When it rains, raise the mainsail a foot or two less than usual, loop the foot of the sail and direct the water into a container. Discard the first gallon or two if it tastes salty and collect the rest. You can collect more water than you can use in a very short time. You even have enough to do the laundry and shower and there's nothing better than rain water for both.
We are buying the components for a water maker now. Because I am old 67 years old have a bad shoulder ,back and feet. I spent the last 40 years working as a heavy duty mechanic and I stand a towering 5'3". I'm going to retire in Dec. I married my wonder wife who is smaller almost 45 years ago and I would not want her hauling water even if she could. Nor do I want her to have to conserve water the way some do along the Mexico coast line. . I like your videos. You have great deal of common sense, a wonderful family and the right idea. Enjoy life now it goes buy quickly.
I'm in the Med and I'm keen for a watermaker, saving my pennies. The benefits are as massive as the price (£5,000). Filling up with water in the med is not as simple as just going to the fuel dock. In many places the fuel dock has no water, you then have to move somewhere else. The record for me was being moved three times between marina and port authority while trying to get water. When you can get water at a fuel dock it is often very cheap or even free, but some places charge per 30 mins (often as much as €15) and purposely turn down the pressure. When you can get water it is often brackish, not a huge issue but there nether the less. 20l bidon, or jerry cans are great. I use two, but filling them up and carrying them to a town potable water fountain (if the town has one) gets old fast. I did this perhaps 5 times in Siracusa. But the biggest benefit as far as I'm concerned is weight. This summer I always filled my 300l tank(s) so I wouldn't have to go looking for water. That's 300kg of weight to lug around from anchorage to anchorage, island to island, or country to country. On a smaller catamaran like mine, that could be the difference in 0.5-1knt in speed, which makes a huge difference over say 300 miles (Sicily to Greece). If I had a watermaker I would only maybe carry 50-100l instead. But I'm with you. Go now, worry about a watermaker later.
Hi Carl! It's amazing what a difference a slightly different way of doing something can make. We noticed a huge difference when we switched from the 'use lots of water then do one big top-up' method to the 'top-up a small amount of water every time we go ashore' method. The little and often method is soooo much easier! Two jerry cans are heavy and we can imagine that carrying 40 kilos of water would get old very quickly! We top up only one jerry can, which is much easier, and - thanks to a suggestion from one of our RUclips viewers - we will now switch to using 2 x 10 litre tanks instead, which are much easier to stow and can be hand carried without too much strain. There is a 'middle way' compared to the two options you set out in your comment: top up 'little and often' like we do but instead of having your 300 litre tank always full, you can treat it as though it is a 100 litre tank and only ever top it up to the 100 litre level. We recently spent several weeks at anchor and using the 'little and often' method our 120 litre water tank never got below 50% full and we weren't being too crazy with water conservation. A watermaker is a wonderful piece of kit, but £5k is a huge amount of money... Thank you for watching and commenting - we love to hear our viewers opinions on things like this. Fair winds, Chris, Rossella (& baby Emma!) 👍
Sailing for me was about independence and self sufficiency. The necessity to go ashore, find a supply and get enough water back to the boat for simple necessities like drinking and washing convinced me to get a water maker. I bought a small one, not 50 litres an hour, 5 litres an hour which easily ran off the solar. Worked fine, never any problems. Always careful not to run it in harbour or marina. When I did sell it I got the price I paid for it. I used jerry cans for years on my 27ft'er.
Well that's a great endorsement for watermakers and hard to argue with! 🙂 However, the fact you used jerry cans for years does prove the point that you don't need a watermaker. For those with limited funds, jerry cans can work just fine. Fair winds, Chris 👍
Absolutely don't need a water maker, don't need GPS either but as a convenience that helps to enable the reason most of us got out of the rat race they are useful and not as prohibitive as one might think. Sure if a full crew is taking showers and regularly doing laundry in a domestic washing machine then that cruising fund is going to shrink very quickly with a water maker purchase. I found myself though that a 5 litre hr unit could supply my modest needs as a single hander, used minimal power and was a compact installation. With correct filters and running in clean sea water there really should not be problems. The membrane basically cleans itself and like any filters, if the prefilters are run in dirty water they will clog faster than if they are fed clean. Oil based products will kill the membrane as soon as they touch it, so no using water makers in harbours or marinas, which is likely where the horror stories of poor water maker performance come from I'm guessing.
We take your advice and experience on board. If we see that living on board with a baby (with a million dirty items of clothing per week!) warrants a watermaker, I'll look into buying or building one. Thanks for sharing your experience with us all. Fair winds, Chris & Rossella 👍
I think it is a good idea to have a watermaker on a blue water boat. Not just to ensure you have water on a long passage, but also because you can convert one of your water tanks to a fuel tank to give extra range when an emergency situation calls for it.
We circumnavigated in a 36’ Van de Stadt..... (ok so a much bigger boat than yours, but....) we took 3 years.....had no no water maker. Never felt the need of it. Won’t get one when we go again. We Had a coupla Jerry cans; stowed quite a few 1 or 2 litre (plastic😒) bottles in the bilges( less risk of contamination, if one or two got punctured no problem); sewed a canvas funnel into the centre of our Bimini and tied a hose attachment into it, to collect rain; we washed in salt water then rinsed in fresh (had a little copper jug, small amount of fresh water in it, leave in the sun for a while- got boiling hot very quickly!). Longest we were at sea was 38 days from St Helena to Grenada.
Hi Philippa, thank you very much for sharing your experience! We love simplicity wherever possible and it sounds like you had an amazing adventure! ⛵️🌅👍
Sailing Britaly Hi folks- yup, quite an adventure (www.sailblogs.com/member/wanderings) .... we’re having a different sort of adventure at the moment, working in the (doubly landlocked) country of Uzbekistan, in order to put some cruising tokens in the kitty before we set off again..... enjoying your videos as a way of keeping in touch with the sea and our live aboard lifestyle. Even though we couldn’t be much farther from the sea at the moment, we still think of ourselves as cruising sailors, and can’t wait to get back to Wanda..... maybe we’ll meet you guys out on the water in a year or so!
Dave Mould hi, yup, just looked back at my blog- from 17th March to 1st April most log entries say “no wind, flukey wind, squalls, lightning, baking hot, frustrating progress, motoring occasionally but don’t have enough fuel to motor all the way....” Classic doldrums stuff. Hallucinating about roast pork and crackling for dinner when all we had was pasta and tinned tuna🤣
Instead of a water maker, we set up a rain catchment system. If we don't have enough rain to fill the tanks, then we go the jerry can route you mentioned.
Simplicity is beautiful and getting your tanks topped up via the clouds surely brings you closer to nature. Thank you for watching and commenting. 😊Fair winds! Chris & Rossella 👍
Seems to me the advantages of a water maker is for small boats with small holding tanks, that are being used for ocean crossings or remote anchorages for extended periods of time. What is a necessity for some is a convenience for others. No wrong answer. Just different strokes.
You are absolutely right Grandpa. Yes, around harbors you can do as Sailing Britaly suggests, but on Voyage, it would be foolish not to have a watermaker. We can also do without our smart phone or toothpaste or bandaids, but WHY?
Hi there Carl, thank you for watching and commenting. My opinion is that 99% of cruising boats are used in places where fresh water is available ashore. Is it more convenient to flick some switches and make your own water on board? Yes. Do these 99% of boats NEED a watermaker? No. I also think that people should be cautious about relying on a watermaker for ocean crossings. Someone who doesn't have a watermaker would set out on their voyage with lots of stowed water on board (in tanks, jerry cans, bottles of water and so forth) and would do their utmost to conserve their water during their voyage. Someone setting out - as you said - with small holding tanks and a watermaker would not be treating their water on board as a finite resource. If the watermaker (or the power generating systems running it) were to break down, they could very quickly find themselves in a life-threatening situation with very few options. Just my 2 cents... Fair winds, Chris (& Rossella) 👍
Well, only an inexperienced person would say that, generally. No-one that I know of that has popped up on deck to see a supertanker bearing down on them has every regretted having a working engine installed. Relying on the tankers to a)have someone on watch or b) your tiny boat being visible to them (even with radar reflectors) is cloud cuckoo land, and, if you're singlehanded, you can't always be on deck. I agree with all that's been said about a watermaker, but even sailing into marinas these days is banned.
A cruising yacht will have a tender and 95℅ will have an outboard, lash your dinghy to either port or starboard beam and use your outboard, even a 3 HP will nurdle you into a marina or anchorage. Or you can scull your boat in like the sailors of old. Neither are mandatory, but personally I'd prefer a fully functional diesel, particularly if you don't have enough energy generation from solar and a wind generator and need to run the engine to top up the house bank
@Dave Mould So the assumptions are as follows : a) Commercial shipping will only be in commercial shipping routes b) they will always be visible in any conditions and display the correct lighting at night c) no vessel under sail with an alert crew has ever been run down by a commercial vessel d) when operating a sailing vessel you can dedicate all of your time to taking bearings...et al ad infinitum. When you have "sailed easily out of the way" of a supertanker at night backlit by the shore lights of a city port for clarity, using your theoretical but superior skills that provide an adequate platform for criticising others, feel free to comment. Others with experience aren't always so sure.
Ive gone through all the trouble of finding water, filling cans , and then transporting heavy containers to the boat. It is hugely time consuming, and on top of everything you still have to be so frugal with your water. Its a pain in the arse. I now have a water maker , and believe me, its worth every cent.
Hi John, I understand where you are coming from. However, the purpose of this video is to let people know that there is a watermaker alternative (jerry cans) and just because you don't have a watermaker on board doesn't mean you are limited to staying in marinas - which is a misconception we have seen a number people have. Your experience also proves you don't "need" a watermaker, because you managed without one. As I said in the video, we aren't against watermakers, we just know that you can spend long periods at anchor without one.
I agree as we have the same Jerry cans for the boat and we aren't allowed in marinas so we have to bounce around anchorages or open ocean doing long passages and sometimes we have run out of water a day or so before we arrive. We carry 140 litres of water but now we have acquired a manual desalinator which looks like its been abused we just have to buy a new filter for it which costs about £200 online. This is just incase we ever run out of water again. Electric desalinators have common faults with the solinoid where they oxidise and get stuck on which results in your water tank emptying all the water. This has happened to alot of friends of mine imagine just relying on your desalinator and you don't carry backup water tanks then your water maker empties all your water as your in a 2 week or 4 week sail across an ocean. Crazy if you ask me always carry Jerry cans don't rely 100% on expensive gadgets as they will generally fail you when your out there. Water is gold on a boat.
Heck, I bought a watermaker for my kayak. Some of the trips I take are more than seven days between fresh water sources, and space is limited. I pack a maintenance kit as well. Even with that, I still make sure I have around 12 L in case I do encounter issues with the pump. However, I agree. If you're docked up next to a water source, use that first.
This video had to be uploaded again after a technical hitch, so if you received two notifications for it we apologise for the inconvenience. We also lost all our comments, which is a shame as we had some great comments from people on the first upload. Fair winds! Chris & Rossella 👍
You are absolutely correct. Water maker is a recent addition to cruising boats. We have a 40ft cat and collect our water from the rain off the cockpit roof. We top up when refueling and never had to resort to Jerry cans!
Rainwater collection is the best way to go and we will look into this on our new boat. We have 400 litres, which is a lot more than we have had on our smaller boat, but then again, we will have a baby on board, and we think that may increase our water consumption somewhat... Fair winds! 😊 Chris & Rossella 👍
This is nothing new, I’d been doing the 5 gallon jerrycan for years. What works better and almost know one is doing it is the 6 gallon jerrycan. There harder to come buy but worth it in the long run. Changed my life.
