Water Makers

[oorwullie]

We want to fit a water-maker to our Moody 425, but like all live-aboards we are short on space to install the standard type fitting. I have seen a water-maker called the "Waterlog" which does not use any power, is a tow behind unit and can be stored in a locker when not in use . It is reported as producing 225 litres per day.
Has anyone any information or experience of this equipment as I have never heard of them before. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[davel]

No experience of them but details HERE

 

[snowleopard]

before you start, WHY do you want one (we have, but wished we'd saved the money)

 

[oorwullie]

Our intention is to do long-term/distance cruising, taking in both the Atlantic and Pacific down as far as the Whit Sunday Islands. also would like to do Island hopping where no berthing facilities are available.

 

[snowleopard]

right, wouldn't have one again for the atlantic but are keeping ours for the pacific.

bought ours in the canaries. big mistake.

 

[Sea Devil]

Have to agree with Snowleopard - I wish I had saved the money - even for the Pacific which is why I fitted it - there in no where in the world where you cannot get water.
The membranes in a watermaker need to be used daily if they are in salt water. You can back flush with fresh water and they last for a week or so or lay them up with metabisulphate for a year but that is a labour of love requireing the best part of an hour... changing filters etc.

If you have a 'superyacht' and have a very big one and want constant showers etc then I can see the use but for the rest of us.......

 

[anglo_saxon]

We are also looking at fitting a watermaker. Has anyone got any thing good to say about them or are they just a waste of time and money.

 

[zefender]

Interested to read about backflushing since I thought the waterlog didn't actually need this. I'm doing the ARC this year. We'll be 2 couples. The boat carries 300 litres in its tanks. Assuming something like 20 litres a day consumption, this'll work out at about 480 for the trip - 180 more than we've got. Assuming a safety margin is needed, we'll need more still. We could of course carry 10 x 20 litre containers (or rely on a bit of raincatching) but the weight of this (and space for it) will be substantial. Compare this with the comforts of decent showers for all and the ability to keep the tanks full, and the watermaker idea becomes very interesting. The Waterlog 200 produces (it claims) about 8 litres an hour or over a hundred if it stays in its towed position for daylight hours. Unlike powered watermakers, which consume at least 4 amps or so, the Waterlog has no power requirement. It also doesn't need any plumbing through the hull, and is considerably lighter. It's also less than half the price. So I'm a convert to the idea at least. I'd be interested to hear whether snowleopard or Bambola were expressing doubts about the waterlog or the on-board 'leccie' versions.

 

[Sea Devil]

If you have a big one and a fairly large boat and run them whenever you have the engine on and you live aboard permanently then it is a very nice luxury for showers etc. Very pure soft water but the machine needs lots and lots of TLC as I stated.
In the pacific I carried enough water for the trip(s) in the tanks + jugs in case the thing broke down! It did mean I did not have to Jerry Jug at every island stop and there was enough for a shower or two but an awful lot of money for a bit of lux and an awful lot of hassel. I have one of the smaller ones and it makes water fairly slowly. I wish I had saved the money like snowleopard

 

[Sea Devil]

I assume all the mechanics of a watermaker are roughly the same - salt water under pressure through a membrane procuces fresh water. It is the membrane that needs the back flushing etc so I would be surprised if the Waterlog does not need this.

My electricity driven watermaker states 8 ltrs an hour - the reality is less but thats not the point. At what speed does the tow have to go in order to create enough power to make the pressure pump force the water through the membrane?I suspect that is the catch... I could run mine via the solar panels at mid-day in the pacific but only around noon.

Do not rely on rain water - unless you carry a rain maker - You will end up carring enough drinking water for the trip I am certain - its not that long - so you will mainly use the extra procuced by the Waterlog for showers - and why not.

 

[piscosour]

I too was keen on the notion of free water and looked into the waterlog. There was a great deal of comment on various threads about six months ago but no one seemed to have any practical experience of the waterlog. No dealers have admitted to ever seeing one and the nearest anyone got to using one was a promise of a demo version that never arrived. They claim to sell via t'internet and not through dealers. Reading the spec and the price if it works it would be very good news but until someone comes back with a long term test I remain sceptical.

 

[snowleopard]

all reverse osmosis watermakers have delicate membranes requiring the same care. if the towed type claims it's not needed it can only be because you are assumed to be using it all the time- a bit tricky at anchor!

our electric one is rated at 60 lph and gets quite close to that when it works, which isn't too often. it draws 20 amps.

on out outward atlantic passage, we had 220 litres in 2 tanks and 5 crew, the watermaker syphoned one tank into the bilge overnight and, with constant nursing, managed to replenish it but no more. on arrival after 15 days we had about 1/3 of our water left.

 

[zefender]

I met a neighbour who has his (other!) boat in the carib. He has one (the 300 version I think). he spoke very highly of it. The downside is that, yes, you need to keep moving to generate water. The Waterlog website talks about 3.8knots being the water-producing minimum. They also provide an optional 12v motor to produce water when becalmed or at anchor.

 

[Talbot]

I like the concept of the waterlog, but am very cynical. There was a long thread on these last year which was stopped when someone who had not tried it started slagging off the company, and waterlog got a tad peeved which lead to the thread being Kimmed. I put YM and waterlog together and aone was delivered to a man doing a long trip in order for a magazine article to be written, and there should be a report soon. I dont have YM so if anyone sees such a report please let us knpw.

Alternatively, they do allow a 6 day trial.

 

[robind]

Doesnt the waterlog have a stainless membrane??
Rob

 

[oorwullie]

We get the YM regularly when the report is published will drop you a message thanks.

Sandy

 

[Talbot]

IIRC there are differences between the waterlog 100, and the other two models. I was warned away from the cheapest (100 model) at an early stage, but believe that the membrane is indeed stainless. The machine will still require pickeling between uses. One of the potential problems highlighted by other users was the use in large waves, where the torpedo comes out of the water. I suspect that having a securing point very low down on the stern might help to solve that problem.

 

[philmarks]

I have a hefty genny, so power isn't a big problem for me (OK I'm not happy about fuel bills though!). What I would like to know is whether there are any small distillation watermakers available, as these would on the face of it have a lower maintenenace requirement and perhaps be simpler than the membrane types. Anyone got any info?

 

[Anonymous]

The first step is to ask yourself why you want the water - how much do you require and how often? 100 litres per day? 200? 300? 50? And ask how you might otherwise get that water if you didn't have a watermaker. It's only when you know how much you need and how badly you need it that you can decide on the capacity required...then you will be able to compare the various models with an appropriate output from various manufacturers.

We have a Spectra which was installed by the previous owner of our boat - he went round the world and used it all the time. He did have a problem but that was due to having been sent the wrong chemicals which damaged some plastic parts, after which he said that it had given excellent service.

David

 

[roam]

Re the towed waterlog watermaker. be very sceptical. We were looking at them, but have found it difficult- no impossible - to find an independent test on it. Sailing Today 'previewed' it back in their New Gear section a couple of years ago, i followed it up via email a couple of months ago and they said that they had intended to do a test, but quote
"An old colleague who wrote that since left the magazine and the idea fell by the wayside somewhat. When a reader offered to report on it's progress for us more recently however the test I think became invalid because he failed to fit it properly or didn't receive a relevant installation manual."
read into that what you want.....