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Watermaker Mastery – What Did You Learn? What’s Still Murky?
Hey sailors!
Thanks to everyone who joined us for the Watermaker Mastery online course with Jamie and Behan Gifford. Whether you’re just starting to explore onboard water systems or you’ve been cruising for years, this course was packed with practical insights to help you get the most out of your watermaker.
Let’s keep the conversation flowing here!
- What was your biggest takeaway from the course?
- Do you already have a watermaker—or are you still deciding if it’s right for your cruising plans?
- What questions do you still have about installation, maintenance, or troubleshooting?
- Any hard-won tips from your own experience you’d share with others?
Jamie and Behan are available here and happy to answer your questions directly! Whether it’s a follow-up from the course or something specific to your boat, feel free to tag them in your post and ask away.
If you missed the course—or want to rewatch it—you can access it anytime here:
👉 Watermaker Mastery Online Course
Drop your thoughts, questions, or aha moments below. We’d love to hear from you!
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This discussion was modified 1 week, 3 days ago by
Diona.
americansailing.com
Tired of hauling water jugs or unsure how to trust your watermaker? Learn how to choose, operate, and maintain your system with confidence—so you never run dry at sea.
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2 Replies
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644
Silver
New Sailor
Watermakers are AWESOME when they work. They can be frustrating when they don’t. On a transatlantic passage a few years ago, ours started to act up about three days into the 20-day passage. I am no mechanical expert, but at the end of the day the system is pretty simple; and with a little gumption (and a desire to have fresh water for the next two weeks) I jumped into the engine compartment and started flipping switches and turning knobs until we got it running again.
I think my “hard-won” experience is that most things on a boat (even the most complicated) are understandable if you dig into them. Have digital copies of the manuals so you can easily search for information, take the time to get to know your systems, and don’t be afraid to touch anything on your boat.
Finally, the watermaker system we had on the Amel 50 liked to be exercised. It wasn’t delicate, but it was grumpy if it didn’t get regular use. So everyone needed to be comfortable using it; so that they WOULD use it; and not just wait for the person who was comfortable using it to turn it on. We often ran it anytime we charged the batteries, which meant loads of fresh water and a happier watermaker.
kb
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This reply was modified 1 week, 1 day ago by Kristen.
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29
Bronze
New Sailor
Such a great point about cross training on systems so they aren’t dependent upon one crew member!
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This reply was modified 1 week, 1 day ago by
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