Tony Alexander - They didn't carry Grog because their water would go rancid. Rum was actually mixed with rancid water to create Grog in an attempt to sterilize the water on board. They would have preferred to drink good clean water but it was reserved for the captain and officers.
Exactly, go back to basics, you can even in a worst case scenario do simple evaporation desalination using Angled clingwrap above a container of salt water leading to another empty container, and you can make your own salt as well
Completly agree with you too. We crossed the Atlantic last year during 19 days. We were four people and used less than150 liters. Usually we pay only 2 euros/USD for 100 liters in Cabo verde or caribbean islands.
I really like this video. We are planning to do the jerry can method in the Caribbean since we are in a small boat on a budget. I like the idea of bringing a jerry can to shore every time to make it a habit of refilling.
Hi John & Julie! It is very simple and works perfectly for us. The 'little and often' approach is 100 x easier than the 'use it all then refill it' alternative... Fair winds! Chris, Rossella & Emma 😊
And I thought our 400 litres was a bit sparse. However after parking next to a large Bennie which not only had a water maker, a washing machine and a dishwasher, I’m thinking who had the most fun here. Probably they did!
So simple...that’s how we do it too...who needs a $5000 watermaker..There are MANY MANY sources of free water...and you will never be waiting in port to receive an expensive part to repair it!!! We have had one for 12 years and used it once...just once. It’s not just expensive to buy one, and run one, but parts too! GOOD VIDEO! awe hope to meet you someday!
Well that is a very interesting situation. 12 years with a watermaker and you used it once... Wow! Obviously everyone is different, but that is pretty irrefutable proof that you don't need a watermaker to cruise. Thanks for sharing and hopefuly we'll see you in an anchorage somewhere one day. 🌅🙂👍
In ur cases it is suitable if you go marinas over marinas, I’m planning a trip from Tanzania to mauritius, this is out sea trip- the watermaker is a must.
If you are a long range sailor crossing oceans I will advise you not to listen to these punks. A water maker is a survival mean not a luxury. In case of drifting in open water after a broken sail or engine water is a source for survival. I have been crossing oceans in a 38 foot sailing boat I had my share of up and down in open water. I will advise you not to buy expensive electric ones as they are of no use in open water drifting in a boat without electric power. The hand pump desalination is the jack of all trade as it can also be used in a lift raft.
Quite right Chris. My boat has sailed the Atlantic and Pacific and the then owner always reckoned they had more water at the end of the journey than when they started. Work out a way to harvest the rain and even in the Med it rains. Use it.
Hi Tim, thank you. This has been done for a very long time and it's surprising that so many people write off rainwater collection and other such simple solutions. Of course watermakers have advantages, but many people have circumnavigated without them, so evidently they aren't obligatory even for serious cruising trips. Best regards, Chris
Interesting point of view. I haven't gotten the boat yet to be honest lol! I'm an amateur sailor and looking for now my second sailboat but I'm looking for a big enough boat for my family because it's a rather large family. I have plans to have a decent size generator anyway. In my situation I think it would be ideal to have a water maker just because I've got 6 people on board full time. It is expensive as all hell I must agree. I also can see it becoming quite a pain in the arse should things go astray. There are certain amenities I've already decided I need to live aboard. I must have a TV and a gaming console for my kids and my own sanity. At that point I feel like it would be in my best interest to get a water maker but after watching this video I feel relieved that I may not necessarily need one to get on the water. Thank you for your perspective sir!
I think the best way to go about it is to buy a boat with a very large water tank : you get rid of the need for a high cost, high maintenance water maker, and your boat will be more secure with the added mass (assuming the water tank is well placed hopefully). By the way, the same goes for the gas tank : more boat rigidity and HUGE savings in the long run because you get more flexibility to choose where/when to refill at the lowest cost. Trust me on this : the extra initial cost is covered very quickly (depending on your usage of course).
Not only do you not need a water maker, but you can tow floating water distillers (solar/condensation), and semi-flexible solar panels floated with pool noodles off your stern. This way, you can put these things into the water for more fresh water or electricity as needed, and not be taking up space or blocking out sunshine with excessive rack mounts cluttering onboard, and just pull these out of the water to stack and store very much more easily. these tactics make for great comfort and less cost as well as being able to live larger on a much smaller or faster boat.
Yes, i have floated semi-flexible panels, towed as a rope ladder tail behind an 18 ft boat. Plastic insulated 12 gauge copper wire, your choice of connections (i chose solder, shrink tubing and exterior grade silicon caulk to seal connections. I check for wear as I haul them out or toss them in, but haven't found anything needing to be re-sealed yet. Salt water conducts, but it isn't caustic or abrasive, so the simple method needs little maintenance as it turns out. The luxury of travelling on water is that we can easily float and tow plenty of photovoltaic, while you cannot really do such a thing practically or to such an extent on roads and land. I have no idea why boaters knock themselves out installing a bunch of hardware and racks and cluttering up their deck space to install all their solar. I'm able to cruise along the river where it isn't really wide enough to sail using two 55 lb electric motors and the panels provide plenty of power not only to go all day with no need of fuel, but also keep a pair of deep cycle batteries fully charged. I also manually disconnect the panels at sundown, rather than bothering with a charge controller. Now, I have used this for several summers now, and as with the solar on my home, thought how odd that everyone isn't just doing it. Its dirt simple, so figure it out. Amperage is not high enough or in such a way as to be any fatal shock hazard, unless you're going to touch + and - to your tongue, or salty wet hands. Play a bit. You'll quickly discover that solar boats without tails are kinda dumb. One thing I should warn of though is that these options can make anyone quite lazy, before they even realize it, and it was a shock of the non-electrical kind when I did return to the gym. :)
You can also creatively use a pressure cooker to distill water , a pipe hooked up to the pressure release gives steam that can be cooled in a sink full of cool salt water.... The pressure cooker should be made of stainless steel, otherwise the salt water will corrode it horribly. Pressure cookers are a lot cheaper than RO machines
Our boat is a bit larger but we still don’t have a watermaker although we have researched it thoroughly. We are lucky in that our boat carries 1000 liters of water but unfortunate in that it is in two built in aluminum tanks. We are a bit worried about it for drinking water so when not offshore we drink ro (reverse osmosis) water from grocery stores. We also put our our water through 3 filters going into the tanks and two coming out so we do our best to minimize aluminum intake even though it the most common metal in the air we breath. Life is full of compromise but minimizing risk is hopefully a worthwhile endeavor. Enjoy and keep up the good fun.
Hi Victor, thank you for your comment. I had not come across aluminium water tanks until I read your comment and have read up a wee bit on them, so thank you for bringing this to my attention. There are many houses in the UK which still have short sections of lead pipe in the incoming water supply - perhaps this goes some way to explaining our eccentricity! 😂 Fair winds! Chris & Rossella 👍
In the Bahamas, it was a pain hauling water. Sometime the water place close and you are just out of luck. Lots of island doesn’t have people and water. So It’s either large tanks and refills duty of watermaker.
I almost always sail solo which does affect my decision to not install a water maker. During a refit of my 27 foot Vega I installed a much larger fresh water tank and carry four 20 liter jerry cans. I collect rain water by closing off my cockpit drains and using a bailer to fill the jerry cans. I treat the water with bleach before adding it to my onboard tank and have a inline sawyer filter at my sink. It is not the best tasting water but using this method I have never even come close to running dry.
Thank you for the feedback! Hearing this from someone who has the experience you have and so many miles under the keel is very valuable. Fair winds! Chris, Rossella & Emma 🙂
@@kubevoid3977 tiny amount of pure chlorine bleach soon reacts through the water then gasses off, killing the nasties in the process. Get your measurements right and it's far less chemical laden than most first world potable tap water. So not posionous at all.
Great video. There are portable RO water makers that require little storage space and user either solar power or a small portable generator... but are still expensive. I would also look into getting is to get a water purifier kit that fits onto your jerry can. These are popular with back packers and long distance overlanders. Great option when the fresh water source is suspect. p.s. Based on another post, there are NATO rated jerry cans that are highly resistant to salt and UV damage. They cost more than 5.00 USD though.
Britaly Crew, I agree with your overall sentiment- it is entirely more than feasible to cruise without a water maker. Likewise, you don't need an inverter, a hot water heater, or plumbed and pressurized showers either. However, all mentioned make life a little more comfortable (when they are working) while cruising. Since I want my wife to be able to join me while cruising; and since she has a different level of required comforts than do I, then I will be installing a water maker, and invererter, and ensuring the water heater and plumbing are working correctly. Fair winds to you. Great videos, by the way. I hope to see you out there.
You do absolutely right Eric, if you have the funds and the space then this may be the best option for you. The watermaker is just part of the equation though, providing power for it is where the real fun and expense comes in. Many people have watermakers and love them so they are of course valid products. They aren't an obligatory prerequisite in order to live on the hook though, contrary to what many people believe. I wish you the best of luck in outfitting your boat for the cruising you and your wife wish to do, ( and a happy wife makes for a happy boat, that's for sure), and I hope we meet in a beautiful anchorage one day. It's a small world, so you never know! Cheers, Chris 👍
🍀i would get a k35 recon if i was crossing oceans you can rig the scuppers on some boats to collect rainwater , or the foot of the mainsail to flow into a bucket is cool.force 4 do a survival still🍀
Hi Sean, great tips there. Collecting rainwater is a great option and brings you even further in synergy with this wonderful planet of ours - which, in our opinion, is one of the biggest benefits of sailing. Fair winds, Chris & Rossella 👍 p.s. Apologies for the delayed reply - our baby girl has joined us so things are a bit crazy at the moment!
Great tip Barry - our boat's fixed water tank is one of the flexible tanks and it works really well. It is relatively easy to find a place to install a flexible water tank on most boats so they are a great option for increasing tankage on board. Fair winds, Chris & Rossella 👍
Gutted I was looking forward to making my 5 dollar water maker and all along it was just a jerry can to carry water in from the main land. Great idea if your sailing continually off shore, but no good if your sailing the world. Great video's by the way keep up the good work :-)
Hi Lee, sorry to disappoint you with the 5 dollar watermaker. :-) I have to respectfully disagree with you - there is no reason you can't sail the world using this 'top up little and often technique'. Captain Cook managed to find fresh water ashore when he sailed all over the world in the 1700's, so I'm sure if a modern sailor is prepared to make the effort, they can do the same too. Fair winds, Chris (& Rossella) 👍
@@SailingBritaly Captain Cook wasn't sailing a 36-footer...he had a touch more storage. The topping up is great, but, with hand-powered filters available for a few hundred (top of the line ones), I'd consider that a minimum for going off-shore.
Lin and Larry Pardey sailed on a 24 footer around the world and again on a 28 footer around the world, no water maker. The Hiscocks sailed on a 30 footer around the world with no water maker. James Baldwin sailed around the world on a 28 footer with no water maker... the list goes on and on. It is absolutely do-able. To me, that means that a water maker can be a nice-to-have item, not a must-have item.
Chris, I agree with your idea. Where i sail is the Sea of Cortez between mainland Mexico and Baja, Mexico. It is desert and very few places to obtain water. My trimaran only holds 25 gallons. Water weighs 8 lbs/gal. So a 5 gallon jug weighs 40 lbs or so. At 70 years old that is not too much..but it ain't getting eaiser I'll tell you that. You are right about space, money, complications, and such. The other thing...it is a luxury...when you have a woman on board it makes a big difference for their comfort. Women like to be clean even more than the fussiest of men. So. there is that thing too.....love your videos and just glad i found your channel.
