7 day bareboat. 6 people ( 3 adult, 3 kids). 80 gal water tank. No place to reprovison. Any ideas on how much water to take on board. Most of the 80 gal will be used for cleaning dishes and showers. I was thinking about 20 gals. That's almost 1/2 gal each per day. Plus we will have some cokes and juice. Also, last time we went, for showers we would take the "Joy Plung". 1. jump in ocean 2. get out and soap up with Joy. 3. jump back in 4. get out and rinse with fresh water. Is there beter method or different soap?
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Are asking about additional water or
How much to put in the tank? If additional water just for drinking, 20 gallons should be adequate, but I'd take 25, just in case. Better to have too much than not enough.
How much to put in the tank? If additional water just for drinking, 20 gallons should be adequate, but I'd take 25, just in case. Better to have too much than not enough.
80 is enough if you are C-A-R-E-F-U-L
I spent 14 days aboard a Moorings 402CC with (allegedly) around 132 gallons of water. I think it was closer to 100. Six adults would go through that about every 3 days. We were careful, but not frugal. At the beginning of the trip, I was the only one who took showers on deck when it rained. Everyone else took very short "navy" showers. Sprinkle-on, soap up, sprinkle off. Near the end the trip we were all on deck whenever it rained with soap in hand.
With only 80 gallons you'll basically have to forget about anyone taking showers. Maybe a quick rinse of the hair with freshwater after a salt-water dunk would work. Maybe not. Six people can use alot of water. I'd definately bring alot of water OUTSIDE of the holding tanks... 25 gal is a good start. Also, I'd watch those kids like a hawk. I'm guessing they will not be as careful as the adults. Three kids just running the water while brushing their teeth could go through 80-gallons in 7 days.
I spent 14 days aboard a Moorings 402CC with (allegedly) around 132 gallons of water. I think it was closer to 100. Six adults would go through that about every 3 days. We were careful, but not frugal. At the beginning of the trip, I was the only one who took showers on deck when it rained. Everyone else took very short "navy" showers. Sprinkle-on, soap up, sprinkle off. Near the end the trip we were all on deck whenever it rained with soap in hand.
With only 80 gallons you'll basically have to forget about anyone taking showers. Maybe a quick rinse of the hair with freshwater after a salt-water dunk would work. Maybe not. Six people can use alot of water. I'd definately bring alot of water OUTSIDE of the holding tanks... 25 gal is a good start. Also, I'd watch those kids like a hawk. I'm guessing they will not be as careful as the adults. Three kids just running the water while brushing their teeth could go through 80-gallons in 7 days.
Just wash your dishes with seawater
If it is clean enough to swim in it is certainly clean enough to wash dishes with. Ever notice how much water we all get into our mouths when swimming? Moreover, the Joy of dishwashing should have a stronger protective effect on your health than the joy of swimming. Have fun Flying Dutchman
If it is clean enough to swim in it is certainly clean enough to wash dishes with. Ever notice how much water we all get into our mouths when swimming? Moreover, the Joy of dishwashing should have a stronger protective effect on your health than the joy of swimming. Have fun Flying Dutchman
80 gals with no alternative in sight ...
is just never going to make it ... all you need is one problem with the tank, one person forgets to shut the water down tight, one hose to leak, and you are out of water. I would have a back up plan in place where you can duck in somewhere for water if you needed it. Plus at least 20 gals in reserve containers. When it gets really hot ... and no AC on board, people can drink more water than you think. One person can really control his intake ... but six is a crowd is another story. Most of the carribean boats have 140 gals in two 70 tanks or 70 plus a watermaker. Vic
is just never going to make it ... all you need is one problem with the tank, one person forgets to shut the water down tight, one hose to leak, and you are out of water. I would have a back up plan in place where you can duck in somewhere for water if you needed it. Plus at least 20 gals in reserve containers. When it gets really hot ... and no AC on board, people can drink more water than you think. One person can really control his intake ... but six is a crowd is another story. Most of the carribean boats have 140 gals in two 70 tanks or 70 plus a watermaker. Vic
garden sprayer
If you go to Home Depot and buy a 1 gallon pump-up garden sprayer you would be amazed at how little water a shower takes. If you do the Joy plunge and rinse with the garden sprayer. you may use a half a gallon of water. If there is long hair involved, it may take closeto a gallon. For $20 it is worth the test run at home. I heard about this in a Pardy Book. I use the sprayer after a dip in our local fresh....water lake. Works pretty good. 80 gallons... I would watch those faucets like a hawk. On our trip to Dry Tortugas last year, we (6 men)left Marathon and stayed out one night before getting to Key West. One of the crew was not a boater. We pretty much drained one of the tanks in less than 48 hours. If I recall each of the two tanks were 60 gallon+/-. If you have two tanks, I would run the first one about half way down then switch to the other. This gives you a reserve at all times. At first the full second tank will be the reserve. Then the half of the first tank is the reserve. We always had 4 gallons of bottled water on board incase we could not pump water from the tanks (electric malfunction) or the tanks went dry. That 4 gallons gave us a day to get to a provisioning port. We figured we were at most a day away from Key West. r.w.landau
