BoatBanter.com - View Single Post

Wayne.B

On Tue, 07 Jul 2009 12:05:08 -0400, wrote:

On Tue, 07 Jul 2009 11:47:51 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Tue, 07 Jul 2009 06:40:29 -0400, wrote:

Watermaker? Your list is already getting funny. Do you also grow all
your own food?

No, but there are many places in the world where good potable water is
impossible to obtain at any price.

You cruise in the Sahara desert? LOL

The key words are *good potable*.

Have you ever been to Mexico or Central America ? Have you ever had
Montezuma's Revenge (dysentery) ? Remember, we are by definition,
talking about being away from supplies for two to four weeks, maybe
more. We find that our usage is between 5 and 10 gallons per day, per
person using normal amounts. Two people over 30 days would use 300
to 600 gallons at that rate, way more than most boats can carry.

Most marinas in the Bahamas, a
very real cruising destination for us North American types, are
already charging 50 cents a gallon for dock water, and the price keeps
going up. For people making long passages, water capacity is always
an issue, and it's really nice to get one or two good showers a day
without worrying about draining the tank.

You'd probably be surprised at the number of long range cruisers who
are already equipped with water makers for exactly these reasons.

There are other ways to supplement fresh water without adding the
expense and problems of a high maintenence watermaker. I'm not
surprised by the number of cruisers who think they can't live without
a watermaker and hot showers.

You and your wife can cruise without showers if you want but not with
us.

:-)