Using River Water on Board to bathe in?

M

Morgan Jane

Active Member
Sep 10, 2010
423
Occoquan, VA
Boat Info
2008 55 Sundancer
Engines
Man 900's
Other than "don't do it", anyone got any advice as to how or if you can treat marina water (raw) to fill on board water tanks? Marina Dock water was turned off middle of Nov. Would like to use boat during the winter. I'm down to 65% of my 200 gallon fresh water tank.
 
Morgan Jane said:
Other than "don't do it", anyone got any advice as to how or if you can treat marina water (raw) to fill on board water tanks? Marina Dock water was turned off middle of Nov. Would like to use boat during the winter. I'm down to 65% of my 200 gallon fresh water tank.
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Sounds like a water maker is in order. Can't make any recommendations as I have no experience with them but I'll bet @ttmott and others could advise.
 
Morgan Jane said:
Other than "don't do it", anyone got any advice as to how or if you can treat marina water (raw) to fill on board water tanks? Marina Dock water was turned off middle of Nov. Would like to use boat during the winter. I'm down to 65% of my 200 gallon fresh water tank.
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Just curious…..what do you use the water for? I got rid of my 70 gallon tank and installed a 35 gallon tank and the water still starts to smell after 3 weeks.

I use the pink antifreeze for the head in the winter and bottled water for everything else.

Our Marina has a really nice shower ….so no water needed for bathing.
 
Go get one of those big jugs of water from the grocery store. Pour it into your freshwater tank. Take it home and refill it will tap water. Rinse and repeat until your tank is full or your arms give out.

or go to your local fuel dock and ask for the water hose while you’re refueling.
 
PlayDate said:
Just curious…..what do you use the water for? I got rid of my 70 gallon tank and installed a 35 gallon tank and the water still starts to smell after 3 weeks.

I use the pink antifreeze for the head in the winter and bottled water for everything else.

Our Marina has a really nice shower ….so no water needed for bathing.
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If your water starts to smell after 3 weeks you've either got some nasty dockside water or your system needs a good cleaning!
 
Morgan Jane said:
Other than "don't do it", anyone got any advice as to how or if you can treat marina water (raw) to fill on board water tanks? Marina Dock water was turned off middle of Nov. Would like to use boat during the winter. I'm down to 65% of my 200 gallon fresh water tank.
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I see a handful of the popular sailors online use the brand linked below. I've seen them at boat shows as well. Not cheap...

https://www.rainmandesal.com/12vdc-watermaker/
 
So the title of your thread is "Using river water" - the only way to use "river" or salt/brackish water in your water tank is by using a desalination system to fill your tank over time. The issue there is, they are expensive and maintenance intensive. They are meant for extended cruise type of boats, mainly ocean crossing types.

The thing to be very leary of is brackish water. That is the dirtiest of water and the highest level of bacteria in most cases.

You could setup an external pump to get the water and then process it with an RO system. But even that would be a few boat bucks too many I would think.

Not sure how many nights in a row your wanting to stay on the boat, but if just for the weekend, I might fore go a shower for one day and leave your water tank for the ice maker. But that's just me.
 
Morgan Jane said:
Other than "don't do it", anyone got any advice as to how or if you can treat marina water (raw) to fill on board water tanks? Marina Dock water was turned off middle of Nov. Would like to use boat during the winter. I'm down to 65% of my 200 gallon fresh water tank.
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There is no worse water than the raw water in a marina. The coliform bacteria count is high plus the heavy metals from years of bottom paints and who knows what else is dumped by the good boaters there. Where do you pump out? Fill with good water there. Watermaker systems are designed for clear ocean water so that isn't a good solution; they will get crapped up and ruined in short order.
 
Sounds like you should fill up at home. Maybe invest in one of these water storage bladders.

