About us
Debbie and Tim AllenA few years ago while cruising the Caribbean on our Fountaine Pajot Venezia with our children, we discovered just how important water and power were to us. While our catamaran, “UNBOUND,” had nearly all the comforts of home, we were amazed at just how quickly they were used up! Our fresh water tanks would be drained in a matter of a few days unless we instituted strict rationing.
Also, “turn off the inverter!” was the most frequent command! With experience we learned some techniques for conserving water while still washing regularly, such as turning the shower off while soaping up, and carefully rinsing dishes with a trickle from the tap. And we found that using a different voltage regulator helped improve our battery charging effectiveness. However, these measures were not enough for extended cruising in relative comfort.
Unbound at AnchorOur need for a better way to get fresh water was painfully emphasized while visiting George Town, Great Exuma in The Bahamas. Reverse Osmosis (RO) water was generously supplied for free at the Exuma Market dinghy dock, however it had to be carried in jugs back to the boat. This became backbreaking work for a family of five! There had to be a better way…
As far as electricity was concerned, there was just never enough. We carried along laptop computers, which served as our entertainment centers for the cruise. After a year or so, the laptop batteries no longer had the capacity to watch a two-hour movie without being plugged in to an AC power source to recharge. Our inverter was a wonderful tool, and indispensable on a cruising yacht. However, the power drain on our battery banks was significant.
Our charging routine included running the starboard engine twice per day to chill the freezer holding plates and provide hot water. The total time was one and a half to two hours running, and the stock 55 amp Hitachi alternator only produced about 80 amp-hours of charge for the batteries. We needed far more than this to satisfy our power consumption demands. There had to be a better way…
Thus began our search for “boundless” water and power. We asked many cruising friends, consulted magazines, and searched the Internet extensively. It turned out that we needed to use several diverse sources to obtain what we needed, and the effort was extremely time-consuming. There had to be a better way…
