Fuel & Water storage

[meyermm]

I am interested to no how owners of newer style boats (Beneteau etc) cope with very small water and particularly fuel tank capacity. I am looking to buy one of these boats for long distance blue water cruising. From my research under 45ft fuel and water storage is minimal. Water maker will solve that side of things but fuel? Even on my last boat that had 110gallons of fuel we still required fuel on deck for longer legs although a little less engine use could have been managed.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by meyermm

I am interested to no how owners of newer style boats (Beneteau etc) cope with very small water and particularly fuel tank capacity..

Eh? I have 160 hours in my fuel tank and 420 litres water....

[meyermm]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Eh? I have 160 hours in my fuel tank and 420 litres water....

Mark how does that work out in knm

[donradcliffe]

Even running through the doldrums, I have never needed more than 75 gallons of fuel, which is good for about 600 miles of motoring in calms. A watermaker will supplement the water tankage.

[meyermm]

Thank you all

[sushirama]

I was looking at Hunters and Beneteaus also. Same thing that the tanks are about 40 gallons but also the engines are like 17 to 25 hp range. That would mean you can burn less fuel and maybe longer ranger per tank. Of course you could always repower and retank. How are the tanks setup on say a hunter 35 or 38? Can they be semi-easily replaced with larger tanks? Or if they are integral to the hull can additional tankage be added?

[meyermm]

17-25hp is definately what I would call underpowered

[Pathfinder]

For extra water storage, Reliance Plastic Industries makes "solar showers" which you may get from Amazon or Target stores online that are dark in color and last well for storing extra water. $10.00 for 5 gal container.
[IMG]file:///C:/Users/Dennis/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg[/IMG]

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by sushirama

engines are like 17 to 25 hp range. That would mean you can burn less fuel and maybe

Where you get this from? Ours is 56hp.
And economy is half charging half running at about 5kts

Remember you are not pushing a 15 ton full keel boat. Ours is 7.5 ton, fin keel.

How much extra drag is a 15 ton full keeler against a 7.5 fin keel? 3? 5 times? Even if its twice thats a hell of a lot.

I bought 8 extra gerrys so we could do the Pacific from Panama to Sydney without refuling. I topped up in Galapagos as it was US$1 per gallon! and Tonga as i thought I might have to do some motoring... but I would have made it trans pac on the internal tank plus gerrys incl cruisng.

I must admit our consumption is on the ;miraculous' level. I always get a surprised how little it sips.

By the way, all the gerrys are stored in one of our lazaretts... as well as that it holds our inflatable dinghy too.. spare anchor, para anchor and drogue, BBQ, 12 months supply toilet paper and suitcase.


So thats another thing... we got storage...

[meyermm]

Mark I have read many of your comments and have come to the conclusion that you are cruising on a very tight budget. I admire you for it but would make the comment that you are doing without some creature comforts that most cruising couples would not be prepared to for go. Some have cruised without a motor. Most would not cross the Pacific with a set of worn out charter boat sails. Water capacity of Beneteau without water maker etc

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by meyermm

Water capacity of Beneteau without water maker etc

LOL Do you know how much a water maker costs? They are not $5k! They are much more.

Most boats cruising don't have one.
and most boats cruising that we have met have less than 420 litres of fresh water. It sure doesn't put us down the bottom of the heap
I am remembering one boat that has 120 litres and says its a months supply! Someone must smell on that boat!
Our water lasts us 3 weeks on passage and 2 weeks close to resuply.

But if you have a better budget and can afford a better, larger boat, go for it

Cruising doesn't need to be on a $100,000 per annum budget. But it can be! If you have it you will have a very enjoyable time... more eating out than us... or maybe just able to do better restaurants than we do.

Our worn out sails have done us 12,000 miles and need to do us a few more thousand till we replace them in Thailand. We need to sail conservatively and tuck in a reef earlier than some... but we still have better passage times... Galapagos to Marquesas in 19 days...
The saving in money terms of getting new sails in Thailand, and a year after many would have, will be cash in the bank for when we get to the Med.

