City water hookup 2022 R27 o/b

C

CaptnRanger

Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2021
Messages
24
Fluid Motion Model
C-28
Hull Identification Number
FMLT2723H122
Vessel Name
SWEET RETREAT
Has anyone modified to provide city water hookup?
If so where and how was it plummed into water line?
 
I'm having my system converted from raw water and adding city water within the next few weeks. Will you be @ the rendezvous in Burnt Store? If so, you might be able to see it in person.
 
I had a city water hook up installed since every marina has water dockside & every boat I have owned previously had a water inlet. The inlet had a water pressure regulator and is installed next to the platform shower door on the transom. It’s the same one my airstream utilizes. It is tee’d into the cold water line that feeds both the transom sink and shower. There is a valve to isolate the inlet, although I have never needed it. Can’t post photos and I don’t think my album has any shots if it.
 
Pretty sure RT stopped installing city water hookups due to them failing and flooding the boat. If you have one I would not leave the boat with the city water turned on.
 
It seems to be widely accepted (at least among the ones I’ve met over many years) among cruising sailors and liveaboards that city water hookups are asking for trouble and a great way to sink your boat. I wouldn’t trust the plumbing involved.

Most marinas I’ve docked or looked at living in don’t allow them, either (a liveabord neighbor of mine got into a tiff with the dockmaster about this until some other more experienced liveaboards convinced him that he was in the wrong). I’m actually a little surprised that you’ve found a marina that does — but I know things vary from region to region.

RVs are a totally different story. But it takes a literal tsunami of water to sink an RV…
 
We have a city water inlet fitting on our 2009 R-25 Classic. Have never used it. Those city water fittings are just too dangerous in my option. I don’t want high water pressure on any part of the fresh water tank and plumbing.
Besides, it only takes a few minutes to fill the main fresh water tank inlet every couple of days.
 
City water hookups have been options for years. Like anything if not maintained or understood they can present an issue and cause damage. If you remember to turn off the city water when you are not onboard you have removed some of the hazard. If you maintain and inspect your fresh water system fittings , connections and the hot water heater for leaks on a regular basis you have removed some of the hazard. It is rare to hear of a boat sinking because of the city hook up but it does happen. In my years of working as a service technician I saw two boat sink because of the city water hook up. Both were caused by a service technician. The root cause of both mishaps was a poor water connection at the hot water heater after winterizing the boat. The hot and cold water lines were removed from the tank to by pass it while running antifreeze through the water lines. After the winterizing was completed the lines were reattached to the hot water tank but not correctly. When the boat was launched in the spring the boat owner attached the city water to the hook up and turned it on like he had done in previous years without incident. He never inspected the water system. The connections at the tank came loose and the the boat started taking on water. There were two bilge pumps both failed after hours of operation.

I not going to say the city water hook up is going to sink a boat and is not a good option to have on a boat. Many folks have used them for years without an incident. I have told this story to many boaters that do use them and I think they at least think about checking the system. If you know what you have, maintain it, inspect it and not complacent you should be ok. If not>>>>>> Don't use it!
 
If it were me I would opt to not have a city water hookup. The possibility of damage from a hose coming loose or a fractured fitting is not worth the convenience of having a water supply. I had one on an RV and one on my RT. Two instances of failure. I never used the RT city water hookup and even then the city water failed. I was anchored out and kept hearing my domestic water pump engaging. I checked all faucets and nothing was open. After searching more I was lucky and happened to see a fine spray coming out near the city water connection. I disconnected it and plugged the hose. With a failure using your water storage the most you will get in the bilge will be what is in your storage tank. Leave your boat and forget to turn off city water and under the right circumstances (Murphy's Law) you could come back to a sunk boat.
 
I was thinking about this again today and you should also check that your insurance doesn't exclude coverage for sinking due to a shore-side pressurized water system.

My current insurance does not have an exclusion, but I remembered that one of my Lloyds all-perils liveaboard policies had three universal exclusions: nuclear war, illegal or deliberate acts, and sinking from shoreside pressurized water. My broker at the time said that shoreside pressurized water was a top avoidable cause of marina sinkings and the underwriter was sick of paying out for it.

YMMV may vary and obviously there are people who use them for years without issues, but it does seem like another unnecessary point of catastrophic failure. I don't think this is a "maintain it and you'll be absolutely fine" kind of problem -- our boats aren't designed to have the freshwater fittings and hoses replaced every few years like the raw water system is designed to be.
 
I agree with everyone that advises against this. But... I also understand how convenient it is! The main reason I like to hook up (I have not attempted on my R23, and probably will not for various reasons) is that the Admiral and I like to shower early in the am, and when you're in a nice quiet marina and the water pump is cycling... it's pretty loud outside, and I like to respect my neighbors' quiet time :mrgreen:

The issue I found is that every marina I visited had static water pressure that was too high for my comfort, especially since many boats are outfitted with John Guest fittings on PEX (push-type connectors), which can be susceptible, albeit rarely, to vibrating loose. I would never take the chance on putting medium-to-high water pressure (50# +) on these systems. In my many years in the plumbing industry, I have seen many push fittings fail.

For this reason, I would always carry a pressure reducing valve outfitted with garden hose connections so regardless of the marina's static pressure, I could always count on my boat getting no more than 25# (lowest setting on the one I used), which is more than enough to handle anything you'd use on your boat, but not so high that it may compromise the boat's fittings.

But as others stated: Always turn the main valve off when leaving the boat! 😀
 
The pump on my 2019 R-27OB has a pressure switch set at 60 PSI. The Shurflo city water inlet has a 65 PSI regulator and check valve built into it. John Guest fittings are rated for 80 PSI @ 150 Deg F working up to 200 Deg F for occasional exposure. I have a SS poly lined flex line between city water inlet and boats water system.

The water pressure in my marina rarely exceeds 50 PSI so I have to turn my pump off or it will keep running even on city pressure.

I always turn city water off if I am not on the boat.

It is really convenient to not need to fill my tank and by keeping it close to empty I save a lot of weight for day trips.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

  • Tugnuts.com is the community hub for Ranger Tug, Cutwater, and Solara owners. Since its inception in 2008, the Tugnuts forum has grown into an active and thriving community of more than 9,000 members. It serves as both a meeting place for the best boating community online, and an invaluable archive of information.

  • User menu
Back
Top