Hot water tank. Keep it or 86 it?

[Rockinar]

New to me boat has a 10 gallon hot water tank. Did not have an opinion on it either way till I saw where it was located. Its in the stern crawl space of the boat, taking up valuable space and blocks any access to port side stern area space, cant access rudder packing nut, etc.

Besides the ability to have a warm shower, What else would it be good for? Seems like it has lot more cons than pros. It requires shore power or the engine to be running a while to even use. If I have access to shore power then Im probably at a marina and will just use their shower. So thats out. So unless Im cruising and its cold out, I cant think of a reason Id even use it. Seems like just another maintenance item that wont get used.

Am I missing something?

[pesarsten]

I find it helpful to have hot water to wash dishes, tends to get the dishes cleaner. Of course you could just heat a kettle.

But, will your boat always be in a marina for you to shower?

Since the boat is new to you, why not use it a while before making changes.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by pesarsten

I find it helpful to have hot water to wash dishes, tends to get the dishes cleaner. Of course you could just heat a kettle.

But, will your boat always be in a marina for you to shower?

Since the boat is new to you, why not use it a while before making changes.

Indeed.

[noelex 77]

Hot water tanks (calorifier) are not a great deal of use for our style of cruising. We stopped using ours many years ago and did not fit one to the new boat.

There are better ways of having a nice hot shower that do not rely on the frequent use of the engine.

However, as other have said, I would encourage anyone not to make significant changes until they have lived with the boat for a while. What suits our style of cruising may not suit yours.

[Benz]

If it's working, I'd keep it until you see how much you appreciate it. If it was broken I'd say chuck it and see whether you desire one enough to replace it.

[Rumrace]

The water heaters in pocket Sailboats never seem a clever place. Mine is under the dinette seat and heats up the area. In most power boats it’s in an engine room. Still I would not remove it. Frankly for such a valuable stowage space the seats under the dinette are cluttered with gear.
Frankly I love our shower and we are rarely in clubs with showers more in town to stock up. I think if you spend any time on the hook you’d miss it.

[Bill O]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

Hot water tanks (calorifier) are not a great deal of use for our style of cruising. We stopped using ours many years ago and did not fit one to the new boat.

There are better ways of having a nice hot shower that do not rely on the frequent use of the engine.

However, as other have said, I would encourage anyone not to make significant changes until they have lived with the boat for a while. What suits our style of cruising may not suit yours.

If my memory is correct, don't you have a hydronic heating system in your boat and this is your hot water source for showers, etc.?

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by Bill O

If my memory is correct, don't you have a hydronic heating system in your boat and this is your hot water source for showers, etc.?

We have a simpler system.

The shower pump is fed from its own container located in the shower. We add hot water and mix this with cold to our perfect shower temperature (40°C).

The hot water can be produced from electricity, diesel, propane, solar or a combination of these power sources.

There is no wastage waiting for the water to heat up the pipes and the temperature stays constant throughout the shower. It is a much nicer shower that most systems. It is not difficult to install and there is very little to go wrong or leak.

[JPA Cate]

Good day, Rockinar,

Our 36 footer had a water heater. The first time we used it was when we took some friends out for a day sail on San Francisco bay. Everyone who swam, got a warm fresh water wash down. It was much appreciated. I liked being able to offer it. But, we did eventually remove it. It took up a lot of space, and removing it did make access to the steering quadrant easier. We put in a propane "flash" heater, instead, which took about an eighth the room, but mostly showered in the cockpit, not below, due to the lack of a separate shower sump. We improvised privacy curtains.

So, my advice is to wait, as others have suggested, at least a year. See if in your usage you want to condemn the dishwasher to using the kettle to heat dishwashing water. For some, that might be a problem, but not for everyone. See if you like the fresh water rinse off after swimming--we did, but met that need with a sun shower, and I have lived successfully for 36 yrs. using the kettle for dishwashing hot water.

I think Noelex77's system is really neat, too, but you may not have room to imitate that. His and Seaworthy Lass's boat is a one off, and that was designed in from the getgo, may be hart to retrofit.

Ann

[MJH]

Originally Posted by Rockinar

New to me boat has a 10 gallon hot water tank. Did not have an opinion on it either way till I saw where it was located. Its in the stern crawl space of the boat, taking up valuable space and blocks any access to port side stern area space, cant access rudder packing nut, etc.

Besides the ability to have a warm shower, What else would it be good for? Seems like it has lot more cons than pros. It requires shore power or the engine to be running a while to even use. If I have access to shore power then Im probably at a marina and will just use their shower. So thats out. So unless Im cruising and its cold out, I cant think of a reason Id even use it. Seems like just another maintenance item that wont get used.

Am I missing something?

You don't say how big your boat is and that might make a difference. The most important thing you mentioned is that it is in the way of rudder packing...maybe taking care of some maintenance there would be the time to remove it or replace it with a smaller one; mine is only six gallons.

I cruised the Pacific Northwest solo into British Columbia and even Alaska on a 28' San Juan without a water heater so I know it can be done without much of a problem but that lifestyle doesn't fit all people. I used an eight gallon solar shower on the deck with a long hose to the galley to provide warm water for use in the galley. I used showers when marinas were available.

Good Luck.

[Cheechako]

A very nice thing to have. It's free hot water. Nothing like a warm rinse off after you've been snorkeling too long. Or a quick shower after spending the day on dusty roads chasing groceries in a lot of heat etc.
A 6 gallon is plenty if it helps.

[Calif.Ted]

Hot water at the turn of the tap is one of the hallmarks of civilization and turns camping on a boat into living on a yacht. You do want the cookie to wash up a little before meal prep don't cha?

[contrail]

I got rid of a six gallon heater and replaced with an "under sink" 2.5 gallon heater. It's much smaller. It will provide a luxurious shower. It is powered by electricity, which comes from either shore or the inverter, but only takes ten minutes to heat, so it is pretty economical, and not much slower than an "on demand" unit; much faster and less power than a bigger one. I simply fire it up when someone wants a shower. They cost around $200-$250.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Rockinar

Am I missing something?

Yes, if you remove it you are going miss taking a shower that is at least "warm".

[bensolomon]

Keep it. As others have said, it can be powered by the inverter, or as your maneuvering and running the engine the water heats up. It is very nice to have a warm shower even if it's just a Navy shower on board.