Hi Alan, thank you very much for sharing your experience with us. If you can get by in a desert area then that should be enough to silence any critic! Rossella definitely likes to have plenty of showers and my job is to supply enough water for her to be happy! I don't know how well I explained it in this video, but the very simple change of topping up 'little and often', rather than emptying the tanks and doing a dedicated water run (like we used to do) made a huge difference for us. AFter we made this slight change in approach our tanks were always topped up and bringing a jerry can along each time we went ashore never felt like a chore. Thank you for your kind words and helpful contribution and welcome aboard! Best regards, Chris, Rossella & Emma 😊
Your jerry can option is only valid when you stay within proximity of shore based water sources. On a longer crossing your jerry can is just deck decoration. Like many other boat options, what you "need" is primarily based on where you sail, how far off shore and how long your crossings will be.
Hi there, thank you for watching and commenting. The title of the video is "Why you don't NEED a watermaker to live on the hook". Almost by definition, if someone is living on the hook then they are near land, so I'm not sure what you are disagreeing with... This video wasn't aimed at experienced ocean going sailors (who couldn't care less what I've got to say, given that they have much more experience than me) who are far more likely to have a watermaker on board. Having said that, until very recently everyone who had ever crossed an ocean did so without a watermaker, so it is of course possible to do that... Fair winds, Chris
@Dave Mould It's unsound water management that is foolhardy, regardless of the methods you use. If it doesn't rain and there's no port within cooee then a watermaker looks pretty darned good to my eye. With covid-19 now, it's not so easy to enter any old port now to possibly bfreak a journey; port-hopping won't work due to quarantine issues. I used to here that if pianos had existed in the days of J.S. Bach then he would've used one. Same goes with watermakers if they add water management security to your sailing.
I have a 30 foot Grampian with about 30 gal. of water and have never always had enough water. I carry an extra 10 gal of water on deck but have rarely needed to use it.
Absolutely Jake - we even heard from someone on Facebook who bought a boat which had a fully functioning watermaker already fitted but he has never used it once despite living on board full time for a couple of years!.. Watermakers are a great invention but shouldn't be considered as necessities. Fair winds, Chris & Rossella 👍
What if you go into tropical areas that you can’t drink the local water and if for some reason you get into trouble blown off coarse yeah sure you can do without one but you haven’t got that security and safety of always having water available it could be a life or death decision sailing a broad
Great video. I would just like to point out that the plastic jerry "can" , if stored on deck, would be subject to UV damage. Eventually, (in this case, very quickly) the "can" shown would break.
Hi there, thank you for watching and commenting. Yes you're right - UV does degrade plastic jerry cans. We used to carry several of these containers on deck when we used the 'use loads of water then do a big refill' technique. Now with our 'top up every time you go ashore' technique, we only need one jerry can and stow it in our cockpit locker, where it is protected from UV rays and is also has less effect on the stability of the boat, due to it being lower down towards the waterline. Fair winds, Chris & Rossella 👍
You can put in the effort of rigging a simple rain water catchment system. That can save you from carring heavy jerry cans around. No power needed. : )
A water maker is a wonderful piece of equipment when cruising on a small boat with a 35l water tank in the dry season when it does not rain for 6 months. You may be able to do without but your video makes no sense for some of us who venture away from marinas and other places where potable water is available. Perhaps you could rename your video “Why I don’t need a water maker”.
Maybe we can rename the video 'Why you don't need a watermaker unless you are cruising on a small boat with a 35l water tank in the dry season when it does not rain for 6 months'. Doesn't seem quite as catchy though... 😂 Fair winds! Chris & Rossella
Another simple way to fill your water tank: When you go to the waste pump dock to dump your waste tank, there is ALWAYS a freshwater hose right there to top off your water tank for free, without carrying a 40lb jug of water, that will only fill up 20% of your tank.
Agreed, you can also divert water from your bimini top during rain, a simple rope running from the bimini top into the tank filler cap will cause water to run down the rope into the tank. Just 1 method I've seen, I've seen people filling their dinghy, buckets on deck, the bigger issue is passage making without a water maker, eg a Pacific crossing is about 24 to 30 days. If you are a crew of 3 which is not many, although most boats are double handed, you need to be at about 10L a day, that's 300 litres, double your capacity, so if it doesn't rain you need to reduce that to 4 or 5 litres daily, not a lot, so expect to wash dishes and yourself in salt water with a fresh water rinse,
Thanks Jonno. On our new boat we have 400 litres of tankage and it is really easy to collect rainwater from the topsides due to the design of the boat and the position of the tank filler, so we will be taking advantage of this. I once spent 6 days alone at the summit of the UK's highest mountain and "made" 1.5 ltres of water per day on average by condensing clouds and collecting rain on my small tarp, which then tracked down a V shaped line into a water bottle. I had planned on collecting water from a spring 1/2 mile away but as this method worked so well I didn't have to move from my bivvy. I love simple solutions to problems. Fair winds! Chris 👍
@@SailingBritaly yip, I'm a South African so have spent my fair share of time in the bush, even at sea if you can harvest condensation and rainwater from squalls, you're fine, from my deductions there are 2 types of cruisers, guys like yourselves, free range sailing are another (great channel, Troy and Pascale) who have small boats and small budgets. Then you get the rich as ......can sail, but don't have a clue about my boat systems, cruisers, ooohhh we can't go from Florida to The Bahamas without a water maker, they'd probably motor sail as well😮😮😮😮. My point is simple, just like choice of boats, it's all about what you can afford, and what suits your specific requirements
Thanks Jonno, I bet we'd get along great with Troy & Pascale. For us it's all about priorites: can we afford to buy a watermaker? Yes: we can withdraw those funds and if I go offshore I can earn that back pretty quickly. However, we prefer to have that money earning 7.2% compound interest, so that our money works for us instead of us having to work for money all the time. Minimalism = freedom, which is why we make many of the choices we do in our lives. We love to be free! Fair winds, Chris, Rossella & Emma 🙂
Hi Joel, thank you for watching and commenting. For some people it does make sense and, who knows, one day me might get a watermaker too! For now though we prefer to keep things simple. Fair winds! Chris & Rossella 👍
Where I live (liveaboard) people come from Panama to Australia. One of the frequent comments with watermakers is, never rely on them. Most keep water in 2litre containers with 3 litres per day per person, under the soleboards. If water maker is working, then great. If not, then they know they have drinking water. Watermaker is for washing and showers. Marinas have to much biosludge in the water to use a watermaker. Jellyfish, seaweed, disolved particles, high salinity etc etc, stop watermakers or require significant adjustment. There are some great DIY watermakers on youtube. I like the taste of rainwater, so most of us use a roll-out tarp with a sink drain fitting at the low point. I attach a hose to this and it goes to the tank via a filter. Sometimes I throw the tarp into the tender and use a pump to pump the water into my tank. The tender option is the easiest due to shape and space. Hope this helps. Tips from a liveaboard.
@@ismzaxxon Thanks for sharing Terry. We can collect rainwater really easily on our new boat, and are looking forward to doing that. Fair winds! Chris, Rossella & Emma
It all depends where you are cruising. Up in the Saltish Sea there are literally dozens of public docks with free water. There it would be absurd to have a water maker on board. Now we are cruising in the Sea of Cortes, Mexico in a desert like environment. Effectively, the only way to top up your water tanks is to check into a marina overnight ($70 a night) and even then the water is metered. The one low cost approach to top up your water tanks is at a fuel dock when refuelling. Some will allow this and some will not. Moreover, it never rains here for six months a year. Consequently, there is a more compelling argument for a water maker on board. We are one of the few who don't.
Hi Michael, Rossella and I could make our 100 litre tank last us for about 10 days without any top-ups whilst living on the hook when it was just the two of us. Britaly has around 400 litres of water on board, which is a luxury for us, but let's just say our consumption has increased somewhat with the addition of Emma... 😂 We can easily collect rainwater though, which can make a big difference to how often water is sourced ashore. Thank you for being a part of our 🌟Patreon Crew🌟, it means the world to us! Very best regards, Chris, Rossella & Emma 🙂
@@SailingBritaly Thanks for producing such informative content... and Emma is a delight - reminds me of my daughter at that age - She's now 26 (yep that time will fly so enjoy her now..) This week she is sailing from Tasmania to Sydney on the Tall Ship "James Craig"
Thank you Michael. :-) I just googled the James Craig and she is a beautifu historic vessel - your daughter will have the trip of a lifetime sailing her to Sydney. What an experience! We are doing our best to savour the time with Emma at this really precious age, but as I'm sure you found too it is hard to reconcile working commitments with 'Emma time' and it is truly breathtaking how quickly she is growing up. It would be great to have a pause button for life with which to savour the joy she brings even more! Very best regards, Chris, Rossella & Emma 🙂
Lots of people here don't seem to understand that a water maker is a survival kit not a luxury. In case of open water drifting nobody will bring you gallons of water out there. And who cares about expensive electric water maker? A water maker should be able to produce water even in a life raft. So guys water storage in gallons is a good thing but don't forget when you are drifting in open water, gallons are empty and haven't been raining for at least a month the buddy that will keep you alive is a manual water maker or portable solar water maker. Best option is the hand pump. It requires only human power and doesn't depend on any other type of power. Been crossing oceans for over 22 years had my share of up and down in open ocean. If any anyone is interested I can show you how to make fresh water at sea for less than $ 300 . You just need a hydraulic car jack, an osmosis filter and a stainless steel cylinder
I can live without appliances but someone very close to me cannot! They are rendered useless without a watermaker. That's a life style issue rather than a necessity though. Long passages as mentioned below require them. A small 30L unit is compact and does not consume a lot of power... additional batteries and/or uprated charging can be run from the existing engine without the need for a separate generator. Showers, heads and wash down units all benefit from not using raw sea water. They are a bit like Radar and AIS - you can do without them, but....
Hi Bob, I respectfully disagree with you here: people can have an appliance like a washing machine, without needing a watermaker. Most sailors cross oceans very rarely. Just because there is a washing machine on board, doesn't mean that it has to be used during the handful of ocean crossings someone is likely to make in their lifetime. The crew can easily switch to frugal mode and dramatically reduce their water consumption for the 20- 30 days of the crossing and then choose to use the washing machine when they have an abundance of water (any anchorage where there is a tap available). The purpose of this video was just to raise awareness to the fact there is always an alternative if you are willing to look for it. Many people are very happy with their watermakers. That's great and perhaps one day we will join their ranks too. Regardless of that, the fact remains that anyone who ever crossed oceans from the dawn of time to about 20 years ago did so without watermakers, so they are not "required" items.
"A watermaker is a luxury not an essential" I always love that line. Until you realize the exact same thing can be said for owning a boat. But hauling water in five-gallon jugs might not be so bad with only a 30-gallon capacity fresh water tank. Until you get a boat another 4-6 foot longer and your fresh water holding capacity starts getting into the 100-200-gallon range. I assure you, the novelty of hauling water in jugs will wear thin far sooner than later. One of the nice things about having a watermaker on board is around 7am in the morning, waking up to the sound of little bitty outboards. I stick my head out of the hatch and see these little dingys loaded with blue water jugs heading to shore. I go back to bed and ask the wife to wake me when breakfast is ready.
A watermark is a survival necessity not a luxury. If you drift in open water for a long period after a broken sail or engine nobody will bring you water gallons out there. Apparently you are a weekend sailor.
One. Might could make a dodger and Bimini that can collect rain water too! Also make a gutter to drive rain water from the deck into the fill! (Sailing Atticus)
That depends on how many days you will be away from a fresh water source. On average a human will need 2 liters (half gallon) a day , to maintain a healthy water content... 30 days out and you'll need to have brought 60 liters (16 gallons) do you have enough room on a 30 footer to store all those jerry cans (Water Jugs)... just an observation
Lin and Larry Pardey sailed on a 24 footer around the world and again on a 28 footer around the world, no water maker. The Hiscocks sailed on a 30 footer around the world with no water maker. James Baldwin sailed around the world on a 28 footer with no water maker... the list goes on and on. It is absolutely do-able. To me, that means that a water maker can be a nice-to-have item, not a must-have item. If these people had room to store enough water to sail around the world, particularly with the Pardeys on their 24 footer who I believe spent well over 40 days at sea on one crossing as they also sailed without an engine... I believe it could definitely be possible to do so on a 30 footer.
