Which Watermaker in My Cat ?

[Overlord]

I Have a Leopard 47 catamaran. I have a choice of fitting a 12v spectra newport 400 or a sea recovery , compact 700 110v. Given that i have a 8kw genset , what would you choose

[YOGAO]

I would need to know more...

How many gallons/litres a day do you use?

What is the capacity of your tanks?

What battery bank capacity do you have?

What is your philosophy on running the genset? Do you turn it on in a heartbeat to give you power at a whim, or do you view it as a 'necessary evil' to be run as little as possible?

Living aboard 24/7/365 or weekend/vacation cruising?

Fair Winds,
Mike

[Dave852]

Originally Posted by chris smith

I Have a Leopard 47 catamaran. I have a choice of fitting a 12v spectra newport 400 or a sea recovery , compact 700 110v. Given that i have a 8kw genset , what would you choose

I would vote 110v water maker with no electronic controls. If you get something with 20 to 30 gph you would run your genset for an hour every morning while you make your coffee, toaster, charge batteries etc... If you are going to have a genset it's best to use it some anyway. This will give you plenty of water and be done with it. On the other hand if you go with 12v you will want to have a large solar setup as most people without a large solar setup wind up running the genset or motor while using their 12v water maker because if you don't keep your voltage up your 12v watermaker will not put out the gph. Also the 110v will cost you 5k as opposed to 10k for the 12v. Without all the electronics it will be more reliable. IMHO
Check out the ISO 500 Watermakers, Inc. Fresh Water, Any Time, Any Ocean

[Tellie]

I'd agree. If you plan to depend on and run your genset for most of your electrical needs then a 115V unit would work. But if your genset goes out so does your water maker. Counting on a inverter in that case would be too costly in amps. Water maker costs are a trade off on what type of cruising you want to do and how you want to live and what you'll need to depend on to supply your needs. There is no one size type fits all water maker. Boats and people are different. You need to understand the balance of what you need, want, what your boats capabilties are and what changes you'll need to make to your boat to accomodate those changes if any.

[JayH]

We are positively glutinous with fresh water, probably 40+ gals/day. We run the AC genset for about 1.5 hrs/day, and the DC watermaker about 3. Hence, an AC watermaker with a higher output would be more efficient for us. However, we view water as a critical system and prefer the DC since it can be powered from the solar panels if our AC system fails. We also hope to someday improve our refrigeration so that the generator usage is much less.

Make sure your watermaker intake is as deep as you can get it. My cat can't make water underway unless it is dead calm.

[foggysail]

Why a puny 12 volt system that will require almost an hour of running just to make enough water to purge the system???

Yes, as mentioned before, if teh generator goes west, the water will follow in an AC machine. But if the generator fails, that is a big enough Awe Shucks to get it fixed. I am building my own, it will output far more than I need. I will use any amount I feel like using without worry over water shortage. Heck, I even plan to wash down the boat with soap and fresh water while on anchor.

Quoting Bob McNamara's banging buck, one gets more bang for his buck with an AC powered machine. Just my thoughts---

Foggy

[foggysail]

Originally Posted by Tellie

I'd agree. If you plan to depend on and run your genset for most of your electrical needs then a 115V unit would work. But if your genset goes out so does your water maker. Counting on a inverter in that case would be too costly in amps. Water maker costs are a trade off on what type of cruising you want to do and how you want to live and what you'll need to depend on to supply your needs. There is no one size type fits all water maker. Boats and people are different. You need to understand the balance of what you need, want, what your boats capabilties are and what changes you'll need to make to your boat to accomodate those changes if any.

Tellie--

Yes, you're right. But inverters can do the job IF ONE USES 24vdc and no more than a 1HP motor for back up. And yes, you're right on the mark again when you state " how you want to live and what you'll need to depend on to supply your needs."

I just could never bring myself to build/purchase something with a small product output.

Foggy

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by foggysail

Tellie--

Yes, you're right. But inverters can do the job IF ONE USES 24vdc and no more than a 1HP motor for back up. And yes, you're right on the mark again when you state " how you want to live and what you'll need to depend on to supply your needs."

I just could never bring myself to build/purchase something with a small product output.

Foggy

I knew I should just quit reading after the first sentence. LOL
I'm curious as to why you think 24V is more efficent than 12V when considering the same amount of available amps?
You know I'm behind you 110% on your build. But bigger is not always better. That was my thinking as well when I built my first water maker. I have always suffered from the Tim Allen school of building things, but I've learned to take it slower as I get older. Oh, I did get your PM. I really wanted to wait until I heard that you were happy.

[smcauley440]

Like the comments on the water maker! We are looking at one big enough like you foggysail to have enough water to wash down the boat at anchor! It seems that the AC option is a bit more appealing. Does anyone know about engine driven water makers?

[Palarran]

SK makes a modular 1200 gpd and is available for around $7200. It really doesn't weigh that much and can be fit into small spaces. This is the one I'm looking at. I have a Village Marine 400 gpd right now and would have to run the generator too much with it. With a 47 foot cat I think your going to need a lot of water, and why not.

SK Watermarkers - Products - DB Panel Series

[Overlord]

I will have about 600 amp hours. I have the 8kw genset , no solar panels. I have 2 water makers and will sell the one i decide against. The one is a 12 v spectra newport 400 11. It makes 16 gallons per hour. The other is a sea-recovery aqua-whisper compact 700 and is 110v.It makes almost 30 gallons per hour. I dont mind using my genset every day for an hour or so. The spectra draws 9 amp -11 amps per hour.The spectra is 65 pounds and the aqua whisper is 150 pounds.Is the spectra quiet ? it takes less space and is a lot So what would you choose.

[Palarran]

Chris, I would keep the sea-recovery unit. Your probably in the same situation as I am. We purchased large cats in order to have large groups join us. They use a lot of water. I want guests to feel free to shower off and do the dishes. Besides, my own personal water consumption is gigantic. So, IMO, the 700 is the best choice. If you already have the two, which is newer?

[BloggerG]

Originally Posted by chris smith

I Have a Leopard 47 catamaran. I have a choice of fitting a 12v spectra newport 400 or a sea recovery , compact 700 110v. Given that i have a 8kw genset , what would you choose

Hi Chris I am on a 47 Leopard Motor Cat and we have the Spectra. It works well makes 16 Gallons a hour. I would advice a sand filter if it is possible as i go through a lot of 5micron filters here in the med. Do you have power or sail cat?

[Overlord]

I have the sailing cat. Both water makers are new

[Double-Wide]

We installed a Little Wonder by Village Marine and have been very happy with its performance. The Us Coast Guard uses them exclusively.

I know of several cruisers that have had problems with their Spectra units.

Cameron