Don't drink seawater! I would assume most people know that but just
in case, don't do it.

We have a sal****er pump into our galley for washing dishes. The
problems that we have encountered are that the salt water tends to do
major electrolysis on the wires to the pump. The circuit breaker tends
to die after about a year or so. Also, the pump itself needs replacing
after about 2 years, even if you buy the best. In our case, I bought an
Adler Barber (sp?) super cold machine that came with the pump. I never
installed the water end of the frig so I used the pump to take water
off of the engine intake (NOTE***** if you do this, you need a seacock
on the down side of the line so that the engine doesn't suck air!!!)
The pump they supply is a high-grade sal****er pump. It still dies over
time.

We bought some very nice SS flatware that within months turned to a
dull finish because of the abrasion of the sal****er. Teflon pans die
fast too. There is a down side to using salt water instead of fresh but
it is easy to get.

A bucket is the best thing on a boat. We clean everything from feet to
fish with salt water. The outside of your boat will constantly be
salted anyway so you might as well just wash it off.

The one thing that has really been great for us is our water catching
awnings. We don't even try, and in rainy season, we have more water
then we can use for all our needs. (This is for tropical sailors, and I
didn't see that you mentioned where your course will steer you)

Most people without water makers argue the cost of water, even in the
Caribbean is so low that it does not warrant spending the money. I do
not have a water maker because I don't think I can fit another blade
of grass on my boat but I wish I could. I think that the money you save
on everything that salt water destroys would well make up for the cost
of a small water maker.