Hi there, we have always been able to find a tap ashore. There may be places in the word where there are no freshwater taps ashore, but we believe 99% of cruisers will never go to these places. Watremakers are great if you have the money and power generation capacity to support them. We don't believe they should be considered an essential item though - there are other ways of obtaining water. Fair winds, Chris & Rossella 👍
i think you don't need a water maker but 1) there are fora few hundred dollars emergency watermakers that are hand pumped and make 2 gallons per hour handi in a bad situation. 2) you can make your own it's a pressure washer (used $50-100!) membrane (getting cheaper) and gauges and control valve
Disagree. I think that a modern, efficient water maker is paramount. You can then have consistent water quality everywhere you go, utilise a compact dc washing machine for laundry, drinking, showering, cleaning etc. - town water is generally crap, and usuallly unavailable after a severe weather event. Towns consistently have water restrictions and marinas/docks can charge you for it, or even say "no". Its worth the large upfront cost. And the occasional maintenance. Water is the one thing we do not survive long without
Correct, you do not 'need' a water maker. Plus I completely agree that one does not make as much sense on smaller boat like yours. Do not agree so much about your assessment of hassles of maintenance though. It is more replacing hassles of manually lugging water onboard (such as your humongous jerry can) with hassles of maintaining water maker system. Something that is less strenous work involved. Price ofc is always a consideration, but if someone is really wanting to spend for water maker, more than likely they have already deemed the high cost worthy of spending.
Also meant to add, not all places have advisable drinking water either, unless you want to spend time and energy boiling it first. Typically can buy bottled water in those places, but if doing that one may as well spend money buying water maker.
If someone has the funds and space for a watermaker then I'd say go for it (we may make or buy one ourselves one day) but the point is you don't need one in order to avoid marinas like some people assume. There is often a 'back to basics' way of doing things despite all the technology available today and we wanted to raise awareness of this. I would 'guesstimate' that 98% of people who go cruising can access potable drinking water ashore if they are prepared to carry it. Fair winds, Chris & Rossella
You could spend a little money , and build a solar water still. make a square float with a metal pan inside painted black, 4 triangleular glass pieces form a pyramid sun heats the water fresh water condenseness on the glass, drains into jug, which then pumps it into storace tank. use solar panels to run 2 small 12 volt pumps.
Like your video and for your situation your solution for water isn't a bad idea especially since you are predominantly in the Med. However, building your own water maker similar to the one on Emerald Steel, can be very effective and efficient. They have had no problems and it is very cost effective. Check out the video, it's a good alternative. Especially if you are going to cross oceans or sail the South Pacific region.
Hi Bill, thank you for the advice. If we decide we want a watermaker at some point in the future (bigger boat, washing baby clothes, ocean crossings...) we will definitely check out Jules & Suzie's DIY watermaker. Fair winds! Chris & Rossella 👍
Watermakers offer a real advantage in some parts of the world where there are problems with supply or quality or both. It is a simple technology, but is implemented in a very inefficient way in terms of energy consumption. I’ve always drank chemical free well water, and strongly dislike the taste of treated water. I would like to see an open source human power watermaker... The numbers say it could work and work well with enough water for one person per day taking about 15 min of light exercise.... Want to take a fresh water shower... stretch it out and / or save up. Who doesn’t need exercise? Commercial watermakers are very inefficient due to high pressure bleed off... Horsepower = flow*pressure / x, so cycling makes more sense in energy terms. A pedal power or sliding seat rowing machine makes sense. The pump could be fabricated for the latter very easily using mostly off the shelf components, and some stainless steel.
Having plenty of water is a nice luxury to have. I live on a power boat and have room, but my homemade 40 gph watermaker is components and is fitted in spare space. I make all my water, average run is about 1 hour every 2 days unless a lot of people are on board. Membranes will last 10 years if cared for and I flush with fresh water after running the watermaker. I f you don't use it for awhile, you pickle it. My maintenance probably doesn't average 10 minutes a week. Mine is made from items mostly on ebay and cost under $3000 US. I could make a smaller 12v one for less than $1000.
Hi guy ..do not leave the jerry can full of water in the sun, is not only a problem of UV degrade jerry cans ...the plastic PP-PE-PET or other releases toxic substances. The release is proportional to time and temperature. Fair wind.
Hi Rich, you mean do a bluewater Atlantic or Pacific crossing without a watermaker, like everyone from the dawn of time did until about 20 years ago... Fair winds, Chris
I wonder how much fuel it takes to make water. Because essentially, you are carrying fuel instead of water, so you still have to carry something. That is unless you have enough solar to make water.
I think it is a different consideration for someone looking to live in an area where you cant just fill up a water jug wherever you go ashore. There are thousands of beautiful islands with very limited clean drinking water. For someone who is looking to spend an extended period of time in one of these places i think a water maker is a sensible purchase
@@TOMVUTHEPIMP its not a Yup/Nope question... the thing that a watermaker changes is: how often, and for what reasons you might need to go ashore... if you are the kind of sailor tho likes a hot freshwater shower every day, you can burn through your tanks pretty quickly. And yeah, my world is pretty "fantastic" :)
I can live in luxury for 10 days on 2x 20L jerry cans. At the end of that 10 days I NEED a Laundromat (to wash me knickers) and a tap to refill the jerry cans.
Hey guys, love your video. Chris you can were stripy shirts, you'll get to much aliasing on the video best to chose solid colours, but not blue or green unless you want someone to do funny things to it like make you disappear.
Hi Craig, you are absolutely right! Our channel trailer is an absolute stripe-fest and we only noticed when we went to edit the video! You would have thought we'd have learnt our lesson but evidently not. 😂 I will try to remember to wear the clothes you suggested as that will improve our videos - thank you for the tip! Fair winds, Chris (& Rossella) 👍
I go in every 3or4 days,,5 gallon diesel jug and a gallon Arizona jug,,these seem to be the best for ruggedness and uv tolerance,,,also when the Arizona jug is finished for carrying water,,cut out the bottom,,it makes a great bailer for your dinghy,,with all that said,,,a water maker would be nice,,imagine,,fresh water showers instead of swimming each morning or washing your deck down with fresh water ,,,,,,,,,,,,,sorry,,,,what was I thinking? Well,,anyhow,,,that’s what I here,,,
You're on the money so far as a small boat goes, you have got the room for the resources, even if you have the money. But! Make sure that you have more than ample water for whatever your destination is. Being frugal with water on a boat is pretty much expected. If you have a larger boat with a lot of money, yee-ha.
That's pretty easily arranged - you can buy beermaking kits for around $20. I made a batch of Old English Ale once and it was delicious! You will need some fresh water to make it with though... Fair winds, Chris 👍
Every time you go to shore buy enough beer to last you until the next time you go to shore. Then you will always have beer and no need for a beer maker.
Wouldn't it depend on distance your sailing. If off shore or coastal and crew numbers? Watermakers are a requirment for a boat sailing off shore crossing oceans with 4 or more crew. If you are coastal sail nope don't need can dock fill up leave. If your crossing an ocean with 4 or more people with today's weather on a small boat 4tft or lower you can't carry enough water for your daily requirments. And with the weather being so iffy now may not get any rain. Are they a requirment, entirely depends on the sailing you are doing and how confident you are that you can carry enough water to survive the entier trip. Remmember you have to carry enough for the trip before you leave port if not coastal sailing and that's not an easy feat on a small tomor range boat. Unless ofcourse it is just 1 or 2 of you.
Hi Angus, this video title is refers to 'Living on the hook', which means you are close to land. That said, it is possible to cross oceans without a watermaker (Every single person who had crossed an ocean until very recently in human history did so without watermakers after all!) 2 litres of drinking water per day, for 4 people, for 30 days, is 240 litres. Most boats can carry that amount of water, either in their tanks or in bottles taken on board as provisions before an ocean crossing. It could be argued that 4 people setting out on an ocean crossing with only 2 litres of dedicated drinking water each per day, are in a far safer position than a crew setting out without any limits and are relying on a watermaker to produce their water. 10 days out, the first crew have their 2 litres per day drinking water whatever happens. The second crew, who may not have been treating their water as a finite resource, might find themselves in trouble if they run into a technical problem which stops them making more water... Of course the above is just an example, and there are many cruisers with watermakers who are cautious and use a belt & braces approach, in which case they are in a better position than anyone. The point is that there is often a simpler way of doing something. For people with limited budgets, saving up to buy a watermaker which they "need" could make the difference between being able to untie the lines and go cruising, or getting stuck in a job for longer which might mean that life then gets in the way and they might never get to achieve their cruising dreams. We want to help people with limited budgets live their dreams, that's why we made this video. We have nothing against watermakers and there are thousands of happy cruisers out there with them. One day we might even join them! Until then, our $5 jerry can will do us just fine. Fair winds, Chris 👍
🙂 It's your boat: you decide! This video was made before the world went nuts and people were barred from going ashore in certain places... I'd want as many options as possible now too. God bless, Chris
When it rains, raise the mainsail a foot or two less than usual, loop the foot of the sail and direct the water into a container. Discard the first gallon or two if it tastes salty and collect the rest. You can collect more water than you can use in a very short time. You even have enough to do the laundry and shower and there's nothing better than rain water for both.
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We are buying the components for a water maker now. Because I am old 67 years old have a bad shoulder ,back and feet. I spent the last 40 years working as a heavy duty mechanic and I stand a towering 5'3". I'm going to retire in Dec. I married my wonder wife who is smaller almost 45 years ago and I would not want her hauling water even if she could. Nor do I want her to have to conserve water the way some do along the Mexico coast line. . I like your videos. You have great deal of common sense, a wonderful family and the right idea. Enjoy life now it goes buy quickly.
I'm in the Med and I'm keen for a watermaker, saving my pennies. The benefits are as massive as the price (£5,000).
Filling up with water in the med is not as simple as just going to the fuel dock. In many places the fuel dock has no water, you then have to move somewhere else. The record for me was being moved three times between marina and port authority while trying to get water.
When you can get water at a fuel dock it is often very cheap or even free, but some places charge per 30 mins (often as much as €15) and purposely turn down the pressure. When you can get water it is often brackish, not a huge issue but there nether the less.
20l bidon, or jerry cans are great. I use two, but filling them up and carrying them to a town potable water fountain (if the town has one) gets old fast. I did this perhaps 5 times in Siracusa.
But the biggest benefit as far as I'm concerned is weight. This summer I always filled my 300l tank(s) so I wouldn't have to go looking for water. That's 300kg of weight to lug around from anchorage to anchorage, island to island, or country to country. On a smaller catamaran like mine, that could be the difference in 0.5-1knt in speed, which makes a huge difference over say 300 miles (Sicily to Greece). If I had a watermaker I would only maybe carry 50-100l instead. But I'm with you. Go now, worry about a watermaker later.
