What Freshwater Pump fo a 58' Boat?

[Juliet 15]

Hi all,

I didn't see any threads addressing this. I have a '75 Hat 58 LRC with 2 Galley Maid freshwater pumps, one as primary, the other as a backup. One failed, so I took it in. The shop says it's ancient, and they haven't seen anything like that since the 70's. A new pump is $695. A rebuilt one is $495.

My boat is 58' long, and the freshwater pumps are under the V-berth. Is there any reason I can't use one of the many (apparently) more modern pumps like a Jabsco or FloJet pump for this?

What do you guys with 50' and larger boats use for your freshwater pumps?

Recommendations and advice much appreciated.

 

[Simi 60]

Single vetus 13 LPM does all levels on our 60fter
One in the spares locker
$124 aud or $85 us
3 year warranty

Full time live aboard at anchor, pump has been 2 years trouble free

https://www.arnoldsboatshop.com.au/fresh-water-pump.html?id=26726655&quantity=1

 

[IRENE]

Clearly we are not over 50’...but we have a Flo Jet Quiet Quad. I have parts and a spare pump aboard, as we have only one “service” pump.

 

[Commander Nomad]

Flowjet Quad 2 here on a 55'. It provides enough flow to run the kitchen tap while showering with no significant pressure loss. It cycles on and off while running the kitchen sink sprayer because it's providing more flow than the sprayer can produce.

That being said, the old Galley Maid stuff was a step above in terms of quality. A rebuild might go another 40+ years. I guarantee a modern boat pump won't.

 

[Lou_tribal]

Your boat length does not make any difference. Only difference is the height you want to bring the water to, so the difference level between water intake, pump, and faucet/output.

L

 

[HopCar]

Those Galleymaid pumps are very reliable. That weird rubber stator wears out once in a while but it’s easy to replace.
Raz Marine in Ft. Lauderdale makes aftermarket parts for them.

The Groco Paragon pump is also a top of the line pump as good or better than the Galleymaid. I used the Groco Paragon Jr on my boat for almost thirty years.

With pumps, you get what you pay for.

 

[IRENE]

I second what Commander Nomad says about the newer pumps. I have had poor service from Flowjet pumps on our previous boat, to include brand new ones used for their intended purpose.

 

[O C Diver]

When replacing my domestic water pump, I took a slightly different approach. Choose to use a higher pressure and volume wash down pump (6 GPM with a 70 psi cutoff) with an external well pump adjustable pressure switch (35 PSI on, 50 PSI off) and a larger pressure (accumulator) tank. Wanted more pressure, higher potential volume, and felt the higher rated pressure pump might last longer running at a lower pressure. Having 2 identical pumps in different applications also reduces the number of spares needed. The only negative so far is that it's noisier than the old pump. Otherwise, so far so good.

If I was designing a new 50'+ boat, there would be 120 VAC power 24/7 either through the inverter, generator, or shore power. With that ability, I would likely choose more 120 VAC equipment such as refrigerator, fuel transfer pump, and domestic water pump. Think the options, quality, and better price are far greater with 120 VAC products.

Ted

 

[Simi 60]

.

The Groco Paragon pump is also a top of the line pump as good or better than the Galleymaid. I used the Groco Paragon Jr on my boat for almost thirty years.

With pumps, you get what you pay for.

WOW
At $3000 Australian it'd want to do more than pump water
That's 20 x more than the vetus I linked to above.

 

[Lepke]

I use a shallow well pump, but I have AC available 24/7.

 

[cafesport]

I had a galleymaid on the previous boat which ran dc. Current boat uses ac and I’ve become a fan of the headhunter pump which was original equipment in 2007. I bought a spare a few years ago at the boat show at a considerable discount by giving the manufacturer the serial number tag from the currently installed pump. They do also make a dc variant.

 

[Mako]

I second the motion for 120VAC pump. You can buy domestic ones at any hardware store.

 

[FF]

"they haven't seen anything like that since the 70's"

If it has worked for 40 years replacing it with the same level of quality might be worthwhile.

The approach of ,,

" Choose to use a higher pressure and volume wash down pump (6 GPM with a 70 psi cutoff) with an external well pump adjustable pressure switch (35 PSI on, 50 PSI off) and a larger pressure (accumulator) tank."

This may be more work but functions well , and at least the pumps are only $150 , if they dont go 4 or 5 decades.

 

[Woodland Hills]

I have a 120v Headhunter which we are very happy with, but we had the OEM GalleyMaid rebuilt by Raz and keep it as a spare. We have GalleyMaid pumps all over our Hatteras and have no intention of replacing them with another brand. After all, they have lasted 30+ years and counting!

 

[Pau Hana]

I replaced our 12V unit with a Headhunter 120V last year, and am very pleased with the results. Whisper quiet, excellent flow and pressure.

 

[MYTraveler]

Your boat length does not make any difference.

To the extent that boat length is a proxy for total demand, it may make a difference. Our boat has 3 heads, 4 showers, and 7 sinks all driven by the same pump. We make no effort to coordinate water use, but our pump (I don't know the manufacturer or specs, but it is 110v) has never had a problem keeping up with demand, and oftentimes three showers are running at the same time. I don't think the typical 12v pump (even with adequate head pressure) could keep up.

 

[Juliet 15]

Re: Freshwater pumps

Great point about the Galley Maids having lasted this long - I didn't believe they could be original equipment after 44 years, so I was surprised to hear from you all that they were, and that they re still in use in so many places.

Thanks for all the recommendations. I'll sift thru them carefully. I like the idea of a 110vac system, but right now it's all 32vdc, so installing a redundant AC freshwater pump along side the DC system would be a minor project (is there such a thing as a minor project?).

 

[caltexflanc]

Those Galleymaid pumps are very reliable. That weird rubber stator wears out once in a while but it’s easy to replace.
Raz Marine in Ft. Lauderdale makes aftermarket parts for them.

The Groco Paragon pump is also a top of the line pump as good or better than the Galleymaid. I used the Groco Paragon Jr on my boat for almost thirty years.

With pumps, you get what you pay for.

The GalleyMaids are great pumps, and well supported by Raz and GalleyMaid themselves as well as Depco. Infinitely repairable and rebuildable. Be thankful you have them! We had one on our 56 Hatteras. In our case it was supplemented by an AC shallow well pump for redundancy, very nice. It's a pretty minor project, by the way. Raz can supply you with a diagram and how to.

 

[Mako]

The pressure pump on my Burger was an absolute nightmare and always lost prime, which was tough to re-establish after it ran dry. I was planning to replace it (was 32V) with a domestic 120V unit, but then sold the boat.

As someone mentioned above, today's large boats have a prevalence of 120/240V equipment and constant electric supply, and nothing really beats the cost, reliability, efficiency and performance of domestic systems. In addition is the ready-availability of domestic systems... something to be remembered by those who travel to remote areas.

 

[Bigsfish]

I second Parks, Groco Paragon 24 vt, many happy years running.

 

[Bigsalmonfish]

Paragon Senior 32v. Have had for 20 years. Fantastic

 

[Salish Nomad]

Just installed a Marco 10 gpm before we left for Alaska, could not be happier after a month under way.

 

[nemier]

Onboard INFINITY, we use a Headhunter Mach 5

4 heads, 4 showers, 3 sinks, and no rules. The pump has flowed water at 60 psi for the last 7 years without a hiccup. Can't say enough about this little champ