Any ideas about how i can add hot water?

[CF32907]

Originally Posted by riki

Hi folks.
I would like to have hot water in my only bathroom for shower. Got only manual pums and due to my small water tanks would be wise to keep it this way. Do you have any suggestions about brands/products i can use? Got 1 outboard so engine is not an option.
Cheers

CaptVR here. I had a 65" schooner for 6 years in the Caribbean. Had a water heater and a diesel engine, had a mini hot tub for a tub in the main shower. Used it mainly to keep crab and lobster alive for dinners. (no refrigerator)
Our main shower was a 2.5 gallon pump up bug sprayer that I had painted black, would heat water to just under hot but uncomfortably warm if you did not check it first. This sprayer was used for rinsing snorkling gear daily, showers for three adults and one child. it washed off the outside cutting board daily from cleaning fish. We also washed dishes with sea water and rinsed them with fresh water, yes the pump sprayer. We did have a 12v water system, but even with 200 gallons of water, the fam went through it fast. The pump jug was a fresh water saver in spades. In the Caribbean water was .35 a gallon 25 years ago. Saved lots of cruising funds with the pump sprayer.
If you get one, make sure and use the paint for plastics (Fusion) by Krylon.
With manual pumps, propane, diesel and electric is out anyway......Last couple years just had a Macgreger 26X, again, have pressure 12v, but still use a pump sprayer, now mainly because I only have 35 gallons of water. Hope I gave you a few ideas, happy sailing to all.
Have a great day, Capt. Vince Rakstis, Ret.

[boat driver]

how do you cook?
I am a bit confused on the water system concept unless you are foot pumping on-demand, but design a coil that sits on the stove and passes fresh water thru enroute to the shower head.

[riki]

Again, thank you all for chiming in. It is indeed very complicated and what TrentePieds says does worry me quite a bit......yes, i still can keep an open hatch, but....this was the reason why i don't like too much the idea of propane onboard.
Difficult choice.

Maybe a portable propane water heater (the camping stuff) fitted outside just for showers? It's quite small and light.....might be an option.

[riki]

Originally Posted by boat driver

how do you cook?
I am a bit confused on the water system concept unless you are foot pumping on-demand, but design a coil that sits on the stove and passes fresh water thru enroute to the shower head.

Gas of course. I keep the tanks outside the cabin in a small ventilated compartment.

[CF32907]

Originally Posted by riki

Again, thank you all for chiming in. It is indeed very complicated and what TrentePieds says does worry me quite a bit......yes, i still can keep an open hatch, but....this was the reason why i don't like too much the idea of propane onboard.
Difficult choice.

Maybe a portable propane water heater (the camping stuff) fitted outside just for showers? It's quite small and light.....might be an option.

CaptVR here again. I have seen the little Coleman propane water heater. It is self contained, uses the 1lb cylinders of PP, and a battery operated pump. All in one system. I still elected to use my pump sprayer. The sprayer is so versatile from rinsing feet, showers, dishes, cleaning fish out side. No battery drain.
Most of the on demand propane water heaters run between 5 and 10 Ltr. I have a 5L I use here at the house. Works great, but you must remember that these heaters require a minimum of 2L flow to function, thats a lot of water for one shower. The pumper you use maybe a liter, two if you linger. (wash your hair good). Unless your flush, plenty of money, large water tank, and plenty of DC power, the pump jug is the way to go for a long term cruiser.
The little Coleman Camp Shower does look like a viable solution, just that much more hassle, may be worth it for some, 70 years out on the water, I go with simplicity.... Great sailing all, Capt. Vince Rakstis, Ret. St.Petersburg, Fl.

[riki]

Originally Posted by CF32907

CaptVR here again. I have seen the little Coleman propane water heater. It is self contained, uses the 1lb cylinders of PP, and a battery operated pump. All in one system. I still elected to use my pump sprayer. The sprayer is so versatile from rinsing feet, showers, dishes, cleaning fish out side. No battery drain.
Most of the on demand propane water heaters run between 5 and 10 Ltr. I have a 5L I use here at the house. Works great, but you must remember that these heaters require a minimum of 2L flow to function, thats a lot of water for one shower. The pumper you use maybe a liter, two if you linger. (wash your hair good). Unless your flush, plenty of money, large water tank, and plenty of DC power, the pump jug is the way to go for a long term cruiser.
The little Coleman Camp Shower does look like a viable solution, just that much more hassle, may be worth it for some, 70 years out on the water, I go with simplicity.... Great sailing all, Capt. Vince Rakstis, Ret. St.Petersburg, Fl.

