Water Hose from Dock

[PMF1984]

I tried searching and got a headache.

Recommendations please on a hose to go from dock faucet to the boat.

I pulled out last years and it is stiff and sticky.

 

[Max1]

Go to the RV store and buy the white hose that is used specifically for drinking water.

 

[PMF1984]

Max,

That I got. Am boat bound so it's Amazon for me. Several choices in the white R?V hose queue.

trying to narrow it down.

 

[tiltrider1]

The Flexzilla hoses always stay soft but will need to be cleaned each year or they will become sticky. They are expensive and bulky but great durability.

The zero G hoses also work very well. They stow very well and do not become sticky. They are cheaper than Flexzilla. They are not as durable but have good durability.

 

[PMF1984]

Thanks Tilt rider,

I ordered the zero g. I saw one earlier in my travels this moth and it will stow well. Also outside coating is paint friendly.

 

[Portage_Bay]

I like roll flat hoses that roll up like a fire hose. A couple of examples
AquaJoe Drinking water safe. BPA, Lead and Phthalate free.
LayFlat garden hose. I don't see a statement about drinking water safe.

 

[rslifkin]

I've found that any of the drinking water safe hoses last dramatically longer when they're drained and brought on board after every use. Not leaving them full of water and in the sun helps keep them from getting gross and slimy inside, and keeping them out of the sun prevents them from getting sticky or stiff and brittle. They still don't last forever, but it helps a lot. They last quite a few years instead of 2 or 3 when they're not outside all the time.

 

[psneeld]

Zero G for me. Had a Flexilla that I did like for more permanent use, but for overall use, lightness, flexibility, resistance to kinking, easy to use ends..... I have yet to see one that can beat it. Have had 3 now for boat and RV, all still good now for 6 years with just needing to replace 1 end on the oldest. The newest one, purchased several weeks ago is head and shoulders above the others.

Would NEVER own a white marine or RV drinking hose again.

 

[Comodave]

Zero G have been good for us. They stow pretty small, but not like the flat ones.

 

[kthoennes]

Boy, there is no way on earth we have the time or patience to reel out, connect, disconnect then re-coil and stow the water supply hose when we're in our home slip. And we also have a service Y on the marine faucet for general purposes and water tank filling. And then finally we run our house water hose under the dock finger so it's not running across the finger like a big trip hazard. We've tried them all - zero G, white, flexilla. I've gotten to the point where I just resign myself to replacing the supply hoses every season, for one reason or another. Last season I did buy a set of yellow Stanley hoses at a farm supply store. They seemed to hold up very well. We'll see if they get through next season.

 

[psneeld]

My Zero G hoses have lasted years out in the Florida sun.

As to doing all that work, I had 2, one onboard stowed for emergencies and the other connected to the dock water supply with a quick connect and left on the dock when gone for short periods. A couple seconds to connect and turn on or the reverse.

 

[rslifkin]

I guess I wasn't thinking of the "use dock water" scenario, as we never do (and don't even have a usable dock water hookup on the boat currently). Even if we're on the boat in a slip for a while, we just use water from the tanks and pull the hose out to fill them as needed.

 

[rwidman]

I guess I wasn't thinking of the "use dock water" scenario, as we never do (and don't even have a usable dock water hookup on the boat currently). Even if we're on the boat in a slip for a while, we just use water from the tanks and pull the hose out to fill them as needed.

That is what we do as well. I have heard and read stories about boats sinking at the dock because of failed water hoses and connections when connected to city water.

 

[rslifkin]

That is what we do as well. I have heard and read stories about boats sinking at the dock because of failed water hoses and connections when connected to city water.

I don't worry about it from that perspective, as any boat that can sink from a garden hose flow has nowhere near enough bilge pump capacity. We do it mostly to keep the tanks fresh and because having more stuff connected to the boat is just another impediment to actually using and moving the boat.

 

[rwidman]

I've found that any of the drinking water safe hoses last dramatically longer when they're drained and brought on board after every use. Not leaving them full of water and in the sun helps keep them from getting gross and slimy inside, and keeping them out of the sun prevents them from getting sticky or stiff and brittle. They still don't last forever, but it helps a lot. They last quite a few years instead of 2 or 3 when they're not outside all the time.

This is what we do. Not just to prolong their life, but to remove the chance that some passerby or dock neighbor will borrow it to rinse out his holding tank.

 

[rslifkin]

This is what we do. Not just to prolong their life, but to remove the chance that some passerby or dock neighbor will borrow it to rinse out his holding tank.

Also a good point, that's another big reason not to leave a hose out and disconnected if you plan to use it for filling water tanks. When filling up away from home, I only use our hose, never one that's already there (as I don't know what it's been used for in the past).

 

[nakika_guru]

Anyone have a lay flat hose that comes in a device that allows you to easily roll it up?
Some sort of plastic device that has a crank that allows you to "roll up" the hose and get the water out of it ?
Thanks
Rob

 

[jgwinks]

Also a good point, that's another big reason not to leave a hose out and disconnected if you plan to use it for filling water tanks. When filling up away from home, I only use our hose, never one that's already there (as I don't know what it's been used for in the past).

On the commercial boats I ran they had thier own dedicated hose for filling the tanks, never used for anything else. And always stored with the ends screwed together so dirt and bugs couldn't get in. I adopted that policy for my boat.

