The race for stopovers
On a long cruise, marina stops are often spent running to the port laundry room hoping that a washing machine is free. Checking feverishly to see if there are enough coins in the purse to power these voracious machines or getting tokens from the marina office. To wait and wait and wait to put the laundry in the dryer, pay again and hope that the laundry comes out seceuros In sunny latitudes, this last step can be avoided.
Depending on how often you stop in a marina, you will have to run several machines in a row. But they must be free. During busy periods, you often have to wait your turn.
And then, you run to the supermarket to buy supplies, to the showers to clean up, to the ship to find the piece you were missing, etc. And the next day, you will leave without having had time to visit anything. Frustrating.
Moreover, between each stopover, you will have to store the dirty laundry and, unfortunately, the laundry basket is often the great forgotten of sailboats.
Last but not least, there are marinas with all the amenities on the roads that are well traveled by sailboats. But elsewhere, off the beaten track, you won't find many.
Hand washing
If you choose the hand wash option, good luck getting to the sweaters or worse, the sheets.
In addition, despite the common belief, hand washing is not especially fresh water efficient. Indeed, it is not possible to wash clothes entirely with sea water. If you do use it, you'll need to rinse your clothes thoroughly in fresh water because salt absorbs moisture and your clothes will always be a little sticky if any remains.
On the other hand, it is difficult to spin well by hand, which makes the drying time even longer. So, why not let yourself be tempted by the installation of a washing machine on board?
Manual machines
There are all kinds of manual washing machines that you fill with laundry and water before turning a crank. They stir the clothes but they don't really clean, they're not very water efficient and they're quite bulky. But, they don't require electricity and they make you do a bit of sport when you have to turn. In short, don't count on them to do your daily family laundry.
Adapted electric washing machines
In the category of electric washing machines, you will have the choice of models specifically adapted to small spaces (campers, sailboats, etc.) which allow to wash 2 to 3 kg of linen in general.
They can often be stored in a chest and taken out when needed. Some are true miniature washing machines that work exactly like the big ones. But 3 kg of laundry? For a family, that's not enough.
These models will be most useful on a one-time basis, between visits to the laundry.
A machine like at home
When you live on a long-distance boat, these models are not sufficient. Let's take the example of a family of 5 people with three children. On land, you need to count about 30-35 kg of laundry per week. On a sailboat, if you are careful, you will need about 7-9 kg per week. Of course, this depends on the latitudes: when it is very hot, we wear less clothes! However, there is always the "house" laundry.
In these conditions, investing in a real washing machine, like at home, becomes a very important element of comfort and autonomy to avoid running from port to port just to run a machine.
However, a washing machine consumes space, fresh water and electricity: three elements often rationed on sailing boats. The installation of a machine must therefore take these parameters into consideration.
4 questions before installing a washing machine
Before investing in such a machine, you should ask yourself several questions:
- Will a washing machine on board allow me to gain autonomy according to the composition of my crew, my destinations and the duration of my navigations?
- if so, do I have room to take one on board?
- if so, do I have enough energy to run it?
- if so, do I have enough water on board to meet this expense (about 55 liters/cycle in eco mode)?
It is understood that if you need to connect to the dock of a marina to have enough water and electricity for your washing machine, its installation is not necessarily relevant
