How little water do you use?

[ksanders]

What I find most interesting about this thread is the wide range of water usage.

From about 10 gallons a day on up to well over 50 gallons a day for two people.

I am also suprised at the small number of people that use watermakers, and cannot help but think that some if not most conserve water while underway.

 

[Northern Spy]

I'd say water is equivalent to money.

The more you have, the more you use.

 

[Bay Pelican]

What I find most interesting about this thread is the wide range of water usage.

From about 10 gallons a day on up to well over 50 gallons a day for two people.

I am also suprised at the small number of people that use watermakers, and cannot help but think that some if not most conserve water while underway.

For many people the value of having a water maker depends on the cruising area and the cruising style. We have had the same boat with the same set-up in North America and in the Caribbean. The water maker was not used in North American although we mostly anchored out. Every marina supplied water and we were in a marina for at least a night usually within a two week span. Different in the Caribbean where there are times we don't lift anchor for a month and there is no water available in the anchorage.

 

[FF]

"I need to replace the lines from the tank to the faucets, as I'm convinced they're all foul."

Copper tubing works better than plastic.It can be flushed.

"I am also suprised at the small number of people that use watermakers, and cannot help but think that some if not most conserve water while underway."

Water use is a lifestyle not just a boating style.

I doubt we use 100G a week on land in the summer ,a bit more in winter as the dirt house has a clothes washer & dish washer.

 

[Tidahapah]

120 lt/hr water maker , 1000 lt tankage, no worries.use as much as you like.
Just wish I carried more than my 3000lts of fuel
Wash the dishes, wash the bodies, wash the boat.
If I want to go camping I will get a tent or a sailboat.

 

[BandB]

120 lt/hr water maker , 1000 lt tankage, no worries.use as much as you like.
Just wish I carried more than my 3000lts of fuel
Wash the dishes, wash the bodies, wash the boat.
If I want to go camping I will get a tent or a sailboat.

I suspect that water limitations, lack of dishwashers and washers, limitation of showers, are among the factors that discourage many less than enthusiastic boaters. I suspect many are not even aware they were the factor.

Having read so many books and blogs of those who do the loop, do the U, do Bahamas cruising, do coastal cruising, one thing I've seen so common to many of them is the burden lack of water creates. You read at each port about the trips to the shower. Probably read more negative reviews of marinas based on showers and laundry facilities than any other factors. Then you read of lugging their clothes to a laundry facility. Even those who gracefully accept this as part of the overall experience, definitely seem to find it one of the least pleasant aspects.

Often in looking at boats or talking about them lack of space is pointed out as an issue. Sometimes storage, sometimes comfort of stateroom. Ease of living aboard can make up for a lot of space. A nice long warm shower has great healing and comfort effects on many. Easy of laundry makes lack of storage much less an issue. A dishwasher makes up for some of galley storage.

 

[psneeld]

I agree...thus the "buy the smallest boat you can be comfortable on" is only really good advice for the highly experienced cruiser and probable liveaboard......thus lousy advice for a person who needs to ask.


They just know the romance of short time cruising and the occasional trip to the laundry and grocery or the inconvenience of dressing to go undress only to redress in places that sometimes look like back road gas station bathrooms and many aren't heated or air conditioned. The reality is unless you have the knowledge and have the money to go to places that meet your expectations....life can wear on you pretty fast.


Then there's long term cruising and not having your real hobbies along...or even just many little things you would like to have but don't have the storage.


Then there's being hurt or sick and the boat can be a lousy place to recover if you are walking to showers, laundry, grocery...etc...etc...


don't scrimp if you don't have to....it can be a long trip if both aren't happy with most things.

 

[BandB]

I agree...thus the "buy the smallest boat you can be comfortable on" is only really good advice for the highly experienced cruiser and probable liveaboard......thus lousy advice for a person who needs to ask.


They just know the romance of short time cruising and the occasional trip to the laundry and grocery or the inconvenience of dressing to go undress only to redress in places that sometimes look like back road gas station bathrooms and many aren't heated or air conditioned. The reality is unless you have the knowledge and have the money to go to places that meet your expectations....life can wear on you pretty fast.


Then there's long term cruising and not having your real hobbies along...or even just many little things you would like to have but don't have the storage.


Then there's being hurt or sick and the boat can be a lousy place to recover if you are walking to showers, laundry, grocery...etc...etc...


don't scrimp if you don't have to....it can be a long trip if both aren't happy with most things.

I'd say the opposite for long term cruising or liveaboard. Buy the largest that you can both afford (purchase and upkeep) and can manage yourselves. That doesn't mean it has to be the absolute largest, but 5' can make a huge difference. You will find a 48' may be twice the volume of a 40'. It's not just 20% larger.

 

[Bay Pelican]

When I started boating in the last century a 42 ft boat was good sized, watermakers were rare etc. Now our 42 foot Krogen is on the small end of the bell curve for the cruisers and many/most have watermakers.

 

[psneeld]

I'd say the opposite for long term cruising or liveaboard. Buy the largest that you can both afford (purchase and upkeep) and can manage yourselves. That doesn't mean it has to be the absolute largest, but 5' can make a huge difference. You will find a 48' may be twice the volume of a 40'. It's not just 20% larger.

Agree ...

My model is a 40 but USCG documented at 39.4.

Reality and experience force me to tell admirers...a "small, 39 footer".

My boat next to a Krogen 42 looks like a dingy.


I do give a quick smile when I vacuum...

 

[Codger2]

I do give a quick smile when I vacuum...

And how often is that?

 

[dannc]

I finally got around to watching the Hiscock's "Beyond the West Horizon" movie on YouTube last weekend. Great movie. Funny to see the scenes they filmed are often the same as what people to today film/photograph.