Hi Carl! It's amazing what a difference a slightly different way of doing something can make. We noticed a huge difference when we switched from the 'use lots of water then do one big top-up' method to the 'top-up a small amount of water every time we go ashore' method. The little and often method is soooo much easier! Two jerry cans are heavy and we can imagine that carrying 40 kilos of water would get old very quickly! We top up only one jerry can, which is much easier, and - thanks to a suggestion from one of our RUclips viewers - we will now switch to using 2 x 10 litre tanks instead, which are much easier to stow and can be hand carried without too much strain. There is a 'middle way' compared to the two options you set out in your comment: top up 'little and often' like we do but instead of having your 300 litre tank always full, you can treat it as though it is a 100 litre tank and only ever top it up to the 100 litre level. We recently spent several weeks at anchor and using the 'little and often' method our 120 litre water tank never got below 50% full and we weren't being too crazy with water conservation. A watermaker is a wonderful piece of kit, but £5k is a huge amount of money... Thank you for watching and commenting - we love to hear our viewers opinions on things like this. Fair winds, Chris, Rossella (& baby Emma!) 👍
Sailing for me was about independence and self sufficiency. The necessity to go ashore, find a supply and get enough water back to the boat for simple necessities like drinking and washing convinced me to get a water maker. I bought a small one, not 50 litres an hour, 5 litres an hour which easily ran off the solar. Worked fine, never any problems. Always careful not to run it in harbour or marina. When I did sell it I got the price I paid for it. I used jerry cans for years on my 27ft'er.
Well that's a great endorsement for watermakers and hard to argue with! 🙂 However, the fact you used jerry cans for years does prove the point that you don't need a watermaker. For those with limited funds, jerry cans can work just fine. Fair winds, Chris 👍
Absolutely don't need a water maker, don't need GPS either but as a convenience that helps to enable the reason most of us got out of the rat race they are useful and not as prohibitive as one might think. Sure if a full crew is taking showers and regularly doing laundry in a domestic washing machine then that cruising fund is going to shrink very quickly with a water maker purchase. I found myself though that a 5 litre hr unit could supply my modest needs as a single hander, used minimal power and was a compact installation. With correct filters and running in clean sea water there really should not be problems. The membrane basically cleans itself and like any filters, if the prefilters are run in dirty water they will clog faster than if they are fed clean. Oil based products will kill the membrane as soon as they touch it, so no using water makers in harbours or marinas, which is likely where the horror stories of poor water maker performance come from I'm guessing.
We take your advice and experience on board. If we see that living on board with a baby (with a million dirty items of clothing per week!) warrants a watermaker, I'll look into buying or building one. Thanks for sharing your experience with us all. Fair winds, Chris & Rossella 👍
I think it is a good idea to have a watermaker on a blue water boat. Not just to ensure you have water on a long passage, but also because you can convert one of your water tanks to a fuel tank to give extra range when an emergency situation calls for it.
We circumnavigated in a 36’ Van de Stadt..... (ok so a much bigger boat than yours, but....) we took 3 years.....had no no water maker. Never felt the need of it. Won’t get one when we go again. We Had a coupla Jerry cans; stowed quite a few 1 or 2 litre (plastic😒) bottles in the bilges( less risk of contamination, if one or two got punctured no problem); sewed a canvas funnel into the centre of our Bimini and tied a hose attachment into it, to collect rain; we washed in salt water then rinsed in fresh (had a little copper jug, small amount of fresh water in it, leave in the sun for a while- got boiling hot very quickly!). Longest we were at sea was 38 days from St Helena to Grenada.
Hi Philippa, thank you very much for sharing your experience! We love simplicity wherever possible and it sounds like you had an amazing adventure! ⛵️🌅👍
Sailing Britaly Hi folks- yup, quite an adventure (www.sailblogs.com/member/wanderings) .... we’re having a different sort of adventure at the moment, working in the (doubly landlocked) country of Uzbekistan, in order to put some cruising tokens in the kitty before we set off again..... enjoying your videos as a way of keeping in touch with the sea and our live aboard lifestyle. Even though we couldn’t be much farther from the sea at the moment, we still think of ourselves as cruising sailors, and can’t wait to get back to Wanda..... maybe we’ll meet you guys out on the water in a year or so!
Dave Mould hi, yup, just looked back at my blog- from 17th March to 1st April most log entries say “no wind, flukey wind, squalls, lightning, baking hot, frustrating progress, motoring occasionally but don’t have enough fuel to motor all the way....” Classic doldrums stuff. Hallucinating about roast pork and crackling for dinner when all we had was pasta and tinned tuna🤣
Instead of a water maker, we set up a rain catchment system. If we don't have enough rain to fill the tanks, then we go the jerry can route you mentioned.
Simplicity is beautiful and getting your tanks topped up via the clouds surely brings you closer to nature. Thank you for watching and commenting. 😊Fair winds! Chris & Rossella 👍
Same here
Seems to me the advantages of a water maker is for small boats with small holding tanks, that are being used for ocean crossings or remote anchorages for extended periods of time. What is a necessity for some is a convenience for others. No wrong answer. Just different strokes.
You are absolutely right Grandpa. Yes, around harbors you can do as Sailing Britaly suggests, but on Voyage, it would be foolish not to have a watermaker. We can also do without our smart phone or toothpaste or bandaids, but WHY?
Hi there Carl, thank you for watching and commenting. My opinion is that 99% of cruising boats are used in places where fresh water is available ashore. Is it more convenient to flick some switches and make your own water on board? Yes. Do these 99% of boats NEED a watermaker? No. I also think that people should be cautious about relying on a watermaker for ocean crossings. Someone who doesn't have a watermaker would set out on their voyage with lots of stowed water on board (in tanks, jerry cans, bottles of water and so forth) and would do their utmost to conserve their water during their voyage. Someone setting out - as you said - with small holding tanks and a watermaker would not be treating their water on board as a finite resource. If the watermaker (or the power generating systems running it) were to break down, they could very quickly find themselves in a life-threatening situation with very few options. Just my 2 cents... Fair winds, Chris (& Rossella) 👍
On a long voyage, it could be considered foolish to rely on a watermaker... See my reply to Grandpa for more details. Fair winds, Chris (& Rossella) 👍
I think that it would be important for me. I'd like to be able to spend a lot of time around places where there are no marinas and no civilization.
you dont need an engine either but its dam handy.
😂
Well, only an inexperienced person would say that, generally. No-one that I know of that has popped up on deck to see a supertanker bearing down on them has every regretted having a working engine installed. Relying on the tankers to a)have someone on watch or b) your tiny boat being visible to them (even with radar reflectors) is cloud cuckoo land, and, if you're singlehanded, you can't always be on deck. I agree with all that's been said about a watermaker, but even sailing into marinas these days is banned.
A cruising yacht will have a tender and 95℅ will have an outboard, lash your dinghy to either port or starboard beam and use your outboard, even a 3 HP will nurdle you into a marina or anchorage. Or you can scull your boat in like the sailors of old. Neither are mandatory, but personally I'd prefer a fully functional diesel, particularly if you don't have enough energy generation from solar and a wind generator and need to run the engine to top up the house bank
@@jonnorousseau3096 Tough to do when you are singlehanded.
@Dave Mould So the assumptions are as follows : a) Commercial shipping will only be in commercial shipping routes b) they will always be visible in any conditions and display the correct lighting at night c) no vessel under sail with an alert crew has ever been run down by a commercial vessel d) when operating a sailing vessel you can dedicate all of your time to taking bearings...et al ad infinitum.
When you have "sailed easily out of the way" of a supertanker at night backlit by the shore lights of a city port for clarity, using your theoretical but superior skills that provide an adequate platform for criticising others, feel free to comment. Others with experience aren't always so sure.
Rain catchment is a thing... But for transoceanic voyages? I'd be nervous with only 30 gallons onboard.
@Dave Mould Crossing the Atlantic or Pacific take at least that or double or more though..
Ive gone through all the trouble of finding water, filling cans , and then transporting heavy containers to the boat. It is hugely time consuming, and on top of everything you still have to be so frugal with your water. Its a pain in the arse. I now have a water maker , and believe me, its worth every cent.
Hi John, I understand where you are coming from. However, the purpose of this video is to let people know that there is a watermaker alternative (jerry cans) and just because you don't have a watermaker on board doesn't mean you are limited to staying in marinas - which is a misconception we have seen a number people have. Your experience also proves you don't "need" a watermaker, because you managed without one. As I said in the video, we aren't against watermakers, we just know that you can spend long periods at anchor without one.
I agree as we have the same Jerry cans for the boat and we aren't allowed in marinas so we have to bounce around anchorages or open ocean doing long passages and sometimes we have run out of water a day or so before we arrive. We carry 140 litres of water but now we have acquired a manual desalinator which looks like its been abused we just have to buy a new filter for it which costs about £200 online. This is just incase we ever run out of water again. Electric desalinators have common faults with the solinoid where they oxidise and get stuck on which results in your water tank emptying all the water. This has happened to alot of friends of mine imagine just relying on your desalinator and you don't carry backup water tanks then your water maker empties all your water as your in a 2 week or 4 week sail across an ocean. Crazy if you ask me always carry Jerry cans don't rely 100% on expensive gadgets as they will generally fail you when your out there. Water is gold on a boat.
Heck, I bought a watermaker for my kayak. Some of the trips I take are more than seven days between fresh water sources, and space is limited. I pack a maintenance kit as well. Even with that, I still make sure I have around 12 L in case I do encounter issues with the pump. However, I agree. If you're docked up next to a water source, use that first.
that is awesome is it a small portable one? let me know what brand and how much is cost you
thanks for sharing
This video had to be uploaded again after a technical hitch, so if you received two notifications for it we apologise for the inconvenience. We also lost all our comments, which is a shame as we had some great comments from people on the first upload. Fair winds! Chris & Rossella 👍
i tested living 30days in italy on board solo, close to the coast and no marina... and yes the jerrycan is the BEST solution
You are absolutely correct. Water maker is a recent addition to cruising boats. We have a 40ft cat and collect our water from the rain off the cockpit roof. We top up when refueling and never had to resort to Jerry cans!
Rainwater collection is the best way to go and we will look into this on our new boat. We have 400 litres, which is a lot more than we have had on our smaller boat, but then again, we will have a baby on board, and we think that may increase our water consumption somewhat... Fair winds! 😊 Chris & Rossella 👍
This is nothing new, I’d been doing the 5 gallon jerrycan for years. What works better and almost know one is doing it is the 6 gallon jerrycan. There harder to come buy but worth it in the long run. Changed my life.
Everyone who ever sailed before watermakers were invented sailed with stored water. Sail on!
Sure you can do that, but how much more fun with all the water you need. Just sayin.
Tony Alexander - They didn't carry Grog because their water would go rancid. Rum was actually mixed with rancid water to create Grog in an attempt to sterilize the water on board. They would have preferred to drink good clean water but it was reserved for the captain and officers.
Exactly, go back to basics, you can even in a worst case scenario do simple evaporation desalination using Angled clingwrap above a container of salt water leading to another empty container, and you can make your own salt as well
Completly agree with you too. We crossed the Atlantic last year during 19 days. We were four people and used less than150 liters. Usually we pay only 2 euros/USD for 100 liters in Cabo verde or caribbean islands.
Thank you for sharing your experience. Fair winds! Chris 👍
I really like this video. We are planning to do the jerry can method in the Caribbean since we are in a small boat on a budget. I like the idea of bringing a jerry can to shore every time to make it a habit of refilling.
Hi John & Julie! It is very simple and works perfectly for us. The 'little and often' approach is 100 x easier than the 'use it all then refill it' alternative... Fair winds! Chris, Rossella & Emma 😊
Yes I agree with you. You are absolutely right. Really good video! Thanks!
Zsolt Szekely Thank you Zsolt 👍
And I thought our 400 litres was a bit sparse. However after parking next to a large Bennie which not only had a water maker, a washing machine and a dishwasher, I’m thinking who had the most fun here. Probably they did!
So simple...that’s how we do it too...who needs a $5000 watermaker..There are MANY MANY sources of free water...and you will never be waiting in port to receive an expensive part to repair it!!! We have had one for 12 years and used it once...just once. It’s not just expensive to buy one, and run one, but parts too! GOOD VIDEO! awe hope to meet you someday!
