Slush tank capacities

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Kelper
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Slush tank capacities

Post by Kelper »

I'm curious if anybody knows a formula for how many #'s a fish a slush tank will hold based on volume? Or, what the dimensions of your tank, and how many average cohos it holds.

Thanks!
Drew
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Re: Slush tank capacities

Post by Drew »

Well a full tote holds about 1000 pounds. I don't know if that helps you, but you could measure one and figure out the volume of it.
Kelper
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Re: Slush tank capacities

Post by Kelper »

So you guys are getting about 181 (5.5lb) cohos in 1 standard full tote? I'm wondering because I can only get 250lbs of kings in (1) 1/2 tote. (18 kings, with a 14lb average)

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll get my tape measure out and get busy.
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Re: Slush tank capacities

Post by Drew »

Maybe more like 800 pounds or less for Cohos. 1000 pounds is more for chums when I am selling daily and don't need to worry about ice melting as much.
Kelper
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Re: Slush tank capacities

Post by Kelper »

I think I'd way over ice my half totes. I do remember I had to sit on it to get it shut with 18 kings though.

My half totes have an approx volume of 15,960 cubic inches. That means that I'd get 1lb of salmon, per 63.84ci of space, with how I iced those kings. Once the baby wakes up I'll go make sure the volume of my full tote is 2x that of my half tote, and then run the numbers you provided.

So, by that math, I'd need to tank my boat with 351,120ci worth of slush tank, to make it pack 1000 cohos at 5.5lbs each. I'm going to have to think about how I'd convert that into 3 tanks and what there dimensions would have to be.
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Re: Slush tank capacities

Post by Drew »

The half totes that I have are definitely less than half of a full tote.
Siskiyous
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Re: Slush tank capacities

Post by Siskiyous »

I use barrels, about 40 to 45 gallons I guess, they hold up to 30 Chinook or about 300 pounds.
Kelper
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Re: Slush tank capacities

Post by Kelper »

Thanks Drew. I did my measurements and came up with about 44k cubic inches for a full tote, compared to 16k-ish for my half tote.
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Re: Slush tank capacities

Post by kjwelder »

The smaller the fish, the more pounds per a given volume, like a tote.
For example i can get 6000 pounds of of 3lb pinks in the same 6 bags that hold 4500 lbs of 8 pound chums.
So, a boat can hold way more pounds of herring than king salmon.
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Re: Slush tank capacities

Post by kjwelder »

A 30x30x40 standard nomar brand brailer holds about 800 pounds or less of good quality slushed salmon.
Build your sytem around this and you wont have any problems. If you have more room on the boat put in more bags or use the space for extra ice or for "overflow fish." Just make sure they get cold quickly.
Kelper
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Re: Slush tank capacities

Post by Kelper »

Thanks! That's very helpful.
Kelper
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Re: Slush tank capacities

Post by Kelper »

Another question if anybody is reading this thread still.

Has anybody welded up aluminum slush tanks, and then insulated them with some sort of rigid board?
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Re: Slush tank capacities

Post by Salty »

Still reading, I have not.
mydona
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Re: Slush tank capacities

Post by mydona »

I know of several boats that have drop in slush tanks like the one above. The Wrangell live crabbers do it a lot . I can think of 2 salmon trollers in Pt. Protection that have that set-up with internal lifting trays to hold up the top bags of fish from crushing the bottom bags fish. Swevenson Alum. boat builders fabs them up out of Wng
Kelper
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Re: Slush tank capacities

Post by Kelper »

Thanks. Do you know what they are using to insulate them?
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Re: Slush tank capacities

Post by mydona »

Ridge board 1.5 " or spray foam, I've seen both. I think the boards are glued w/ contractors "liquid nails" But as I think of it I believe the glue melts the board a little bit??? (or test silicon) best check this out 1st. could be banded to the outsides but I'm not sure that banding will work on the bottom. PS I think that the expanding foam "Great stuff" might work as an adhesive if you buy the low expanding type. The best and most durable would be to get the 2 part spray foam they use for home insulation from Lowes, Home depot, etc and shave the excess off. I know what ever you use it will take a beating when you remove it at the end of the year. Plan B would be to have some threaded studs tacked to the exterior and counter sink a nut on the board with a fender washer. The plumbing is the next thing to think of. Most use a Rule 12v but can be slow and hard to get below the brail bags to pump the bottom, while waiting in line to pitch. The nice thing about having a rule on a long extension cord is you can pump the Laz, Foc'sil' or even send over to someone that maybe sinking. Live crabbers use a Honda pump and have all the plumbing incorporated into the build.
Kelper
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Re: Slush tank capacities

Post by Kelper »

Thanks! I've seen the pump on a stick method before.

I'm debating on whether to build tanks out of aluminum, glass over plywood, or glass over nydacore. Trying not to break the bank on this project!
Drew
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Re: Slush tank capacities

Post by Drew »

Why not just do the bladder approach instead of building something permanent?
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Re: Slush tank capacities

Post by squareface »

I have a slush bag I bought from Nomar, only about $200. I fill my side bins and forward of the slush bag with ice, this keeps the hold really cold, thus no need to insulate the bag. And when I switch to icing fish all I have to do is fold up the bag and stow.
Kelper
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Re: Slush tank capacities

Post by Kelper »

My boat's hold was converted into storage. It would take some work to get it back to dry icing. I'd rather just go with some slush tanks. Also has a a pair of extra fuel tanks in it too I need to get out. It currently has totes on deck. Looking for an economical way to get the hold functional again.
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