What to do about Water? tankage, requirements, watermakers.... etc.

[s/v Faith]

Water

  What to do about water?

  I have a storage tank up in the bow (monel) that holds about 15 gal of water (non original, in original location).?  I regularly drink the water from this tank, and it has not hurt me yet (arguable).

  I also have 3, 6 gallon 'Jerry jugs'? that I can bring aboard, but don't care for the 'tied on the rail' arrangement for a couple reasons.I don't like the weight and windage up there, nor do I like the risk of losing them overboard off shore when I am most likely to need them.

  I do believe it is important to protect your water, and keep it in more then one container so that if it gets contaminated you do not lose the whole lot.

  Carl Alberg was a genus.

  His design of my boat included a 'water collection system' which many are not aware of.   You can simply plug the midships deck drains, and then the rain water will all run aft to the drains at the waist.

 These drains are conveniently plumbed to two length's of flexible hose that are just the perfect length to run back into the cockpit through the cutout in the lazy-rat (outboard models) or just into the lazy-rat (inboard) to fill your Jugs.   Now, I am not thinking this water would be best for drinking, cause even if you let it rain for a few minutes before you start to capture the run off you are still going to be taking the salty run off that has been washing down your boat.. but if it rains long enough, or you are in desperate need it would sure beat drinking sea water.   This would be the ideal opportunity to capture water for general cooking and washing chores though.


The water makers of any greater capacity are (IMHO) just too much for a small boat.  It takes a lot of pressure to force water through the RO filter to make water, and any way you slice it that takes current.  I know there are some 'tow behind' units that don't take electricity, but instead work by directly converting cash dollars into water.I am not sure how well this works, and don't see my cruising kitty supporting finding out.

So, enough of my rambling on.. What are you doing about this water issue? 

(edit to fix weird formatting errors)

[Jack Tar]

Ever thought about going to your local camping goods store and purchasing the colapsable water jugs. They can be moved about for balast when full and squashed flat when empty. Triska carries something like 50 gallons in her keel tank. Makes for a rather nice stiff boat.

[The Edge]

Did I mention I used approximately ( ) 1400 lbs of fresh water as water ballast when I cruised the Bahamas.  If worse came to worse, I could syphon it .

[CapnK]

(Note: Craig (s/vFaith) and I have the same type of boat - Pearson Ariels.)

Craig -

I plan to make water tanks out of the original under-berth stowage. That'll keep it low, it'll be in multiple separate tanks (in case of leakage or spoilage), and will be an efficient use of that odd shaped space. Against the hull like that, each tank will have a low-spot where I'll draw the water from, meaning I'll be able to draw nearly all of it out when/if needed. In case of a holing, I will lose the water in that tank, but at the same time the sea won't be able to get further into the boat. I've got to do some measuring and some math to figure out how much water I can hold down there, but I can't think of a good reason *not* to use that area for this purpose.

The other place I can think of is where the porta-potty sits now. If the bow tank is 15-20 gallons, that area should hold another 10, easy, and it should be able to find a ready-made tank that would fit that spot.

I plan to rip out the old Monel bow tank, and use that area for stowage of spares and lightweight objects, since it is so far forward.

[starcrest]

on my ariel I sacrificed the entire v berth into a "garage'this is where I stored everything including extra water.I put 8 of those 5 gallon sparkletts water bottles in those stackable containers.I did away with the cusions at they took up to much space.I found that nomatter howmuch you try that water from inboard tanks alway develops a stale odor.I used that water for rinsing off after a sea water shower.I used the sparkletts drinking water for.....drinking.this setup with the front end being for storage is what I did with the triton and what I am doing with my current boat that I call " the range of m'ocean" a play on words rom a medical term.

[Zen]

That had been pretty much my plan for passages. Take a lot of bottled water, stored in a couple of places. Use the built-in tank water for washing, body, dishes, showers rinse, etc. Bottle water for consumption, tank water for utility and emergency if needed...

[s/v Faith]

Eric,

  How much did it seem to affect Starcrest's sailing to have so much weight at/above the waterline?  I read your account of the voyage (thanks again for replying to that original email I sent you.)  I just had to hear the 'rest of the story' after I heard of your voyage on the sailnet forum. 



I read were many  'authoritative' sources recommend a gallon per day per person.  That can ba an awful lot of water!

  I have heard that adjusted down to half a gallon, (but would prefer not to adjust).  Little things like rinsing my face, and other 'extravagant' uses of water don't seem like too much to ask.   

  I was sailing yesterday, and looked down, and came up with another idea.... my cockpit drains have sea cocks on them that could be closed under the right conditions to allow a few inches of water to accumulate in the cocpit for rinsing clothes.  If your cockpit drains were not connecte4d to seacocks (many are not) you might be able to use those simple flat rubber drain covers that some people use in bathtubs to accomplish the same purpose.

