Installing a washing machine - which one?

[Haddock1]

Hi

I am about to retire and am buying a new stock Bavaria from the local dealer. The boat is quite well specified but there are a few additions I am planning to make. One of which is to install a washing machine as we plan to sail the med, mostly at anchor, and will have limited access to a laundry facilities. Also so it's a pain humping washing forwards and backwards.

Looking at most installations on yachtmarket boats, Miele seems to be common but they are expensive.

My question are what would you recommend? does it matter what manufacturer? is there a certain specification I should look for? do I need a washer dryer giving we are in the med? are there any special features to look for in a boat installed washing machine? are there any tips on installation?

Any advice appreciated.

[GordMay]

Not to discourage a new, more current discussion; but these previous discussions (there are more) might get you started:
➥ https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...rd-129960.html
➥ https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ne-133793.html
➥ https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ne-121234.html
➥ https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...at-187718.html
➥ https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ne-216241.html
➥ https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ne-142766.html

[Haddock1]

Not the first to install a washing machine then. Thanks for the links, lots of reading

[chris mac]

It really comes down to what will fit in the location, and all openings on route to that location.
We bought a panda washer and love it, however it lives in the salon because it would not fit through the doors to the berth or head.
Part of that was we went for the bigger model so we could wash all bedding as well.
We don't have a dryer, lots of sun and wind to take care of that. But a spin dry feature helps alot.
And of course power and water consumption is always a prime consideration.

[Davidhoy]

When I bought my boat there was a washer/dryer installed, but it lasted exactly one load before it died. I replaced it with a Splendide 7100XC, and am mostly happy. It's not perfect, but it does what it is supposed to do. The key is to do small loads, and I found using the dryer function tends to leave clothes very wrinkled. Now I just wash, and hang clothes up to dry.

NEW Splendide 7100XC (WDC7100XC) washer-dryer

[doog]

The idea of the splendide is great and they were sold for RV and boat. I bought one at the boat show, and it showed up shipping due which was supposed to be pre-paid. Then it proved to have a bad engineering flaw in addition to the lame dryer function, where the super high spin created voltage spikes that fried the control board. I had a couple repairs under warranty and then noticed these machines for sale used for a few hundred bucks. The Mfgr out of business..(The previous commenter may have a different machine than mine was and I hope so..)

I now have an electrolux, and after three years of daily use it too needed a new control board, but its a great machine. I see bosch makes a very cool one-unit machine but dont have experience with it. I just got a little RV dryer which works on 110 and does a great job.

good luck!

[Davidhoy]

Originally Posted by doog

The idea of the splendide is great and they were sold for RV and boat. I bought one at the boat show, and it showed up shipping due which was supposed to be pre-paid. Then it proved to have a bad engineering flaw in addition to the lame dryer function, where the super high spin created voltage spikes that fried the control board. I had a couple repairs under warranty and then noticed these machines for sale used for a few hundred bucks. The Mfgr out of business..(The previous commenter may have a different machine than mine was and I hope so..)

I now have an electrolux, and after three years of daily use it too needed a new control board, but its a great machine. I see bosch makes a very cool one-unit machine but dont have experience with it. I just got a little RV dryer which works on 110 and does a great job.

good luck!

Sorry to hear about the issues you've had. Fortunately, since I installed this one about a year ago, I have not had a single issue. My choices were very limited due to physical size reasons, not just the space where the unit is installed, but it also had to fit through bulkhead doorways to get it where it needed to go. The Splendide was the only one I could find that would not require cutting bulkheads to get it in.

[Stewie12]

The Med is not all sunshine, in fact the winters can be pretty cool and wet, so a dryer is a good idea.

[Lancerbye]

I installed a Splendid 2100 13 years ago. This is the vented type. It has performed very well
Have lived aboard full time for the past 7 years.

[redhead]

After 3 years living aboard with my vented model Splendide I find it's a compromise I can live with.

Plusses:
It fit through the companionway
It's pretty miserly with water - I think 11 gallons for the big loads.
No major breakdowns doing 2-3 loads a week for 3 years.

Minuses:
Small loads only
Dryer has a hard time with heavier clothing (but I live in the north, so maybe not an issue for you)
Occasionally it flips out (shuts itself off, blinking lights all over) and this is due to it's limited ability to get rid of lint. Run a couple of complete cycles with no clothes and lots of Borax and you're back in business.

I think I'm lucky to have a machine on board so I'm willing to live with it's frailties. Life's a compromise, ain't it?

[DeValency]

Had Electrolux European model 240VAC with front loading (compact condo type) that worked perfectly for years and used very little water (most front loading uses less water than top loading). Upon heading to the US, gave it away and looking for something local - hard to find, as most machines sold in the US, even the “compact” are still too large.

Prefer not to take marine/RV types, as they seem less reliable and washing performance.

For the OP, if you plan on cruising in the Med, the selection (and 240VAC) in Europe should be better.

[DMCantor]

We've had our Splendide for 10 years, and it has served us well. Its a vented version and drying is barely OK. You can wash much bigger loads than you can dry. We mostly line-dry, but that's in the tropics. We've talked to owners with the non-vented version, and it is hopeless.


After 10 years we are dealing with a bit of rust on the case, but the internals are fine.

[Woodland Hills]

If you have the room, Kenmore makes a nice stackable apartment size washer and dryer. We replaced Our 30 year old model with a new one two years ago and it was the exact same unit in size, layout and performance. IIRC it was substantially cheaper than the marine or rv units.

[Pitchondesign]

I also have a Splendide, the non vented model. Washes fine, drying is useless. We dry on the lines. My experience with reliability has been different. We spend most of our time in the Bahamas, and off season the boat is in Florida. After 5-7 years I would start to get error codes. After much troubleshooting, it became clear the culprit was corrosion on the various electrical contacts and connectors. To fix this, I stripped the machine down and put electrical grease on every connection I could find. After this, the machine works very well, no issues.

[Culwatty]

I just bought a cheap twin tub on ebay £79 and it has been used daily for clothes and rags (refit) without any sign of giving up yet!