Water Storage Bladder, Collapsible Water Bladder Tanks, Large-Capacity Water Storage Container, Portable Emergency Water Storage Tank, Soft Drought-Resistant Water Bag Water Tank (240L) https://a.co/d/06dDST7
 
Don't do it :)

Like others mentioned, it's not an easy process to do it right. Do it wrong - or "half way" - and no you have multiple systems that need a serious cleaning to make them right again.

Google for "gas caddy". They come in various capacity sizes and would make it very easy to bring water from home each time you go to the boat. Depending on how careful you are with your onboard water usage, you might find you are left with a net increase of your onboard amount.

Also, as noted above, is there ANY spigot that the marina can let you use? They must still have an active spigot somewhere, even if it's just inside a door.
 
I would buy 10 - 15 one gallon water jugs from the grocery store. When you go to the boat empty into your tank. Refill jugs at home for the next trip and repeat.

Take quick showers.
 
Stee6043 said:
If your water starts to smell after 3 weeks you've either got some nasty dockside water or your system needs a good cleaning!
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When you do get your water supply back add bleach to what's left in the tank at a ratio of about two ounces to 5 gallons. Let it sit for a couple hours and then drain the tank. Fill it up with known good city water and add an ounce of bleach to about every 15 gallons as a maintenance dose. Repeat every time you fill it up.

Now you will have a clean tank and it will stay that way. You won't even know the maintenance dose is in there.

In the interim, do short fillups from home as many have suggested. Don't ever put river water in the tank because the cleanup won't be that simple.
 
GypsmJim said:
When you do get your water supply back add bleach to what's left in the tank at a ratio of about two ounces to 5 gallons. Let it sit for a couple hours and then drain the tank. Fill it up with known good city water and add an ounce of bleach to about every 15 gallons as a maintenance dose. Repeat every time you fill it up.

Now you will have a clean tank and it will stay that way. You won't even know the maintenance dose is in there.

In the interim, do short fillups from home as many have suggested. Don't ever put river water in the tank because the cleanup won't be that simple.
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Holy smokes...you run 2 ounces to 5 gallons? That seems like an extremely hot mix! I run about 6 ounces of bleach every spring to clean the system. That's 6 ounces with 100 gallons of water. Even then I can definitely smell it when I run it through all the lines.

You're a wild man :)
 
Stee6043 said:
Holy smokes...you run 2 ounces to 5 gallons? That seems like an extremely hot mix! I run about 6 ounces of bleach every spring to clean the system. That's 6 ounces with 100 gallons of water. Even then I can definitely smell it when I run it through all the lines.

You're a wild man :)
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My cited concentration is what's recommended for an RV. Sure, you can smell it. But the purpose is to purify the tank, not use it that way. Once the tank is drained (and lines flushed) and refilled with fresh water, the smell is gone.

If a tank is purified like this it will stay fresh year after year. If it already smells, then the tank is already compromised and it may taken even more work to clean.
 
ttmott said:
There is no worse water than the raw water in a marina. The coliform bacteria count is high plus the heavy metals from years of bottom paints and who knows what else is dumped by the good boaters there. Where do you pump out? Fill with good water there. Watermaker systems are designed for clear ocean water so that isn't a good solution; they will get crapped up and ruined in short order.
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We all know what the guy in the boat that never moves from his slip, but is there every weekend is dumping into the marina.
 
Oh yeah, there is nothing I mean nothing that I would go in my marina water for if I dropped something. last spring I dropped the gas cap from an outboard in the water. My slip neighbor jumped in, swam under and found it. He was nuts.
PS. I am at the top of the river. There is very little tidal currents flushing the crap out. Nasty water.
PSS. As JM said we have a lot of live aboards, whose boats never move, and the marina has no pump out facilities. Where you think their morning constitutional is going?
 
Thanks for all the replies guys. Think I got my answer. Don't put raw Marina water in your boat for any reason. Got it.

Thanks again.

Bill
 
If you can reach your dock with a car the easiest way is a cheap barrell filled with tap water home and a cheap electric waterpump .
 
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