5260 First Look

Pascal and others,

What do you think an appropriate freshwater holding tank should be on a boat that size?
 
Seems like a good price point. I'm sure it won't stay there for long. The last time I looked Tiara wanted close to $601k for an IPS 500 equipped S/4300, w/o options. Incidently, my Tiara has a dry weight of 26800 lbs with a LOA of 45'3" and a beam of 14'9" for comparision purposes. The travel lift weight w/ full fuel, water and loaded for cruising is right at 32000lbs.
 
Jeff, i think 250 gallons is a minimum for a boat like that.... i know that some will say " i dont' stay on the hook for more than a couple of days at a time" but when you have 3 staterooms and at least 6 people on board, you need water ! even during the day, when you are liekly to have a larger group and spend a lot of time swimming, the outside shower, heads, etc... are going to see a lot of use. sometimes we got thru about 100 gallons in one day in summer...

Dan, i dont' think comparing to a tiara is a fair comparison... different boat, different target, different priorities... Tiaras are not about flashy styling where "boatability" takes a back seat.
 
Pascal,

I did some research and I tend to agree with you. For example, the Nordhavn 47 has 400 gallons of freshwater. I know the boats have different purposes, but the 125 gallons does seem a little small.
 
2 completely different vessels with opposite goals Jeff. 125 gallons is plenty for a weekend of running aboard an express. I just don't see the typical 5260 owner swinging on a hook while transiting the east coast. Marina to marina for the 5260 owner. Why carry all that extra weight of water when it's just not needed.
 
rommer... there are places where you need water... try the bahamas for instance... i think water is more expensive that rum ! :-) or in the keys where it's fun to anchor out.

800 extra pounds on a 52 footer is nothing, irrelevant. when you get into that size boat, you don't want to be camping... watching your water tank and telling your guest to shorten their showers shoudln't be something you have to do.
 
Pascal, sorry to say but todays express owner, esp the larger expresses just don't use their boats like you or I. The thought of spending one night let alone a weekend on the hook is as foreign to them as a bow thruster to you!

I'm not disagreeing with you on the need for water for people that actually use the boat as a place to eat, drink and spend a few days but it's just not a high priority for boats like this one.

BTW - I have only 80 gallons of fresh water, have installed flow restrictors, etc and my wife and I have no problem with 5 to 7 days per tank. IIRC the options list for the 5260 does include a water maker so perhaps the point is moot.
 
Well, you are both right, but it depends on what the use is. I'm not saying it should have 400 gallons, but as you say, these guys who are buying this boat are not going to go to a marina shower. and they will not likely be willing to conserve water as you do. so in that case, from Regal's perspective, I think it makes sense to make the water tank larger, but that's just my opinion.
 
not true... i see a lot of 40 to 50 foot express out there, anchored overnight, on long weekends, etc... i know that on my boat the outside shower runs a lot in summer, and i see the same things on boats anchored nearby...

watermakers are nice, but expensive and require maintenance... they're great for those who cruise out in the islands where water is $$$...
 
my 38 sedan holds 110 gallons. We can go right at 3 solid days on the hook before we start to get low and need to refill. If it were just my wife and me we could go twice that but my two little ones seem to go through water like crazy! 110-120 would be enough to go out for a weekend but certainly in regards to freshwater holding, more is always better.

What is the holding tank size on the 5260?
 
We hold 150 gals & just got back from a 5 day weekend- we used water just from the Tank this trip.
It was just the two of us and the dog- took many showers, use the heads often & ice makers trying to keep up with our needs [:-drunk]
Did a couple of loads of wash and still have close to a half a tank this AM
We will also use the city water hookup sometimes – but I was too lazy this trip to run the hose -plus it was NJ water :D
If the 5260 is to be used more as a marina queen than the tank is no issue with the city water hookup
That being said I would think 150-200gal would be a better choice
 
I guess it's a matter of prospective. Would a larger tank be good? I suppose but having come from 17 gallons to 27 to 40 to 80 a step to 125 would be another 50+% increase for us. When you already have 200+ then a 125 would seem pretty small.

Just wondering thou, can a water tank be too large? Aside from the weight issue, after all 100 gallons is over 800 lbs so 250 gallons is over a ton of extra weight, how long can water sit in a tank before it starts to go "stale"?

