We like the oval shape of the Polar 21’ CC’s livewell, but would prefer to see a clear locking lid replace the heavy white plastic top.

We once knew the captain of a $4 million 68-foot custom sportfisherman that was outfitted with an immense in-deck livewell. The interior of the livewell was rectangular, orientated with its long dimension across the beam. Whenever the boat rolled, the water would run to that side and violently slosh out onto the deck, sometimes even lifting the lid. Needless to say, the captain was not pleased.

A fishing boat loses much of its value without a proper livewell. Over the past year, we’ve collected a couple dozen photographs of livewells on production fishing boats. Here’s a smattering of those photos with captions, highlighting their good and bad points. …