How Much Water Does the Average Cruiser Use?

What Every Future Cruiser Should Know Before Buying a Boat

How Much Water Does the Average Cruiser Use?

One of the things many new cruisers overlook when shopping for a boat is water and fuel capacity.

Everyone falls in love with the layout, the beautiful woodwork, the number of cabins, or the size of the cockpit. But after living aboard, you quickly learn that water and fuel storage can determine how long you can comfortably stay at anchor and how much freedom you really have.

So how much water does the average cruiser use?

The truth is, it varies tremendously.

Some cruisers are extremely conservative and can make very little water last for days. Others prefer long showers, frequent laundry, and use considerably more.

For us, it looks something like this:

💧 Drinking Water:

I personally drink between ½ gallon and 1 gallon of water per day, especially in hot weather.

💧 Cooking:

Between coffee, cooking meals, washing produce, filling pet bowls, and cleaning cookware, we can easily use 2–3 gallons per day.

💧 Dishes:

We are fairly conservative and probably use around 2 gallons per day washing and rinsing dishes.

💧 Showers:

This is where every boat is different. Skip reminded me that we recently made a 5-gallon solar shower last three days for the two of us. That's far less water than many people would expect. It's not like showering at a diet house... You must wet yourself turn off the water lather up and rinse. I literally would wash my hair once or twice a week to conserve water and honestly my hair was much healthier.

💧 Laundry:

We do laundry onboard about once a week, and we use approximately 7 gallons.

The lesson?

There is no "normal."

Some cruising couples use less than 10 gallons per day. Others may use 20 gallons or more. It all depends on your lifestyle and how conscious you are about conservation.

One thing I highly recommend is a watermaker if you plan to cruise extensively. Having the ability to make your own fresh water provides incredible freedom. Instead of constantly worrying about where you'll fill your tanks next, you can stay at anchor longer and enjoy the places you love.

The same principle applies to fuel.

When you're shopping for a cruising boat, don't just ask:

⛵ How many cabins does it have?

⛵ How big is the galley?

⛵ How pretty is the interior?

Also ask:

💧 How much water can it carry?

⛽ How much fuel can it carry?

⚓ How long can I comfortably stay at anchor? Because if you are anchored and living it.. well you can only stay as long as you have water. So be prepared.😉

Because sometimes the most important features on a cruising boat aren't the ones you see first.

They're the ones that give you the freedom to stay.

I am curious and I am sure others are as well how much water does your crew use each day?

#CruisingLife