 

[rwidman]

I don't worry about it from that perspective, as any boat that can sink from a garden hose flow has nowhere near enough bilge pump capacity. We do it mostly to keep the tanks fresh and because having more stuff connected to the boat is just another impediment to actually using and moving the boat.

You are misjudging the amount of water that can come from a 1/2" hose hooked to an unlimited supply of water at 60+ PSI.

 

[rslifkin]

You are misjudging the amount of water that can come from a 1/2" hose hooked to an unlimited supply of water at 60+ PSI.

With my usual 75 foot 5/8" hose, yes, that's potentially up around 30 gpm depending on pressure and if the failure occurs right at the hose inlet. Realistically based on filling the water tank I've never gotten more than maybe 15 gpm from docks with good pressure. But even assuming 30, that will make a hell of a mess, but it won't sink the boat. Once the water level reaches the backup pumps I can move significantly more than 30 gpm out of the boat.

 

[kthoennes]

I posted way above that I don't have the time or patience to drain or blow out, coil, stow, and then run all the hoses back out when we're coming and going from our home slip - however, I do take the time to disconnect every quick- connect in the shore water supply lines every time we leave the boat. Even if the bilge pumps theoretically have the capacity to clear a 5/8 hose running at 60 or more psi, that assumes they'll all work when needed, all the float switches work, and the shore power stays on or the batteries will keep them going for as long as needed. I'd rather not take the chance.

 

[Comodave]

I posted way above that I don't have the time or patience to drain or blow out, coil, stow, and then run all the hoses back out when we're coming and going from our home slip - however, I do take the time to disconnect every quick- connect in the shore water supply lines every time we leave the boat. Even if the bilge pumps theoretically have the capacity to clear a 5/8 hose running at 60 or more psi, that assumes they'll all work when needed, all the float switches work, and the shore power stays on or the batteries will keep them going for as long as needed. I'd rather not take the chance.

+1 absolutely. You can’t count on the bilge pumps working perfectly and forever.

 

[psneeld]

Everyone's situation is different and how they handle risk management is different.

I always had a connected hose and the couple of on boat water leaks were handled just fine by just one of my bilge pumps. Not every onboard leak is the same as a hose blasting full with no restrictions.

That was living aboard 3 different boat totaling around 17 years.

When leaving the boat for more than a few hours, disconnect the hose at the boat end so a passerby turning it back on is no threat. Many of the other nightmare scenarios just don't happen as much as seems to be posted here in my experience. Plenty of liveabords use fulltime city water without issues and those with large water tanks seem to be split...some do and some don't.

Think through the situstion and your situation may be fine either way you decide.....

 

[ABfish]

Another vote from Zero G. But some of them use aluminum fittings, which will gall and seize on brass hose bibs. I had to cut one off of the hose bib at my house.

 

[psneeld]

Another vote from Zero G. But some of them use aluminum fittings, which will gall and seize on brass hose bibs. I had to cut one off of the hose bib at my house.

The newer Zero G started using brass inserts in the ends to minimize that...still have to watch the discharge end though if attachments are left on.

https://www.apexhose.com/lightweight-hose-zero-g/

I just use a plastic shut off on that end. Used to use one at both ends but now not needed.

 

[jgwinks]

I posted way above that I don't have the time or patience to drain or blow out, coil, stow, and then run all the hoses back out when we're coming and going from our home slip - however, I do take the time to disconnect every quick- connect in the shore water supply lines every time we leave the boat. Even if the bilge pumps theoretically have the capacity to clear a 5/8 hose running at 60 or more psi, that assumes they'll all work when needed, all the float switches work, and the shore power stays on or the batteries will keep them going for as long as needed. I'd rather not take the chance.

My thoughts too. Current boat has a dock feed regulator but I don't use it. I'd rather cycle the tank water to keep it from getting stale. It's a 100 gallon tank so I don't have to fill it all that often. The old sailboat had only a 30 gallon tank so I did use the dock feed, but I never left the boat with it connected.

 

[Pete Meisinger]

Just buy any white RV hose. Use them for a year or so then take them home to water your garden. They are cheap.

I'm no expert but I think that the way they lay out in the sun would be a perfect home for bacteria growth, One season should be enough.

BTW, I always run the dock hose for at least five minutes before I stick it into my tank . You never know what kind of pipe the water travels through before it comes to you. Most likely black plastic.

Finally.. I don't really drink or cook from my water tanks. Maybe a cupful to rinse after tooth brushing or to swallow pills but coffee, lemonade, etc are made from bottled water.

pete

 

[rslifkin]

BTW, I always run the dock hose for at least five minutes before I stick it into my tank . You never know what kind of pipe the water travels through before it comes to you. Most likely black plastic.

Same here. I run the hose for a few minutes first to flush everything out, then fill the tank through one of those hose end filters (which also gets flushed for a minute or 2 after the hose is flushed).

The hose flushing is why I use the same hose to wash the boat and fill the tanks. Generally if I'm washing the boat, I'll just fill the water tank when I'm done, as the hose and everything feeding it is nicely flushed at that point.

 

[lwarden]

I really like these braded hoses like the Zero-G 4001 series. They have a brass insert for the threads as someone mentioned so they won't corrode onto the hose bib. The great thing about them is the outside doesn't break down and cause the sticky marks all over your boat when you drag the hose around.

 

[Larry M]

I’m glad I didn’t drink out of a garden hose as a kid. :lol: