Water maker thru hull placement

[sjrider]

I'm almost finished up with the installation of our water maker. All that I really have left to do is install the thru hull and attach the seacock. I do not have a lot of access under the floorboards. The place that I have good access and space is either 8 inches directly in front of or 10 inches directly behind the paddle wheel speed transducer.

If I install it in front of the paddle wheel, will it disrupt the flow enough to make the sensor inaccurate? Do I care? I usually use the GPS for SOG

If I install it behind the paddle wheel, will it disrupt the flow to the water maker?

Thanks

[capn_billl]

Question 1: Can a through hull disrupt your paddlewheel? possibly

Question 2: Can a paddlewheel disrupt the watermaker? Probably not. A little turbulence in the water isn't going to concern a pump.

I would be giving thought to other discharges, like the head.

[sjrider]

The boat did not have a working head when we bought it. So we installed a composting head in its place. I would like to not get into that discussion, it is almost as bad as "what's the best anchor?" We have not used it yet, and if we do not like it we will install a marine head in its place. So the head discharge is a valid concern.

It would be on the other side of the keel from the head discharge, but a few feet aft and a foot lower in the water. I don't see this as a problem, but I'm also not an expert.

Should I be concerned?

I really do not want to drill a hole in the bottom of the boat and place it in the wrong spot.

Advise is greatly appreciated

[Tellie]

The lowest and furthest aft you can possible install it is best. There is no perfect spot but as long as it doesn't come out of the water while you are sailing you should be fine. Curious as to the abandon head intake thru hull. Is is possible to use that one/

[sjrider]

I thought about using the abandon head intake thru hull. It would be very easy and I would not be adding another hole in the boat. It is also a shared sink drain. Unfortunately it is not that low in the water, and on a port tack it can come out of the water.

If I place it inline with the paddlewheel it is the same water depth as the diesel intake, and tucked way under next to the keel.

If it comes out of the water while sailing I will have other problems to worry about. I hope that bilge pump works

I actually bought this water maker from you (Tellie), you shipped it to UTAH about six months ago. It finally warmed up enough out here that I can finish the install. Although I woke up to snow on the ground yesterday

Now where did I leave that hole saw?

[stormalong]

It has to be as low as possible. High compression pumps do not like air and membranes do no not like oil.

It is unlikely that you will get good results while sailing. To much turbulence.

[Marathon1150]

Originally Posted by Tellie

The lowest and furthest aft you can possible install it is best. There is no perfect spot but as long as it doesn't come out of the water while you are sailing you should be fine. /

This is really important. We discovered how important it is, the hard way. Now, if the wind is blowing we can only make water on a port tack. As close to center as possible is highly advised.

Regarding influence on or by the paddlewheel, I don't think that the paddlewheel will have much effect, if any, on the intake for the watermaker. Not sure about the reverse.

[sjrider]

Originally Posted by Marathon1150

This is really important. We discovered how important it is, the hard way. Now, if the wind is blowing we can only make water on a port tack. As close to center as possible is highly advised.

I have learned a lot of things the hard way. Trying to avoid this being one of them.

Thanks

[sjrider]

Originally Posted by stormalong

It is unlikely that you will get good results while sailing. To much turbulence.

Any way to avoid that?

[toddster8]

I used an existing through-hull that probably isn't in the best location. But it occurred to me that if problems arise with heeling, before the next haul-out, it wouldn't take much to install a bypass hose and a y-valve from the engine intake, which presumably wouldn't be in use during those times, to the filter array.

[GregGarner]

I have a 2020 Lagoon 46' catamaran, and last year we got into some downwind sailing in 20 ft waves. This caused the boat to surf up to 14 knots down the waves, and during this time we noticed that the water maker stopped working. We reported this to Lagoon and we found out that the intake for the water maker was incorrectly installed in the boat near the back of the hull around the engine area. This apparently allowed the intake to suck air, and it ruined the high pressure pump.

The warranty repair included moving the water maker intake on the left side fo the keel, so that it can't come out of the water when surfing. They also added a boost pump near the intake hole because it is about 10 feet away from the water maker.

So may suggestion is that you do NOT put the water maker intake as far back as possible, but instead put it near the keel if possible. If your boat is a mono hull make sure it can't come out of the water when heeled over as well.

I would think the manufacturer would have guidelines for the best installation spot?

GregGarner

[joelhemington]

Originally Posted by sjrider

I'm almost finished up with the installation of our water maker. All that I really have left to do is install the thru hull and attach the seacock. I do not have a lot of access under the floorboards. The place that I have good access and space is either 8 inches directly in front of or 10 inches directly behind the paddle wheel speed transducer.

If I install it in front of the paddle wheel, will it disrupt the flow enough to make the sensor inaccurate? Do I care? I usually use the GPS for SOG

If I install it behind the paddle wheel, will it disrupt the flow to the water maker?

Thanks

I think I'd lose the transducer and use that hole (possibly modified) for the water maker - less through hull holes is usually better and like you say, nobody really uses a paddle wheel transducer anymore as they're usually clogged with some sort of growth when you do try and use them.

[stormalong]

Originally Posted by sjrider

Any way to avoid that?

The intake should be as low as possible. My boat has a deep sump behind the external keel. I put the intake as far down into that sump that I could reach. It is at least four feet below the water line.

I too had re-tasked an exiting thru hull when I first installed the water maker. I had a lot of trouble with air ingress - had to watch and listen to the water maker. If air got in I had to adjust the pressure regulator to a very low setting so the pump could push the air through. The very next haul out I added the low intake and that solved the problem.

[c.K.]

Any one interested in how to install a thru hull below the waterline without taking the boat out of the water, it is not too difficult done it a few times

[stormalong]

Originally Posted by c.K.

Any one interested in how to install a thru hull below the waterline without taking the boat out of the water, it is not too difficult done it a few times

This will entail drilling a new hole for a new through hull. While it may be OK to replace one in the water in an emergency putting in a new one is much more difficult - why risk it?