Drinking water on a 22ft boat

[Stewie12]

If you store water on deck you will need to add some bleach to it. Otherwise it will be undrinkable in a few days. The bleach can be removed by pouring the water through a filter.

[Boatyarddog]

Originally Posted by niCastro

Hey there. My wife and I are doing a 30 day cruise around the San Juan islands this July. We are wanting to bring at least 20 gallons of water (more if we can) onto our US Yachts 22 but don't have good ideas on how to carry the water. This would be water for about 5-7 days for us using our well tested backpacking skills.

The normal 5 gallon jerry cans seem too big for the storage space under the cockpit and there just isn't deck space for them. We're thinking about maybe just using the 1-2 gallon disposable jugs and refilling those. It'll be a pain if we have to use the dinghy to get water but not so bad if we are at a dock and can use a hose. Just curious to hear what others have done on boats in the 22ft range and how much you were able to carry.

Thanks for any advice.

Where are you planning to cruise.
The San Juans offer many stops for resupply on routes.
If your interested I can help you with that.
We have circled the San Juan Islands many times, and all through.
Are you coming from the South crossing the straits from Pt Townsend, or through Deception Pass, or LaConner?
Or, from Bellingham?
In any Case watch for Big Tide Exchanges this time of year.
They can be difficult if you get into the wrong place and Times.
Use the Deep Zoom App. You'll love it!
SV Cloud Duster

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by stormalong

I used this method for reserve water on extended ocean crossings. It works great. Don't know about orange juice residue but Coke bottles wash out easily and the water keeps just fine for months.

Why would the water be undrinkable after a few days???

I used to refill plastic containers like that with water. Old plastic water bottles, Gatorade bottles, etc.

The water was fine usually if used soon, but then I filled lots of them just before a major hurricane which left us without power for a couple weeks.

Within a week the water out of the faucet was bad.

By then the refilled container water was tasting really terrible so ever since I only drink bottled water that has never been opened on the boat and the refilled containers which are usually gallon size I use for showers, rinsing dishes, etc

On the boat, now I have maybe 16 gallon size containers full. 6 of these have never been opened. And I have a couple 24 bottle cases (16 oz) also. My 22 gallon tank is 3/4th full but I don't use that if I don't need to. So that's about 22 gallons just for local 5-7 day cruises. (excluding the tank)

The gallon containers are all on the shelves in the V Berth so they don't get in the way. cases are stored in the cabin under the counter top where the sink is.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by niCastro

Just curious to hear what others have done on boats in the 22ft range and how much you were able to carry.

Thanks for any advice.

26' boat here. Typically we don't carry much water though


The collapsible water cubes from Reliance and their competitors are probably your best choice for odd spaces. We use them under the sinks in the galley and head and connect the spout to pump faucets with a hose. Without a pump they are difficult to use for dispensing. They will rupture if dropped or snagged on an object, unlike good hard sided containers.





There are also smaller versions, 2-3 gallons, available.



You might consider carrying at least one or two Moller-Scepter 5 gallon jugs as these are much easier to handle for transfer to and from a dinghy and are not easily damaged. Can be lashed to stanchions, or to the deck beneath a dinghy, or under a berth, etc.


You can use pop bottles and the like but they can be a nuisance at scale unless you have boxes or crates of some kind for them.

[Cheechako]

Gallon jugs would be fine, Some stores sell 2-2.5 gallon water (Fred Meyer) and each has a rotating valve that is handy. $2 each full.
The other thing is you can stop and refill at fuel docks or spend a night at a dock like Friday Harbor and refill your jugs.
The 22 has no tank at all?

https://www.ralphs.com/p/kroger-puri.../0001111042142

[bailsout]

I removed the 30 gallon stainless tank from my wooden H28 to be able to inspect wooden hull, chain plates, etc and create more storage. All water is in 2 liter bottles all over the boat. No worries about one tank of water that could get contaminated. The empties, capped, equals flotation!

