Fresh Water Use in a Marina Tank or Hose?

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by jaxfishgyd

......................... I also installed a water limiter (limits the amount of water before it turns off) and we look at it every time we get on/off the boat. ... I set it at 100 gals and we simply reset it when it gets close to turning off (Ace Hardware has them).
We also turn the water off on the dock when we're gone for more than 8 hrs.................................

Jaxfishgyd can do this because he has the wisdom to have all the safety backups and cautious observations. Forty years ago, when I was "young and in manure" I nearly sunk my boat because I left a pressurized dock hose on my boat within the reach of a Capuchin monkey. After the monkey's fiddling with the hose, I was lucky enough to come home to a boat with the water just above the bilge ceiling! I still don't leave pressure water on my boat, but Jaxfishgyd has the answers and the skill. That is, until he misses something or brings a monkey on board!








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[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by CaptForce

Jaxfishgyd can do this because he has the wisdom to have all the safety backups and cautious observations. Forty years ago, when I was "young and in manure" I nearly sunk my boat because I left a pressurized dock hose on my boat within the reach of a Capuchin monkey. After the monkey's fiddling with the hose, I was lucky enough to come home to a boat with the water just above the bilge ceiling! I still don't leave pressure water on my boat, but Jaxfishgyd has the answers and the skill. That is, until he misses something or brings a monkey on board!








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We had a similar issue on our old boat where a fitting came apart. Luckly it was night and the A/C was off because we likely would have woke up with the boat half sunk otherwise.

Even then, never leave the hose hooked up when you aren't there. Don't know why but we often have found our hose turned on when we know we left it off.

[Efraim]

Generally speaking, using equipment keeps it in good shape, stuff that doesn't get used rots away.

[captseamus]

When we're docked we usually use city water, when underway we switch to ship's pumps. We turn the water supply off when we leave but keep the hose connected (prevents bugs and debris) but use a tie strap through the faucet handle to prevent someone from turning on our water back on and not turning it off.

[Group9]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

I had never heard of using the municipal water pressure but I know at my old marina in the US boats weren't allowed to have their fresh water hoses attached permanently like that.

By boat doesn't even have a fitting for dockside water, and I wouldn't use it if it did. If a hose breaks, your screwed good!

[Chris in destin]

I never connect to the marina. I have a 140 gal tank and fill up every other day unless I take a bath and get the jacuzzi going. Then it is every day. As an old Cpt told me, "what ya want, 140 gallons or all of Florida in ya!

[polyurea]

I am adding a water system to my commercial fishing boat. What size tanks for two weeks / 4 people. I shower each / once a week?

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by polyurea

I am adding a water system to my commercial fishing boat. What size tanks for two weeks / 4 people. I shower each / once a week?

This is a really tough question. There's no numerical volume to a "shower", but we are capable, when conservative, to bathe with one gallon of water or even less if it's not a shower and spilling water. Are you tallying eight showers in two weeks? 'lucky you're in Alaska. In the hot and sweaty SE US we need to bathe daily! So, to be absolutely minimal take two gallons per person each day for a minimum supply being very conservative and you come up with 112 gallons. This would require much washing with sea water and a fresh water rinse. Without a careful regimen and using water freely as people do in houses you could easily squander 25 gallons per person daily or require a total of 1,400 gallons for the two weeks! My family of four cruising with water conservation and bathing daily in sea water with a fresh water rinse from a bucket with a cup would consume 100 gallons in two weeks

[polyurea]

Daily bathing would be my choice, but the gallons required. The water is cold in Alaska, so seawater would be out, is my first thought.
I can carry the weight and have the tank-age if I clean the fish-holds real good. maybe not a good ideal there. New tanks can be lowered into fish-holds with piping to pump to cabin. These tanks would come out during fishing season. Our fishing days are 48 hrs out and back - I go to land at that point.
Most of the water volume would be for boat use out of fishing season and during the warm months of an Alaskan year.

[Chris in destin]

Originally Posted by polyurea

I am adding a water system to my commercial fishing boat. What size tanks for two weeks / 4 people. I shower each / once a week?

Why not get a water maker installed? Seems like a nice hot shower would be a wonderful thing on a fishing boat!

[polyurea]

I do not know anything about water makers, but that sounds like something smart to look at. Thanks for the input.
I started a different thread on this subject of (Adding water systems/ comfort to my commercial fishing boat), seems I am changing the direction of this thread, sorry.

[psneeld]

Wow...a lot of worry warts....

I'm in the salvage business and in the last 11 years I've raised maybe 250 boats. Not one of them was from a "burst" fresh water line. My own boat has has the hot water line "split" no less than 10 times in the last 3 years because of the way the PO had it set up and the "spare part" hose he had on board to fix it...it was obviously junk hose. The "baby" bilge pump kept up with the split for more than 6-8 hours so I never had my high water alarm come on...the only way I knew was the hot water seemed less than it should be.

Your boat actually takes awhile to sink from a "burst" hose.....especially if you have your boat plugged in, the charger on and a decent "little" bilge pump that works.

Many....many folks use city water on an every day use and just turn it off on the dock when they leave the boat for more than a few hours.

Some people have "water meters" attached to their hoses that can dial in a "set number of gallons" before they shut off. I have one and use it sometimes...works great till a really cold night freezes and cracks it's internals...

So yes...city water can sink your boat...I always thought the same and feared the same. Till I got all growed up and realized hoses rarely fail in the "full mode" unless your preventative maintenance really stinks...and even if they do..your boat if it has even the minimal bilge pumping capacity will not sink unless you leave the boat for more than 8-10 hours or so.

But I do agree that using your tanks and pump(s) is a good idea to keep the system fresh and know that it works fine. My marina just lost city water for a day and the liveaboards without full tanks and/or a working pump were really sorry...Glad I know that both methods have their plusses.

[Capt Phil]

I'm of the opinion of Efraim... use it or lose it. Twenty years of living aboard, we always used our tank water for washing, showering, drinking and always had sweet water that was filtered before bringing it aboard... maybe we were just lucky. Phil

[angelfish2]

We filter our water before we bring it aboard, so we use our tank. I would never keep a hose connected because at my age, I would surely forget...something...

What was that again?