Watermaker - My Last Pre-Cruise Purchase - Any Advice?

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by Keegan

The Villiage Marine watermaker is very reliable and cheaper to buy than Spectra.
Cons are it is very loud when it is on, weighs a lot (which is not a big deal for some boats) and is better suited for 110 volt.

The 12v 200 GPD Village Marine unit (Little Wonder) weights 69lbs. The Spectra unit 200GPD (Ventura) weight 67 lbs. The VM is not particularly noisy.

Paul L

[Keegan]

Originally Posted by Paul L

The 12v 200 GPD Village Marine unit (Little Wonder) weights 69lbs. The Spectra unit 200GPD (Ventura) weight 67 lbs. The VM is not particularly noisy.

Paul L

As you go up in size the Spectras will be lighter than others, but the OP has noted that he does not care about that. At the smaller end they are comparable. I would not consider one that small for my application. Also, the spectras are not nearly as noisy as the VM, especially the medium to larger ones. Some people live by the freeway and think it doesnt sound noisy others need more peace and quiet than that.

[s/v Moondancer]

I have a 110 volt Village Marine...

Get a 12 volt manual. I spent $1,500 just replacing the electronic circuit boards and when the gen set and water maker are running it is very loud and cost 5-10 cents a gallon in fuel.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Geoff H.

Thanks, I like this advise a lot, going with 12v. Weight not a huge concern, but not in love with idea of a noisy watermaker. Hmmm.

Nor me. Had the chance to see a Spectra 150 running at Southampton Boatshow in Sep. Gosh the pump makes some vibration Okay it was on a stand in a boat show bolted to the aluminium floor of the tent but it was far worse than my honda generator. Are they all like this?

Pete

[Scott730]

Yes they are noisy, I used rubber grommets to help with the vibration, worked pretty well.

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Nor me. Had the chance to see a Spectra 150 running at Southampton Boatshow in Sep. Gosh the pump makes some vibration Okay it was on a stand in a boat show bolted to the aluminium floor of the tent but it was far worse than my honda generator. Are they all like this?

Pete

Hi Pete,

Like most systems, installation is the key. The loudest part of the Ventura 150 should be the feed pump, which should be no more than any other Shurflo type pump. For those not used to Spectra systems the Clark pump does have some small bounce when it shifts once every 5-7 seconds. This should be very minor if properly set up and installed correctly. My EU2000 is a bit louder than a Spectra. But if the 150 was vibrating more than a EU2000 it wasn't set up properly. I can attest to the fact that the demonstration units we use at boat shows see a lot more abuse than the average owner will ever give it and they keep on ticking away.

[Pete7]

It could well be that they had the installation on a desmonstration stand sitting on an aluminium floor rather than bolted into a yacht.

At least they had gone to the trouble to rig up a working example for folk to see and watch the piston moving up and down, water coming out etc. Several other manufacturers were present but didn't have working examples. That 12v pump on the Echo Tec weighs a bit doesn't it, nearly dropped it through the display stand (20 kgs empty).

Just wish I had the need for a watermaker, sailing around the caribbean instead of driving a desk on a cold soggy little island off the North West corner of Europe, with a long winter to come

Pete

[Geoff H.]

Thanks all for the thoughts. A former Village Marine dealer, friend of mine, wants me to look at S & K WATERMAKERS. I've tried to do a little internet research and they sound pretty good to me, but hard to find pricing for them, except a lot of references to how relatively inexpensive or reasonable they are. I sent an email to a local dealer (Long Beach) and will see what he comes back with.

[opsailor]

Used our Spectra T200 for eight months in the Bahamas this past season. Zero problems. Quiet enough. Have manual controls. On any nice afternoon, our 260 watts of solar run the pump and charge batteries. Able to clean and re-use the 5-micron paper filters several times to save $$. Have heard nothing but positives from other cruisers that needed help on the assistance they received from Spectra.

[senormechanico]

Opsailor,
The filters that come with a Spectra are reusable polyester.
A dealer will advise you to never use a paper filter.

Steve B.

[Pete7]

Tellie hi,

Whilst we are discussing the Spectra, is there any reason why the 150 couldn't be mounted vertically in a tall thin wardrobe?

Pete

[Scott730]

Pete
That is exactly how I mounted my Spectra, in a hanging locker. No problems at all. I will say it is very reliable and has never given me a problem.

Scott

[Pete7]

Scott thanks,

Food for thought

Pete

[syoder]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Nor me. Had the chance to see a Spectra 150 running at Southampton Boatshow in Sep. Gosh the pump makes some vibration Okay it was on a stand in a boat show bolted to the aluminium floor of the tent but it was far worse than my honda generator. Are they all like this?

Pete

There's no question that the pump is a little noisy. Helps if it's hidden away in a locker somewhere but you can definitely tell when it's running. OTOH, if you ran it while motoring, I don't think you'd hear it at all. I don't notice any particular vibration issues with mine. It's mounted on a piece of 1/2 " plywood which is then screwed securely to the cabinet framework.

-Steve

[syoder]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Tellie hi,

Whilst we are discussing the Spectra, is there any reason why the 150 couldn't be mounted vertically in a tall thin wardrobe?

Pete

Beauty of the Spectra 150 is that, as long as you stick to the basic specs regarding height above waterline, etc, you can mount it pretty much any way you like. The Clark pump can be mounted in any position. I have my control unit (with the feed pump, etc.) mounted under my galley sink and the Clark pump mounted under a settee seat. You can even remove the feed pump from the control unit and mount it separately if you like. Very flexible system which is why we chose it for our 28' space-challenged boat.

-Steve