[joelhemington]

Originally Posted by niCastro

Hey there. My wife and I are doing a 30 day cruise around the San Juan islands this July. We are wanting to bring at least 20 gallons of water (more if we can) onto our US Yachts 22 but don't have good ideas on how to carry the water. This would be water for about 5-7 days for us using our well tested backpacking skills.

The normal 5 gallon jerry cans seem too big for the storage space under the cockpit and there just isn't deck space for them. We're thinking about maybe just using the 1-2 gallon disposable jugs and refilling those. It'll be a pain if we have to use the dinghy to get water but not so bad if we are at a dock and can use a hose. Just curious to hear what others have done on boats in the 22ft range and how much you were able to carry.

Thanks for any advice.

Might be time to invest in a Katadyn hand held unit - not cheap but you will have drinking water.

[KP44]

Originally Posted by niCastro

Hey there. My wife and I are doing a 30 day cruise around the San Juan islands this July.

Just curious to hear what others have done on boats in the 22ft range and how much you were able to carry.

Thanks for any advice.

When my spouse and I vacationed on our 23' Aquarius, we found 5 gallons was plenty of water to carry. We carried one 5 gallon plastic as reserve and used two or three 1 gallon plastic jugs for everyday use. I don't think we ever needed the reserve tank and eventually stopped carrying it.

In Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands we found it easy to stop at any dock and refill with good water.

[Lionshooter]

Back in the olden days, I cruised the Caribbean extensively in a 23' Spirit. I had 4 collapsible 5-gallon jugs like the ones Jammer posted about. I bought them at Kmart for about $5. They are $10 now on Amazon. They fit easily in the lockers under the settees.

[stormalong]

Originally Posted by joelhemington

Might be time to invest in a Katadyn hand held unit - not cheap but you will have drinking water.

Joe, I think you need to look at a map. The San Juan Islands are a very populated area with many water sources. There is no need to make water, especially no need to make water with an emergency type water maker.

We are in Washington state, close to Seattle.

[Hesti]

Water in 1,5 ltr plastic bottles (Volvic one way, but any will do). Refill when possible.

[Souzag818]

Originally Posted by lockie

Collapsible containers like this work for me. They can fit at the bottom of lockers and elsewhere, and take up almost no room when empty and are cheap.

https://www.amazon.com.au/Fityle-Col...45357582&psc=1

You beat me to it. That's what I used to use on my 23'. And because they are soft sided, they conform to weird little nooks and crannies....

[bensolomon]

I use the 1 Gallon jugs like Joerobertjr, and we freeze three like lake effect.

[Mistress Sirena]

Originally Posted by SeaStory

On our 18' boat in TX, we would also freeze 2-3 liter waterbags, like camel paks, but no name brand. Then we would hang that in the cockpit and sip the cool water all day long.

Of course, on this longer trip, they aren't going to have the option to freeze things in their own containers after the initial provisioning.

We found 5 litre box wine bags work very well freeze well also pretty sturdy and enjoy the wine first

[JPA Cate]

@niCastro,

Jim and I used to plan on 1/2 gal per day per person. We used ocean water to wash the dishes, so only rinsed them in fresh (although you can just dry them, too, and deal with the towels when you make landfall). We carried a 5 gal. sunshower for keeping our bodies clean enough (this is a place where real scrimping doesn't hurt, you just want to not smell bad, and sea water is fine for a wash, though rinsing hair takes a lot of water if you have long hair). We also carried a 5 gal. Coleman jug (Sunbrella cover) of emergency water lashed in the cockpit. You can place a board over it if you need extra seating.

We also used to collect rain water, off the mainsail, which we treated with non-scented household bleach, and ran through a charcoal filter, to remove the taste. We knew people in 20-22 ft. boats who were in the middle of a circumnavigation. If the boat is sound, it can be done. Especially if you are young.

Would recommend a small r/o unit, one handed pump, will make enough fresh water for two, such as Tony Bullimore used to such great effect when the keel came off his boat in the Southern Ocean.

Ann

Ann