Reco a shore-side water filter

[Tom.B]

Looking to add a shore-side water filter for Bess to use to reduce water spots when she washes the boat. Any recommendations for a non-marine-grade unit from Amazon, Home Cheap-O, Lowe's, etc? Would a 1-use unit do or should we get one with changeable filters?

Thanks!
Tom-
(and Bess)

 

[Codger2]

Looking to add a shore-side water filter for Bess to use to reduce water spots when she washes the boat.

I've tried the cheapos over the years without the degree of success I was looking for. About 5 years ago I signed up with GE Moble Water. There's a down payment at the front end but they return the money after 6 months of paying your bill on time. Monthly bill is $18. I don't put the water on board...I just use it for washing the boat. Every time I come back to the slip I rinse the boat with the deionized water and just like "Jet Dry" in your dish washer, the spots are gone. I wouldn't leave the slip without it.

 

[Tom.B]

Thanks Walt... Not ready to throw $250/yr at it at this stage. Especially considering the state of our paint. TBH... Even as I shop, I am not sure what I need to be doing to the water to stop spotting. What kind of filter element do I even need?

 

[FlyWright]

Questions:

1. How in the world did you convince your lovely wife to agree to wash the boat each time?

2. Isn't it worth $250/yr to keep that arrangement solid? I know I'd pay MUCH more than that to get my boat washed for a year. There's no telling what I'd be willing to do for my wife if she would do the same.

3. Water softeners claim to reduce spotting....do they really work?

 

[RickB]

I am not sure what I need to be doing to the water to stop spotting. What kind of filter element do I even need?

Even the money-is-no-object large yacht crowd use a simple (but horrifically overpriced) WetSpot portable unit.

They are just ordinary water softeners cased in a PVC pipe and there are many portable water softeners that will perform exactly the same job for a quarter of the price. The chemistry is the same for every one of them, only the housing is different.

FF will probably chime in with something about RV versions but you can find them on Ebay and elsewhere for a couple of hundred dollars. There isn't any other way to stop the spotting unless you have a crew prepared to burn through a few dozen real chamois a year.