watermakers?

[blighbaum]

Does anyone on the SHTP carry a watermaker in addition to the required 21 gallons? It's been suggested to me that a watermaker might be a lifesaver if, for example, I were dismasted and proceeding very slowly under a jury rig. It's also been suggested that the extra cost (about $1700 for a new one) is a drop in the bucket (so to speak) after what I've already spent getting ready. (Or could it be the straw that breaks the camel's back?)

-- Tom Kirschbaum, Feral

[haulback]

I know you asked for advice from boats with watermakers but they will all tell you how great they are, which, if you want lots and lots of water. I suppose they are.

On the other hand, I DO NOT carry a watermaker and have always been OK. You would be surprised at how little you actually get by on. I figure on a bit less than 4 litres a day for all purposes (including the occasional 6 litre shower) and this has proven over a number of passages, some in the tropics, to suit me well. I don't 'ration' or get silly over NOT using water - I just don't waste it. Don't forget that a can of food has a lot of liquid in it as well.

if you are using dehydrated food, I would suspect you may need more.

By the way, I don't take other drinks along either, except maybe a few pops for special treats - I just drink water, tea or coffee.... in fact I probably drink far more water in a day while sailing than I do when ashore.

I have always felt I could reduce my intake quite a bit and still be fine, should something untoward take place delaying ETA.

Watermakers are no doubt nice to have, but just another layer of complexity to deal with and feed electricity to......besides, everything breaks at some point.

Jim/Haulback

[AlanH]

Since I'm home with an autopilot that won't power up...*grrr* (another one on order from Defender) I thought I'd check in.

I recall reading that a number of cruising guides recommend 1/2 a gallon of water,per day per person. I know that's pretty generous, for me. I probably drink more like 1/3rd of a gallon. But anyway, so if we stick to that 1/2 a gallon a day, and use up one gallon on day 10 for a sponge bath, that's a 40 day supply.....assuming you don't have a contaminated tank or something.

I bet you can get to Hawaii under jury rig in 40 days. If you're carrying two spinnaker poles, I wonder if maybe a better investment in time and $$ would be to get a sleeve made for the poles so you can cobble together a 20+ foot jury mast in case of total dismasting. With that you can hoist a #1 or #2 headsail, if not properly aligned (since your boat is fractional) at the very least, sideways, and make reasonable progress downwind. I have an aluminum sleeve on the boat made up so that I can link my pipe-berth poles using the sleeve and pop-rivets into a mast that will have about a 20 foot hoist.

[blighbaum]

Thanks, Jim and Alan! The watermaker I was thinking of is hand-powered, so I would probably work up a thirst just by operating it. A classmate of mine recently did the Transpac with a crew of eight. To save weight, they carried only 40 gallons of water, relying on their watermaker. The watermaker failed in mid-ocean. "With but one man of her crew alive . . . ."

- Tom Kirschbaum, Feral

[John Hayward]

For "life raft" type survival situations they say 4ozs. twice a day will keep you alive. I am sure this is not pleasant but probably means you could survive all the way to Australia. Since the probability of being dismasted is quite remote, I don't think I would use that as an excuse to buy a water maker. If you are talking about a built in watermaker, I think it's a waste for this race unless you are planning on extended cruising afterwards, especially in the third world in which case I wouldn't leave home without it. Another thing to consider is there are 70 boats leaving two days after we do. If you are dismasted and in trouble, you could probably get water from a passing stranger. If you are talking about the hand pump water makers for life rafts, I think with a functioning EPIRB on the run to HI you won't be in the raft long enough to use up the water that comes with it, not to mention what additional water you carry in your Abandon Ship Bag (I have 64 4oz foil containers in mine).

Now, if you want to be able to take regular showers even if you are dismasted then..................

BTW - I do not have a water maker aboard Dream Chaser now, but I will before I head to Mexico next year. On the other hand, I do have twin 75 gallon water tanks which I feel comfortable will last me to HI and back since I don't plan to be in a marina in HI.

My thoughts, worth what you paid for them.