Well that is a very interesting situation. 12 years with a watermaker and you used it once... Wow! Obviously everyone is different, but that is pretty irrefutable proof that you don't need a watermaker to cruise. Thanks for sharing and hopefuly we'll see you in an anchorage somewhere one day. 🌅🙂👍
In ur cases it is suitable if you go marinas over marinas, I’m planning a trip from Tanzania to mauritius, this is out sea trip- the watermaker is a must.
I am rebuilding my 30ft sloop. Your tips are sooo practical and useful. Many thanks.
If you are a long range sailor crossing oceans I will advise you not to listen to these punks. A water maker is a survival mean not a luxury. In case of drifting in open water after a broken sail or engine water is a source for survival. I have been crossing oceans in a 38 foot sailing boat I had my share of up and down in open water. I will advise you not to buy expensive electric ones as they are of no use in open water drifting in a boat without electric power. The hand pump desalination is the jack of all trade as it can also be used in a lift raft.
Quite right Chris. My boat has sailed the Atlantic and Pacific and the then owner always reckoned they had more water at the end of the journey than when they started. Work out a way to harvest the rain and even in the Med it rains. Use it.
Hi Tim, thank you. This has been done for a very long time and it's surprising that so many people write off rainwater collection and other such simple solutions. Of course watermakers have advantages, but many people have circumnavigated without them, so evidently they aren't obligatory even for serious cruising trips. Best regards, Chris
Interesting point of view. I haven't gotten the boat yet to be honest lol! I'm an amateur sailor and looking for now my second sailboat but I'm looking for a big enough boat for my family because it's a rather large family. I have plans to have a decent size generator anyway. In my situation I think it would be ideal to have a water maker just because I've got 6 people on board full time. It is expensive as all hell I must agree. I also can see it becoming quite a pain in the arse should things go astray. There are certain amenities I've already decided I need to live aboard. I must have a TV and a gaming console for my kids and my own sanity. At that point I feel like it would be in my best interest to get a water maker but after watching this video I feel relieved that I may not necessarily need one to get on the water. Thank you for your perspective sir!
That's 4 minutes of my life i'll never get back.
I think the best way to go about it is to buy a boat with a very large water tank : you get rid of the need for a high cost, high maintenance water maker, and your boat will be more secure with the added mass (assuming the water tank is well placed hopefully).
By the way, the same goes for the gas tank : more boat rigidity and HUGE savings in the long run because you get more flexibility to choose where/when to refill at the lowest cost. Trust me on this : the extra initial cost is covered very quickly (depending on your usage of course).
Not only do you not need a water maker, but you can tow floating water distillers (solar/condensation), and semi-flexible solar panels floated with pool noodles off your stern. This way, you can put these things into the water for more fresh water or electricity as needed, and not be taking up space or blocking out sunshine with excessive rack mounts cluttering onboard, and just pull these out of the water to stack and store very much more easily. these tactics make for great comfort and less cost as well as being able to live larger on a much smaller or faster boat.
Yes, i have floated semi-flexible panels, towed as a rope ladder tail behind an 18 ft boat. Plastic insulated 12 gauge copper wire, your choice of connections (i chose solder, shrink tubing and exterior grade silicon caulk to seal connections. I check for wear as I haul them out or toss them in, but haven't found anything needing to be re-sealed yet. Salt water conducts, but it isn't caustic or abrasive, so the simple method needs little maintenance as it turns out. The luxury of travelling on water is that we can easily float and tow plenty of photovoltaic, while you cannot really do such a thing practically or to such an extent on roads and land. I have no idea why boaters knock themselves out installing a bunch of hardware and racks and cluttering up their deck space to install all their solar. I'm able to cruise along the river where it isn't really wide enough to sail using two 55 lb electric motors and the panels provide plenty of power not only to go all day with no need of fuel, but also keep a pair of deep cycle batteries fully charged. I also manually disconnect the panels at sundown, rather than bothering with a charge controller. Now, I have used this for several summers now, and as with the solar on my home, thought how odd that everyone isn't just doing it. Its dirt simple, so figure it out. Amperage is not high enough or in such a way as to be any fatal shock hazard, unless you're going to touch + and - to your tongue, or salty wet hands. Play a bit. You'll quickly discover that solar boats without tails are kinda dumb. One thing I should warn of though is that these options can make anyone quite lazy, before they even realize it, and it was a shock of the non-electrical kind when I did return to the gym. :)
I like your ideas. Do you employ them?
You can also creatively use a pressure cooker to distill water , a pipe hooked up to the pressure release gives steam that can be cooled in a sink full of cool salt water.... The pressure cooker should be made of stainless steel, otherwise the salt water will corrode it horribly. Pressure cookers are a lot cheaper than RO machines
Our boat is a bit larger but we still don’t have a watermaker although we have researched it thoroughly. We are lucky in that our boat carries 1000 liters of water but unfortunate in that it is in two built in aluminum tanks. We are a bit worried about it for drinking water so when not offshore we drink ro (reverse osmosis) water from grocery stores. We also put our our water through 3 filters going into the tanks and two coming out so we do our best to minimize aluminum intake even though it the most common metal in the air we breath.
Life is full of compromise but minimizing risk is hopefully a worthwhile endeavor.
Enjoy and keep up the good fun.
Hi Victor, thank you for your comment. I had not come across aluminium water tanks until I read your comment and have read up a wee bit on them, so thank you for bringing this to my attention. There are many houses in the UK which still have short sections of lead pipe in the incoming water supply - perhaps this goes some way to explaining our eccentricity! 😂 Fair winds! Chris & Rossella 👍
In the Bahamas, it was a pain hauling water. Sometime the water place close and you are just out of luck. Lots of island doesn’t have people and water. So It’s either large tanks and refills duty of watermaker.
I almost always sail solo which does affect my decision to not install a water maker. During a refit of my 27 foot Vega I installed a much larger fresh water tank and carry four 20 liter jerry cans. I collect rain water by closing off my cockpit drains and using a bailer to fill the jerry cans. I treat the water with bleach before adding it to my onboard tank and have a inline sawyer filter at my sink. It is not the best tasting water but using this method I have never even come close to running dry.
Thank you for the feedback! Hearing this from someone who has the experience you have and so many miles under the keel is very valuable. Fair winds! Chris, Rossella & Emma 🙂
You collect fresh rainwater then add poisonous bleach. Wow, OK.
@@kubevoid3977 tiny amount of pure chlorine bleach soon reacts through the water then gasses off, killing the nasties in the process. Get your measurements right and it's far less chemical laden than most first world potable tap water. So not posionous at all.
Great video. There are portable RO water makers that require little storage space and user either solar power or a small portable generator... but are still expensive. I would also look into getting is to get a water purifier kit that fits onto your jerry can. These are popular with back packers and long distance overlanders. Great option when the fresh water source is suspect. p.s. Based on another post, there are NATO rated jerry cans that are highly resistant to salt and UV damage. They cost more than 5.00 USD though.
Hi there, thank you for watching and commenting with your suggestions. Fair winds, Chris & Rossella 👍
Britaly Crew, I agree with your overall sentiment- it is entirely more than feasible to cruise without a water maker. Likewise, you don't need an inverter, a hot water heater, or plumbed and pressurized showers either. However, all mentioned make life a little more comfortable (when they are working) while cruising. Since I want my wife to be able to join me while cruising; and since she has a different level of required comforts than do I, then I will be installing a water maker, and invererter, and ensuring the water heater and plumbing are working correctly. Fair winds to you. Great videos, by the way. I hope to see you out there.
You do absolutely right Eric, if you have the funds and the space then this may be the best option for you. The watermaker is just part of the equation though, providing power for it is where the real fun and expense comes in. Many people have watermakers and love them so they are of course valid products. They aren't an obligatory prerequisite in order to live on the hook though, contrary to what many people believe. I wish you the best of luck in outfitting your boat for the cruising you and your wife wish to do, ( and a happy wife makes for a happy boat, that's for sure), and I hope we meet in a beautiful anchorage one day. It's a small world, so you never know! Cheers, Chris 👍
🍀i would get a k35 recon if i was crossing oceans you can rig the scuppers on some boats to collect rainwater , or the foot of the mainsail to flow into a bucket is cool.force 4 do a survival still🍀
Hi Sean, great tips there. Collecting rainwater is a great option and brings you even further in synergy with this wonderful planet of ours - which, in our opinion, is one of the biggest benefits of sailing. Fair winds, Chris & Rossella 👍 p.s. Apologies for the delayed reply - our baby girl has joined us so things are a bit crazy at the moment!
Bladder style water sometimes are easier to fit on a smaller boat to increase the water you can carry
Great tip Barry - our boat's fixed water tank is one of the flexible tanks and it works really well. It is relatively easy to find a place to install a flexible water tank on most boats so they are a great option for increasing tankage on board. Fair winds, Chris & Rossella 👍
liked 👍 and subbed.. keep up the tutorials and tips!
+Tampatec Hi there, thank you for watching, commenting & subscribing. Welcome aboard! Fair winds, Chris & Rossella 👍
A trick: you can watch movies on flixzone. I've been using it for watching loads of movies during the lockdown.
@Kolton Santana Definitely, I have been using Flixzone} for years myself :)
@Kolton Santana yea, have been using flixzone} for since november myself =)
I'm confused. Did you change boats at a point?
100% agree. For our lifestyle simplicity is crucial.
Totally agree!
Gutted I was looking forward to making my 5 dollar water maker and all along it was just a jerry can to carry water in from the main land. Great idea if your sailing continually off shore, but no good if your sailing the world. Great video's by the way keep up the good work :-)
Hi Lee, sorry to disappoint you with the 5 dollar watermaker. :-) I have to respectfully disagree with you - there is no reason you can't sail the world using this 'top up little and often technique'. Captain Cook managed to find fresh water ashore when he sailed all over the world in the 1700's, so I'm sure if a modern sailor is prepared to make the effort, they can do the same too. Fair winds, Chris (& Rossella) 👍
@@SailingBritaly Captain Cook wasn't sailing a 36-footer...he had a touch more storage. The topping up is great, but, with hand-powered filters available for a few hundred (top of the line ones), I'd consider that a minimum for going off-shore.
Lin and Larry Pardey sailed on a 24 footer around the world and again on a 28 footer around the world, no water maker. The Hiscocks sailed on a 30 footer around the world with no water maker. James Baldwin sailed around the world on a 28 footer with no water maker... the list goes on and on. It is absolutely do-able. To me, that means that a water maker can be a nice-to-have item, not a must-have item.
@@juliaweeks5075 "Doable" but it sucks.....
Chris, I agree with your idea. Where i sail is the Sea of Cortez between mainland Mexico and Baja, Mexico. It is desert and very few places to obtain water. My trimaran only holds 25 gallons. Water weighs 8 lbs/gal. So a 5 gallon jug weighs 40 lbs or so. At 70 years old that is not too much..but it ain't getting eaiser I'll tell you that. You are right about space, money, complications, and such. The other thing...it is a luxury...when you have a woman on board it makes a big difference for their comfort. Women like to be clean even more than the fussiest of men. So. there is that thing too.....love your videos and just glad i found your channel.
Hi Alan, thank you very much for sharing your experience with us. If you can get by in a desert area then that should be enough to silence any critic! Rossella definitely likes to have plenty of showers and my job is to supply enough water for her to be happy! I don't know how well I explained it in this video, but the very simple change of topping up 'little and often', rather than emptying the tanks and doing a dedicated water run (like we used to do) made a huge difference for us. AFter we made this slight change in approach our tanks were always topped up and bringing a jerry can along each time we went ashore never felt like a chore. Thank you for your kind words and helpful contribution and welcome aboard! Best regards, Chris, Rossella & Emma 😊
Your jerry can option is only valid when you stay within proximity of shore based water sources. On a longer crossing your jerry can is just deck decoration. Like many other boat options, what you "need" is primarily based on where you sail, how far off shore and how long your crossings will be.
