Water maker in R29 CB?

[Putte]

Hello,

I am receiving my new R29 CB this spring and plan to install a water maker in it. Has anyone else done this and if so, where did you place it? I see the most obvious place being in the starboard cockpit storage area but is hoping for a more clever placement so I can use that space for other things.

 

[dbsea]

Which watermaker are you planning on? I would highly advise you have it installed by the factory during build if that is an option - it would save you a LOT of headache. Watermakers use a ton of power, so I hope you have a very robust battery bank and/or genset! I can't think of a better place on that boat off the top of my head - the layout is similar to my C30 and I have also contemplated a water maker and that's about the only place I can think of putting it...

 

[Putte]

Thanks. I am looking at the Sea Water Pro- 20 GPH best case. Power usage is just under 1000 W so I plan to use the factory generator (LE) when making water.

 

[Bruce Moore]

We installed a Spectra on our R-43. It is mounted in the port side lazarette, vertically against the hull, in space that wasn't otherwise suitable for much else. Granted, your space is more limited, but consider that approach.

Installation doesn't really require factory assistance. Devices were mounted on vertical plywood. Fresh water out line is run to the potable tank, and the brine exhaust line taps into the cockpit sink drain line.

Specta makes 12V water-makers which allows you to make water underway w/out using the generator. Same at anchor. It's very nice. Depending on your water needs you can go from a very compact 8.3 gal/hr unit on up. Ours was installed by Emerald Harbor Marine here on Elliott Bay, Seattle. Recommended.

Cheers,

Bruce

 

[Putte]

Thanks Bruce.

Yes, I wish I had the space of the R43 🙂 As the water maker is modular I will try to find little space here and there. Where did you run the "test tube"? The tube for running the water maker output for the first minute or so before putting it in the potable tank.
I see some people just having a loose tube and fill a small bucket until the water is good. The other extreme is to plumb it to a small separate faucet in one of the sinks. It seems like the first option is the most practical as you like to be close to the system when you start it up.

P

 

[dbsea]

We installed a Spectra on our R-43. It is mounted in the port side lazarette, vertically against the hull, in space that wasn't otherwise suitable for much else. Granted, your space is more limited, but consider that approach.

Installation doesn't really require factory assistance. Devices were mounted on vertical plywood. Fresh water out line is run to the potable tank, and the brine exhaust line taps into the cockpit sink drain line.

Specta makes 12V water-makers which allows you to make water underway w/out using the generator. Same at anchor. It's very nice. Depending on your water needs you can go from a very compact 8.3 gal/hr unit on up. Ours was installed by Emerald Harbor Marine here on Elliott Bay, Seattle. Recommended.

Cheers,

Bruce

This is a great option, Bruce! I don't have a genset in my C30, but I do have 600w of solar (2 200 watt panels on the flybridge enclosure, and 200w on the standard panel) and my big alternator. I would have to find space for it but i'm intrigued. Maybe a 2024-2025 project... I've also considered the rainmain portable DC watermaker.

 

[Wynot1]

I installed a Rainman water maker high output in my R 27 .26-37 gph . I placed the PSU in port lazzarette and the membranes in the starboard lazzarette I use my Honda 2200 to run it. I ran the waste water into the bathroom sink.
Sold that boat and reinstalled into my R31S. Placed everything into the starboard lazzarette and ran waste water output into cockpit sink. Takes a little bit of time…. about a day but not that hard to do. I can run at 5 knots while I make water and the when full I jump back to my normal cruising speed of 10/12 knots. Love the Rainman. Pickling is also easy just need a 3 gallon bucket.

 

[dbsea]

I installed a Rainman water maker high output in my R 27 .26-37 gph . I placed the PSU in port lazzarette and the membranes in the starboard lazzarette I use my Honda 2200 to run it. I ran the waste water into the bathroom sink.
Sold that boat and reinstalled into my R31S. Placed everything into the starboard lazzarette and ran waste water output into cockpit sink. Takes a little bit of time…. about a day but not that hard to do. I can run at 5 knots while I make water and the when full I jump back to my normal cruising speed of 10/12 knots. Love the Rainman. Pickling is also easy just need a 3 gallon bucket.

do you use it as portable or did you permanently install everything (outside of its blue cases).

