[Kristen]

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

• This reply was modified 4 months, 3 weeks ago by  Kristen.