Are watermakers losing their relevance?

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

And in other parts of the world high quality potable water is free.

And if you only stayed in those areas it would not make sense to purchase or maintain a watermaker. Pretty simple.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

And in other parts of the world high quality potable water is free.

once you taste the water out of a watermaker you will be sold on it .
It even makes the coffee taste better.

[hpeer]

Emptied our tanks and refilled them with fresh water at our yard in Grenada, just before launch. Now have 187 gallons of silty water. Filters are taking care of it, but it’s a pisser.

[a64pilot]

The thing I have trouble gettin used to is how soft the water is from a Watermaker, it makes being the soap off from a shower more difficult, and less soap is required.

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

The thing I have trouble gettin used to is how soft the water is from a Watermaker, it makes being the soap off from a shower more difficult, and less soap is required.

Yes this is true. You want to use a lot less soap than normal. See all the money you save on soap you can buy a watermaker with. But then I've been around a lot of sailors that have saved tons on soap.

[geoleo]

Originally Posted by Woodland Hills

It’s not about having a supply of water, but having soft water for bathing and laundry. We are spending a couple of months in marinas in Key West where there is an unlimited supply of city water at the dock and we have nearly 400 gallons of freshwater storage onboard. But I still run the watermaker several times a week to keep the tanks filled with soft water. The watermaker never needs pickling, there is always copious chlorine-free water to backflush the membrane and we never get water spots on the boat when we wash her, plus we have all the usual benefits of soft water without a water softener. We make 30 gallons an hour and usually run the unit when we are off the boat for a few hours.

I thought you were not supposed to use a WM in a Harbor??

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by geoleo

I thought you were not supposed to use a WM in a Harbor??

It depends on the harbour. I use mine in most with no problems so far, many are more padantic regarding where they use them.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by geoleo

I thought you were not supposed to use a WM in a Harbor??

the big issue is the possibility of petroleum based contamination ( which can kill a membrane) the more commercial traffic the less likely I am to use mine.

[Amapola]

I believe the majority of boaters go from marina to marina and do not need a water maker.

[izzyforreal]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

Realistically better than 90% of cruising boats will never make a passage of more than 2 days (probably an even higher percentage). On this forum, you see a distorted figure where a much higher percentage of people are longer distance cruisers.

Why would they spend a few thousand on a machine that is rarely used and requires regular maintenance?

I don't understand what the part about usage on passage has to do with it. We use our water maker constantly, regardless of where we are. The product water is better than what you can get from most municipal water systems.

Mark DeDionisio
Tartan 40 S/V Sister Moon

[mako]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

One of the joys of a bigger boat is a bigger dinghy.

We carry a 200 liter bladder in the bow of ours for supplementing our 5000 litre supply

How many weeks do you go normally on that 5000 liter tank?

[Karnasus]

For me the water maker was probably a luxury. But for my wife it's a necessity. Her conditions for live aboard during winters in the Caribbean included no nagging about water use and unlimited freshwater showers. Our compromise was add a water maker and she'd do without hairdryer and curling iron

[Mahayana]

Originally Posted by Tellie

Yes this is true. You want to use a lot less soap than normal. See all the money you save on soap you can buy a watermaker with. But then I've been around a lot of sailors that have saved tons on soap.

Was told when I purchased a water softener for the home that the slippery feeling is not soap. It is the beneficial natural oils in your skin that get washed off with hard water. So, use less soap and know your skin is better off with its oils.

[Pizzazz]

In my view, watermakers are still too difficult to use for mass acceptance. The benefits are clear. Now imagine a low capacity watermaker with similar ease of use to that of a boat fridge system:

It is quiet. It always works in the background to keep the tanks full to 2/3 level; it flushes automatically every three days; it has a soft start so it builds pressure gradually, without a manual knob; it needs maintenance once a year. It costs as much as a fridge system.

I think this is what is needed to make watermakers more popular.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by Pizzazz

In my view, watermakers are still too difficult to use for mass acceptance. The benefits are clear. Now imagine a low capacity watermaker with similar ease of use to that of a boat fridge system:

It is quiet. It always works in the background to keep the tanks full to 2/3 level; it flushes automatically every three days; it has a soft start so it builds pressure gradually, without a manual knob; it needs maintenance once a year. It costs as much as a fridge system.

I think this is what is needed to make watermakers more popular.

most of that stuff would be easy to accomplish with pressure switches and timers.
As to the cost . We have vastly different numbers as to good refrigeration costs.
Both are really nice to have but neither are actually required .
But once you have it you wouldn't want to go back to not having it.