Due to work constraints during the first few years of our ownership boating consisted only of weekends and occasional week-long vacations onboard. If we were lucky, we would head to the vessel late on Thursday night after work and return home late Sunday evening. Because of our limited time, we found anchoring at our favorite spots was an ideal for a peaceful detachment from the dock.

Eventually, as we transitioned onboard and began cruising full-time our love for anchoring never wavered; however, in some places a mooring ball was ideal. Our 400-gallon water tank capacity goes quickly when bathing, cleaning, operating the dishwasher, and washing hands while anchored or moored. Even though we have a watermaker onboard, we rarely used it while cruising along the US East Coast waters, primarily because the water quality could damage our reverse osmosis water filtration system. Not all marinas permit boaters to dock solely to fill their water tanks. For two adults onboard in seven days we tend to deplete our water tank in seven days. This was a hard reality and at times, it was not only an interruption of tranquility but also a stress builder, so I became aggressive about water consumption to keep us off the docks.

Tips & Tricks…

In an absolute pinch, I keep this waterless hair product that uses something to absorb oil, odors, and sweat from the scalp. Other boaters wear hats, but we don’t, and we found this to be a valuable product as well.

Found in the hair aisle of most retailers.

2. Chinet Disposable Bowl & Plates

I noticed that using our melamine dishware quickly filled our dishwashing capacity. This meant we were running the dishwasher daily, if not every other day. We seemed to have easier access to trash disposal than to fresh water, so we pivoted to disposable bowls and plates.

Of course, our trash compactor filled quicker than normal, so we purchased (2) RVGUARD Pop-Up Trash Bin. What’s great about these is that they are collapsible for easy storage when not in use. It even has a lid for when in use, which we keep stowed in the lazarette and dispose of when possible.

3. Dewalt 24V Power Washer

Lifting the anchor can consume a lot of fresh water, and the resulting water spray from cleaning it can be just as bad, depending on the seabed. We use an orange Home Depot bucket filled with surrounding water and a cordless DeWalt Power Cleaner to rinse off the chain and anchor. A hose connects the handheld unit to the bucket of water, which serves as the supply.

We also usually leave the anchor just submerged right in the water after departure to remove the larger chunks of clay and mud. Works great!

4. 5 Gallon Plastic Blue General Bucket

We keep the bucket with its lid in the cockpit area. Great for cleaning the anchor, the outdoor deck area as needed, and shampooing hair.
Fill the bucket before departing the marina and keep filling it while anchored or moored with the rejected water from the Rkin.

5. REDCAMP 4 Gallon Portable Water Container with Spigot

Initially, to test my theory we purchased the prefilled counter top water dispenser, Poland Springs. Found at most retailers. Solely used in the galley for handwashing and in our head for handwashing while brushing teeth. This provided a great visual of how much water was being used.

So we purchased two refillable portable water containers, fill them before our marina departure and keep them filled with the rejected water from our Rkin.

6. Rkin Countertop Water Filtration System

Combined we consume a lot of water since we infrequently drink alcohol, soda, or tea.

We also have a charcoal water drinking faucet in the galley. We really like the reverse osmosis system of Rkin. The rejected water from the Rkin is dumped into the General Bucket and Portable Water Container with Spigot.

7. Solar Camping 10 Gallon Shower with Hot Water

There’s nothing that will make you feel crudy like dirty hair. Every other day is our personal threshold which means we can easily deplete our water tank just from showers.

Combine a shampoo head with Water Wipes is not only refreshing but, makes you feel clean. Keep it on our upper deck for full sun exposure and hang it from there into our cockpit, which allows soap and rinse water to go overboard on the port side while leaning over. We don’t use our starboard side or swim platform area because the tender is usually tied off there.

We fill it before departing the marina and keep it filled with the rejected water from our Rkin.

8. Water Wipes

Yes, you’ll find these in the baby/infant aisle of most retailers. Unlike other baby products, these wipes have no lotion or smell. Just water wipes great for a complete wipe down.

We keep a small lidded trash can in our forward berth, which we use as an office and dressing room since we don’t tend to host overnight guests onboard, for disposal.

We use them every morning, after a tender ride, and in the evening before crawling into bed and feel clean.