Watermaker.. DONE!

Yes, we're still doing this.

Since the last post there has been loads of wiring, drilling, plumbing, fiberglassing and cursing. Really vile and somewhat satanic cursing.  Here's what the boat actually looked like while I was cursing:

The good news is that my language is now at least temporarily pleasant and presentable as Baila sports a new chartplotter/radar, 900 amp-hour battery bank, battery charger/inverter, 520 watts of solar power on top of the arch, a WiFi extender, an Iridium satellite phone antenna, and a new TV.  Thanks to Andy Fegley and Rurik Rashetalov (sp?) of Yacht Electronics Systems for their help with the electronics 'heavy lifting' work- best marine electricians out there!  And really fun to work alongside and learn from.  

But what I am most happy (and relieved) for is that after months of driving to the boat every Monday the watermaker is finally finished!  I often felt like the quixotic Harrison Ford in "Mosquito Coast" attempting to make ice in the jungle.  But this actually worked- it's done. 

To explain: the watermaker is a gizmo that uses electricity (powered by the solar panels) to squeeze seawater through a semipermeable membrane.  Pure deionized reverse osmosis water ("product water") is produced while a concentrated Dead Sea-like brine pours out of a thru hull fitting in the transom (back of the boat).  I constructed a manifold that sends this water to each of our four water tanks as well as a hose accessible in a cockpit lazarette.  After learning that water can be bartered in the out islands (where if on a boat without a watermaker one has to transport jugs back and forth from land to boat), I figure an easily accessible 'hose' will serve us well in trading water for fruit (or rum).   

This process was not what you would call smooth.  It was one of the most arduous, labor intensive and frustrating jobs I have ever done.  However, when I drank that first glass of fresh water* (which just one minute before was turbid brackish Chesapeake Bay water), I felt more triumphant than I've ever felt!  Perhaps a bit like making ice in the jungle.  

*Disclosure:  I gave Walter a bowl of the product water first.  When he wasn't dead an hour later I took a picture of myself drinking it. 

Here is the high-pressure motor (on shelf) with the membrane (white tube) below.  This is located in the aft lazarette of the cockpit where we normally store stuff, so it's relatively out of the way

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Here's the intake, manifold and prefilters (the muck has to be strained out of the bay water before getting pushed through the membrane).  This is all in the "bilge" (or most dependent part of the boat under the floorboards down below)

Here's the product water hose coiled up in the propane locker- and then pictured below kicking out pure desalinated water!  It makes 6 gallons/hour.  I figure we'll run it about 3 hours daily to keep up with our use  

My loyal assistant and work partner

Yep I was definitely cursing here.  The housing to the (factory defective!) feed pump cracked and this is water spraying all over the bilge.  That was totally cool and felt really good to have to trouble shoot that at 10pm

 Here are the 2 solar panels on the arch

Baila is starting to resemble a boat again down below!

We hope everyone is well and thanks for checking in.  Don't fret- when we're actually doing this trip Lynn, the girls and Walter will be doing a lot of the entries so this will not just be Brad.com.  Promise.