Well I have the Cape Horn Extreme 330 on my boat and I'm also a distributor for Spectra and have
sold and serviced them for years. The differences between the Cape Horn Extreme 330 (CHE) and the Catilina 300 MPC5000 (CAT) are that the CHE only comes as a manual system where the CAT comes only as a fully automated system. The CHE is the one unit that was designed and engineered with the long distance cruiser in mind. It is the simplest of all watermakers to maintain and
repair at sea. You'll find these units on
circumnavigation vessels, the
Volvo race boats, and boats were energy is regenerated from solar,
wind, and alternators. They are the only system made that has the dual redundancy of two feed pumps. This system can run with both feed pumps running or with either feed pump running alone. This gives the long distance cruiser the comfort of knowing if one pump fails he still has another pump to count on. The replacement of the pump
head is about a fifteen minute job, three screws, two hose connections, and two wires. This is far easier, cheaper, and less frustration than rebuilding any of the other high pressure pumps on the market. I'd strongly recommend that you take along at least one spare on the long distances you are contemplating. Also, with only one feed pump running the CHE is the most energy efficient watermaker bar none making a gallon of fresh water with one amp used. I've had these systems actually go completely under water from a breached
hull on a Cat and sit in
salt water for days. We re-spliced out a dozen or so #10
electrical connections, took apart the 1/8hp motors, flushed, dried, and lubricated them, and fired the system right back up and it worked perfectly. To be fair we did have to replace one
motor four weeks later at about $340. Since all Clark pumps are not a piston high pressure pump type which requires an
oil bath it can be mounted upside down, sideways, or any configuration that works for your install. The Cat is also a great unit but again it is a fully automated system. It will produce about a gallon and a half less per hour than the CHE for just a little bit more amps per gallon made but it is still far more efficient than the nearest competitor in it's size range. It has only one feed pump
motor and uses a SS pump
head. The
remote panel does make it a lot easier and more convenient to operate the watermaker and also will tell you the condition of the system at anytime. It will also
alarm if any part of the system is having trouble. If the
electronics fail the system is designed to be operated manually with ease so it does not leave you far out at sea without a watermaker. Being a 12/24 volt system this opens up a larger powering capabilities. When you are motor sailing run the watermaker, if you have a
generator on board run your watermaker, if you have solar run your watermaker, if you have a
wind generator it's a good time to run your watermaker. If your batteries are topped off and you go
diving for three or four hours run the watermaker. If your generator fails out at sea you can still power your watermaker.
Parts can be had practically anywhere in the world because of Spectras worldwide distributor/dealer
network. You can contact any distributor/dealer anywhere in the world and they will take care of you. You can even call the factory during business hours and the engineers and tech people will spend all the time needed to help. Even in the unlikely event that you can not get a hold of any of those people, my
phone is, and always has been on for the last ten years 24/7/365 I would be more than happy to help you.