If you go to Home Depot and buy a 1 gallon pump-up garden sprayer you would be amazed at how little water a shower takes. If you do the Joy plunge and rinse with the garden sprayer. you may use a half a gallon of water. If there is long hair involved, it may take closeto a gallon. For $20 it is worth the test run at home. I heard about this in a Pardy Book. I use the sprayer after a dip in our local fresh....water lake. Works pretty good. 80 gallons... I would watch those faucets like a hawk. On our trip to Dry Tortugas last year, we (6 men)left Marathon and stayed out one night before getting to Key West. One of the crew was not a boater. We pretty much drained one of the tanks in less than 48 hours. If I recall each of the two tanks were 60 gallon+/-. If you have two tanks, I would run the first one about half way down then switch to the other. This gives you a reserve at all times. At first the full second tank will be the reserve. Then the half of the first tank is the reserve. We always had 4 gallons of bottled water on board incase we could not pump water from the tanks (electric malfunction) or the tanks went dry. That 4 gallons gave us a day to get to a provisioning port. We figured we were at most a day away from Key West. r.w.landau
water conservation
Bryan, Since no one else has mentioned it I will. You should use all the paper type products for dishware that you can. Paper plates,paper cups etc. Will save on water and dishwashing.The trash might be a PIA,but will be easier to deal with then no water. Ask the boat agent about getting some bladder tanks or see what they suggest for extra water.As a expirement try (and the family)getting by on 11 gallons of water per day. Tough job ! Good Luck and have a great trip !
Bryan, Since no one else has mentioned it I will. You should use all the paper type products for dishware that you can. Paper plates,paper cups etc. Will save on water and dishwashing.The trash might be a PIA,but will be easier to deal with then no water. Ask the boat agent about getting some bladder tanks or see what they suggest for extra water.As a expirement try (and the family)getting by on 11 gallons of water per day. Tough job ! Good Luck and have a great trip !
No-Rinse Body Gel or Saltwater Soap
Using a dish washing detergent for personal hygiene at sea is really extreme! A dish washing detergent like Joy will remove your body oils and really dry out your skin, I'm surprised that you didn't develop skin rashes on your sailing trip. If you want to conserve water you could use a "No-Rinse" body washing gel made especially for personal hygiene and will not dry out your skin. The "No-Rinse" body washing gel is the same product the astronauts use in space. All you do is add a little water and lather up and then use a towel to wipe off the residue. All the dirt and grim is now on the towel. You can use the dish washing detergent, Joy, to wash the towel in saltwater to clean it and re-use the towel. Another product to conserve water is call "Aqua Lather Saltwater Soap" which can lather in saltwater. The "Aqua Lather Saltwater Soap" is pH balance and is marketed for personal hygiene use, you lather using saltwater and rinse once using saltwater and then use a sponge and a bucket of fresh water to wipe off the saltwater residue on your body. All of these products can be found in most outdoor camping supply stores or you can go on-line to www.REI.com. 80 gallons for 7 days for 6 people is pushing it. Most of your fresh water should be used for drinking, personal hygiene (sponge baths) and washing cooking utensils (first wash in sea water and then use a sponge with fresh water to wipe off the salt residue) for a long sea trip where you can't replenish your fresh water supply. Use disposable baby wipes or bath wipes, pre-moisten bath wipes you can find in drugstores or healthcare stores, to clean hands, face and for a quick waterless wipe down instead of fresh water. You should have an emergency water container separate from your fresh water tank to be used as emergency drinking water to get you to the nearest port in case your fresh water tank becomes contaminated or you lose all your fresh water in the tank. Fair Winds. Clyde
