| Of course you want to be safe on your boat, so | | | | with a funny taste. But they are cheap and |
| you've got rope, life vests, emergency flares, a | | | | lightweight. There are improvements to the |
| GPS. But did you think about a water purifier? | | | | standard tablet which can improve the flavor. |
| Humans get dehydrated in a matter of hours. | | | | There are also chlorine tablets. Water purifying |
| Dehydration can cause weakness, dizziness and | | | | tablets usually take half an hour to four hours to |
| disorientation. In a boating emergency these | | | | kill the bacteria, but no special equipment is |
| symptoms can be dangerous. Of course, severe | | | | needed. |
| dehydration can be life threatening by itself. A | | | | A new, high-tech solution for water purification is |
| person will die in three days, on average, without | | | | an ultra violet (UV) penlight. This battery operated |
| water. | | | | gizmo uses UV light to kill microbes in about two |
| If you are planning a long boat voyage, you may | | | | minutes per liter. Patents are pending, but the UV |
| want a water purifier so that you don't have to | | | | penlight is getting good reviews. It is expensive, |
| carry as much drinkable water. This is especially | | | | but cheaper than a filter system, and take into |
| true if you are traveling with a large party. | | | | consideration that the batteries must be |
| If you are boating in fresh water, the water most | | | | recharged periodically. |
| probably contains the pathogens Giardia and | | | | Salt Water Desalination |
| Cryptosporidium, which can cause severe | | | | Salt water is not drinkable, and if you try drinking |
| gastro-intestinal illness. If you are an ocean boater, | | | | sea water in an emergency you will get very sick. |
| sea water must have the salt removed before it | | | | Desalination means taking the salt out and leaving |
| is safe to drink. | | | | just the water, which you can drink. A portable |
| Purifying Fresh Water | | | | desalination system is quite expensive, with the |
| Water purifiers for fresh water can be found in | | | | smaller units costing more. There are small |
| camping stores, sporting goods shops, and boating | | | | desalination plants that can be installed on your |
| supply stores. They are lightweight and relatively | | | | boat if it is large enough. |
| inexpensive. | | | | A reverse osmosis pump is the best choice for |
| A portable, pump filtration system will remove | | | | emergency salt water purification. The water |
| bacteria from your drinking water. There are | | | | must be forced through the filter, which requires |
| pump filters that can be used for fresh, brackish, | | | | you to provide some force for pumping. There |
| or salt water. Most water filters use a ceramic or | | | | are battery operated units and hand operated |
| polymer filter, along with a charcoal filter and | | | | units. The hand pumped reverse osmosis filters |
| sometimes a reverse osmosis filter, to remove | | | | require about an hour of pumping to provide a |
| the microscopic bacteria from water. These | | | | gallon of drinkable water, but they are lighter |
| systems can be pricey, and it is worthwhile to get | | | | weight and no consideration needs to be given to |
| the most expensive one you can afford, because | | | | batteries or electrical sources. |
| it is likely to work better and have more features. | | | | If you have a way to boil water, you can buy or |
| Boiling is the best method of cleaning your drinking | | | | make a desalinating still. Fill a kettle that has a tight |
| water. Boiling will kill all the pathogens in water, | | | | lid with sea water. Connect a coiled copper tube |
| provided you boil the water at 212 degrees F for | | | | to the lid, and boil the seawater. The steam |
| at least thirty minutes. The downside of boiling | | | | (condensation) will drip out of the copper tube as |
| water is that many pleasure boats don't have a | | | | clean water to be collected in another container. |
| heat source or the large kettle necessary for this | | | | You should add one of these methods of water |
| purification technique. | | | | purification to your emergency gear for any |
| The old standby for making emergency drinking | | | | boating trip. Water purifiers are light and |
| water is water purification tablets. These are | | | | affordable. It's better to have it and not need it |
| usually iodine tablets, which can leave the water | | | | than to need it and not have it. |