One of the great things about surveying boats is that you get to see some neat installations and get to go on boats that you would otherwise never visit. I recently spent some time on a PDQ 32 sailing catamaran and was very impressed by the layout of the boat. I had seen these boats many time before but this was my first time actually on one. The main sitting area which is U shaped is sited around a large table and takes up essentially the whole covered bridge deck area. But it is only when you step down into the hulls that you realise just how much space there is in this boat. Both hulls have a large double aft, forward of this in the starboard hull is a fantastic chart table and navigational area that I just loved. Forward of the chart area is a voluminous shower and heads compartment which is very sensibly finished off in white gel coat so that everything is very easy to clean and keep sanitary. The port hull has the same double berth aft but forward of this is the very large and secure galley which is superb. The space which is occupied by the head in the starboard cabin is sealed off from the rest of the boat in the port hull and contains the gas bottle stowage and tons of space for fenders, spare anchors and anything else you might need for a couple of weeks away from the dock. One of the standard fitments in the galley was this Bosch W125 instantaneous water heater which was very unobtrusive and highly efficient. What Ilike about these heaters is that they only supply water as needed and providing you don't run out of water from the main tank will keep hot water flowing for as long as the faucet is open. I remember we had one of these heaters on a boat when I did an Atlantic crossing with some friends, we replenished the water tanks from a water maker, we had plenty of propane so we were able to take hot showers every three days which was pure luxury. While the calorifier style water heaters that have an electric element in them are great they only heat up on average 6 gallons of water when the generator or engine is running or you are plugged into shore power. I know that there are concerns over the safety of propane but none than would be the case if you already use it for cooking so providing you take reasonable precautions and the system is correctly installed and plumbed in then I think that this Bosch heater is a very cost effective alternative to producing hot water.



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