'm going to make a live well in in the same foot print as the tackle station for live bait tuna fishing.

It will include a couple of holders for gaffs and harpoons and cup holders which are in short supply in the cockpit of a 31. I've thought about including a removable divider in the kill box for bottom fishing but this is low on the list. One issue I have gone back and forth on is how best to clean out the kill box after fishing.

I'm open to any suggestions in fact requesting suggestions before I start this project in January. I'll try to get a sketch drawn up and post a photo this weekend. What are your thoughts?

[Tony Meola]

Rick

Years ago, I knew someone that had a big kill box made for his 31. It sat in the middle of the deck, and you walked around it. Unfortunatly I dont remember how he drained it and cleaned it.

I always thought that it would just be something else to be in the way. We use to have ( I actually still have it but don't use it.) the old-style fish box that set up against the transom. We would move it to the center of the boat when chumming. It was always in the way when you had a big fish on.

If I were building one like you are, I would set up a low spot that it could drain to and install a macerator pump to pump the garbage out of it. Hood a hose up to a drain port and pump it overboard. A hose and a long handle brush for cleaning.

Can't think of a better way of doing it other then put the box under the deck like Lilco did.

[Ironworker]

Under the deck is a no go for me. My exhaust are run outboard and I have two 63 gallon Aux fuel tanks on either side of the main fuel tank. I like the floor boxes but I needed the extra fuel capacity more.

I do have a huge box in the cabin floor which works pretty well for storage but not for a kill box for large fish or bottom fishing. I do have a very large fish bag which I carry ice and subdued fish. My current set up is two 120 qt coolers back to back in the cockpit. One as a kill box and one for other stuff. These coolers are too small. A transom box is less desirable for me. I have a swim platform installed and we need to step up close to the transom to clear the platform with lines when fighting larger fish.

[Yannis]

I'm not familiar at all with all this, but if you're talking about a fish box that will sit on the deck, then dumping and cleaning should be easy if it has a drain. Attach a drain hose and direct it through the rear deck water discharge openings. Allow gravity do the rest.
Washing it should be easy, if you open the lid, wear gloves and use chlorox.
What I'm I missing?

[Carl]

Radius/fillets over corners for easier cleaning.

Choices r a drain or a drain and an opening/removable panel/door. A drain is simplest to make, but the person cleaning needs to reach in, stuff gets hung up around drain that will have to be cleared. Incorporating a removable panel one can give a quick draining n clean then get in there to finish the job. Down side is the build gets complicated having to seal panel plus the extra parts to be cleaned.

I’m not a fan of stuff on the deck…but do see the use of a central station. If not utilizing the swim platform on fish days is a box on outside of transom, on platform a possibility? It’s already dead space. Plus it keeps the mess n cleanup outside the boat.

[Ironworker]

Carl,

Those are excellent points. One of my thoughts for keeping the weight off the transom and swim platform is keeping the CG as far forward as possible. This may not be as big of an issue as I think. I might do some experiments with moving the loaded coolers around in the cockpit and onto the swim platform and see how the boat handles.

[Tony Meola]

Rick

We use to liad that old transome fish box with ice. Picture a box 5 ft long, about 20 inches wide and 24 inches deep. Then two 15 gallon barrells of extra fuel lashed into the corners of the transom.

Exhuast ports almost under water. Thats what you are looking at if the box sits on the swim platform. Exhuasts will be underwater.

The weight centered as close to the engine box will balance the boat better than weight st the transom.

[Carl]

I was hesitant to mention putting additional weight on the swim platform, but it is definitely an option.

.

Rick
We use to liad that old transome fish box with ice. Picture a box 5 ft long, about 20 inches wide and 24 inches deep. Then two 15 gallon barrells of extra fuel lashed into the corners of the transom.
Exhuast ports almost under water. Thats what you are looking at if the box sits on the swim platform. Exhuasts will be underwater.

