More fresh water: Inexpensive & simple solution

L

localboy

New member
I have contemplated adding an additional water tank to the void under the V berth on our ‘07 25 Cruiser. Water, fuel & ice are always our limiting factors when out on longer trips and we enjoy being on the hook vs always in marinas. I added a solar panel system for the same reasons.

After contemplating the labor, expense and complexity of adding one, I came up with a much simpler & less expensive alternative. KISS after all . 5.3 gallon collapsible water jugs. I can easily store 2 under the Vberth storage. The weight is then more forward and along the center line. Once emptied they collapse into a fraction of space, unlike our rigid 6 gallon water can we used to carry. I got them from here: https://smartbottleinc.com/
 
I have used collapsible water containers too (5 and 2.5g). IMO, they are ok. They get a little less user friendly to use as they collapse. Most camping supply places have them.

I took the 20 gal tank out of the aft dinette compartment for the storage space.

I have been meaning to add a water tank to the bow compartment on my 22 for some time now. Might actually get to it this summer.
 
Thanks for posting these water containers. I'm definitely going to be getting some of these to replace the ones I have now. Inexpensive, made in the USA too!
 
I've used up to 4 of these 5 gallon jugs. I found 4 overkill and ended up using just 2....giving me 10 extra gallons of water to supplement the 20 gallon tank. A couple of great things about using these are:

1. I have no gauge to see how much water is in the 20 gallon tank; so I used to worry all the time about how close I was to running out of water. Now I just allow my use to run wild knowing that I have 10 additional gallons, and by carefully estimating use after that, I can figure how many days I can go before I have to get water.

2. I keep the 2 containers on the 2 "quarter seats" on either side of the transom on the CD25 (which I never otherwise use), or strap them up on the bow. That's 80 pounds of mobile "ballast" I can use to trim the boat (a 160 pound delta). Works great especially on longer trips when the boat is heavily loaded. (I can even effect side to side trim if I move them across the beam.)

P.S. I find the collapsibility of the jugs a benefit in terms of storage since if you use a large funnel (which I have anyway), I can sit on the foredeck and easily pour the water from the jug as it sits on the upper part of the deck into the tank fill pipe. No need to provide air into the jug either since it naturally collapses as the water pours out. I can even control the flow rate by how hard I "squeeze" the jug as it pours.
 
Localboy,
I just came across your post about the Smart Bottle collapsible containers. When I went to their site and and clicked Camping and RV it took me to "Outdoors" and the containers there are called Wolverinetuff, lots of nice options, and there have been upgrades since the originals.
This is such a good find for how we use our boat at times! The other collapsible jugs I have used have never been Reliable in a number of ways which any of you who have had to put up with them know :cry .

Thank You,
Tom and Rene
 
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