WATERMAKER INSTALLATION

Arriving back at the boat John's biggest priority was to take delivery of the new "Cruise RO Water Maker" and make the initial installation plans with Mike Dunlap. Mike is our neighbor here in Portland at Salpare Bay Marina, He lives aboard Faith Ryder, his Catalina 39' sailboat. He has an impressive resume with experience in the Navy and is a retired electrician.  I'm sure there are many attributes we haven't learned, but after working for us for over a week we will recommend his services to everyone. After humping all the equipment on board the guys unpacked it, moved it to the engine room and began the arduous task of designing the installation, relocation, etc. involved with making it fit in the engine room and still be able to efficiently maintain the system, as well. Speaking of efficiency, another smart move was to bring the tools to the project... This was accomplished by bringing his boat around and parking it in the empty slip next to us.

Mike's Boat, Faith Ryder

From what I can see there are numerous phases of water maker installation. Every boat is different in so many ways. We are concerned with how ER equipment is located and it takes several minds to put their heads together, coming up with the best, most logical and efficient use of the space, as well as, considering maintenance. Mounting the parts location has to be well thought out. You only want to reroute existing and mount new equipment once.  There are two pumps; one low pressure, one high pressure. There are three pre-filters and two very long membranes, not to mention the control panel and a plumbers nightmare of fittings and lines. 

Mike and John discussing location of parts.

The High Pressure pump draws 13.2 amps and the Low pressure pump will draw 8 amps. With luck we will make 40 gallons of water per hour. Total cost was just under 8K and we hope to have plenty of water for everyday life while cruising.







We were able to fit the entire system in the engine room, this will free up the Lazzerete for all that other stuff.  

Some pictures of the finished watermaker installation. You can see the blue membranes mounted above horizontally. The filters can be easily dropped for maintenance. Mike did a great job configuring the placement of intake and output valves and associated waterlines. The raised electrical box was mounted to the wall. When it was time to finish the installation by providing power, the wiring was run through existing wire chases throughout the boat. Mike and John worked together,  removing closet paneling, dropping ceilings and fishing it all up to the pilot house where the main power panel is located. It was difficult to photograph this portion as the guys were completely focused on the tasks at hand. They did not appreciated the photos opportunities, as I did. I backed off and lent a hand. The intricate shapes of the ceiling panels are definitely easier to drop then reinstall. Emptying the hall closets gave me a chance to better organize the tight quarters and inventory meds and sundries for our cruise.
Mike did a great job labeling everything and provided a binded hard copy manual with all the pertinent information. The installation went very well and was completed during our winter window.     Mike Dunlap has provided various services for others at Salpare Bay Marina, Porland, Oregon. During the water maker installation, we became fast friends and learned of his service with the U.S. Navy and his accomplishments as a sailor and delivery skipper.
We look forward to hanging out with him again and recommend his diverse services to all.

Cruise RO Watermaker