Hi there, thank you for watching and commenting. The title of the video is "Why you don't NEED a watermaker to live on the hook". Almost by definition, if someone is living on the hook then they are near land, so I'm not sure what you are disagreeing with... This video wasn't aimed at experienced ocean going sailors (who couldn't care less what I've got to say, given that they have much more experience than me) who are far more likely to have a watermaker on board. Having said that, until very recently everyone who had ever crossed an ocean did so without a watermaker, so it is of course possible to do that... Fair winds, Chris
Water is a wast of space. I bring beer and whiskey since it’s more valuable. The old timer sailors and cowboys knew this too!
J'utilise à la maison et sur le bateau un filtre Berkeley doulton, merci
have seen this video now the first time, for costal sailing is your argumentation right, but if you go further out the watermaker makes sense
Yes I agree a lot of good points.
Thank you Michael. Fair winds, Chris & Rossella 👍
And if you were sailing to Cape Verde, most likely direct, how does it work?
@Dave Mould It's unsound water management that is foolhardy, regardless of the methods you use. If it doesn't rain and there's no port within cooee then a watermaker looks pretty darned good to my eye. With covid-19 now, it's not so easy to enter any old port now to possibly bfreak a journey; port-hopping won't work due to quarantine issues.
I used to here that if pianos had existed in the days of J.S. Bach then he would've used one. Same goes with watermakers if they add water management security to your sailing.
It all depends on what is your area of sailing and how good is the quality of the drinking water.
I have a 30 foot Grampian with about 30 gal. of water and have never always had enough water. I carry an extra 10 gal of water on deck but have rarely needed to use it.
Absolutely Jake - we even heard from someone on Facebook who bought a boat which had a fully functioning watermaker already fitted but he has never used it once despite living on board full time for a couple of years!.. Watermakers are a great invention but shouldn't be considered as necessities. Fair winds, Chris & Rossella 👍
I made my own using pressure washer pump converted to 12 volts works great if not better expensive ones
What if you go into tropical areas that you can’t drink the local water and if for some reason you get into trouble blown off coarse yeah sure you can do without one but you haven’t got that security and safety of always having water available it could be a life or death decision sailing a broad
Nice job on this video. Your suggestions are great. By the way, rationing water on long voyages is one reason I have a pet camel on board.
+Carleton Scully We won't be replying to this comment as we've got the hump... 😉
Do you think two camels would be too much?
Great video. I would just like to point out that the plastic jerry "can" , if stored on deck, would be subject to UV damage. Eventually, (in this case, very quickly) the "can" shown would break.
Hi there, thank you for watching and commenting. Yes you're right - UV does degrade plastic jerry cans. We used to carry several of these containers on deck when we used the 'use loads of water then do a big refill' technique. Now with our 'top up every time you go ashore' technique, we only need one jerry can and stow it in our cockpit locker, where it is protected from UV rays and is also has less effect on the stability of the boat, due to it being lower down towards the waterline. Fair winds, Chris & Rossella 👍
You can put in the effort of rigging a simple rain water catchment system.
That can save you from carring heavy jerry cans around. No power needed. : )
Absolutely. I'd filter it before drinking it these days as there's a lot of 'contaminants' up there now, unfortunately... God bless, Chris
Good food for thought
A water maker is a wonderful piece of equipment when cruising on a small boat with a 35l water tank in the dry season when it does not rain for 6 months. You may be able to do without but your video makes no sense for some of us who venture away from marinas and other places where potable water is available. Perhaps you could rename your video “Why I don’t need a water maker”.
Maybe we can rename the video 'Why you don't need a watermaker unless you are cruising on a small boat with a 35l water tank in the dry season when it does not rain for 6 months'. Doesn't seem quite as catchy though... 😂 Fair winds! Chris & Rossella
That would be more accurate but, like you say, not so catchy. Fair winds to you too.
Another simple way to fill your water tank: When you go to the waste pump dock to dump your waste tank, there is ALWAYS a freshwater hose right there to top off your water tank for free, without carrying a 40lb jug of water, that will only fill up 20% of your tank.
Agreed, you can also divert water from your bimini top during rain, a simple rope running from the bimini top into the tank filler cap will cause water to run down the rope into the tank. Just 1 method I've seen, I've seen people filling their dinghy, buckets on deck, the bigger issue is passage making without a water maker, eg a Pacific crossing is about 24 to 30 days. If you are a crew of 3 which is not many, although most boats are double handed, you need to be at about 10L a day, that's 300 litres, double your capacity, so if it doesn't rain you need to reduce that to 4 or 5 litres daily, not a lot, so expect to wash dishes and yourself in salt water with a fresh water rinse,
Thanks Jonno. On our new boat we have 400 litres of tankage and it is really easy to collect rainwater from the topsides due to the design of the boat and the position of the tank filler, so we will be taking advantage of this. I once spent 6 days alone at the summit of the UK's highest mountain and "made" 1.5 ltres of water per day on average by condensing clouds and collecting rain on my small tarp, which then tracked down a V shaped line into a water bottle. I had planned on collecting water from a spring 1/2 mile away but as this method worked so well I didn't have to move from my bivvy. I love simple solutions to problems. Fair winds! Chris 👍
@@SailingBritaly yip, I'm a South African so have spent my fair share of time in the bush, even at sea if you can harvest condensation and rainwater from squalls, you're fine, from my deductions there are 2 types of cruisers, guys like yourselves, free range sailing are another (great channel, Troy and Pascale) who have small boats and small budgets. Then you get the rich as ......can sail, but don't have a clue about my boat systems, cruisers, ooohhh we can't go from Florida to The Bahamas without a water maker, they'd probably motor sail as well😮😮😮😮. My point is simple, just like choice of boats, it's all about what you can afford, and what suits your specific requirements
Thanks Jonno, I bet we'd get along great with Troy & Pascale. For us it's all about priorites: can we afford to buy a watermaker? Yes: we can withdraw those funds and if I go offshore I can earn that back pretty quickly. However, we prefer to have that money earning 7.2% compound interest, so that our money works for us instead of us having to work for money all the time. Minimalism = freedom, which is why we make many of the choices we do in our lives. We love to be free! Fair winds, Chris, Rossella & Emma 🙂
Sailing offshore for extended periods (crossing the Pacific, for example), I would get a water maker. Every other scenario, no....
Hi Joel, thank you for watching and commenting. For some people it does make sense and, who knows, one day me might get a watermaker too! For now though we prefer to keep things simple. Fair winds! Chris & Rossella 👍
Where I live (liveaboard) people come from Panama to Australia. One of the frequent comments with watermakers is, never rely on them. Most keep water in 2litre containers with 3 litres per day per person, under the soleboards. If water maker is working, then great. If not, then they know they have drinking water. Watermaker is for washing and showers. Marinas have to much biosludge in the water to use a watermaker. Jellyfish, seaweed, disolved particles, high salinity etc etc, stop watermakers or require significant adjustment.
There are some great DIY watermakers on youtube. I like the taste of rainwater, so most of us use a roll-out tarp with a sink drain fitting at the low point. I attach a hose to this and it goes to the tank via a filter. Sometimes I throw the tarp into the tender and use a pump to pump the water into my tank. The tender option is the easiest due to shape and space. Hope this helps. Tips from a liveaboard.
Exactly what I said in my comment, fine in anchorages, but a different story on a Pacific crossing for example
@@ismzaxxon Thanks for sharing Terry. We can collect rainwater really easily on our new boat, and are looking forward to doing that. Fair winds! Chris, Rossella & Emma
It all depends where you are cruising. Up in the Saltish Sea there are literally dozens of public docks with free water. There it would be absurd to have a water maker on board. Now we are cruising in the Sea of Cortes, Mexico in a desert like environment. Effectively, the only way to top up your water tanks is to check into a marina overnight ($70 a night) and even then the water is metered. The one low cost approach to top up your water tanks is at a fuel dock when refuelling. Some will allow this and some will not. Moreover, it never rains here for six months a year. Consequently, there is a more compelling argument for a water maker on board. We are one of the few who don't.
Agreed - watermaker = luxury if you are within site of land every week or so....
Hi Michael, Rossella and I could make our 100 litre tank last us for about 10 days without any top-ups whilst living on the hook when it was just the two of us. Britaly has around 400 litres of water on board, which is a luxury for us, but let's just say our consumption has increased somewhat with the addition of Emma... 😂 We can easily collect rainwater though, which can make a big difference to how often water is sourced ashore. Thank you for being a part of our 🌟Patreon Crew🌟, it means the world to us! Very best regards, Chris, Rossella & Emma 🙂
@@SailingBritaly Thanks for producing such informative content... and Emma is a delight - reminds me of my daughter at that age - She's now 26 (yep that time will fly so enjoy her now..) This week she is sailing from Tasmania to Sydney on the Tall Ship "James Craig"
Thank you Michael. :-) I just googled the James Craig and she is a beautifu historic vessel - your daughter will have the trip of a lifetime sailing her to Sydney. What an experience! We are doing our best to savour the time with Emma at this really precious age, but as I'm sure you found too it is hard to reconcile working commitments with 'Emma time' and it is truly breathtaking how quickly she is growing up. It would be great to have a pause button for life with which to savour the joy she brings even more! Very best regards, Chris, Rossella & Emma 🙂
Lots of people here don't seem to understand that a water maker is a survival kit not a luxury. In case of open water drifting nobody will bring you gallons of water out there. And who cares about expensive electric water maker? A water maker should be able to produce water even in a life raft. So guys water storage in gallons is a good thing but don't forget when you are drifting in open water, gallons are empty and haven't been raining for at least a month the buddy that will keep you alive is a manual water maker or portable solar water maker. Best option is the hand pump. It requires only human power and doesn't depend on any other type of power. Been crossing oceans for over 22 years had my share of up and down in open ocean. If any anyone is interested I can show you how to make fresh water at sea for less than $ 300 . You just need a hydraulic car jack, an osmosis filter and a stainless steel cylinder
I can live without appliances but someone very close to me cannot! They are rendered useless without a watermaker. That's a life style issue rather than a necessity though. Long passages as mentioned below require them. A small 30L unit is compact and does not consume a lot of power... additional batteries and/or uprated charging can be run from the existing engine without the need for a separate generator. Showers, heads and wash down units all benefit from not using raw sea water. They are a bit like Radar and AIS - you can do without them, but....
Hi Bob, I respectfully disagree with you here: people can have an appliance like a washing machine, without needing a watermaker. Most sailors cross oceans very rarely. Just because there is a washing machine on board, doesn't mean that it has to be used during the handful of ocean crossings someone is likely to make in their lifetime. The crew can easily switch to frugal mode and dramatically reduce their water consumption for the 20- 30 days of the crossing and then choose to use the washing machine when they have an abundance of water (any anchorage where there is a tap available). The purpose of this video was just to raise awareness to the fact there is always an alternative if you are willing to look for it. Many people are very happy with their watermakers. That's great and perhaps one day we will join their ranks too. Regardless of that, the fact remains that anyone who ever crossed oceans from the dawn of time to about 20 years ago did so without watermakers, so they are not "required" items.
"A watermaker is a luxury not an essential" I always love that line. Until you realize the exact same thing can be said for owning a boat. But hauling water in five-gallon jugs might not be so bad with only a 30-gallon capacity fresh water tank. Until you get a boat another 4-6 foot longer and your fresh water holding capacity starts getting into the 100-200-gallon range. I assure you, the novelty of hauling water in jugs will wear thin far sooner than later. One of the nice things about having a watermaker on board is around 7am in the morning, waking up to the sound of little bitty outboards. I stick my head out of the hatch and see these little dingys loaded with blue water jugs heading to shore. I go back to bed and ask the wife to wake me when breakfast is ready.
Yup!