  I do carry bottled water onboard, a few gallons as a safeguard for when I am offshore.  I figure if I ever got seriously in trouble (like de-masted in the gulf stream) and had not left with a full tank forward I want to have something aboard 'just in case'.

  As for washing dishes, I also plan to install a small foot pump to draw sea water to allow me to do all but the final rinse of the dishes without using fresh water......

[Jack Tar]

One gallon per person per day.

[Zen]

Ok, so I'm to be out for 3 weeks at a time when making the passage. I should figure on water for 4 weeks ( 30 days ) just in case, that times 2 = 60 gals H2O
if that is split into 5 gals , = 12 / five gal containers/ 2 people/1 month

6 forward, 6 aft, not too bad, split port /starboard...

[The Edge]

Rain is not necessarily a bad thing.  Keep your dinghy clean and you have fresh water for a bath.  If it is raining hard enough, as during a thunderstorm , you can jump in a wash with salt water then rinse with rain water. 

I use a rag to wipe up the dew in the morning and clean the boat with it.

[starcrest]

since its best to have most of the weight up fowards it didnt affect it much at all.I remember one time I had nine people evenly distributed(each had their own pfd) and it did perform sluggish at the helm.there was a small geiser of water coming up in the sink but it was not much of a concern.the same was true of the leeward cockpit scupper.remember as you continue onward the payload becomes lighter.one other note...on the way back from both trips as the waterbottles were emptied,,,,,,,I used vp-os plotting sheets with indelible markers and wrote notes....messages in bottles....who what when where....I set these afloat years ago.my mind yellows in the sun....when I think of where these bottles are today

[Frank]

these guys even do custom if ya can't find it on their LONG list www.ronco-plastics.com

[CapnK]

Does anyone here has experience with any make of flexible water tanks? Defender.com shows 3 brands: Nauta, Vetus, Plastimo, and I also found a company out of Australia named TurtlePac which makes *very tough* ones. I imagine that there are differences in quality, I'm wondering how big the difference is.

I'm also wondering if using these bladders inside a sealed, prepared locker area would be a quicker, easier, and maybe more convienent way to have tankage aboard "Katie Marie", versus actually making watertight, drinking-quality tanks integral to the hull.

Ideally, I'd like these areas to serve as watertight (or darned-near watertight) compartments, as part of an overall way to build safety into the boat.

[Iceman]

I need one too
Any info would be great
Ice

[Jack Tar]

As I related in the other post I use the ones from the camping supply store. 1 to 5 gallon size, plastic. Once empty fold up and stow untill you reach a place to refill. Leave space for other things once they are empty. Now you might be talking about water bladers.

[Zen]

There is someone on Ebay who is selling plan for a home made water maker, also a generator

DC Genset and Watermaker    Item number: 8026382806   
      
Build your own 60gph watermaker for under $2000.00
Item number: 4602185173   

[CapnK]

Jack -

I used those earlier this year, but they seemed a bit flimsy for what I am looking for now (I somehow made one leak, once), which is a long term, primary tankage. I'm thinking to seal off the below-berth spaces, pad them with closed cell foam (for protection of the bladders, and for flotation), and then use the bladders inside that area. While they would be removeable, it wouldn't be really easy to do so - I'd like the areas to be fairly watertight at the least - think gasketed cover held down by screws or bolts on 6" centers. I'll rig plumbing for filling/draining the bladders.

At least, that's the thought while I learn more...

[Solace]

I to have considered a flexible tank under the vee birth. Right now the only thing up there is the head tank. There is room and it might be a bit of an effort to plumb, but I think I could manage it. Right now I believe my tank is 16 Imperial gallons - like to double that.

When cruising the Caribbean I will mostly be single handing - with visitors. I'm hoping that would be sufficient. The rest of the time I live in the Great Lakes - not like fresh water supply is really a problem.

Cheers!

John

[Frank]

My 1984 Jenneau had a flex water tank from the factory...no problems..sold the boat at 15yrs old. Revival has a flex tank for waste from a PO...no leaks yet. Both were the heavy black variety

[captedteach]

A guy I know used Vetus Fuel bladders on a trip from FL to Costa Rica - he was happy with those.  The biggest thing I can see with your use is making sure that all the little sharp fuzzies from glass work are sanded smooth.   I think I would line the area with a carpet instead of foam for your chafe protection.  To gain some extra emergency flotation you might look at some kayak/canoe air bladders that you can fit into low or non use areas.  For a total disaster type thing you could look at carrying a large inflatable bag and a SCUBA or CO2 tank.