How many litres is enough?

[yachtorion]

The water tank on my Horizon 26 is much too small.... so I'm investigating alternatives. There is a big locker at the front that I think I could put a tank in, I'm just wondering how big.

Pressurised water system, one galley sink, one heads sink with shower. Diesel hot water.

A few days away from a marina at a time.

Any views?

 

[Tranona]

Big as you can if you don't mind losing the storage space. Cheapest is a flexible bag tank. Otherwise to maximize capacity in the space you need a custom made tank.

 

[oldsaltoz]

If you go for a tank get one with a foam core to eliminate codendation, same applies if you decide to build your own.

Good luck and fair winds.

 

[prv]

Don't forget the effect of the extra weight if you put it right forward or right aft. We put a new fuel tank in Kindred Spirit's stern, and in retrospect this may have been a mistake from the point of view of trim.

Pete

 

[alahol2]

We use a flexible tank under a forepeak berth. The bag is nominally 150Ltr but, because of the shape of the enclosure, I would guess we get about 120Ltr in it. That will last us a week without skimping, longer if we are careful. We don't have a shower. There are two of us aboard.

 

[oldsaltoz]

If you end up with a flexible / bladder tank, install a breathable mat before the bladder, this will help prevent blisters on the hull on the inside.

Old carpet or carpet tiles work, just make the top edge is exposed so the moisture can get away.

Good luck and fair winds.

 

[blackbeard]

How big is your existing tank?
You have a shower head in the heads - do you actually use this to have a shower?
It's possible that even quite a small tank will be enough for a few days away from a marina. And you don't want the tank to be too big - if it's small it will get refilled with fresh water fairly regularly, but if it's big the contents can fester for months.
And yes, the weight of the water in the tank can affect how the boat sails. 200 litres of water is about 4 hundredweight, and you don't want that near the bows. And, in a British Hunter, you might not want the weight on the port side - some of them list to port anyway.

For the record, my 245 came with a flexible tank of around 40 litres, which is obviously too small, and I have uprated this to a nominal 100 (probably, due to the space the tank is in, about 80) litres which is enough for 2 people for several days. I also carry about 20 litres in food grade plastic cans so that if the tank does run out, we can till have a cup of tea.

 

[[3889]]

How big is your existing tank?

50 litre if the same as the 272. Not enough for the OP's requirements. I used to carry a 25L jerry can beneath the chart table which was also used to top up at anchor, but not ideal.

 

[nigelmercier]

I have over 500 litres of fresh water capacity, but still run low when there are women on board.

 

[charles_reed]

Big as you can if you don't mind losing the storage space. Cheapest is a flexible bag tank. Otherwise to maximize capacity in the space you need a custom made tank.

And watch for changes in trim.

I get by on 45 litres, OK by myself but barely adequate when the wife is aboard.

 

[jakeroyd]

I have a Ranger 245 where a flexible tank is fitted as built.
the space I have takes a 100ltr tank.

The boat definitely sails better when it's full.

 

[sailorman]

The water tank on my Horizon 26 is much too small.... so I'm investigating alternatives. There is a big locker at the front that I think I could put a tank in, I'm just wondering how big.

Pressurised water system, one galley sink, one heads sink with shower. Diesel hot water.

A few days away from a marina at a time.

Any views?

Take the fuse out of the pressure pump & use hand or foot pumps

 

[SteveSarabande]

How far are you going in a 26' yacht. I have a 90 litre flexible bag in my 27' but only one manual pump tap.

How do you squeeze a shower into As 26' boat? I barely squeeze into my heads compartment

 

[geem]

The water tank on my Horizon 26 is much too small.... so I'm investigating alternatives. There is a big locker at the front that I think I could put a tank in, I'm just wondering how big.

Pressurised water system, one galley sink, one heads sink with shower. Diesel hot water.

A few days away from a marina at a time.

Any views?

2 people living on board allow 5 gallons per day. This is enough for a quick shower each. This based on our consumption living on board for 15 months. Work out how many days you want based on this

 

[sailorman]

2 people living on board allow 5 gallons per day. This is enough for a quick shower each. This based on our consumption living on board for 15 months. Work out how many days you want based on this

On our Co32 15 gallons lasted 5 days, swinging mooring based @ the time

 

[JumbleDuck]

As I got her, my boat had a flexible tank of, I estimate, about 100 litres under the quarter berth. With liberal use - washing up after every meal - it would last two and a half people for about a week. The boat originally came with a second flexible tank under the forecabin vee berth, which I refitted last year and which gives me another 100 litres or so, With reasonable economy I would expect the new total of 200 litres to last two people for four weeks. No shower, just manual pumps in galley and heads.

 

[RichardS]

I have over 500 litres of fresh water capacity, but still run low when there are women on board.

I have over 800 litres of fresh water capacity, but ........................ ditto.

Is this one of those "Fermat's Last Theorem" unsolvable-type mathematical puzzles or does it resolve itself as water capacity approaches infinity?

Richard

 

[Gwylan]

We have 300 litres, never a problem with blokes.
Also have a salt water pump at the sink, gets the worst of washing up done. Then rinse everything in one kettle of boiling water.

Switch the pump off when sailing, encourage using the plug in the sinks and a mug of water for teeth brushing.

Use the 10 litres per person per day, works quite well. Have 5 litre bottles stashed so we can make tea if things get bad.

The boat becomes very skittish when the tank is low and in a following sea can be a bit of a handful if empty.

 

[blackbeard]

I did once (years ago) hear of a charter yacht with insecurely fixed flexible tanks (very large ones, I assume).
One day, with the boat well heeled, the tanks shifted.
The boat lay on her beam ends, filled, and sank.
(Doubt if a decent modern design would do this, but you have been warned.)

 

[yachtorion]

Thanks all. I think I'm going to convert the existing tank into a locker and put a flexible tank in the starboard underbunk locker over the keel. I reckon I'll get about 100l in there. A new battery I'm adding on the port side will go a bit of the way to offsetting it and the diesel tank is already on the port side.