I'm trying to get the family bass boat ready to use in tournaments so I don't always have to be the co angler.  It's all good to go except for the livewell.  It doesn't work, and that's kind of a big problem for using it in tournaments  Is it very hard to totally replace or fix a livewell?  I can easily get water into it by leaving the plug out when I first put the boat in the water and then plugging it up once the water comes in but I also need a working aerator.  I saw some at Dicks that were portable and ran off batteries and didn't know if I could just mount one of those in there or not.  But then the problem would be doing something with the hose that brings in the fresh air.  I would assume it would be a good idea to get both the pump and aerator working but is it possible to get by with just the aerator?

Was there a pump on your livewell originally?  If so you could probably replace it for what a decent air pump aerator would cost.  I have seen some nice 12volt systems that are nice, but priced the same.  The cheap ones eat batteries.  And even the "good ones" produce a low volume of air.  They have some nice oxygen induceing systems.  You also have temp. and ammonia build up to be concerned with, by not circulating your water.   Wal-Mart carries some low volume bilge pumps that should work.  I like the air pump type with a circulating pump especially when it starts getting hot or if you keep fish to take home.  If it is just a pump or switch, that maybe real easy to fix.  Just make sure all your hoses are tight and leak free, if you work on it.  

It did have a pump originally.  I'll have to look at it a little more.  For reference its a late 80's/early 90's??  16' Jason bass boat.

I know they make aarators that have a suction cups so the sit on the bottom of you livewell and have a tube that goes out the top that sprays water and it can aerate a pro bass boat livewell.