The other point about our very tight budget. Our budget is in the highest third of boats quoted budgets in the poll thread.
I am absolutely stuffed how people cruise on $1,000 per month or $2,000 per month but many say they do it under $1,000 per month!

But the final thing is: We are doing it. We have left and are not coming back.
However you finaly do it, when you have finally gone and are cruising, you will find the important bit is that you are cruising, not the little things that any budget means you can not have

I could be sitting in Sydney working for a watermaker... or I could have had the last year doing what we are doing. I feel I made the right decision.




Mark

[meyermm]

Mark I made the point that I admired the way you are doing it and realise that not everyone does it the same way or on the same budget but you seem to have taken it as a personnal attack. Secondly I would challenge you on the point of average cruising equipment levels both for comfort and safety.

[James S]

Meyermm
I don’t read Marks response as if he has taken it as a personal attack....look at his picture....he spends a lot of time in the sun....and based on his past replies on other threads.....he has thick skin.
Like you, I admire the way he's doing it.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by meyermm

Secondly I would challenge you on the point of average cruising equipment levels both for comfort and safety.

No offense taken

But I don't agree with any lack of safety. Just because sails may be ready for replacement does not mean they are unsafe. They are not at their optimum for racing, but they are quite OK for going upwind or getting off a lee shore or for avoiding embayment.

As for creature comforts I can tell you that you are mistaken about what you think is being trundled accross the pacific or atlantic!

Those with watermakers are in the minority. However we would dearly love one! A biggie!

Fortunately cruising is not 'one size fits all'.

I am just commending you to action now, not in 5 years!

If you can afford a watermaker now, excellent! But don't keep working at the grindstone for years to buy something that is not really necessary
That goes for cupaccino machines and eletric winches too... fun they may be but not imho worth sitting in an office for a moment longer to pay for them.

I am not ridiculing your research or your efforts to buy the right equipment but are you sure you are looking at the right figures?

I note a Cabo Rico 38
Engine: 44hp diesel; fuel: 58 gals; water: 150 gals;

Can't you see that its water and my water are virtually the same? 150gals = 550 ltires
Its dispalcement of 12 tons on a smaller engine, in fact its lead in the keel is more than my entire displacement. Of coure it needs the extra 20 gals of fuel because it would burn twice the amount of fuel I burn.
Plus where would you fit a watermaker? I've ben on one recently and it would be a tight squeeze. Partialy due to its LWL being 6 feet shorter than mine.

I am not slagging Cabo Rico's, they are fine boats.

Anyway, I've given enough here to be either helpful at least thought provoking.

Maybe you can help by giving some examples of boats you are more in favor of.

Mark

[meyermm]

"Maybe you can help by giving some examples of boats you are more in favor of" Mark you have obviously taken this the wrong way as I have not slagged your boat, the whole point of this thread was to find out what others like yourself had on board and maybe ways and means I have not thought about. Secondly the other reason for my question is that I am looking to buy just the sought of boat your sailing on! With due regard to your experience I have also purchased a boat and sailed across the pacific. But it was an older style heavy displacement boat of which they seemed to be in the majority where ever we anchored. Prior to taking off from Mexico in a following group to the annual Puddle Jump we were informed that a yacht that had left some six weeks before with a couple and two small children on board had still not arrived in the Marquesas due to lack of wind. They obviously could not motor all the way due to fuel capacity so in a situation like this fuel and water does become a safety issue particularly the water. Just as a worn out set of bareboat charter sails could also slow your rate of crossing if they decide to call it a day. With no spare sails it will not matter how light and fast the boat is. My point being if that is the chance you want to take fine but most people in charge of a vessel with others aboard (wife) would like to have some more back up systems aboard. We are not talking coastal or short passage making I am talking serious Bluewater passages.