run a hose when you need to and fill your tanks - life will be easier
and cheaper

On Tue, 16 Sep 2003 09:43:46 -0700, "Steve" wrote:

I realize, under normal harbor conditions, it is not recommended to run your
watermaker inport. Due, I assume, to the probability of contaminated sea
(harbor) water..

However, I have been planning on living aboard my boat at a marina dock over
this winter.. I just realized that they turn off the fresh water to the dock
and all outside faucets in mid Oct/early Nov. until about May. I hate to
consider filling water cans in the head and hauling water all winter..

Yet, I have abundant shore power (pay a flat rate) and a 8 gph watermaker
that needs to be operated periodically. I may be upgrading to 24 gph. Also,
I have a UV sterilizer in the product water line, FWIW.

I'm not a squimish guy and have confidence that there aren't any other boats
dumping sewage at the marina (I will be the only liveaboard). All the other
boats have potta potties.

The marina is located in the pristine waters of Hood Canal, where there are
extreme tidal flows daily. Only during the spring floods of the Skokomish
river, is the water ever cloudy to the point I can't see my prop.

From my cruising of the Puget Sound, this summer, I find I average about 2
gal of water per day. That includes several (boat) showers a week, onboard.
Laundry was done onshore. The marina has no showers and no hot water in the
shore heads.

Thoughts, comments, experiences??

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

Find a way to blow the water out of the hose after you fill your tanks. Any
way never let the water stop moving in the hose.

Mike
*******************

run a hose when you need to and fill your tanks - life will be easier
and cheaper

Nah! The whole water system at the marina is turned off and drained for the
winter to prevent freezing the pipes.

The only water is in the head on shore. Way to far to run a hose.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

"Steve" writes:

Nah! The whole water system at the marina is turned off and drained for
the
winter to prevent freezing the pipes.

Time to head south.


--
Lew

S/A: Challenge, The Bullet Proof Boat, (Under Construction in the Southland)
Visit: http://home.earthlink.net/~lewhodgett for Pictures

Too bad you're the only live aboard.... At Petrinis in Annapolis, the
winter of 1995-6, we had a watering party every other Saturday. We
all (four boats) got out our hoses, connected them together to the
hose bib at the head, and filled up one at a time. When done, the
hoses got hoisted on halyards from their middles to drain -- much
better than trying to blow them out. Hose is cheap at Home Despot.

To answer your original question, I would have no hesitation running
the watermaker under the circumstances you describe. It likes being
run and the risks are low. We used ours pretty much everywhere
without any trouble. Water intake about five feet down, not on the
same side of the keel as the discharge from the Lectra-San. UV
sterilizer. Unit was a Sea Recovery 25GPH, 1995 model. Put 800 hours
on it in three years. RTFM carefully, as I remember that low
temperature requires special settings.

Oil is a theoretical risk, but the local Sea Recovery dealer (Ocean
Options) refused to sell me an oil prefilter on the grounds that oil
floats and wouldn't make it down to the input. For health issues you
have the UV.

Jim Woodward
www.mvFintry.com

"Steve" wrote in message ...
Nah! The whole water system at the marina is turned off and drained for the
winter to prevent freezing the pipes.

The only water is in the head on shore. Way to far to run a hose.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions