Drinking Water

M

Mattesch

Member
Joined
Jan 7, 2026
Messages
5
Fluid Motion Model
Ranger Tugs Models
Hi Folks - new owner of an R29. We would love to avoid using bottled water for drinking, brushing teeth, coffee, etc Have researched a lot of the older tugnuts threads on water filtration, and was planning on the below:

  • Shock tank (with bleach or chlorine), following process in manual
  • use of Camco in line filter from hose to boat (to fill tank)
  • installation of under sink filter (IcePure, or similar)

Is this enough to avoid getting sick? Or, do most of you guys still use bottled water?

Thanks for your input!
 
Good Morning, Matt!
We use the boat water. We have on all 3 of our Ranger Tugs. I'm careful of what goes in the tank and have a dedicated water hose.
Never had a problem.
Good to meet you at the boat show. See you on the water!
 
When we purchase a new/nearly new R-27, we plan to have a SeaPro Watermaker on board. This will give us a safe source of clean, safe, water while allowing us to extend our stay away from marinas.
 
Not sure if it is most but I know a number of people who use an inline water filter on the fill hose, like the https://www.walmart.com/ip/Camco-TA...6248?sid=46b0b511-66f0-4953-9e08-100ccbb58fcc. I’m not sure I’d want to put one on all the supply lines but if you were so inclined it might make sense to install an inline filter on one tap.

A water maker is a neat idea, just make sure you count on them drawing a fair bit of power. A smaller very efficient system, like the Schenker Smart 30 draws about 110 watts, which at 12v comes to about 10 amps. They make about 30 liters/8 gallons per hour. The smallest Seawater Pro draws 600 watts, or 50 amps for 17 gallons per their specs. You have 600 Amp Hours of house batteries on the new R-27 (and on the used Luxury Edition with the LiFePo4 battery option) plus whatever you can replenish from the sun (220w panel on the new ones, 150 on most of the older ones). It might work out great. Most of the time you are limited by fresh water, but it’s possible to end up in a situation where you end up limited by battery power instead. If you run the engines every day, that’s probably less likely though, since the alternator pretty much can power the water maker.
 
We have used the fresh water tank as our primary water source for 11 seasons without any issues. We are on the boat 40-45 nights a season.
We empty out the tank between cruises. While cruising we refill about every 4-5 days. In Canada we have filled up in places like Sullivan Bay, Lagoon Cove, Refuge Cove and Echo Bay where the water isn’t tested without ill effects.
We add RV antifreeze to an empty tank over the winter and flush it out numerous times when de-winterizing.
If I was concerned I’d use a filter or carry bottled water for drinking.
 
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We drink out of the tank exclusively. We DO NOT filter the water (inline filter) when filling. Shore water contains chlorine which maintains the water's viability. We've filter the water out of the taps with a britta filter pitcher for drinking. We also added a life straw pitcher when we cruised in the Bahamas. You should have no problems drinking form the tank in the US/Canada as long as you maintain the system.
 
All good advice here. One thing I would add is to clean the screen on your water pump. The first year we had our tug the water tasted horrible and was not much better after shocking with chlorine. Eventually we found that the screen on the pump was black with mold or algae. After cleaning it thoroughly and shocking the tank again we have been drinking the water from the tank for 10 years without issue. The screen is connect directly to the pump (inlet side I think). To clean the screen shut the water pressure off and remove the clear plastic cover and pull the screen straight out. Clean the screen with a solution of water and chlorine. Be careful when reinstalling to fit the screen around the outside of the plastic lip in the housing so not to damage it. Reinstall the clear plastic cap.

Curt
 
zekeandboone said:
Good Morning, Matt!
We use the boat water. We have on all 3 of our Ranger Tugs. I'm careful of what goes in the tank and have a dedicated water hose.
Never had a problem.
Good to meet you at the boat show. See you on the water!
Click to expand...
Thanks for the response, Steve. Great to meet you, as well. Looking forward to seeing you again at future events!

PS - thanks for the input on drinking water. We will follow your lead.
 
EpicMale said:
When we purchase a new/nearly new R-27, we plan to have a SeaPro Watermaker on board. This will give us a safe source of clean, safe, water while allowing us to extend our stay away from marinas.
Click to expand...
That sounds awesome!! Good luck with your new boat!
 
fishheadbarandgrill said:
We drink out of the tank exclusively. We DO NOT filter the water (inline filter) when filling. Shore water contains chlorine which maintains the water's viability. We've filter the water out of the taps with a britta filter pitcher for drinking. We also added a life straw pitcher when we cruised in the Bahamas. You should have no problems drinking form the tank in the US/Canada as long as you maintain the system.
Click to expand...
Fantastic! It is my wife (not me) that is nervous. I will be sure to pass along your feedback!
 
