Sounds pretty dramatic maybe, but watermakers play a pivotal role in deciding if you would be at the sea for long. For people who love the silence of the sea, the cool breeze on the bright sails of their boats, sailing is a need.
According to a survey that resulted in a participation report, around 12-15% of people in the U.S. participate in sailing as an activity.
This means around millions of people engage in sailing activities on a daily basis. It somehow indirectly implied that people today are not afraid to sail on their own for leisure than they were probably a decade ago. A large amount of credit goes to the increase in technology on the boat itself. From providing a safe room with sanitary bathrooms to luxurious dining areas without the worry of leakage, boats have come a long way. Another point to consider here is the role a watermaker plays on your boat.
What is a watermaker?
As the name suggests, it’s a piece of fairly compact equipment that makes water that is good enough to drink. When you are at the sea, it is difficult to sustain on your stock of freshwater which can either run dry after use or get contaminated due to seawater. When you have a watermaker in place, problems related to freshwater are reduced drastically.
It has a standard 5 stage filtration system with Reverse Osmosis running at its core. The membrane is made to ensure that the water coming out for you contains nothing but the best minerals for your health and water for hydration.
But why filter?
To save the cost of a watermaker, a lot of people prefer stocking up their boats with freshwater reserves. This comes with two major factors that affect your sailing capabilities.
- The space that the reserve filled with freshwater is nothing but a baggage for your boat.
- Once it is on the verge of finishing off for any reason, you are forced to turn and head back for land ruining your enjoyable sail at the sea.
A filter avoids these two reasons fairly easily. With a compact marine watermaker, you save space and forget about the troubles of stocking as it uses the seawater as a source to filter. But let us not restrict ourselves here to our leisure and talk about the aspect of importance, health. Here is why watermaker is so much better than a freshwater reserve.
- You get the pleasure of good tasting water. Even water picks up taste from the tanks it is stored in and plastic tanks have more problems than the stainless-steel ones.
- Adding chlorine in your water reserves is a good choice but not for cooking. It causes problems in yeast formation which means you cannot make bread or yogurt onboard. A watermaker will not only eliminate the taste of chlorine but assist in your cooking too!
- Yes, you could store rainwater when you get the chance, but what about all the elements it catches from the atmosphere? And it is not just minute particles but leaves too that make way through the deck into your tank.
- Tanks need to have vent and bugs do get through it. Even if you take precautions, a lot of unseen contaminants easily make their way through this into the tank. A filter ensures none of these reach your favorite drink in hand.
Not convinced? Take it from experience!
Dana Greyson and Wayne Seitz are experienced sailors who have gone on a sailing trip around the world the longest one being from Florida to New Zealand at more than 10,000 nautical miles which they covered in 11 months (December 2014 to November 2015). In their incredible story, they share how their sailing expenses were cut short at $1500 per month without any compromises. When we look at their monthly budget on water, one would be surprised to see a $5 expense each month.
“Usually we made our own with a small watermaker, which de-ionized seawater. There is some cost for when we paid to fill our 100-gallon tanks or some cost for using gas when we didn’t have the solar or motor power to make it for “free.””
Take it from someone who has been sailing for a long time, watermakers cut sailing expenses too! Some of these like the Marine Seawater Desalination Watermaker 100GPD by Ampac USA provide the best sailing experience through its design alone. It is easily accessible and manually operated with a start and stop button while giving you good tasting fresh drinking water each day. This particular model is well equipped to provide 380 liters per day, is energy efficient and has a quiet operation. Adding to its features, Ampac USA provides customizable Marine Watermakers that can easily blend in with your sailing beauty.
