Watermaker comparison worksheet

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Dirk Williams

... The one thing I'd like to change in my plans is a Honda diesel,gen set, don't even know if Honda makes one. I'm guessing they do. I can see me eventually purchasing one specific to the boat..
I'd like to get away from gas and run everything diesel and propane.

Sorry, they don't.

[Capt.Don]

Hi everyone, Merry Christmas and thanks for the worksheets. I will review later this week! Once I get further along, I will talk more with Tellie and Rich. Thanks
Don

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by Dirk Williams

Rich, at cruise RO, west coast, I think San Leandro, I'd like to stay semi local. Being an Oregon sailor. A diesel,Honda 2000, would be way way down the road. Like replacing this Honda 2000 gas unit.

Dirk

Please consider, if you want a diesel powered generator, you already have one...your engine with almost any high output alternator. I built my own Spectra from parts with Tellies help. Had Spectra rebuild everything, then in my Machine shop made all my modular parts. The boys at Spectra were impressed. We called my unit the "Marquesas". It has 2 boost pumps and a 40" membrane capable of 16gls@hr at 18amps or 8gls@hr at 9 amps.
My diesel sips 1/3gl@hr and I have a 55 amp alternator. By myself I use 5gl@day. But lets just say 2 people on a crossing to Hawaii. 10gl@day. I could make 32 gallons in 2 hours without taxing anything from the 330amp capacity house batteries. I also have 300 watts of modern smaller solar panels. So my boat doesn't look like the Bat-mobile on the water. I would run my watermaker every 3 days so back-flush would be minimal. With a 16 day crossing I would need to run the watermaker 5 times, totaling 10 hours or 3 1/3 gallons of diesel. So doesn't that make better sense than a gasoline generator?

[SV THIRD DAY]

We use our Honda 2000 generator to make water and charge the batteries while at anchor and then while motoring, once the batteries are topped up we flip on the water maker (20 or 30 GPH) and power with through our 2000W inverter.

Now unless you have LiFePO4 batteries you are NOT going to run a 1.0Hp motor just off your battery bank and solar.

But at 33GPH of water making, it doesn't take long to top off the tank and have plenty of water for showers and anything else your hearts content...