Red Raven said:
All good advice here. One thing I would add is to clean the screen on your water pump. The first year we had our tug the water tasted horrible and was not much better after shocking with chlorine. Eventually we found that the screen on the pump was black with mold or algae. After cleaning it thoroughly and shocking the tank again we have been drinking the water from the tank for 10 years without issue. The screen is connect directly to the pump (inlet side I think). To clean the screen shut the water pressure off and remove the clear plastic cover and pull the screen straight out. Clean the screen with a solution of water and chlorine. Be careful when reinstalling to fit the screen around the outside of the plastic lip in the housing so not to damage it. Reinstall the clear plastic cap.

Curt
Click to expand...
Great to know. I wasn’t aware of the screen on the pump. I will look for it.
 
I guess one could always stick to drinking wine.

Actually gin and tonic would be another good alternative. Teeth cleaning with beer would keep costs down.
 
On our 2023 R27, we use our onboard water to drink. We use a dedicated water hose and Camco filter to fill the tank and treat the tank with Aquatabs. For drinking, we use a separate Waterdrop countertop water filter to provide drinking water.

In the winter, we drain the tank and blow out the lines. We do not put “pink” into the tank or hoses,

When we had our big sailboat with 200 gallons of water in 3 tanks, I would sanitize the tanks and hoses with a 10% bleach solution, let sit for a week, and then drain. Worked for 13 years to keep the water fresh.
 
We use separate containers to carry our drinking water so we can be selective on the source of it. There are some marinas where we will fill the tank but skip getting any drinking water because of the taste or the source. An example is the inside passage where you will find places using untreated creek and or rain water as their source. We usually carry 4 gallons for the two of us, even on extended trips.
 

No installation required. Fully portable. Does better on the things we should be worried about (Parasites and Bacteria) than pretty much any inline filter.

We bring some bottled water but if we need more during an outing, we can pull water from the tank, run it through this setup and have 99.99999% on at least those things.

Viruses are a different kinda problem..

We do intend on an annual sanitation, but have been researching other options like Star San, but will not solve for viruses...sure do not want to use bleach.
 
Mattesch said:
We would love to avoid using bottled water for drinking, brushing teeth, coffee, etc ...
Click to expand...
I am really funny about the water I put into my body. On my boat (and in my RV, for that matter), I have three kinds of water:

Boat tank water, which I add at marinas through a freshwater-dedicated hose and RV water filter. This is the water I use to wash dishes and myself.

Brita filtered water. I keep a Brita filter pitcher on the countertop. I refill bottled water bottles using the same hose and RV water filter, and use that water to fill the pitcher. So it's marina water but it's double filtered.This is the water I cook and make coffee with.

Bottled spring water, which I buy by the gallon. This is the water I drink and make ice cubes with. I do not buy bottled water in containers smaller than a gallon; too much plastic waste.

I know this sounds kind of extreme, but I find it a reasonable compromise. I won't drink water if it doesn't taste good, and I prefer spring water.

Understand that my boat is in a charter program and I'm at the mercy of the people who charter it. I have two hoses on board that are clearly marked freshwater and seawater, but I have zero confidence that the people who charter the boat either know how to read or care. So I run the risk of them using the wrong hose or not using a filter when filling the boat. The Britta filter and bottled water come off the boat with me; the charter guests can do whatever they want.

As a sidenote, I have never heard of anyone getting sick from drinking water out of a boat or RV tank.
 
fishheadbarandgrill said:
We drink out of the tank exclusively. We DO NOT filter the water (inline filter) when filling. Shore water contains chlorine which maintains the water's viability. We've filter the water out of the taps with a britta filter pitcher for drinking. We also added a life straw pitcher when we cruised in the Bahamas. You should have no problems drinking form the tank in the US/Canada as long as you maintain the system.
Click to expand...
This is a similar way we operate. Shock the system yearly with chlorine and run the water through a pitcher for drinking. I used to run the hose end filter but generally run the hose for 30 seconds or so before putting it into the tank fill. We fill with our well water before a trip, trailer and keep it at the house, but feel the municipal water with chlorine is a good thing for the system.

Drank the water this way with our new Solara delivery 2 weeks ago and did not have time to shock the system. I have done this also with our RV successfully for the last 10 years also.

We are used to well water and the pitcher takes out the chlorine smell and taste. I hate wasting the plastic from bottles when not needed.
 
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