Reasonable 12V Watermaker?

[Tspringer]

I had planned on building my own from plans, but the realities of too many projects and not enough time are setting in.

I want a water maker, I have limited funds, I wish to install it myself (and I believe I am capable) and I prefer it to be DC powered. It needs to come from a company that offers good support and information/documentation for a self install.

We will have a new 800AH bank of AGM batteries, a new efficient fridge/freezer setup, all LED lighting and a 520 watt solar bank (4 x 130 watt Kyocera's on an arch), 100 Amp alternator on the diesel main engine plus a Honda for backup.

There will be 4 of us aboard, I would bet on us using 25-30 gallons per day in fresh water.

What make and model watermaker would folks suggest? My budget says I really need to keep this at or very close to $6,500. Less would sure help! It also must not take up massive amounts of space. Our boat is a 1981 Stevens 47.

Thanks for any and all suggestions!


Terry

[Beausoleil]

We went with a Spectra Cape Horn Xtreme for about that price. Very efficient (the Clark pump really helps), built-in redundancy, and has an output of 14 gallons per hour.

With an 800Ah battery bank - especially AGMs - I'd look at upgrading the 100A alternator in the future. The solar panels will probably keep up with the fridge and the watermaker, but not much more. Laptops can be notorious power hogs...