Tony, I guess you weighed the option yourself (pun intended) and went with the weight on platform instead of inside the cockpit. Must be a reason that made enough sense to do that more than once. The Fuel outside definitely makes sense especially if gasoline.

Anyway, with a pair of extra tanks down low in the allies outside main tank, big chunks of diesel eating motors centered, multiple batteries centered low….the boat weight layout is different and may handle additional weight on the platform better. Especially if big insulated compartment under cabin floor is utilized. Although if using for ice n food, that weight gets less while adding weight aft catching fish.

Whatever, it’s an option.

[Tony Meola]

Carl

The only issue I really have with it all is that you have to dance around a big box sitting in the middle of the deck. I guess you get used to it.

Heck before the Bert, we had a 26 foot Zobell Sea Fox, it was one of those old Jersey style lapstrakes. The engine box sat in the middle of the deck and we managed around that pretty well, but we were not going offshore with it. Chum for blues, troll and Fluke and Striper Fishing. It somehow all worked.

[Carl]

gimme a boat in any configuration and I'll put it to good use. I'll also take in what I like and dislike and opinionate accordingly. I doubt opinionate is a word, but it should be...Opinionate- to gather information to become opinionated.

Anyway, my opinion keep me in the 31. It gets out and back in less then ideal conditions. Large open cockpit to fish, swim, entertain, relax, put stuff. A cabin to store stuff, keep a few cold beverages and frozen bait (that stays frozen, hopefully), sleep out of the elements. I think it also has great lines and a classic look.

Whatever...I'm not found of a ton of weight on the transom. I experience that mostly with guests that gravitate to sitting at the back without countering the weight up front like I would do heading fishing or on a trip. Food, ice, beverages in big coolers up front to counter the fuel n gear. Diesel and tabs make that less of an issue now. Goose the throttle and she'll level off, or add tab...no more bogging down or requiring a fire hose of fuel to go go.

[Tony Meola]

Carl

You are right about the difference those diesels make. The weight doesn't seem to bother them like when I had the gas engines.

[Ironworker]

We are coming up on completing this project. We started about a month ago. The final dimensions are 36" x 56" out to out. The inside dimension is 18" high in the stern and 22" high in the bow portion of the box to accommodate the bait tray. I was not able to figure out how to make the rigging station detachable and stable at the same time, so I incorporated it into the design. I actually think this improved the functionality as it forms a backrest for a bench. I used 1.5" XPS insulation with 3 layers of glass inside. Everywhere else got one layer of 1808. The only downside of XPS is that you have to use epoxy which adds to the cost. I used 1/4" coosa as a coring/framing material. We added a bait tray or wine rack depending on the time of day. It has two 1" drains facing the stern of the boat.

I hope to have it primed this weekend as I'm heading to the Bahamas in a week or so. I'll post a couple of pics when I get it out into the sun.

[Ironworker]

A couple of production pics

[Tony Meola]

Rick

You do some nice work. I am looking forward to seeing the finished product incorporated into the boat.

[Ironworker]

I appreciate the complement. We probably will not get it finish painted before we head to the Bahamas but I'll get it primed. I likely will have some changes for version 2 after I fish the box for a season.

More pics coming soon.

[ktm_2000]

how about a bonar box?

a lot of the comm boats up here run these, there are multiple sizes.

https://www.globalindustrial.com/p/arct ... HMQAvD_BwE

[Ironworker]

how about a bonar box?

a lot of the comm boats up here run these, there are multiple sizes.

https://www.globalindustrial.com/p/arct ... HMQAvD_BwE

Those are nice boxes. I was looking for a multi function box. I was using two 120 qt coolers back to back. One with gear and bait and the other for a kill box. We moved fish from the kill box to a fish bag. This new kill box will allow us to keep fish in the box, we have a bait tray built in. A tackle station on top for re-rigging lures, etc. I'm also installing four rod holders and some knife/pliers holders and most importantly come cup holders on top. Hopefully we will get the cockpit organized.