Using a dish washing detergent for personal hygiene at sea is really extreme! A dish washing detergent like Joy will remove your body oils and really dry out your skin, I'm surprised that you didn't develop skin rashes on your sailing trip. If you want to conserve water you could use a "No-Rinse" body washing gel made especially for personal hygiene and will not dry out your skin. The "No-Rinse" body washing gel is the same product the astronauts use in space. All you do is add a little water and lather up and then use a towel to wipe off the residue. All the dirt and grim is now on the towel. You can use the dish washing detergent, Joy, to wash the towel in saltwater to clean it and re-use the towel. Another product to conserve water is call "Aqua Lather Saltwater Soap" which can lather in saltwater. The "Aqua Lather Saltwater Soap" is pH balance and is marketed for personal hygiene use, you lather using saltwater and rinse once using saltwater and then use a sponge and a bucket of fresh water to wipe off the saltwater residue on your body. All of these products can be found in most outdoor camping supply stores or you can go on-line to www.REI.com. 80 gallons for 7 days for 6 people is pushing it. Most of your fresh water should be used for drinking, personal hygiene (sponge baths) and washing cooking utensils (first wash in sea water and then use a sponge with fresh water to wipe off the salt residue) for a long sea trip where you can't replenish your fresh water supply. Use disposable baby wipes or bath wipes, pre-moisten bath wipes you can find in drugstores or healthcare stores, to clean hands, face and for a quick waterless wipe down instead of fresh water. You should have an emergency water container separate from your fresh water tank to be used as emergency drinking water to get you to the nearest port in case your fresh water tank becomes contaminated or you lose all your fresh water in the tank. Fair Winds. Clyde
water conservation
That is a tough problem and you will definitely need to be a water cop. First I would put water savers on each of the faucets. These are Delrin rods that screw onto the faucet and water flows only when rod is pushed. Scandvik makes them and are $15 at most any marine store. On our boat, this almost cut in half our water usage. Also, raw water can be used not only to wash dishes, followed by a quick freshwater rinse. By doing this, we can do a full days worth of dishes with only a half gallon of water. Often we will precook, vacuum seal, and freeze meals ahead of time, then heat them in boiling sea water then use the hot water to wash dishes. This minimizes dirty pots and pans. Using paper plates also will cut down on what needs to be washed. An alternative to using a sprayer is a solar shower bag for washing up, followed by a QUICK freshwater rinse. Another tip is to freeze bottles of water and put them in your icebox (or freezer)to help keep food cold and then use them for drinking water as they thaw. Many little things add up to be really saving water. Best we have been able to do is to stretch 75 gallons for 5 adults (3 women) for 8 days. Good luck. Paul Bednarzyk S/V Knot Again
That is a tough problem and you will definitely need to be a water cop. First I would put water savers on each of the faucets. These are Delrin rods that screw onto the faucet and water flows only when rod is pushed. Scandvik makes them and are $15 at most any marine store. On our boat, this almost cut in half our water usage. Also, raw water can be used not only to wash dishes, followed by a quick freshwater rinse. By doing this, we can do a full days worth of dishes with only a half gallon of water. Often we will precook, vacuum seal, and freeze meals ahead of time, then heat them in boiling sea water then use the hot water to wash dishes. This minimizes dirty pots and pans. Using paper plates also will cut down on what needs to be washed. An alternative to using a sprayer is a solar shower bag for washing up, followed by a QUICK freshwater rinse. Another tip is to freeze bottles of water and put them in your icebox (or freezer)to help keep food cold and then use them for drinking water as they thaw. Many little things add up to be really saving water. Best we have been able to do is to stretch 75 gallons for 5 adults (3 women) for 8 days. Good luck. Paul Bednarzyk S/V Knot Again
Baby Wipes
I spent a few years with the Marines in Yuma Arizona and, going out to the field, we would have plenty of drinking water but no showers for upwards of a week. The solution was to use baby wipes. One or two baby wipe sheets would do the job. If they worked in the hot dusty desert I'm sure they'd be even better on a boat and no water needed (of course none of us had hair to be concerned about shampoo). Just another idea to help keep the water use down.
I spent a few years with the Marines in Yuma Arizona and, going out to the field, we would have plenty of drinking water but no showers for upwards of a week. The solution was to use baby wipes. One or two baby wipe sheets would do the job. If they worked in the hot dusty desert I'm sure they'd be even better on a boat and no water needed (of course none of us had hair to be concerned about shampoo). Just another idea to help keep the water use down.
water conservation (to date)
Vacum seal food cook in sea water, use hot water to clean dishes Paper plates "No-Rinse" Body wash "Aqua Lather Saltwater Soap" Baby Wipes Collapsable water bottles (5 gal) How's that so far?
Vacum seal food cook in sea water, use hot water to clean dishes Paper plates "No-Rinse" Body wash "Aqua Lather Saltwater Soap" Baby Wipes Collapsable water bottles (5 gal) How's that so far?
So far
If you do everything suggested you may actully pull in with a few more gallons of water than when you left.
If you do everything suggested you may actully pull in with a few more gallons of water than when you left.
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