Cruising GPD water usage average

[sailingdog]

LOL... Yup...you got me, I'm busted...

Originally Posted by max-on

Now we know the 'true' reason for the inverter!

[Rockter]

In the blazing heat of the Gulf of Mexico, each man was drinking... drinking alone now... 4.5 litres (one UK gal) per day. So each man is going to need about 50 litres for the trip, drinking only. Multiply that by 5, and add a margin, say 300 litres, all up. (66 UK gal, say).

Forget the idea of squeaky-clean showers, either that or get that water maker. The fastest shower ever taken by us was 5 litres. Instead, use a bucket of seawater and some salt water soap.

[donradclife]

The two of us use an average of 7 gallons per day for cooking, washing dishes, and showers, which comes out to 3.5 gal/day,or 175 gallons for your trip.

Of course we don't let the water run when we wash dishes, and take Navy showers.

[hphoen]

I get by easily with 2.5 to 3 gpd when singlehanding, including washing dishes, and a saltwater wash & freshwater rinse off the stern instead of a shower in the head. Underway, you can wash down with a bucket on the foredeck and then rinse.

When the Admiral's aboard, it's a different story!

[genieskip]

Spend a lot less money to get a salt water foot pump & faucet installed in your galley sink and use it to wash and rinse the dishes. Turn off the power to the fresh water pump and make everyone pump ALL the water they use and you'll find that your 222 gallons will last three weeks at least. I raced twice across the Atlantic on boats that carried considerably less water than you do but still had nine man crews and never had any problems with water shortages. You are surrounded by water, use it. Just use the stuff you carry for rinsing and drinking.

[Vitesse473]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

If you've got five guys that need to run hairdryers before cocktails, you're in trouble IMHO. I don't believe in wasting valuable amp-hours on a hairdryer unless it is for a cute boat bunny.

Don't tell them, but I also don't have an inverter...or a cute boat bunny for that matter

Originally Posted by genieskip

Spend a lot less money to get a salt water foot pump & faucet installed in your galley sink and use it to wash and rinse the dishes.

I already have the salt water foot pump and faucet for the galley sink. I also have a transom shower hose.

Sounds like the voting public would vote no on the watermaker...thank God!

[Stillraining]

Not the same I know but when we took our Sea Ray out for 10 days in the Gulf Islands every year the Wife my 3 daughters and myself...we would take along a 6 gal drinking/cooking water jug and we never used it all up...

We did have 1 case of bottled drinking water, 1 case of gator aid and 2 cases of beer in addition...

The girls needed or more correctly wanted a quick shower every day so Id give them a few short squirts on the swim step each evening...Our tank age was 40 gal and we would have to fill that up once again for a 10 day trip.

So thats 80 gal giving daily short rinses to 5 people ( every other day for me )... and 6 gal drinking /cooking water...( we use paper plates ) ...How I metered it will be different now in the sail boat but having a 6 gal hot water tank thats warmed by engine heat, when the hot 6 gals is gone shower-es were over for the day...)...and it really does help conserve if someone else is controlling the water flow rather then the person showering..Mexico heat will be different but both times Iv been there I cant say my water consumption has increased that much...BEER maybe...Im not a big water consumer by nature..I drink maybe 24/36 oz per day at home...including coffee


When you do decide to put in a water maker ...Build one yourself...There are plans/parts on the web for half what you can buy one for..and you will end up modifying a bought one to fit your space and or requirements anyway..

[Boasun]

Just remember that when you have more than one person on board, each of those people will have their own ideas on water conservation and what is their fair share of the water. And you usage may go beyond of what you consider normal usage.

And the one person you want "CLEAN" on your boat is the Cook. So you could consider a rationing of shower water for that person and lots of hand washing water also... Most of the time it could be sea water... but I have seen waters in some areas that are really silted up and you would be piling dirt upon dirt if you showered with it.

[tommyt]

Just remember that when you get there you still need water. Drinking water can be very suspect in Mexico, and sitting in your tanks will make a nice breeding ground for organisms that you did not really want. Just be careful.

[waterguy]

If you do not want a watermaker and plan to store water you can add a Ultraviolet Sterilizer to your water system, that way you will take care of the organism growing in the stored water in the nice hot weather. You may also wanna boil the water stored in jugs and stuff specially if it is "natural spring water" after a few day in the heat.