[Tony Meola]

Those are nice boxes. I was looking for a multi function box. I was using two 120 qt coolers back to back. One with gear and bait and the other for a kill box. We moved fish from the kill box to a fish bag. This new kill box will allow us to keep fish in the box, we have a bait tray built in. A tackle station on top for re-rigging lures, etc. I'm also installing four rod holders and some knife/pliers holders and most importantly come cup holders on top. Hopefully we will get the cockpit organized.

I remember back in the day when it was much easier. We used the old-style fish box. Fiberglass, teak top. It sat along the transom. We would get 6 yellowfins in it on a bed of crushed ice, if needed we would take the head off and add another fish or two. Then at night while we hung out offshore, we would filet all the fish we caught out and put in plastic bags on ice in an igloo cooler.

Can't do that today, with the regulations requiring the Tuna pretty much be whole.

[ktm_2000]

My buddy found this top on ebay and switched out a rocket launcher for it and put some rod holders on the side of a smaller box

https://photos.app.goo.gl/t8MGTeKWrLXjpF8s5

[ktm_2000]

Tony,

I am curious, we tuna bomb our fish as soon as they bleed out, cut the head off and pack the belly with ice and into the cooler with 10 min of coming out of the water. Nice size reduction and they have a handy carrying handle.

what regs prevent that?

[Ironworker]

My buddy found this top on ebay and switched out a rocket launcher for it and put some rod holders on the side of a smaller box

https://photos.app.goo.gl/t8MGTeKWrLXjpF8s5

That wouldn't work for me but its gives me an idea. To open the lid of the cooler everything has to be moved from the top. I'm thinking that I could fab a stand up tackle station for one of the prebuilt coolers. There is a fair amount of work in building the cooler portion of the box that I built getting the lids as air tight as possible, etc. Buying an insulated box would cut out a lot of work.

I'll do a little research on these boxes and see what I can come up with. Now back to priming the kill box!

[bob lico]

WOW i have not caught 5 wahoo in my life plus a giant tuna (73" plus") on the same trip ,very impressive . when i removed the deck i build the largest possible kill boxes that could ever be built under the deck on a 31 Bertram in every dimension. my 6" exhaust run right along side the outside hull, then the OEM stringer with vertical supports directly on top of the stringer to gain the 1" advantage rather then adjacent ,i did the same to the striger along side the fuel tank and gain another 1", the box is maximum length i even notch the front of the box for the shaft log and the height the box is sitting on the bilge floor conforming to the dead rise so the box is the biggest you can possibly fit on a 31 Bertram. i have offshore race boat (APBA) fuel pick up in the 230 gallon tank and have 400 mile range i definitely don`t need more range . i put a 496 pound tuna in the box and i don`t expect to ever exceed that . regulations would not allow me to take more then one giant ,i have a drain at the back of the box to empty the box of salt water ice for wreck fishing sea bass ,togs , fluke ,cod and a clete at either end of box to lift out of the hold after draining.

[Ironworker]

Bob,

You make some good points. I gave serious consideration to adding in floor boxes but at the end of the day, more fuel/range won out. Traveling in the far and southern bahamas one could easily go through 200 gallons of fuel then find the fuel barge didn't make it the marina that week and may not make it next week. It happens a often. I despise fuel bags and portable fuel containers.

We don't often kill alot of fish but there are times when we may put 30 or 40 dolphin in the box along with some 75# plus wahoos maybe a couple of other fish as well. We give away quite a bit of fish to some of the older folks on the in Spanish Wells so when the fish are willing to jump in the boat then they are going home with us.

When I decided to refurbish my 31, I fully intended on building a day boat but as we got started the wife really wanted a boat that we could travel for 3 or 4 days to other islands in the Bahamas. That changed our thinking and the design of the interior of the boat.

If I some how got amnesia and decided to refurbish another 31, I can't think of too many things, I would do differently than I did on my current boat.