Feasible upgrades or hair-brained ideas?

Dixie Chicken · Aug 27, 2012

I read almost all of the comments... and thought I'd throw my two cents in.
Good comments about the dockside water... but about the generator for your air conditioning... I for one, would hate to have you as a neighbor.
An inverter would work for small appliances, but coffee makers need a lot of power.
Just get a 12v coffee maker.
For cooling, go naked. (just kidding) Ventilation and shade are the cheapest.
Make or buy an awning, and or, make or buy a 4-way vent scoop.
Currently, there are few, and they are overpriced, but I made one for my old 41 Columbia
which was very efficient. I will be making one soon for this boat, and will post a pic. (if I don't forget)

jimmcgee · Aug 27, 2012

Dockside water is one of the best upgrades you can do if you spend any amount of time aboard at the dock.

You need an inlet with a pressure regulator and a backflow preventer. I used the Jabsco ($38 @ Defender). Make sure you through-bolt it and seal it with 4200.

You T into the fresh water system AFTER the pump and you need to install a check valve so the high pressure (35psi) city water won't damage your pump. Use ONLY marine grade reinforced PVC tubing rated for hot/cold water applications (available at any marine store).

At the hose bib on the dock I install a good quality water filter (Shurflow $31 Camping World, replace every spring). It gets rid of any impurities, smells, etc. I use a Y fitting and use filtered water for my boat wash downs too

From the filter I use Swan Boat/RV hose to a brass quick connect fitting on the stern that's threaded into the regulator. You can't use regular garden hose as it will leach chemicals into your drinking water.

The filter provides good tasting water and the whole works disconnects quickly when we're going out. I even use the filtered water with a little chlorine when I top off my tanks. If you're traveling leave the filter on the end of the hose so you're filtering any water you're unsure of.

Always run the water for a few minutes when you get to the boat. That flushes out any water that's been in the hose baking in the sun all week.

I always make sure to turn the dockside water off when we leave on Sunday night and have turned around and driven back to the marina when I've forgotten. That said the chance of hose/fitting failure on a 35psi line is quite low. Dockside water is installed on pretty much all new boats and properly installed there's less risk than from the seacock that feeds your engine. I installed ours in June of 2008 and no problems.

For coffee, how about a coffee press or Bustelo instant. After all it really doesn't take long to heat a kettle on the burner.

I spoke with the Honda folks at the boat show about a generator to power my 10K AC. They recommend a Honda 2000. For me that's too awkward to stow on a 30 foot boat so sun shades are on my winter to-do list.

Best of luck,
Jim

Steve Dion · Aug 27, 2012

I know that filling that water tank is a P.I.A., but you probably want to think about the fact that the Qest (Quest) plumbing material removed from millions of home (especially mobile homes) because it broke under pressure. The stuff is great in a motor home, boat, RV because there are is low pressures.

As someone else mentioned, it is a great way to sink at the dock!

MrBee · Aug 27, 2012

Ok my 2 cent worth, you get hat you pay for...
If your having problems with your water staying fresh then your tank aint clean. Go through the tank cleaning process that Peggy recommends and you can use the tank. We use our tank water for everything. We do carry a few jugs of water from home for making coffee, not because the water in the tanks is bad but because we have well water at home we like and city water at the boat. Also most trips to the boat I bring 5 gallons from home and try to keep the tank topped off. BUT the water tanks are clean and safe for drinking, just don't taste as good as out well water.

As for the Yanmar , I don't understand those who say don't use it as a generator ?? I DO understand it will wear faster however the 2GM20f is used on many larger boats AS the generator. Not that I want that motor running at mid RPMs and listening to it but if there is no space for another Gen, then why not in limited cases.

Brian

25yearslater · Aug 27, 2012

Just an additional mention. The new Hunter 27 is power by an electric auxialliary motor. It works off batteries but the funny thing is electric motors don't care where the watts come from. Many generators can be run at fulll RPMs if they are properly sized to their engine. Excess power just goes nowhere until needed.

Mrs. JimR · Aug 28, 2012

Buy Peggy's book from SBO here:http://shop.hunterowners.com/prod.php?51996/Get%20Rid%20of%20Boat%20Odors

It's one of the best investments you'll ever make for your boat.

tasdevil · Aug 28, 2012

Shortcuts don't work.../

Having had several boats that exhibited shortcomings that I "fixed " by upgrading , i learned that each single improvement on the designers original intention , brought three additional problems.
So now if I find a problem , I estimate whether it's significant or not; if not , leave it be , if yes - advance to another boat where the designer fixed it.

My boat has a fresh water holding tank. It's useful for providing fresh water when anchored or underway, but I keep it empty at the dock. I've seen other boats that have a port for pressure water at dockside. Could I add a pressure water port for use at dockside and install a "Y" valve just downstream of the water pump to select water from the tank or from the dock?

Also, it would be awesome to have an onboard generator to run A/C, water heater and coffee maker when anchored. I started thinking about the prospect of installing a gas driven generator, having to maintain a separate engine, fuel system, etc. Then I started wondering whether a belt-driven generator could be added to the main engine. It's a Yanmar 2-cyl which is about as efficient as any gas engine. Is this upgrade feasible?

Thanks.[/quote]

robertsapp · Aug 31, 2012

Re: Shortcuts don't work.../

Lots of people run an onboard 16K air conditioning system off of a Honda EU2000i. All you need to do is purchase and install the MarineAir Smartstart unit. I think it's about $400. It reduces the startup current draw to a level that the Honda can handle.

http://www.dometic.com/enus/Americas/USA/Marine-News/SmartStart-Reduces-Startup-Surge/

robertsapp · Aug 31, 2012

Re: Shortcuts don't work.../

And you guys had me really confused for a while. I didn't understand why you'd have your marine toilet plumbed to your freshwater tank. That seemed like a really bad idea on a lot of levels. But I eventually figured out that you meant "storage tank," and not "holding tank."

Gunni · Aug 31, 2012

McZube said:
How much bleach is required to prevent unwanted odor without coming out of the tap smelling like straight chlorine.

I use the recommended dosage from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) - 1/8 teaspoon unscented regular strength Clorox per gallon of water. It doesn't take much.

robertsapp · Aug 31, 2012

You don't really want to add beach to the water you intend to drink. I mean, you can, of course, but there's really no need. Fill your water tank, add a cup of bleach for each ten gallons of capacity, let it mix for a few minutes, then let it run out every tap until you smell a stong bleach odor. Two to four hours later, run your tank dry (i.e. empty it) and then refill it with clean water and run through each tap until the bleach odor is gone. I do it by just letting the water hose run into the tank fill while simultaneously running all the taps for about ten minutes. This will flush the bleach out of your system, and give you at least three to six months of tasty, odor free water. That's basically Peggy's process. It works here in Florida, where mold and mildew will grow overnight on anything that doesn't move, and many things that do.