Washer/Dryer Usage on Board

[Hooksetter]

Shopping for a boat and trying to decide whether or not I want a washer/dryer. It seems like it would be very convenient. Do those of you who have them, use them on the Loop, or is this one of those things that just isn't practical?

Thanks

 

[GFC]

We've owned our boat 10 years. It has a combo washer/dryer unit that we've used exactly twice, both times just for the novelty. Don't waste your money or space on a washer/dryer.

But that's just my humble opinion.

 

[Comodave]

Welcome aboard. We would love to have one but don’t have room for one in our current boat. We had one in a previous boat and loved it. My wife doesn’t like hanging out in the laundry room in marinas. So we would happily make do with a smaller load and not have to do laundry in the marina. One thing to look at in the combo units is vented or ventless. Absolutely go with a vented unit, they work well if you load them properly. The ventless ones dry forever and still don’t get the laundry dry. You have to pay attention to the load size because the washer drum and the dryer drum are one in the same so the dryer drum isn’t larger as it is in home units. If you overload them there isn’t room for air to circulate around the clothes so they don’t dry. But if you load them properly they will dry very well. You just have to do smaller loads.

 

[HenryD]

We lived aboard for 11+ years and have a stacked Kenmore washer/dryer. My wife did 99.9% of our laundry aboard...a handful of times she used marina laundry for blankets of something.
The washer/dryer was harder to replace on board - getting it to fit down the hallway and into the space than replacing the household refrigerator but it was well worth it.
For the first 5 yrs aboard, we were still working so the laundry needed done.

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

We have a washer/dryer combo. When we are cruising we use it all the time Gets pretty expensive doing laundry at a marina. Some folks also prefer their own washer/dryer.

 

[Insequent]

Having a washer and a dryer aboard is infinitely better than using marina laundry's or whatever. If you seldom use the latter then having a washer on board may not be needed. But if you boat use runs to a week or more at a time then they are great to have.

Mine are what I guess would be termed apartment-sized units in US terminology, seperate & stacked. I would expect most boats up towards 50' and above will have them as there will be space somewhere for them.

 

[Ka_sea_ta]

When we bought our boat the WD wasn't working, it's the first thing we replaced. We use it almost everyday. If you get a combo unit, the vented dryer works much better than the non-vented

 

[IRENE]

We have one, it is practical, we use it. Ours is a Splendide vented combo unit, and it operates a bit differently from the big conventional ones at home. You can’t toss in a bedspread and come back to clean and fluffy in an hour...this is a small unit and it is slow. As it turns out, we wear clothes that are a bit different on the boat, so the Splendide suits us fine. It is easy on power and water. Sometimes we use it just to dry bath towels to keep moisture out of the boat. We are not living aboard, but we do stay aboard for 20 days during vacation. On our last boat, it was a smelly laundry bag and hunting for functional machines along the way. We are not going back to that.

I think Alaskan Sea Duction has one - and they live aboard. He should be along soon with more advice.

Edit...he beat me to it.

 

[Portage_Bay]

Vented dryer vs ventless. Ventless is like drying clothes with a light bulb.

 

[Pau Hana]

We’ve lived aboard for a decade, and 8 years on this boat with a Splendide vented washer/dryer.

We’ve done laundry onboard all this time, and wouldn’t be without it.

 

[Simi 60]

We live aboard on the move full time and no marinas.
Have separate front loader washer dryer on ours
Use the washer weekly - never used the dryer

 

[Lepke]

If you liveaboard, a washer/dryer is just as necessary as the ones in your house. If you like hauling laundry and taking the time away, then don't get a boat with a washer.

 

[twistedtree]

I think...


- A non-vented combo unit is barely better than nothing


- A vented combo unit is infinitely better than nothing


- Separate washer dryer (vented) is infinitely better than a combo unit.


And based on the practicalities of your boat, you do the best you can.

 

[hmason]

Our combo unit died. Replaced it immediately. We live aboard.

 

[psneeld]

One important thing to me is boat size...(look at the boat size of the owners replying so far)


I have been living board for a total of 15 years aboard 3 different boats and always disliked having to find laundry facilities...but none of my boats had the room or specific space I was willing to give up for a W/D. Believe me ....I searched and measured my boats a lot to see if I could install a unit. I have even contemplated unusual units for washers that might work with using alternate drying options....but in the end decided not worth it.



Boats 40 feet and under, it's tough. Sure some can handle a unit...but then smaller boats don't carry a lot of water, so while cruising (when the W/D comes in real handy), you are probably being careful about water usage.


As to saving time...hit or miss. Big commercial washers in many places can do your laundry in a little more than an hour. Using a small onboard unit requires many more loads and your time attending to change out. At a marine laundry or close by one....doing something other than sitting in the laundry can be done...however many laundries or nearby buildings have WIFI so catching up on internet pastimes for that hour (and change) is not a bad use of time.


So while they are convenient (and believe me I have spent a lot of money on convenience things to have aboard... boat size and layout might be a determining factor too.

 

[catalinajack]

Many opinions as usual. We have been liveaboards for five years. The boat came to us with a Slendide non-vented model installed on the aft deck. We used it several times on our maiden voyage from Florida back home to Maryland. One of the first choices we made when updating the boat was to throw away that working washer-dryer. Even if had been a vented model it would have seen the junk pile. Notice one commenter said wash is done every damn day. Why? Because loads are so small. Bedsheets, towels, blue jeans. Yeah, not very efficient. We did the Loop two years ago. Yes, using the marina laundries was inconvenient compared to a home laundry but not much less so than those tiny Splendides. Plus, on the Loop you will encounter plenty of layovers due to weather, boring days of rain and whatever. For example, we spent six days in Charlevoix waiting for rain and winds to subside on Lake Michigan. Nope, we do not miss having that Splendide aboard. We are, however, liking the additional space made available by tossing it. One last note, the washer uses fresh water, plenty of it if it is used daily so if you choose to anchor out a lot, you better have big fresh water tanks. Oh my, another compromise to hurdle.

