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Clean drinking water is something we all take for granted. One of the matters while living aboard, especially while cruising is that you do usually have a limited supply while away from the docks. My wife and I use 12 gallons a day, or enough for 25 days without refilling aboard our trawler, the Patricia Ann. Usage includes bathing, meal preparation and an ice maker. And that is with a 300 gallon water tank. And of course, conservation is critical; no standing in the shower for 15 minutes. You can determine your daily use on your trawler by timing the filling of a 5-gallon bucket, then timing the filling of you water tank. Simply divide the time it takes to fill your storage tanks by the time it took to fill your 5 gallon bucket, and then multiply by 5 gallons and you have the amount of water you have used since last filling. Tank fill time / Bucket fill time x 5 gallons = Total water use Shore Based Water Water quality is as important as quantity. While you are cruising in unknown areas, the water quality can vary. You will not know whether the water you will be using is city water or well water. If it is not city water, you do not know if it has been treated. Some months back, our marina had a problem with their well that allowed ecoli to contaminate the well. It took over a week to get it cleared up. Some of the marina locals must surely have used the water before the problem was discovered. But on the Patricia Ann, we had safe drinking water; how you ask? We have a 5 stage filtration system that provides bottle-like clean water from any suspect source. Water goes through 2, 5-micron filters, then a single 2-micron filter, and a carbon filter to remove cysts and undesirable tastes. Then finally a UV radiation light to kill any bacteria before it enters the holding tank. The power source is 110 volt ac but can be changed to 12 volts dc. The resulting water tastes a pure as bottled water. Did you know that standard Clorox will treat that water suitable for drinking? Use 1/2 teaspoon non scented Clorox Bleach per five gallons of water; if the water is cloudy, double the dosage. Rainwater Runoff I have investigated other trawler setups where rain water runoff is collected and funneled into the water storage tanks. This is pretty good source of water but there is still concern about the quality of the rain water that would affect the taste of the water and perhaps cause tank corrosion. Be sure you have a good idea of the air quality in the area. If you are in a highly developed area that creates acid rain, I would use caution. Watermakers Now of course, you can set up a watermaker aboard your trawler and have nearly unlimited water. All water makers designed for small boats and yachts rely on essentially the same technology, exploiting the principle of "reverse osmosis"; a high pressure pump forces seawater through a membrane which allows water but not salt to pass. The price of water makers purchased are established by the amount of water they produce on a daily basis. If your cruising will take you to the islands, keep in mind that water if purchased, can cost more that fuel Watermakers are a virtual requirement. Mike Dickens, the author, is a live aboard boat owner and owner/Broker of Paradise Yachts in Florida USA.
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