Garden hoses, what do you use

[HopCar]

My favorite wash down hose is the Trident 168.
https://tridentmarine.com/product/tr.../#.W-jcihpOmf0

[Sailing Drummer]

+1 for the figure 8.

[Rapanui]

We use 17m mini hose cassette with a smaller thin wall hose. Easy to deploy and retrieve with no kinks. Pull out and wind up and very small to pack away. Done 2 years so far and should last several more.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by jbinbi

I have tried those expanding hoses you see on TV, but at least the ones I have tried disintegrated in a short period of time. Ideally I want something that is 50'.
.

The trick with the expanding hoses is to keep them out of the sun when not in use. They don't hold up to UV damage very well.

Have one on the boat and one in the RV. Both are around 7yrs old and just fine.

Even if I had to replace them every 2-3ys, the size and weight would make them well worth it.

[Bartleby]

The common cleat-seeking hose is the most passive aggressive of sailing implements, though some are less hateful than others.

[carlheintz]

We've used one of those "miracle" hoses that compress a 50 ft hose so it will fit in a plastic 1 gallon coffee can. I have used the same hose for 4 years now, with no problems, except I left it on the dock one week and some a-hoo "borrowed" the little off-on valve that was so useful when getting on-off the boat and not spraying myself or the neighbor....

[Olddan1943]

Originally Posted by carlheintz

We've used one of those "miracle" hoses that compress a 50 ft hose so it will fit in a plastic 1 gallon coffee can. I have used the same hose for 4 years now, with no problems, except I left it on the dock one week and some a-hoo "borrowed" the little off-on valve that was so useful when getting on-off the boat and not spraying myself or the neighbor....

Guess you should be thankful they left the hose.
Go up to ACE hardware and buy a replacement.

[Clivevon]

I use one of these for my frequent use hose:

Ruslyn Cordwheel

They are meant for electrical cable but I find they will take a hose maybe 40 ft long - usually enough for general use in marinas. It stows neatly & makes using the hose much easier. I do have another hose coiled up in the locker just in case I need to extend it but that isnt very often. I'm sure they sell these pretty well worldwide.

I tried the flat hose cassettes but squeezing the water out as you rewind them was a bit of a chore... A normal heavy duty (anti-kink) hose on the Cordwheel is much easier to rewind.

[wrwakefield]

Jbinbi,

Like A64, we have had good success using the Zero G fabric covered hose. [RV/Marine version; i.e., potable water. They also make a 'garden' version which is also listed as OK for use for potable.] It flakes like a piece of line- even at zero degrees F. [Even though online it lists 34°F as the coldest temperature... i.e., above freezing...]

Temperature was our primary reason for going this route. We also have and used some really good rubber and the Zero G kink free potable non-fabric hoses too [also at above link] but in winter, we have to manage the hose in cold weather, and drain and stow immediately when finished using it. The fabric hose version greatly simplifies this and will therefore continue to be our go-to hose for now.

If we didn't have to contend with cold Wx and water hoses, our Zero G kink-free hose would likely be our first choice because of [perceived] enhanced durability... [i.e., no fabric cover...]

We have been using the Zero G fabric hoses year around for 2.5 years and counting and without issue- even on the rough wood commercial docks with wooden bull rails. And our summer sun provides plenty of UV exposure too...

For the $ it is a pretty cheap experiment...

Cheers! Bill

[jbinbi]

Appreciate all the comments. To me, if I have to spend $30 every 3 years on a new hose that is much lighter and stores easy, well worth it.

FWIW, as I said, I do have a 75' rubber hose from sears at home in my backyard that has lasted a very long time, but I can just leave it on the patio all year long. I don't have to coil it, hoist, drain it, and stow it in a small locker with dock lines, fenders, boat hook, and whatever else falls on top of it then have to pull it back out from under all that stuff...

[CaptRory]

Collapsable "scrunchy" hose "as seen on TV". $20 at Home Depot, don't leave it on and it all last two or three seasons. They do not crimp...at all. They shrink back down to packed size and cram it back into a tupper ware type box. I quit trying to use regular garden hoses all together, these things are great! They come with a brass nozzle that works well and they're cheap...buy two! No claim of potable water safe, but I filter all the water going into my tank, and I don't drink out of much anyway. https://www.walmart.com/ip/As-Seen-O...hoCSqYQAvD_BwE

[jbinbi]

Originally Posted by CaptRory

Collapsable "scrunchy" hose "as seen on TV". $20 at Home Depot, don't leave it on and it all last two or three seasons. They do not crimp...at all. They shrink back down to packed size and cram it back into a tupper ware type box. I quit trying to use regular garden hoses all together, these things are great! They come with a brass nozzle that works well and they're cheap...buy two! No claim of potable water safe, but I filter all the water going into my tank, and I don't drink out of much anyway. https://www.walmart.com/ip/As-Seen-O...hoCSqYQAvD_BwE

Interesting, I had tried one of these about 5 years ago, but with terrible results, didn't make it through the season. But will try again, like you said,it is $20.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

The trick with the expanding hoses is to keep them out of the sun when not in use. They don't hold up to UV damage very well.

Have one on the boat and one in the RV. Both are around 7yrs old and just fine.

Even if I had to replace them every 2-3ys, the size and weight would make them well worth it.

I guess I don't agree. I had one that I kept in the locker, used it 3 times and then it blew up. I think the trick is, don't use it and it will last a long time.

[model 10]

In Central America and MX the only old hoses you see are the good hoses someone brought with them. Everything else has failed and been replaced with some kind of cheap plastic hose you get locally. In the end, these space saving hoses will have been in vain because you will end up replacing them with crap hose the same size as good hose would have been in the first place.

[Cheechako]

Yeah, it's tough. Some are way too stiff ,kink and are hard to handle. Some are too thin and kink. The roll up ones disintegrate. The best hoses I have were bought at Costco 10+ years ago, they dont kink and stay supple. But they are way too long for a boat.. 75 feet I think.