A watermark is a survival necessity not a luxury. If you drift in open water for a long period after a broken sail or engine nobody will bring you water gallons out there. Apparently you are a weekend sailor.
What is that tiny boat you're paddling in?
Hi Kathryn, it's one of these ruclips.net/video/g4sD0ownveI/видео.html
One. Might could make a dodger and Bimini that can collect rain water too! Also make a gutter to drive rain water from the deck into the fill! (Sailing Atticus)
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That depends on how many days you will be away from a fresh water source.
On average a human will need 2 liters (half gallon) a day , to maintain a healthy water content... 30 days out and you'll need to have brought 60 liters (16 gallons) do you have enough room on a 30 footer to store all those jerry cans (Water Jugs)... just an observation
Lin and Larry Pardey sailed on a 24 footer around the world and again on a 28 footer around the world, no water maker. The Hiscocks sailed on a 30 footer around the world with no water maker. James Baldwin sailed around the world on a 28 footer with no water maker... the list goes on and on. It is absolutely do-able. To me, that means that a water maker can be a nice-to-have item, not a must-have item. If these people had room to store enough water to sail around the world, particularly with the Pardeys on their 24 footer who I believe spent well over 40 days at sea on one crossing as they also sailed without an engine... I believe it could definitely be possible to do so on a 30 footer.
Have you always had a source of clean water? That’s one thing I’ve been thinking if going on remote locations...
Hi there, we have always been able to find a tap ashore. There may be places in the word where there are no freshwater taps ashore, but we believe 99% of cruisers will never go to these places. Watremakers are great if you have the money and power generation capacity to support them. We don't believe they should be considered an essential item though - there are other ways of obtaining water. Fair winds, Chris & Rossella 👍
i think you don't need a water maker but 1) there are fora few hundred dollars emergency watermakers that are hand pumped and make 2 gallons per hour handi in a bad situation.
2) you can make your own it's a pressure washer (used $50-100!) membrane (getting cheaper) and gauges and control valve
Disagree. I think that a modern, efficient water maker is paramount. You can then have consistent water quality everywhere you go, utilise a compact dc washing machine for laundry, drinking, showering, cleaning etc. - town water is generally crap, and usuallly unavailable after a severe weather event. Towns consistently have water restrictions and marinas/docks can charge you for it, or even say "no". Its worth the large upfront cost. And the occasional maintenance. Water is the one thing we do not survive long without
what about a vacuum still.
Correct, you do not 'need' a water maker. Plus I completely agree that one does not make as much sense on smaller boat like yours. Do not agree so much about your assessment of hassles of maintenance though. It is more replacing hassles of manually lugging water onboard (such as your humongous jerry can) with hassles of maintaining water maker system. Something that is less strenous work involved. Price ofc is always a consideration, but if someone is really wanting to spend for water maker, more than likely they have already deemed the high cost worthy of spending.
Also meant to add, not all places have advisable drinking water either, unless you want to spend time and energy boiling it first. Typically can buy bottled water in those places, but if doing that one may as well spend money buying water maker.
If someone has the funds and space for a watermaker then I'd say go for it (we may make or buy one ourselves one day) but the point is you don't need one in order to avoid marinas like some people assume. There is often a 'back to basics' way of doing things despite all the technology available today and we wanted to raise awareness of this. I would 'guesstimate' that 98% of people who go cruising can access potable drinking water ashore if they are prepared to carry it. Fair winds, Chris & Rossella
You could spend a little money , and build a solar water still. make a square float with a metal pan inside painted black, 4 triangleular glass pieces form a pyramid sun heats the water fresh water condenseness on the glass, drains into jug, which then pumps it into storace tank. use solar panels to run 2 small 12 volt pumps.
Like your video and for your situation your solution for water isn't a bad idea especially since you are predominantly in the Med. However, building your own water maker similar to the one on Emerald Steel, can be very effective and efficient. They have had no problems and it is very cost effective. Check out the video, it's a good alternative. Especially if you are going to cross oceans or sail the South Pacific region.
Hi Bill, thank you for the advice. If we decide we want a watermaker at some point in the future (bigger boat, washing baby clothes, ocean crossings...) we will definitely check out Jules & Suzie's DIY watermaker. Fair winds! Chris & Rossella 👍
AND you can MAKE your own water maker with off-the-shelf components. For MUCH cheaper!
Are you daysailing?
Watermakers offer a real advantage in some parts of the world where there are problems with supply or quality or both. It is a simple technology, but is implemented in a very inefficient way in terms of energy consumption. I’ve always drank chemical free well water, and strongly dislike the taste of treated water. I would like to see an open source human power watermaker...
The numbers say it could work and work well with enough water for one person per day taking about 15 min of light exercise.... Want to take a fresh water shower... stretch it out and / or save up. Who doesn’t need exercise?
Commercial watermakers are very inefficient due to high pressure bleed off... Horsepower = flow*pressure / x, so cycling makes more sense in energy terms. A pedal power or sliding seat rowing machine makes sense. The pump could be fabricated for the latter very easily using mostly off the shelf components, and some stainless steel.
Mister, it is easy to talk, I want to see you sailing in the caribbean without a watermaker
Having plenty of water is a nice luxury to have. I live on a power boat and have room, but my homemade 40 gph watermaker is components and is fitted in spare space. I make all my water, average run is about 1 hour every 2 days unless a lot of people are on board. Membranes will last 10 years if cared for and I flush with fresh water after running the watermaker. I f you don't use it for awhile, you pickle it. My maintenance probably doesn't average 10 minutes a week. Mine is made from items mostly on ebay and cost under $3000 US. I could make a smaller 12v one for less than $1000.
HI there, it's great to hear your system works so well. 👍 What is the current draw of your system and how do you produce the power?
could you give me a part list for a 12v watermaker? i want one for extended ocean camping trips with my dog.
thank you very much
Boil the water. Catch the steam. Add a teaspoon of whats left in the boiled container to 3 or 4 gallons
😳(Estimated)😳
OMG easy
Hi guy ..do not leave the jerry can full of water in the sun, is not only a problem of UV degrade jerry cans ...the plastic PP-PE-PET or other releases toxic substances.
The release is proportional to time and temperature.
Fair wind.
Thank you for the warning. Fair winds, Chris & Rossella 👍
Sweet do a bluewater atlantic or pacific crossing with just jugs! I want to see where you actually get to sleep!!
Hi Rich, you mean do a bluewater Atlantic or Pacific crossing without a watermaker, like everyone from the dawn of time did until about 20 years ago... Fair winds, Chris
So you will just rely on a watermaker that are known to breakdown and not bring enough water for your trip? That sounds safe..
Nobody ever did a crossing without a watermaker and had to sleep on piles of jugs? LOL
I wonder how much fuel it takes to make water. Because essentially, you are carrying fuel instead of water, so you still have to carry something. That is unless you have enough solar to make water.
Its my understanding in many areas it is advisable that tourists should not drink the water.
I think it is a different consideration for someone looking to live in an area where you cant just fill up a water jug wherever you go ashore. There are thousands of beautiful islands with very limited clean drinking water. For someone who is looking to spend an extended period of time in one of these places i think a water maker is a sensible purchase
Nope. You live in fantasy world. You still have to come ashore.
@@TOMVUTHEPIMP its not a Yup/Nope question... the thing that a watermaker changes is: how often, and for what reasons you might need to go ashore... if you are the kind of sailor tho likes a hot freshwater shower every day, you can burn through your tanks pretty quickly. And yeah, my world is pretty "fantastic" :)
I can live in luxury for 10 days on 2x 20L jerry cans. At the end of that 10 days I NEED a Laundromat (to wash me knickers) and a tap to refill the jerry cans.
Hey guys, love your video. Chris you can were stripy shirts, you'll get to much aliasing on the video best to chose solid colours, but not blue or green unless you want someone to do funny things to it like make you disappear.
Hi Craig, you are absolutely right! Our channel trailer is an absolute stripe-fest and we only noticed when we went to edit the video! You would have thought we'd have learnt our lesson but evidently not. 😂 I will try to remember to wear the clothes you suggested as that will improve our videos - thank you for the tip! Fair winds, Chris (& Rossella) 👍
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Well if you are out traveling in ocean its not possible. just filter the rain water.
I go in every 3or4 days,,5 gallon diesel jug and a gallon Arizona jug,,these seem to be the best for ruggedness and uv tolerance,,,also when the Arizona jug is finished for carrying water,,cut out the bottom,,it makes a great bailer for your dinghy,,with all that said,,,a water maker would be nice,,imagine,,fresh water showers instead of swimming each morning or washing your deck down with fresh water ,,,,,,,,,,,,,sorry,,,,what was I thinking? Well,,anyhow,,,that’s what I here,,,
You're on the money so far as a small boat goes, you have got the room for the resources, even if you have the money. But! Make sure that you have more than ample water for whatever your destination is. Being frugal with water on a boat is pretty much expected. If you have a larger boat with a lot of money, yee-ha.
i want a beermaker on my boat!
That's pretty easily arranged - you can buy beermaking kits for around $20. I made a batch of Old English Ale once and it was delicious! You will need some fresh water to make it with though... Fair winds, Chris 👍
Every time you go to shore buy enough beer to last you until the next time you go to shore. Then you will always have beer and no need for a beer maker.
Isn't that something surrounded by that much water and can't even drink it good review Jim Kansas City Missouri
"Water, water, everywhere. But not a drop to drink..." Thanks for watching and commenting Jim! Fair winds, Chris, Rossella & baby Emma 😊
Wouldn't it depend on distance your sailing. If off shore or coastal and crew numbers?
Watermakers are a requirment for a boat sailing off shore crossing oceans with 4 or more crew. If you are coastal sail nope don't need can dock fill up leave. If your crossing an ocean with 4 or more people with today's weather on a small boat 4tft or lower you can't carry enough water for your daily requirments. And with the weather being so iffy now may not get any rain. Are they a requirment, entirely depends on the sailing you are doing and how confident you are that you can carry enough water to survive the entier trip.
Remmember you have to carry enough for the trip before you leave port if not coastal sailing and that's not an easy feat on a small tomor range boat. Unless ofcourse it is just 1 or 2 of you.
Hi Angus, this video title is refers to 'Living on the hook', which means you are close to land. That said, it is possible to cross oceans without a watermaker (Every single person who had crossed an ocean until very recently in human history did so without watermakers after all!) 2 litres of drinking water per day, for 4 people, for 30 days, is 240 litres. Most boats can carry that amount of water, either in their tanks or in bottles taken on board as provisions before an ocean crossing.
It could be argued that 4 people setting out on an ocean crossing with only 2 litres of dedicated drinking water each per day, are in a far safer position than a crew setting out without any limits and are relying on a watermaker to produce their water. 10 days out, the first crew have their 2 litres per day drinking water whatever happens. The second crew, who may not have been treating their water as a finite resource, might find themselves in trouble if they run into a technical problem which stops them making more water...
Of course the above is just an example, and there are many cruisers with watermakers who are cautious and use a belt & braces approach, in which case they are in a better position than anyone. The point is that there is often a simpler way of doing something. For people with limited budgets, saving up to buy a watermaker which they "need" could make the difference between being able to untie the lines and go cruising, or getting stuck in a job for longer which might mean that life then gets in the way and they might never get to achieve their cruising dreams.
We want to help people with limited budgets live their dreams, that's why we made this video. We have nothing against watermakers and there are thousands of happy cruisers out there with them. One day we might even join them! Until then, our $5 jerry can will do us just fine.
Fair winds,
Chris 👍
Of course you can collect rain water as well.
Absolutely Robert 👍
I still want one 😪
🙂 It's your boat: you decide! This video was made before the world went nuts and people were barred from going ashore in certain places... I'd want as many options as possible now too. God bless, Chris
There are many more ways of making water than the "watermaker".
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