Enhance Your Boating Life with a Watermaker

If there is one thing setting a yacht apart from all others in a cruiser anchorage, it is the vessel’s capacity to draw saltwater directly from the ocean and transform it into fresh water. That one key ability, drawing its power from multiple possible sources, ensures long-term independence from the hassle of filling and carrying jerry cans with water, sometimes of dubious quality, at every anchorage on an ocean cruise.   Choosing the Right Watermaker Reverse-osmosis watermakers are generally categorized by the type of power they use, DC, AC or mechanical, the last of which is provided directly by the propulsion engine. On a typical cruising vessel of anywhere from 35 to 60 feet LOA, a 12- or 24-volt DC watermaker system is probably the best choice. This allows a wider range of installation options, since the unit does not need to be close to the main power plant. Sea Recovery, a subsidiary of Parker Hannifin, offers its smallest desalinator, the Aqua Matic 450-1, producing 450 gallons per day (GPD) for mid-size to larger yachts. The Aqua Matic may be run on either DC or AC current. The Sea Recovery range of desalinators extends all the way up to very large systems for passenger...