Dave

 

[Putte]

Great solution! Thanks for sharing.

P

 

[Wynot1]

My installation is the naked version install. Left the blue case on the PSU because it has the bracket for the pre filter.
Warren

 

[SgtAlf]

https://www.quenchsea.world/

 

[dgiles]

https://www.quenchsea.world/

At 1 gal/hr, meaning you handpump for an hour to 1 gal of water, not sure the point of that. I guess if you are dying of thirst, but for a boat, not really even worth considering.

 

[Elie Samuel]

We installed a Spectra on our R-43. It is mounted in the port side lazarette, vertically against the hull, in space that wasn't otherwise suitable for much else. Granted, your space is more limited, but consider that approach.

Installation doesn't really require factory assistance. Devices were mounted on vertical plywood. Fresh water out line is run to the potable tank, and the brine exhaust line taps into the cockpit sink drain line.

Specta makes 12V water-makers which allows you to make water underway w/out using the generator. Same at anchor. It's very nice. Depending on your water needs you can go from a very compact 8.3 gal/hr unit on up. Ours was installed by Emerald Harbor Marine here on Elliott Bay, Seattle. Recommended.

Cheers,

Bruce

Bruce, Did you install yours on the outside of the lazarette or on the forward wall? Can you share which specific model you purchased?

Thanks!
Elie

 

[Texas Tuggernaut]

In what cruising areas do you find a water maker most useful? We’re looking at the SeaWater Pro 14gph portable model before heading to the Bahamas but still unclear if it’s cost effective. Also, it would take up a good portion of the starboard cockpit locker for storage. So many cruisers comment that water is readily available in most cruising areas at fuel docks etc. We like extended periods at anchor where plentiful fresh water would be nice…
So how much do they really get used and in what regions?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[dbsea]

Well, fast forward a few months and I'm done installing my water maker on my C30 CB, last step is to bring the boat out to the salt this weekend and fire it up to test it for leaks. I went with a Spectra Ventura MPC 5000 (aka Ventura 150 Connect). It is a 12v/9a model that does around 6-7gph. I installed some components (feed pump, high pressure filters, accumulator) on the port engine compartment side wall near the aft where the genset would be, and the Clark pump and "brain" of the system in the port aft lazarette. The MPC 5000 is fully automated and will run the water completely overboard until the computer senses that it has met its PPM threshold and is safe, at which point it flips a solenoid and routes it to a diverter I installed. The diverter routes to a spigot in my cockpit for TDS testing and sharing, and once it's passed that test, I can route it into the water tank with the flip of the diverter switch. It will also auto flush itself on a periodic basis with fresh water so that you don't have to pickle the membrane. I got the unit used from another tugnuts member for a great deal. A word of caution, installing a water maker on your own is not for the faint of heart and it took me the better part of a month of my after work and weekend time to do, and about $2,000 in parts. I drew a fair bit of blood and sweat in the process, but I'm intimately familiar with the guts of my boat and probably have fiberglass shards permanently embedded in my skin! I'll take some good photographs of the install for those interested.

 

[Toucan]

I installed a watermaker in our boat 6 years ago. My wife demanded it after getting Giardia while visiting a First Nation village in British Columbia. We have used it only once or twice since. It will be nice to have if we ever go to the Bahamas or Sea of Cortez. A professional installer wanted to mount everything easily and simply by utilizing the entire lazarette. My installation objective was to utilize as little useable storage space as possible. The filters were mounted on the inside of the transom in wasted space, but it is extremely difficult to change filter cartridges. The pumps, control panel and membrane are located in the starboard lazarette. The intake thruhull and strainer are in the engine compartment. It did not work to tap off the main strainer while the engine was running. The brine discharge thruhull is behind the other starboard drain thruhulls. The sample tube is loose and drains into the lazarette gutter when used. I do not do much maintenance on the membrane and consider it a throwaway. Most of the empty space in the lazarette is still available, but to get access to the fresh water pump requires the watermaker control panel to be removed.

Barry Thompson
TOUCAN, R-27 Classic

 

[glider4]

Well done Dave!