There is a bit in the movie were Eric says that they have 80 gallons of water on board and that they could last 80 days with that supply! I really wonder if he misspoke because that is only 1/2 gallon per person per day.

Later,
Dan

 

[psneeld]

with a small boat every week or when it needs it like when the dog is aboard ofr doing a project that involves dust/chunks.

 

[psneeld]

I finally got around to watching the Hiscock's "Beyond the West Horizon" movie on YouTube last weekend. Great movie. Funny to see the scenes they filmed are often the same as what people to today film/photograph.

There is a bit in the movie were Eric says that they have 80 gallons of water on board and that they could last 80 days with that supply! I really wonder if he misspoke because that is only 1/2 gallon per person per day.

Later,
Dan

Drinking water only?

When I first deployed aboard USCG cutters in the early 80s...we were still taking salt water showers, laundry was done in salt water, heads were salt water, I don't know if the galley used salt water for rinsing dishes but my sailboat as most were set up with salt water in the galley....

So for some...fresh water is really only important for drinking.

 

[Codger2]

So for some...fresh water is really only important for drinking.

I had the same experience in the Navy.

 

[psneeld]

I had the same experience in the Navy.

Doing it and liking it are still a big difference...


Survival schools and Boy Scouts was even worse with cleaning stuff with dirt and sand...then a bare rinse...so salt water cleaning almost seemed like a step up...


With high altitude, arctic and Kodiak survival schools....by the time you drug enough fuel for the fire to melt the snow into water....you were too tired to give a sh**.

 

[dannc]

Drinking water only?

When I first deployed aboard USCG cutters in the early 80s...we were still taking salt water showers, laundry was done in salt water, heads were salt water, I don't know if the galley used salt water for rinsing dishes but my sailboat as most were set up with salt water in the galley....

So for some...fresh water is really only important for drinking.

The Hiscocks were on a 30 foot boat in 1952. The only showed fresh water being used to drink and maybe cook. They washed clothes in small pans which they also used to splash salt water over themselves for a shower.

My next book will be one of theirs. I hope they explain the water usage and how they dealt with the sun. In the film, they do show a cover over the tiller. Maybe they took it down to film. I don't see how they could have been exposed to the sun and not consumed more water. Depending on the point of sail, they had to hand steer for day, after day, after day....

I had typed up more but the %^&*( browser crashed and I lost it all.

Later,
Dan

 

[dannc]

Drinking water only?

I had the same experience in the Navy.

Doing it and liking it are still a big difference...


Survival schools and Boy Scouts was even worse with cleaning stuff with dirt and sand...then a bare rinse...so salt water cleaning almost seemed like a step up...
...

We used to wash our pans and plates in the sand when we went camping. :lol: I am sure that is now against a gazzilion Federal and State laws since it was sand in a stream.

On my dads sail boat, fresh water was for cooking and cleaning. We just jumped of the boat to rinse off the soap. Worked for me. Just dry off quickly to avoid that icky salt feeling. Well, there was that time I almost jumped off the boat but I saw the water was full of billions and billions of small jelly fish!

Later,
Dan

 

[BandB]

Doing it and liking it are still a big difference...

That's a huge difference. People on boating forums, especially sailing forums, tend to ask and answer a lot of questions with "Can". I can do a lot of things I sure don't want to do or intend to do. It's like the girl rescued in Washington after the plane crash. She drank a little river water, scared to drink too much, but knowing she must take the chance on some.

To me boating is for pleasure, so I do things in such a way to maximize that pleasure. I don't do anything to prove I can to myself or others. I've watched Survivor occasionally over time. I'm in good condition. I probably could do that as well as most of those my age. But I sure can't grasp why I would subject myself to what they go through if I didn't have to.

There are certain things in life that if we didn't have we'd miss very little. But rationing of water is not something we'd want to do. If we didn't have a watermaker, then we'd make extra trips to get water at marinas before giving up some of the things that to us have become necessities although we know they really aren't. I think the correct word or the word that comes closest is necessaries.

 

[psneeld]

Used to hate flying off the cutters in the Caribbean back then...the suckers would change course towards the nearest thunderstorm so the crew could go out on deck and take rain showers, clean the ship, not sure if they collected any....


Anyway...back before GPS, LORAN C or any decent navigation instruments were installed in the helos....finding the ship low on fuel and flying towards that weather made taking salt water showers seem...well...small in the big scheme of things......

 

[Marin]

I've watched Survivor occasionally over time. I'm in good condition. I probably could do that as well as most of those my age. But I sure can't grasp why I would subject myself to what they go through if I didn't have to. .

Jeff Probst used to work for us and one of my co-workers stays in regular touch with him. Not a good idea to use Survivor as an actual example of surviving. The "survival" exercises and outcomes are carefully scripted and planned. It's a game show/soap opera, pure and simple. There is a big crew and support system on site; nobody actually gets hurt, goes hungry or thirsty, or is at any risk whatsoever on location.

There are some so-called "survival" shows on which the situations are actually fairly real. Survivor is not one of them.

 

[BandB]

nobody actually gets hurt, goes hungry or thirsty, or is at any risk whatsoever on location.
.

While there is a big crew and support, several people have gotten badly hurt. The weight losses, the bites and cuts, are also real. No reality show is complete reality but those on Survivor do face some real challenges I certainly don't choose to face.

 

[FF]

The early technique was to lower the mainsail enough to have a loose foot where rain water could wash the sail for a while and then be captured to fill the onboard tanks.

If it really rained the cockpit scuppers would be blocked to create a large bath tub.

Which also served as a clothes wash and rinse.

If you enjoy early sailing adventures , read some of the Tillman books.