How long can you stay out on the hook in 30-42 ft boat?

[Mako]

For us the limiting factor is fresh veggies, especially as my wife grows so much at home.

I’ve had little pots of herbs in the past growing onboard, but for the future I’d like to find a practical way of growing lettuce, spinach, etc. onboard.

I spoke to a NASA botanist working on the ISS program about this. She cautioned me about small, glass greenhouses (pretty much a solar cooker during warm weather) and even against aeroponics. Perhaps horizontal hydroponics might work. On the space station they have experimented with clays, gels, soils and hydro. Anyway I still have more research to do.

Hope others here have had good luck growing practical amounts of edibles.

 

[twistedtree]

We have been out for 30 days, but on a 60' boat. That said, I'm not sure it's that much different. Mako's point about fresh foods is probably the biggest advantage to a larger boat since you likely have more refrigeration space. For us, if we run out of milk for coffee, the world comes to an end.


Otherwise I think fresh water and the poop tank would be the next limiters. With a watermaker the fresh water problem goes away, and as long as you are cruising where to can pump out in a civilized manner, that can be handled as well.

 

[backinblue]

Speaking of clothing, we carry enough clothing during our summer trip of around 8 weeks to avoid doing laundry.

That's 56 pairs of socks, t-shirts and undies plus long sleeve shirts and shorts in less quantity. . Everything gets washed upon our return home.

We got tired of washing our cloths at marinas and yacht clubs with only 2 to 4 washers and dryers. There usually are other boaters waiting to use the laundry.

And we don't have a suitable location for a washer/dryer on Sandpiper.

Personally I rarely need socks for boating, and not many undies either for that matter. I'm sure I don't own 56 pairs of socks.

 

[mvweebles]

Last long delivery I did was an N57 from Dana Point to Ft Lauderdale. Crew of 4-5 (owners son joined from Panama to FLL). 25 days and no additional provisioning. Boat had only a single Sub Zero fridge in the 22cf range I'd guess.

For my wife and I, we did a one month trip aboard our Willard 36 from SF to Channel Islands near Santa Barbara and didn't really reprovision. Romaine lettuce lasts easily 2-weeks when refrigerated. We can buy bananas on differing levels of ripe to carry us 2-weeks. We carry cabbage for salads which can easily last 4-6 weeks in that climate. Plus carrots, onions, and potatoes of course. We find that capsasim(sp?) style peppers such as Anaheim and Jalapeno last quite a while too, much longer than sweet peppers.

Of course, not sure how that would work out in Florida. Humidity seems to really accelerate the aging process. I'd actually guess it closes to doubles the occidation process thus halving shelf life.

Peter

 

[FF]

For folks near shore I think the limit will be the holding tank volume.

Cruising , not anchored , the limits will be boat outfitting systems , as few are set up for 2 or 3 months except sail boats and special build power boats.

 

[Hippocampus]

Looked through our log. For the last eight years.
4 months on the hard (winter storage in R.I.)
3 months wet storage for trips back to the US for holidays with family.
One week in slip for work on the boat.
All the rest on the hook. 7 1/2 / 96=0.078 of the time not off grid.
Long time without any runs in for stores was investigating between St.Vincent and Grenada. About 2 months. Broken by stop in Bequia to food shop.
All the above posts are similar. Limiting factor is food. Freezer space is what’s limiting. Our freezer(s) were stacked with frozen veggies/meat. The smell of baking bread in a boat is amazing. Storing starch is a non issue. It’s protein, veggies and fruit where you run into trouble. Eating out of cans just doesn’t satisfy.
Disagree about sail/power. Actually easier to put in a watermaker and additional freezer space in small power than sail.

 

[jleonard]

We (wife and I) used to do 2 weeks plus on the hook on many occasions in the 40 Albin. Carrying enough provisions is easy, 200 gallons of water plus drinking water, and 360 gallons of diesel made that easy.
Of course, we would hit up a few restaurants, from time to time.
We had 35 gallons of holding tank but in the LI Sound area where we did most of our cruising, we would just hail the local pump out boat if need be.
If we were charged up we could do 3 days without running the genny.

 

[Mako]

@TT do you have a sewage treatment system installed on your new boat or just rely on good old fashioned pump outs and discharges?

 

[rslifkin]

For folks near shore I think the limit will be the holding tank volume.

Cruising , not anchored , the limits will be boat outfitting systems , as few are set up for 2 or 3 months except sail boats and special build power boats.

Agreed. Many boat builders undersize the holding tank for use in areas where you can't discharge. Depending on the boat, water is often the next limiter unless you've got a watermaker.



And as others have pointed out, laundry is another issue. In my mind, planning to do laundry ashore every 2 - 3 weeks is no big deal. Realistically, other than making water concerns worse, adding a bunch of weight and being expensive, I could convert the forward shower on my boat into a spot for a washer/dryer. We never use that shower anyway (it's tiny, aft one is much more pleasant to use).

