Water Tank Size & Location

[IanD]

27 minutes ago, Ex Brummie said:

I know of three boats with stainless tanks which were thin and flexed and split welds. Replacement required the front deck to be removed to replace it. An epoxied integral tank may require treating occasionally, but is a lot less hassle than bodywork modifications to replace a tank or attend to condensation hull corrosion beneath/around a separate tank. 

So make the tank properly and spray foam the hull, like I said. Any solution done badly is bad, be it integral, stainless steel, plastic, or a tank made out of processed cheese... 😉

Edited December 17, 2021 by IanD

[David Mack]

 

59 minutes ago, Tony1 said:

There is also the issue that for 8 months of the year, the water points can be quite busy, and you might be waiting around for 45 mins for your turn to fill up, unless you get there early morning or late afternoon. 

On the other hand, if you are going to have an enormous tank and only fill up infrequently, the boater after you might have to wait a hell of a lot longer than 45 minutes before he can fill his tank.

Edited December 17, 2021 by David Mack

[dmr]

1 minute ago, David Mack said:

 

On the other hand, if you are going to have an enormous tank and only fill up infrequently, the boater after you might have to wait a hell of a lot longer than 45 minutes before he can fill his tank.

 

Hebden Bridge ? 😀  On a hot day the flow struggles to keep up with evaporation.

[Tony1]

18 minutes ago, David Mack said:

On the other hand, if you are going to have an enormous tank and only fill up infrequently, the boater after you might have to wait a hell of a lot longer than 45 minutes before he can fill his tank.

On the other hand, if you are going to have an enormous tank and only fill up infrequently, the boater after you might have to wait a hell of a lot longer than 45 minutes before he can fill his tank.

 

I think this is a good point- I would not want to be waiting to fill up behind the chap with the 1000 litre water tank. 

 

That said, I can only remember a handful of water points so far that have been really slow. I used one of the points at Ellesmere and it took far longer to fill than it ever had before. 

A boat with a huge tank would have taken at least an hour, maybe even two.

And the place was already crazy busy at 9.45 in the morning.

 

You would hope that the huge tank owner, in that sort of situation, would take pity on those queueing all around, and would only half fill his tank. You would hope...

 

To be fair, I think extending the water point queues is only one of several ways that boaters will sometimes annoy or inconvenience other boaters. 

Many will speed past, for example- my phone slid off the table once when a hire boat passed at top speed. I passed a woman whose goat chain had snapped because a boat tore past at high speed a few months ago. 

Then there were the young boaters who wanted to go for a walk with their dog whilst tied up at the water point- they left the hose in for appearances, but I'm fairly sure the tap was off. 

 

Thankfully these sort of selfish pratts are not that common, and of course you cant get jaded and start behaving badly yourself- two wrongs definitely dont make a right.

But in my case I always try to visit water points at non-busy times, so personally I wouldn't feel too bad filling up say an 800 litre tank. If there was a queue I'd just stop it short and move on. 

 

Edited December 18, 2021 by Tony1

[DaveR]

Filling an 800 litre tank?

If I let the tank fully empty, with the stern trim, it is a challenge to see ahead, I usually need about 400/500 lts. It is just like the fuel for your car, fill up before absolutely needed to, however if needed then there is a reserve.

Legacy has 800 ltr SS tank under the foredeck and just into the main cabin with wardrobes built over on either side of the front door. I have fitted a gauge to the water outlet and have found that with 2 on-board we can last 5 days easy, a week if we have to.