A live well is a circulating-water enclosure used in fishing to keep bait or catch alive during a trip. Standard implementations sit on the deck of a vessel, taking up valuable space and shifting the boat’s centre of gravity. This engagement is a re-think of that constraint: a live well that mounts beneath the kayak hull, sub-surface, drawing fresh water naturally as the kayak moves.
The design challenge
Putting a live well under the hull introduces three new engineering problems at once. First, hydrodynamics, the form must add minimal drag at typical paddling speeds. Second, water circulation, the inlet and outlet geometry must drive consistent flow without requiring a pump. Third, mounting, the live well must attach without compromising hull integrity and must release cleanly for transport and storage.
Approach
CAD design is parametric from the start, with the form driven by a small set of high-leverage parameters: hull-clearance offset, paddle-speed flow rate, internal volume, and mount footprint. The output is a 3D-print-ready file pack suitable for direct additive manufacture in marine-grade polymer.
Status
The project is currently in active design. Full case-study details, including imagery, performance data, and client name, will be published here once the engagement completes.