 

[Marco Flamingo]

My wife and I spent 10 days on our 16 foot C-Dory in Kyuquot Sound on the west side of Vancouver Island. There really isn't any place to reprovision. Water and bathing was available in many places (creeks). We used evaporative cooling (wet gunny sack) for the refrigeration of vegetables. Salmon, halibut, and cod were dropped off daily at a fancy lodge that flash froze our fish. One night the lodge said they had a vacancy and gave us a good rate, so only 9 nights at anchor really. We did have to go in to Fair Harbor once for fuel (23 gallon tank), but we were trolling and exploring every day. If we were just sitting somewhere, probably 20-25 days, but what fun would that be?

On my giant 30' trawler, it would probably be dependent on water conservation if creeks and rivers weren't available.

 

[Hippocampus]

We switched to NO cotton (not even dish towels). A all synthetic boat. There’s a wide variance in synthetic fibers and clothes. However if researched you can accumulate a cold weather and tropical wardrobe. Advantages are much easier to wash , takes up less room, functions better than natural fibers (exception is boiled wool for warmth). Last boat was plumbed for a splendide. We never put it in. Even with one you still need a big machine for bedding. Current boat has a washer/dryer. Expect will still use a bucket for undies and like footwear will continue to have a set of boat clothes and another for land. With a watermaker there’s no need to do the wash in salt rinse in fresh routine for dishes or clothes. So don’t think washing clothes is the limiting factor. As long as your watermaker works you’ll run out of food before clean clothes or bedding.

 

[C lectric]

There is a big difference between a 30' and a 40+' boat.
We have a 32 and we have stayed out for 6-8 weeks. We have a fridge, a 4Cu.Ft. and a freezer, 50L. To lazy to calculate the capacity.

We don't expect to change all laundry daily. We are very carefull about what food we take and the packaging is gone and repacked for less junk and space needs. NO beer or wine bottles, all cans or bladders.

Sponge baths instead of showers or a swim with a F.W. rinse.

I have some solar, about 250W, and in sunny weather it is enough to keep the batts up including a cloudy day. If the clouds sock in for more than two days then no and we either have to run or find a plug in.

However we do not anchor out all that time, a guesstimate is 1/2 and 1/2.
Even when using the hook we move from place to place.

 

[Hippocampus]

Holding tank capacity is limiting depending upon where you are. But would note there’s no holding tank requirement for most of the Caribbean and it’s pretty easy to respect the no dumping within 3 miles (we won’t within 5) restriction if cruising most of the US east coast. To date this hasn’t been an issue. Will note if you leave that through hull open its wise to close it periodically and fill the tank half way with fresh water. Then go out on a bumpy day with no stabilization for awhile. Then dump. Otherwise you get sludge at the bottom of the tank and down to the through hull which will clog it.

 

[AquaDestiny]

Ok, so here goes. I also have a 40 gal water limitation, my record on that is 2.5 weeks but that was alone and not on the hook just a very primitive "docking situation". MVWeebles has me pondering if its possible to develop a taste for seaweed/kelp salad....hmmm. I also have to wonder, if single handing....deodorant...ehhh...whatever. Save it for shore call.

 

[Simi 60]

. For us, if we run out of milk for coffee, the world comes to an end.

For a decade we spent several months a year in Malaysia and Vietnam
Became addicted to condensed milk in coffee
Problem solved

 

[FlyWright]

On FlyWright, I take daily "navy" showers which only use about 1.5 gal so no need for extra deodorant! (I calculated this volume when my shower sump pump failed and I had to bail out the shower pan for a few days.) Last summer, I experimented with a solar shower bag for yuks that I filled with fresh water and threaded the hose through the portlight and into the shower for use. It worked very well and provided water that, at times, was too hot. Next summer, I may experiment with using our fresh river water in the bag for additional water savings. Of course, fresh water swims reduce the showering demand.

I don't have laundry capability onboard but also favor synthetic material clothing to ease the cleaning and drying. Laundry facilities are fairly easy to find in the California Delta for use every 3-4 weeks.

I carry 75 gal fresh water in my FW tank plus an additional 35-40 gal of drinking water in one gallon jugs stored in trunks in the ER. This makes 3 weeks of water relatively easy when solo.

I also reposition in the delta periodically but have been known to stay in one spot for 14-16 days. My Balmar 100A stbd alternator provides great recharging for my house bank on repositioning runs. The addition of 500W solar to augment the generator and alternator charging has been a big improvement. Under normal conditions when stationary, I run my generator for 1-1.5 hrs when cooking lunch or dinner if I don't reposition for a few days.

When I'm aboard, I eat very well with mostly pre-prepared meals in single portions and frozen in vacuum seal bags. I use very little processed food or boxed frozen meals, but cook with natural ingredients and spices. I can prepare about 3 weeks of food at home then store it aboard in the 2 fridge/freezers. I also carry all the cooking appliances I need with grill, microwave, Instant Pot, electric skillet, air fryer, coffee pot and propane stove/oven (rarely used any longer). This allows me to reprovision and cook as I do at home while aboard for extended trips like during my 106-day Coronavirus Cruise March-July 2020.

