Hello,

I was wondering if any one has some advise on what should be the
considerations when choosing a water hose and possibly hose accessories
such as Reel?

Some issues that I was thinking of a
What would be the best casing, storage solution for a hose (reel?)
How long does a hose need to be relative to your boat size?
Is a Reel an important/helpful accessory?
What is the main usage of a water hose? Washing? Drinking? Other?
How is the usage different when you are docking in the marina VS when
you are out?
How often does one replace the hose?
Is there a different hose use when you are sailing in the ocean/lake?
Should one assume that less washing is need in the lake?
Any recommendations from you experience on the best hose solutions and
where do get them will be welcomed.

Thanks!

On 20 Jul 2006 04:58:53 -0700, "dean5321" wrote:

Hello,

I was wondering if any one has some advise on what should be the
considerations when choosing a water hose and possibly hose accessories
such as Reel?

Some issues that I was thinking of a
What would be the best casing, storage solution for a hose (reel?)

I've been using small 50 foot or so wind up reels I got from Sears for
years. They have worked great so far.
On big boats I use large garden hose reels.

How long does a hose need to be relative to your boat size?

At least 10 - 20 feet longer than your boat.

Is a Reel an important/helpful accessory?

I fined it very helpful. It lets you store the hose in a very compact
way and helps eliminate kinks.

What is the main usage of a water hose? Washing? Drinking? Other?

All of the above.

How is the usage different when you are docking in the marina VS when
you are out?

You don't use it much away from the dock unless you have a watermaker.

How often does one replace the hose?

As needed.

Is there a different hose use when you are sailing in the ocean/lake?

No.

Should one assume that less washing is need in the lake?

Yes. Some what.

Any recommendations from you experience on the best hose solutions and
where do get them will be welcomed.

Thanks!

Forget flat hoses and coily hoses. Waste of time and money as a main
hose.

This is flat out the best hose I've ever used.

http://www.irrigationwarehouse.co.uk...ls_choice.html

This is the only place I've seen that carries them in the US. Of
course once I found them I stopped looking for others. :-)

http://www.natlmarine.com/

I use one of those 'flat' hoses and I store it on a plastic gizmo designed
for coiling up extension cords. This way I've got a hose that isn't limited
to just the style that comes in those flat ones with the reel. I also
connect the ends to each other to prevent spiders and other gunk from
getting into the ends of it. I've got a 50' flat hose on a bracket designed
for a 100' extension cord and it JUST fits. The width of the hose is about
double an electrical wire so keep that in mind. A reel designed for the
hose also usually hands squeezing out the water and probably stores a bit
more compactly. But then you're at the mercy of the reel working properly
and I've had plenty of them over time (at home) that always broke. Your
other choice is those coiled 'air hose' style. My only concern with those
is the spring tension they extert on the connections. This is OK if you're
just talking about hosing down the backyard but I'd be worried about it long
term for a shore water connection.

I also put a brass shut-off valve at the boat-end of the hose. I found one
with a 45 degree bend in it and that helps with the clearance to the shore
power cables also in the same locker. The shut off on the hose side allows
me to avoid getting drenched when connecting/disconnecting.