 

[menzies]

We have a full size washer and full size dryer in the lazarette.

It was near the top of our list when boat shopping.

When you cruise for three to six months of the year mostly on the hook you will find it invaluable.

Another thing we find invaluable is a trash compactor. When we bought Sonas Sian suggested we would never use it so swap it out for another galley locker. Are we glad we didn't. It gets used a couple of times a day. There is no recycling in the islands and we bring our recycling back. Crushing cans and other waste really helps keep the storage space required to minimum.

 

[John R M]

It appears that in this case, size does matter.

 

[Woodland Hills]

We have an apartment size Kenmore vented stacked W/D and it gets used constantly. We live aboard and have big water tanks as well as a water maker.

 

[psneeld]

Sure hope the guys with helicopters on deck would chime in....



Easier to get to laundromats that way.

 

[caltexflanc]

I think...


- A non-vented combo unit is barely better than nothing


- A vented combo unit is infinitely better than nothing


- Separate washer dryer (vented) is infinitely better than a combo unit.


And based on the practicalities of your boat, you do the best you can.

This sums it up well. We lived aboard and cruised full time for several years. Courtesy of a PO, we had a nice little stacked Maytag set. Absolutely wonderful amenity, especially since we spent the majority of time at anchor or on a mooring. We couldn't imagine doing it again without that capability. We also had a full size dishwasher, which was also a wonderful feature, but lower on the "need to have" priorities.

Some say that separates take up too much room. But keep in mind, it allows you to have less clothing and linens on board if storage is that big an issue. No need for a dirty laundry hamper either; throw them in the washer and then run it when full.

 

[FoxtrotCharlie]

Our 42" sundeck trawler came with a VENTED Splendide washer/dryer that we use all the time. We take big items like bedspreads... to marina laundry. Would not be without one on board.

 

[Retriever]

Before I had a washer and dryer aboard I didn't really miss them. Every week or two I'd do the laundromat thing, which really didn't take that long, since there were usually enough machines to do many loads simultaneously. Often it was pretty easy to get other chores done (groceries, hardware store) while the laundry was washing.

The current boat has a European-sized Asko washer and separate dryer. We probably average three loads a week, and it's great! But it does use quite a bit of water. With a decent watermaker aboard, no problem.

I've used a Splendide vented washer/dryer a few times on a friends boat and was disappointed. Maybe I overloaded it, or maybe it wasn't working properly, or maybe you have to change your wardrobe to make the washing machine useable, but after several hours of "drying" I invariably ended up hanging the clothes in the engine room or walking them up to the marina laundromat to finish drying.

 

[Fletcher500]

I used to make fun of our washer/dryer because it didn’t get used that much and just took up space. Since I retired in March 2020 we have been cruising a lot more than we have been at home and it gets used almost every day. It is now one of my favorite things on the boat. Another key is water, which for the loop won’t be an issue for you. We spend most of our time away from marinas so having a water maker to feed it is key, for us at least.

 

[psneeld]

For the OP...notice how many posts are where the boat is at least 42 feet that have washers and dryers...is that what size you are looking at?


Any cruiser owners here with boats 40 and under that have a W/D that can give the OP options?

 

[bayview]

Ask your wife if she would prefer walking the dock to use dirty machines that may or may not be available in marinas or onboard while doing other things.
Boat size does control the W/D decision but life style and comfort do also.

 

[psneeld]

Its has been rare for me to not be able to do laundry at a convenient time. Then again parts of the loop and other cruising areas it may not be....but the question is how much of your time is spent in those areas?


When it was inconvenient (like when working and living aboard), many laundromats that have a cleaners associated with them do wash and fold for not too much more...... when you look at around $1000 for a machine...unless you have a big family...that is a lot of laundry times and wash and fold occasionally for that money plus repairs.


Another factor is how you wear clothes and what kind of wash you have. If you have intensive laundry needs because that's what you want in life over many other things...then sure buy a W/D ....and a boat that fits around it.

 

[Woodland Hills]

In these days of COVID19, who wants to go into a possibly unsanitized laundry room with mask less strangers going in and out. I assume maskless if you are south of New York since we hardly saw anyone with one on in the Chesapeake and points south.
We are in our mid-60’s and have been diligent about distancing and masking, having the ability to do our own laundry has been a great help cruising 365 days a year during a plague.

I am curious, how much is a wash and dry these days?

 

[sunchaser]

For the OP...notice how many posts are where the boat is at least 42 feet that have washers and dryers...is that what size you are looking at?

Any cruiser owners here with boats 40 and under that have a W/D that can give the OP options?

These are indeed the questions. For those of us with offshore sailing experience the question then was where to keep the washboard.

 

[Spinner]

42 foot boat here.... it came to me with a Splendide combo washer/dryer, or as I call it, a “washer no dryer!”

I tried to use the dryer a few times. It ran for literally hours, used a lot of water (hot water provides the drying heat). Since then, I have simply hung wet clothes on a wooden drying rack. Easy-peasy! If I were going to replace this unit, I would either get a vented model or a combo unit with a real dryer, or give up and only have a washer.

I do like having a washer aboard! (Don’t have a dishwasher or a water maker though)