The California Delta is a very friendly place to cruise and anchor out for extended periods with countless anchorages throughout 1000 miles of mostly benign, fresh water waterways and NO ALLIGATORS!! Many marinas provide free pumpout service and fresh water refills. There are also plenty of bars/restaurants to grab a meal or a drink on dry land when the spirit moves me. Reprovision runs need to be planned for towns with nearby stores like Rio Vista and Benicia. Fortunately, my marina is centrally located close to Rio Vista, Isleton, Lodi Walnut Grove and Stockton so I can have easy access to my car when needed for reprovisioning runs, repair/servicing parts and church attendance.

 

[ksanders]

My bayliner 4788 is set up for indefinite operation at sea.

We make our own water, process human waste as well as a municipal system, and have all the services onboard one might think up.

Our only limitation is diesel fuel and food. There is a residential size deep freeze and two referigerators.

Although I choose to spend time in harbors because I prefer the social aspects I could live at sea for a very long time.

 

[FlyWright]

Personally I rarely need socks for boating, and not many undies either for that matter.

Bob, should we start referring to you as Capt. Commando?

My bayliner 4788 is set up for indefinite operation at sea.

We make our own water, process human waste as well as a municipal system, and have all the services onboard one might think up.

Our only limitation is diesel fuel and food. There is a residential size deep freeze and two referigerators.

Although I choose to spend time in harbors because I prefer the social aspects I could live at sea for a very long time.

You're gonna love the Delta when you get down this way!!

 

[kthoennes]

We have an ice-cube maker on the upper deck. Haven't used it in years and I'm not sure it even still works. They're ridiculously expensive. This thread is making me think we should replace it with a small freezer for the Zombie apocalypse.

 

[backinblue]

Bob, should we start referring to you as Capt. Commando?

I resemble that remark! Actually even in the winter, you may see me running out to the grocery store in boat shoes and no socks unless it's really frigid out. But socks on a boat in the summer? Might as wear a wool hat and mittens too!

 

[Hippocampus]

Kevin tell us about your black water set up

 

[Lou_tribal]

On FlyWright, I take daily "navy" showers which only use about 1.5 gal so no need for extra deodorant! (I calculated this volume when my shower sump pump failed and I had to bail out the shower pan for a few days.) Last summer, I experimented with a solar shower bag for yuks that I filled with fresh water and threaded the hose through the portlight and into the shower for use. It worked very well and provided water that, at times, was too hot. Next summer, I may experiment with using our fresh river water in the bag for additional water savings. Of course, fresh water swims reduce the showering demand.

I was thinking about piggy backing on the head water intake to provide water for shower, just need to add a dedicated pump and go through a simple sediment filter and this is it. Was also wondering how much "pure" water should be for something like dishwashing. Using water directly from the river with basic filtering would be really nice.

L

 

[ksanders]

Bob, should we start referring to you as Capt. Commando?



You're gonna love the Delta when you get down this way!!

Yes! Renaming the boat as well

 

[Ken E.]

We are usually out from May til September, pre-Covid, in BC and SE AK. Rather than the need to come in for water, fuel and stores, we have found that we like to come into port every 10 days to 2 weeks just to stretch our legs, go to the store, visit restaurants. We don't have to but we enjoy the change-up.

 

[darkside]

I've done a couple of 18 day ocean crossings. Maximum time between marina visits would be around four months a couple of times on the sail cat. We dinghy'ed ashore for food of course.
We plan to take the new boat around New Zealand next summer and that will include perhaps a month in Fiordland where we have to be self sufficient. There are no shops.
Water is easy as there are half a dozen places where the fishermen have rigged up hoses that continuously discharge from nearby creeks to bouys in the bays.
Food is no problem at all, as long as you like fish and crayfish. I think we should be OK.

 

[twistedtree]

@TT do you have a sewage treatment system installed on your new boat or just rely on good old fashioned pump outs and discharges?

Just pumpout. A friend is looking into a treatment system, and depending on what he finds I might consider it. But as I understand NDZs, you can’t even use a treatment system, so I’m not sure it really buys you much.

 

[rslifkin]

Just pumpout. A friend is looking into a treatment system, and depending on what he finds I might consider it. But as I understand NDZs, you can’t even use a treatment system, so I’m not sure it really buys you much.

Yup, no treatment systems in an NDZ. Basically they're usable anywhere that's not an NDZ without having to follow the 3nm requirement.

 

[psneeld]

Using Type 1 and 2 MSDs are illegal in NDZs, they aren't supposed to be used in marinas in the "Clean Marina" program either. So more and more areas are being closed to using your treatment systems....

However, there is still plenty of water along the Eastern US coast that they are still legal. I believe Kevin Sanders has the "hold and treat" system which is perfect for those nights in closed areas. Then reactivate when back in legal waters.

 

[Hippocampus]

Anybody have experience with incinolet or like systems?

 

[phillippeterson]

Some very strange person went out and sailed around the South Atlantic for 2 years (or was it three?) just to say he did.

He sailed around in the Atlantic waiting for the right timing to continue the race and claim he won. However, the guilt and depression got to him and he suicidally stepped off the boat and was never found. He explained his situation and suicide in a journal left on board.