Fresh Water on-board

[jrhodes777]

I have a 46 1988 GB classic. Two suggestions:
First you should draw from one tank at a time. On the 46 and probably the 42 the tanks are at different elevations. So what highest tank suction gets uncovered before the other tanks at lower elevations. On my boat the aft tank is lower than the forward tank.
Second check you tank pickup tubes. On my boat the forward tank pickup tube had a pinhole halfway up the tube only allowing to draw half of the tank.

[Tim]

My gb42 has 3 tanks 2 100 gals and one 60. All interconnected and I draw from a manifold. Use all three tanks, never a problem. But if you are using that much water you should install a hose connection with a pressure regulator that will allow you to by pass the tanks and water pump. I presume you are at the dock if you are using that much water. I had one of these on a GB 32 the PO who lived aboard installed. Find a convenient location next to your water source, drill a hole high on the hull and install, piping directly to your water system. I guess you would need a check valve to avoid back flow.

[hmason]

Most GBs have an outside tap. You can connect a hose directly to that tap and it will bypass the pump and provide city water throughout the boat. You will need a pressure regulator and a male to male hose adapter from any hardware store. The regulator must be installed at the dock end of the hose.

That said, I do not recommend using a dockside connection. I prefer filling the tanks as needed. We live aboard and always fill our water tank. In 12 years of live aboard I’ve experienced 3 water leaks onboard that could have flooded the boat had we been connected to city water and had not shut the dockside water at night or when we were off the boat.

[alvasurg]

Is there any excess water in your bilge? I thought I had a leak because of a fixed amount of water in the bilge then found out that my anchor cleaning faucet was on without me knowing it. I always dock stern in and hadn't seen the slow drip from the locker in the bow!!

[MVDarlin]

I would buy a flow meter to hook to your fill hose to check your consumption. $15 on Amazon. You should be able to use only 15 gallons per day fresh without toilets. Maybe consider plumbing toilets to salt water.

[MVDarlin]

Buy a $15 water flow meter on Amazon to hook to your fill hose and check capacity /consumption. I have a 52ft Ocean Alexander and use about 20 gal per day with salt water toilets and W/D. Also consider converting your potties to salt water.