John
Dream Chaser

[nereida]

As someone who has a watermaker on board, I must say I regard it as a bonus if it's working - which it (unusually) wasn't when I came up the S. Atlantic this year, when I would have really felt the benefit of it! (S. Africa is definitely not 'first world'!)
I carry lots of bottles of water 'just in case', in addition to 77 (Imperial) gallons in my water tank, plus fruit juices & UHT milk (for cereal and maybe tea/coffee - if I don't use the excellent dried milk powder I've recently discovered). Of course, I always carry emergency water in the Grab Bag and liferaft. I run a 'dry boat' on passage.
I always try to remember to turn off the electric water pump - especially after having twice drained nearly all my tank water into the bilges with a leak (slow learner!). Interestingly, when I last had that problem, someone commented that their foot pump had leaked and nearly had the same effect. In my case, I don't think that would happen since my galley foot pump is higher than the top of the water tank, but...
I have a (manual) seawater pump in the galley which is very useful for avoiding wasting fresh water & can often be used in cooking. I also carry 'baby wipes' to cut down water used in washing & showers....
.... just a few thoughts...

[John Hayward]

Hi Jeanne,

I am looking forward to meeting you! Be really careful in Colon and good luck getting through the canal in time! If we can't meet at the start then, perhaps, under the tree in Hanalei? Great that you have been chasing your dream for soo long.

We seem to have shared some of the same adventures. On my qualifying run last summer, I hadn't gotten out of the ship channel when I noticed water above the floorboards down below. Had no idea where is was coming from and wondered if I was going to have to turn around almost before I started? Turned out a fitting on the sink faucet had worked loose and I had emptied one of my 75 gallon tanks completely already. The screen on the bilge pump had gotten plugged with dog hair (down side of a long haired dog, even though he wasn't aboard at the time). It took a while before I figured out what was going on and even lost some of the water in the other tank before I discovered the leak. I did keep going but made sure all my other water containers were full.

Since then, I turn off the pressure pump when underway and mostly use the galley foot pumps for both fresh and salt water. They are below water tank level, but I would hear the bilge pump going if they start leaking. The water won't gush out like it did with the pressure pump turned on. I could also valve off both water tanks but haven't done that yet. Too much trouble every time I want a glass of fresh water for something. I also leave on the big electric bilge pump, just in case. I am still cogitating on that procedure though as it might mask a sizable leak unless I heard it running or saw water coming out the through hull on the side of the boat (unlikely)??? This could significantly drain the battery bank before I was aware of it. Might be better if I saw the water on the floorboards and was alerted to the problem????

I use Wet Ones for personal hygiene and Clorox Disinfectant Wipes for general cleanup. For showering, I generally use a Sun Shower in the cockpit, but do have a shower down below if I really want to get extravagant.

Cheers,
John
Dream Chaser

[erica]

I do not own a boat, but have been crewing on several boats with and without water makers.
Crossing the Indian Ocean we had a very effective inbuilt water maker and it worked fine all the way from Bali to South Africa. We run it every day, even there was no need. We had 400 litre water tank and have been only the two of us.On every island we stopped we could get fresh water. Only problem we had was, when the hose which connects the water maker to the tank came off and all the water went into the bilge. Because of not having a bilge pump we bailed out 40 buckets of water.
Doing the South-Atlantic Race “Cape to Bahia” on another boat, we carried only 100 litre in our tank to keep the boat light. We have been 5 people on board. Half the way from Capetown to Salvador (Brasil) the tank was empty and our water maker got on strike. We did not carry any drinks. We only drank water tea and coffee all the way. We used saltwater for everything, washing, cooking ….but we had a 40 l emergency water can for the 9 days rest of the race and did not have a problem. Another boat on this race, carrying the same type of water maker, had the same problem and was living on the water out of the liferaft during the race.
After repairing the water maker in Brasil 3 of us carried on to Fernando da Noronha which is 700 nm from Salvador. The day after we left, we noticed fuel in the water tank. This time the water maker was working fine and was for good use. Unfortunately we could not take on water in Fernando and had to carry on to Venezuela with the fuel in the water tank, only a few bottles of water and the water maker. In Venezuela we could get water, but not enough to clean the tank and fill it. We have been very glad to have the water maker to bring us safely to Panama where we finally could refill the water tank.
Sailing again on a different boat from the Azores to Portugal we did not have a water maker. We had two tanks and both were leaking. You will be surprised how less water you need if you really care about. We did not waste it and it was ok.

My experience is: A water maker is “nice to have” and bit more comfort as long as it works, but not really necessary. Even I will most certainly carry one on the boat I will own some day, I would never relay on it and carry always as much water as possible.

Erika

[blighbaum]

Thank you, Erika! "I do not own a boat . . . ." A clear sign that you are highly intelligent!

- Tom Kirschbaum, Feral

[John Hayward]

Erika, Great stories, thanks.
Tom, Trust me, it could be worse. Try owning an airplane! On the other hand, there I never felt the need for a watermaker.

John
Dream Chaser