Water Maker on Sun Odissey 54 DS

[Sailor Jerry]

HI Everyone!

Does anyone have a recommendation on what kind of equipment should be fited to a Sun ODissey 54DS?
Special concerns to look at?
Hazzles to consider before making such decision?
Estimate costs?

I thank you all in advance for sharing your knowledge with me

[moonshadow]

I only need a Watermaker for long trips away from my home waters so I found a portable rainman Watermaker fit my needs well. Very simple to use and no through hulls or valves. Easy to maintain and remove from the boat when not needed. Can be mounted permanently or carry up on deck to use. I leave the pump unit in a locker when stored or in use and bring the filter unit up when Needed. Might be worth considering if you don’t need one all the time. I believe $3500 US to $4500 depending on configuration you select.

[jy51]

Jun 18, 2020 16:38:47 GMT Sailor Jerry said:

HI Everyone!

Does anyone have a recommendation on what kind of equipment should be fited to a Sun ODissey 54DS?
Special concerns to look at?
Hazzles to consider before making such decision?
Estimate costs?

I thank you all in advance for sharing your knowledge with me

Hi Sailor Jerry,

I think the answers to your question depends very much on what you want the boat for and where you cruise.  

Each year we pass the summer months cruising the Mediterranean and have a dislike of marinas, so self sufficiency is our aim.

When purchasing our current boat, our wish list included a high capacity water-maker, solar panels, lithium batteries, a generator and lots of refrigerated storage, we have two fridges and one freezer.  Top notch anchoring hardware was also high on our list and not forgetting air-conditioning for those stifling hot, breezeless nights moored in marinas.

It's not possible to give costs, as it depends on many factors.  But while on the subject of cost, I have read forums where people will discuss wether or not an item is cost effective, nothing much you can purchase for a boat is cost effective, for me its all about convenience.  Yes, my water-maker was expensive and yes, if I am frugal with water, and pass a few hours each week queuing up at a marina dock to purchase water I would save a fortune, but do I want to!  

For me the pleasure to use fresh water for my toilet flush and to take long showers is priceless.

[MickeyB]

Just chirping in here.

We determined ours by working out how much water we consumed in a day.  It is just two of us, so modest.

We have a 100 litre day tank (drinking water) and 180 normal water (which we don't drink).  We can last 2-4 days on that depending on showers etc, so we decided to go for a 35l per hour device (around 2.5k euro all in).  This we can run on batteries, and it draws around 14 Amps when running.  It is an ECO SYSTEMS 35L, and typically gives out 38-40 litres per hour when the engine is running and 33-35 when on batteries alone.

We have solar and plenty of sun, so in the morning when the batteries float around 10am, I just run it for an hour or so to top off the tanks.

This has been fine for many years now, and for 2 people in our situation we don't need more.

The ONLY thing I dislike about ours, is that I didn't think the electrical pump would be so noisy, and I should have put it somewhere that I don't hear it quite so loudly, but that is my fault, not the units.

Mike

[Trevor]

Hello Sailor Jerry,

You may find some information relating to efficiency of Watermakers and various configurations here.

www.jeanneau-owners.com/hintsandtips/watermakerinstall.html

Regards

Trevor

[NZL50505]

Jun 19, 2020 12:02:37 GMT Trevor said:

Hello Sailor Jerry,

You may find some information relating to efficiency of Watermakers and various configurations here.

www.jeanneau-owners.com/hintsandtips/watermakerinstall.html

Regards

Trevor

That’s superb, thanks Trevor.
We recently had a quote for installation of a high capacity mechanical drive unit but it was over the threshold for investing in our beloved 42DS because the arrival of child #2 means we’ve reluctantly realised we need to upgrade to a 3 cabin boat. And so we’ve started the search and will put that investment into our next boat. We’re hoping it can be another Jeanneau but sadly the odds are stacked against us down this side of the world as the options for 50ft-ish quality used Jeanneau models is limited and we might be forced to switch (currently a 3 cabin Beneteau 523 looks strongest contender). But I’ll miss this forum if we do have to move away from Jenneau 🙁

[Sailor Jerry]

Thank you all for such usefull hints, advice and perspectives. you have been a great help to my decision making.
Good seas to you all!

[saileasy]

Check out CruiseRO Watermakers. The owner/founder — Rich Boren — has his office in La Paz

[saileasy]

Rich Boren’s business in La Paz is called La Paz Cruisers Supply. Rich and CruiseRO Watermakers get terrific reviews.

[chuckr]

I have been out 14 years and 12 with a watermaker.  I am a full time liveaboard cruiser and have sailed east and west coast Caribbean, most of the Med and all the Black Sea.  there are 2 of us and i put on a 3.5 gal per hour and for us it is sufficient.  It draws 8 amps and when i am in places with no water like the San Blas where i spent 6 months and refused to drink the local water (rare for me as i don't have any issues with dock water normally)  I ran the wm about 2-3 hours a day and had more than enough water and even gave water to other cruisers who had little or none. 

I have a friend who put a wm on their small boat in Miami and only sail Biscayne Bay and i asked why and was told they took 2-3 showers a day and wanted to use fresh water in their heads.  Each to their own. 

By saying the above it says look at where you are going to sail and how you are going to use the boat and your personal habits. 

By the way i beleive that things need to be worked to stay in good condition.  I have 2 tanks on board - a 50 gal tank in the salon and a 35 gal tank in the fwad berth -- Say i got a 30gal per hour wm - i would use it maybe once a week for an hour maybe 2 hrs.  and then i need to think about if not used a lot got the whole pickling issue -- those things need to be worked -- good luck