We always use our fresh water tank even at the dock. Our reasoning is that we like to keep cycling the water to help eliminate the potential for water going "bad". We fill via a softener and an inexpensive RV carbon filter. In all the years we have been boating we have never had a case of good water gone bad. Hell if we forget to empty the dogs water bowl before going to work Monday morning by Friday it is a green, slimy looking mess!

I've always wanted a watermaker since we use our boat late/early in the season when the local marinas still have the water turned off but the high initial cost makes it hard to justify only 2 or 3 months of use per year. And as Pascal stated they are high maintenance items.
 
you don't have to fill your tank to capacity if you're concerned about weight or water quality, even though on a larger boat (50, 60, ...) a few hundred pounds dont' make much of difference. But it's nice to have the capacity.

i also cycle my tanks, i never connect to dock water.

an other issue with watermakers, although i've never had one, is that they can only be run in nice clear water... it's my understanding silt will drastically reduce filter life and any oil/contaminant can ruin the membrane.

i just think that on larger boat, you want flexibility. Water capacity, adequate ventilation, generator vs inverter, etc... as boats go up in size, so do the owners/guests needs. I believe that as small boat builders expand into building larger boats there are more likely to keep the small boat mind for a while.
 
Just for research I ran my boat completely off her internal water this weekend not from the marina. We boated all weekend on lake michigan with 3 different groups of friends and family each day numbering from 12 on board to 4 0r 5 and Had plenty of water for the various needs. Now those same people did not stay overnight but it was a heavy boating weekend lots of entertaining more than our normal boating and that is with 100 gallons. So Again I think 125 gallons especially for fresh water boating is ample. Also to put this debate to rest Regal offer a watermaker as an option for this boat so if you wanted to have more water capacity avail without the weight it is a great compromise. To compare this boat to a nordhaven which has a cruise speed in the 12knot range,with huge fuel tanks and range to match is not comparing apples to apples. Also in this boat if I wanted to go to the bahamas in reasonable seas I can be there 3 times as fast and I probably would not use any water at all.

I think if you really look at this boat with the customization you can do to it in cabin arrangment as well as 2 different cockpit styles and the wide range of options you can customize the boat to your needs but to each his own.

John
 
We also have a 100 gallons. Coming back from a 3 day weekend. We were 4 people and had enough water to actually fill up our raft-neighbours tank. We only used half the tank. Any resource on the boat is limited no matter how large it is. Being wasteful is probably an American trademark. The rule on my boat is when you shower you get yourself wet. Turn off the water and lather, wash your hair, what ever. The rinse. If you want oppulent showers get a hotel room. Should i have a two icemakers to keep up, a third fridge to store enough beer? We had 4 runs to the marina this weekend for ice and beer. At times we had 20 bags of ice in the dink for the whole raft up. It is boating, if we are out longer then 4 days the rule is also not to flush every time ("if it is yellow let it mellow"), I do not wnat to just pull in for a pump out. As you can not use the macerator in the bay. So is the holding tank too small too? So bow thruster bad, lots of water good, hmm I guess we all have our own boating style and needs and wants. We are almost never in marinas, (280 engine hours and over 1300 on the genny), the kids and dogs are constantly in and out of the water, get rinsed off on the transom and then get the shower at night following the above Navy showering rule. 4-5 days are fine on 100 gallons.
 
to each his own i guess... i can't imagine spending 1/2 M to 1 M on a boat and tell my guests to take navy showers, explain that disgusting yellow mellow rule, or use paper plates and plastic knives and cups.

i think that builders should leave it up to the owner to decide whether or not they want to carry the extra water...
 
I guess thats why you own a Hatteras and we own Regals!

We have all heard it before but bears saying again, every boat is a compromise, the trick is finding a set of compromises you can live with.
 
:D where did I say my guests have to follow these rules?
I may not have the masses come through my boat as you do; after all it still is a privilege to be invited as a guest to my boat.

To each their own, to some it is disgusting to hear a 100 gallons a day are wasted on a pleasure boat for just 6 people or running diesels that did not meet any emission standards ten years ago. Some run their genny and AC all the time and others think it should be turned off and the breeze should cool you enough. I guess we just should rename this here now PascalEd and we all should follow what you deem reasonable, sociable, and definitely kosher and not disgusting. Thanks for clarifying this and I will let you know when I order my next boat so that you can tell me which options to select.
 
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