Water system keep or remove

[yelkenli]

I sail on a lake and do not see the need for the water system on my boat.

I am thinking of removing the tank, leave the sink but remove the faucet, and leave the piping in place.

I don't care to drink the water. I don't know how clean the tank is. Like everyone else I know, I will bring bottled water or other drinks.

I doubt any of it has been used in years, maybe decades.

There is a tank - I think it is the water tank - interfering with adjusting my engine (no room to turn a nut).

I don't see how this would impact resale value of this 40 year old boat.

Is there any reason not to remove the tank?

Different subject - Similarly, several sailors at my club have removed their head and replaced with a portable toilet. I would remove the head sink and macerator also. - The water tank is my main issue now.

 

[dmax]

Just keep the tank and faucet so they can be put back in by a future owner. A portable toilet would be acceptable at resale - I wouldn't keep the removed head parts

 

[dLj]

I don't care for porta-potties if that is what you are referring to as a portable toilet. I would go to a composting head. A very nicely designed one is the OGO. They have a couple models now - I'm very pleased with my originals. I don't know anything about their new Nomad version, but it looks quite nice also.

dj

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[thinwater]

a. It's not hard to clean a water system. Scrub, bleach (follow procedure in below link) and possibly an acid wash too. For good taste, consider a Brita or equivalent (filters only work with a pressure system).
simple potable water

b. NOT a portable toilet. A desiccating head instead. There are systems you can buy or you can build one from a kit. MUCH better than a portable toilet, and I have had both.
The Desiccating Head

Ripping stuff out seldom makes a boat easier to sell. The potable water system is probably not hard to salvage. Replace most of the hoses (easy and cheap) and clean as directed. Even just for hand washing and cooking. The head systems could go either way; holding tanks are a challenge on smaller sailboats, under about 27 feet. But mostly people get intimidated by the problems, as though they have never pooped or changed a diaper. Change a few hoses, make sure there are no leaks. Tip: Before working on the system flush multiple times with fresh water, and then let some vinegar or bleach soak for an hour and then flush a few times. Pretty clean, not nasty that nasty. Wear gloves, use soap when you are done. Not a big deal. I like a desiccating head better than a portable, but some guests will like a flush toilet better; only you can do that math, and don't let anyone else decide for you. For cruising, I prefer a holding tank, and I have had all three types.

 

[boulevardtalonman]

I would have paid more for my boat if the water tank were still there...even though I wouldn't use it. It's still a missing part.

 

[Tally Ho]

My boat is a little bigger, but even on my 28 foot Hunter, I cooked and cleaned on the boat. But based on your diagram, I guess you also don’t have a water heater… so maybe not too much of a loss.

I have 2 water tanks on my O’Day 322 and I generally don’t use enough water in the 2 tanks to keep it “fresh”. So a few years ago, I pulled one of the 2 tanks, re-did the plumbing to only need 1 tank and have been happy with that since. The old tank and extra plumbing is in my basement should I change my mind about needing more than 30 gallons of water or I decide to sell the boat.

If you don’t want the tank, remove it but store it for future use. Same with the faucet.

 

[Terry Cox]

Is there any reason not to remove the tank?

Your boat, your choice. I followed Peggie Hall's re-commissioning your fresh water boat tank when we purchased our 1991 boat in 2002. After doing it that one time, it remains fresh and sweet tasting. I do use a PUR brand faucet filter for drinking water purposes. I just refuse to pay for bottled water, which I consider unsafe, when our tap water that comes from the Sultan watershed the most pure in the world. Having a fresh water tank(s) on board along with a hot water heater I would consider an important resale value.

 

[Foswick]

My recommendation: Set the boat up the way you want it, unless you PLAN to sell it in the next few years. And, even then, don't worry too much about resale. It looks like you are far enough inland that, if/when you do sell, you will be selling to another lake sailor. With that boat (a Catalina 27) this just isn't much wiggle room in the price. That is, the price will be driven way more by the condition of the boat than whether or not it has a freshwater tank. This will mostly only affect who wants to buy the boat, at that price point.

That is, if the prospective owner really wants a FW tank, the lack of one will probably disqualify your boat for certain buyers. But, if your sense is that this isn't important in your market, then it probably no big deal.

I completely agree with the advice to keep everything you remove. So, when you do sell, you can always say, "Well, she used to have a _______ and I still have it. Here's what you would need to do to reinstall it ..." Most buyers are fine with that.

But again, if a change makes YOUR enjoyment of the boat greater, then you should probably make it.

 

[Indysailor]

I'm on a lake and primarily day sail where a lack of holding tank would not be a problem. There is a convenient intake on the backside of the facility bath house where one can empty and rinse a porta potty. It's very convenient and I've considered swapping out my holding tank and marine head because the pump out station is difficult to navigate and just generally a pain. Having said that, I know it would be a (probably unpleasant) surprise to a future buyer.
Secondly, my boat came with a sink and no water tank, which my wife deemed unacceptable (and I thought it was kind of annoying as well), not for drinking water, but rather for hand washing. So I installed one.

I would not discard the old tank if I were considering removal of it.

 

[High Current]

Resale value on an '85 27 ft? Probably not much impact. BUT you may significantly reduce the number of prospective buyers, which is likely the more important metric if you eventually expect to get rid of the boat. I know it would be a deal-breaker for me. As others have suggested: take them out if you want, but hang onto them if you can.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

When I sold my boat with a disconnected water system, people asked about it. It would have hurt negotiations if I had to go that route

 

[thinwater]

Resale value on an '85 27 ft? Probably not much impact. BUT you may significantly reduce the number of prospective buyers, which is likely the more important metric if you eventually expect to get rid of the boat. I know it would be a deal-breaker for me. As others have suggested: take them out if you want, but hang onto them if you can.

It's not easy to sell an older boat anyway. If I were the buyer I would just walk along to the next boat. It's not the price, it is getting serious ANY interest. My wife would have told me to move on.

Cleaning water systems is not that hard. But you can leave that for the next guy.

Same issue with a portable head. Any buyer that has used one will run away from your boat. I had one once. A composting or desiccating head is a MUCH better choice.