A liveaboard just ditched their tank water heater for a unit the size of a shoebox — and now they're getting hotter showers than most marina bathrooms.
Electric Tankless Water Heaters: What Liveaboards Actually Say
The r/liveaboard community has thoughts on tankless water heaters aboard — and they're not what the marketing copy suggests. An experienced marine installer put it plainly: unless you have dual 30A or a 50A shore power connection, don't bother with electric tankless. The units promise up to 2 gallons per minute with up to a 50°F temperature increase — but never both at once. In practice, you're choosing between a trickle of hot water or a cold flood. That installer tried it on a customer's boat, had to run a second 30A line, and said they won't do it again.
The community's real-world alternatives tell a cleaner story. One commenter swears by a diesel boiler — it taps the boat's existing diesel line and draws around 10A to ignite, with the fuel doing the heavy lifting. Another liveaboard picked up a cheap propane unit six years ago for around €100 and still uses it daily for showers and dishes. A third installed a propane tankless three weeks ago and called it a love story: easy installation, low power draw from a small water pump, and a 20lb propane tank that lasts well over a year depending on use.
The throughline is consistent: electric tankless is a trap for most boats. Propane and diesel options solve the actual problem.
Gobble's Take: Before you cut a hole in your hull for that electric unit, talk to the person who already regrets it.
Source: Reddit r/liveaboard
Casual Fun on a Preste18: 25-Knot Claims Meet Skeptical Sailors
A sailor posted footage of what they called "casual fun" in 25+ knot gusts on Poland's Kierskie Lake, sailing a Preste18 with a small sail set. The clip shows the boat moving fast and the sailor clearly enjoying it.
The comments weren't buying the wind speed. Multiple experienced sailors pushed back hard. "Having sailed and windsurfed a lot in strong breezes, where are the white caps?" wrote one. "It looks to me more like 12-15kts. Fun, yes. But that's a mild breeze at best." Another was blunter: "That's not what waves in 25kts look like. You're in gusts of 15."
None of that seemed to dampen enthusiasm for the sailing itself. "I don't care how fast the wind actually is. I'd much rather be doing this today," one commenter wrote. The debate over the actual conditions didn't change the core read: small boat, inland lake, sailor having a great time — whatever the anemometer might say.
Gobble's Take: Posting your wind speed to r/sailing is basically asking experienced sailors to fact-check you — know your audience.
Source: Reddit r/sailing
It Just Seemed Like a Night to Sail
Most anchorages go quiet after dinner. Anchor lights flick on, the smell of someone's grilled fish drifts across the water, and the day is done. But one sailor looked at the same dusk and saw a departure window instead. No particular destination. Just the pull.
Night sailing in the Caribbean is its own discipline. The familiar silhouettes dissolve, and you navigate by instrument, by star pattern, by the faint loom of a town over a ridge. Unlit fishing pots become a real concern. Every sound from the rigging carries more weight. The watch schedule, if you're singlehanding, demands a system you can actually trust. But get it right, and the ocean hands you something rare: phosphorescence trailing the hull, the Southern Cross low on the horizon, and a silence so complete you can hear the boat think.
It's not for every night. But every cruiser should do it at least once before they decide it isn't for them.
Gobble's Take: If your Caribbean sailing memories are all sunsets and rum punches, you've only read half the book.
Source: Reddit r/sailing
No Wind Window? Take the One You've Got
The Caribbean doesn't always perform on schedule. Fronts stall, trades go light for days, squalls pin you in an anchorage you were planning to leave Tuesday. One sailor's recent post — titled simply "I'll take what I can get" — captures what long-term cruisers eventually absorb: the perfect sailing day is rarer than the cruising magazines suggest, and waiting for it is a good way to go nowhere.
The alternative is a different kind of sailing education. A two-hour beat in 8 knots of breeze teaches sail trim in ways that a broad reach in 18 never will. A short hop to the next cove keeps your docking skills sharp, your crew practiced, and your boat — and mind — in motion. Liveaboards who thrive long-term tend to share this trait: a low threshold for "good enough to go."
Plans written in sand wash out at high tide. The sailors who are happiest are the ones who've made peace with that.
Gobble's Take: Stop waiting for the postcard — the best sail is the one you're actually on.
Source: Reddit r/sailing
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