on board washer-drier

[Alan Wheeler]

Slapping myself on the forehead.

Don't worry, I did the same thing. I asked the same question, but I have the one advantage as Admin, I can go back and delete my post :-)

I have often thought about custom building in a a washing machine. A simple box made water tight in any area with a bilge pump circulating the water so as the clothes tumbled around in the wash. Either another pump to empty, or a valve to change over so the same pump can empty. Wringing would still have to be hand done, but washing is taken care of. As for drying, I like the fridge idea. Otherwise, the lifelines and making your boat look like a Chinese junk.

[Boracay]

Has anyone tried one of those twin tub washing machines on a boat?

The ones where you wash in one tub and spin dry in another.

They don't look to use much water or power and the clothes seem come out pretty dry.

They are also fairly light.

[Maren]

Originally Posted by Alan Wheeler

Don't worry, I did the same thing. I asked the same question, but I have the one advantage as Admin, I can go back and delete my post :-)

Ahh, that's the secret

As for drying, I like the fridge idea.

I wonder if the fridge would generate enough heat? I doubt it would be an issue with synthetic clothes but cotton absorbs quite a bit of water.

I've tried one of the hand crank laundry machines and they work fairly well but there is a bit of setting and storing involved. They're a bit limited in the amount they can do. But I suppose you could permanently mount it on deck so that it would store bottom up. Maybe people would think it’s one of those KVH sat dishes.

[shirley]

Our boat came with one that was a washer/dryer combo. The dryer function never worked. We are a family of 5, so I used the washer part alot. If died on us after a couple of months...it was old, too old to repair, and they don't make parts anymore.

Anyway, we bought a replacement only we blew off the dryer and just got a washer. Ours is a whirlpool and it's an RV model. It holds an amazing amount, and does a wonderful job. I love it!!!

We also calculated the cost difference between it and laudromats, it will pay for itself in a year! That made it worth it for us. I believe we paid around $800.

Make sure you have a watermaker that can handle it. Our watermaker makes about 15 gal./hour. Also, you have to have the generator on to run it which uses diesel. If you're interested in the model number, email me and I can look it up for you. We were in Key West, Fl when we bought it.

[Lancerbye]

We have the larger of the two Splendids that WM sell, bought it last year. Its the vented type which dries well. My wife loves it, not having to lug baskets of laundry up steep ramps to laundrymats. And in the PNW clothes don't dry outside. The 12kw generator and watermaker take care of the power and water requirements.

[cat480]

Thanks for all the replies. They have been very helpful and informative. As a soon to be live aboard owner( the boat is being built) I like the convenience but not the weight and energy drain. Always a trade-off isin't it.