Hello CaptVR, i was looking at a review of the Coleman just when you posted! I admit that i find these little water heaters interesting because they are basically "plug and play": no additional pumps, no additional hoses.....and i cannot imagine any monoxide issue during a 3/4 minutes shower. Still i have to admit that with my small water tanks water consumtion for just a shower should be wisely considered.
The sprayer still a good option indeed, will have a look.
cheers

[Mike Banks]

You have only one real option--make yourself a solar collector and a small storage cylinder for a few gallons of hot water. Be careful though--that water on a sunny day will be close to boiling.

If you want to spend some more money, instead put a decent sized solar array on your coachhouse roof, or on a hard-topped bimini type shellter, and run a small thermostat controlled DC storage water heater from it. That will save you being scalded--at a price--and will also charge your battery bank.

I ran a propane on-demand fully temperature-adjustable Bosch system, which spun a turbine and lit itself whenever a hot tap was turned on, and it ran via a Jabsco electric pump which had been after-fitted with decent bearings instead of the crap noisy ones with which it came. In five years aboard with two of us full time, it ran perfectly and without problems. That is what I would do again--unless I was making a long ocean passage with limited fresh water.

[JPA Cate]

riki,

We used a solar shower for on the order of 17 years. And on that boat, it was always done in the cockpit, to avoid stinky soap scum in the bilge. We had a privacy curtain. Unless you have a separate shower sump, you, too, may prefer to shower above decks. You may want to add hot water from the stove in the colder times, but you can still shower below decks, just add some hose so it will reach in through the port in the head. For us, the pleasure of the shower made it worthwhile, and although it is sort of like time travel, it worked all right. We have also used the garden sprayer painted black method. I liked the solar shower better.



Ann

[hzcruiser]

Originally Posted by riki

The problem with the electric pump is that i have only 150lt fresh water tanks, too small and i will probably get them empty in no time with electrics, this is why i would like to avoid them as hell.

Well, the water has to come from somewhere, it's the shower head that you might need to look at if you want to conserve as much as possible.

The hand-held garden washers do waste less water of course compared to a fixed installation.

[warrior 90]

Originally Posted by Splash of Lime

Captain Chuck here.

I just had them install an electronic on demand heater I bought at Home Depot. No weight, on demand and works great. Out with the old super heavy water heater and the new one is great, works like a charm and very light weight. Good luck, but I recommend the light weight electric heater on demand.

You say electronic on demand from Home Depot
light weight electric water heater on demand
Do I miss something ?
What heater are You talking about ?

[john61ct]

Using electricity to heat water makes sense only in very limited, often even rare circumstances

[rmlarson1098]

Originally Posted by riki

Hi folks.
I would like to have hot water in my only bathroom for shower. Got only manual pums and due to my small water tanks would be wise to keep it this way. Do you have any suggestions about brands/products i can use? Got 1 outboard so engine is not an option.
Cheers

We use solar water heating bags, and they work well when the sun shines. That’s it other than the tea kettle - this is easier if you don’t cruise where it’s cold, obviously. Met a guy last year that coiled (50’?) of black rubber hose on deck, which heated water to a VERY hot temp in a few hours when it was sunny. I think you’d have to pay attention to this arrangement as the heat might damage the deck if left for too long.

[Splash of Lime]

Originally Posted by Splash of Lime

Captain Chuck here.

I just had them install an electronic on demand heater I bought at Home Depot. No weight, on demand and works great. Out with the old super heavy water heater and the new one is great, works like a charm and very light weight. Good luck, but I recommend the light weight electric heater on demand.

By the way, no flame, no fire. All you need is the tank, and a pressure tank that they installed plus the pump. All works very nice. Nice hot water on demand. Showers etc, no problem and all that weight of a water type water heat, GONE.

[Don C L]

Well my buddy got one of these for his boat, but it seemed a little too Rube Goldberg to me considering how easy, safe, and better the pump sprayer is. (That's what I use and I have no idea why anyone does not use it, especially on a smaller boat.)

[Splash of Lime]

Well our vessel is 48' so lots of room in the engine room. I took out the old water heater that weighed tons even when empty. So i found at Home Depot a small electric on demand water heater. My wife wants hot water for showers and dishes. So anyway I bought it and gave it to the guys at the Boat Yard in Mexico - and they installed it. The heater on demand is about 24' high and about 12" wide and weighs about 2 lbs. (Beats the hell out of at least 60 to 80lb+ water heater.) You also need a tank pressure tank. So I bought a 2 gallon tank from Defenders and they shipped it. So the electrician who installed it did a great job. Works like charm, everyone is happy and that makes me happy. The heater only comes on demand. So it is not on all the time, it heats very fast. About 20 seconds or less. Yes it does takes some juice but only for a short time. Then it is off. So we turn off the switch on the panel when not in use even though it does not run when off. I would absolutely suggest this type of water heater to everyone. Why not, light weight, and it works, and it was not expensive. By the way, our boat is "Casablanca" 48' Hershine.