A portable marine watermaker gives you fresh drinking water made directly from the sea, without relying on marinas, jerry cans or expensive bottled water. Whether you are planning a coastal weekend passage or a year-long bluewater circuit, the right unit turns salt or brackish water into clean, safe drinking water in minutes. This guide walks through how to match a portable watermaker to your boat, your crew and your power setup, with honest information on what each system actually costs and what it delivers.
What "Portable" Actually Means in a Marine Watermaker
Fixed watermakers are permanently plumbed below decks, wired into the vessel's electrical system and anchored to a bulkhead. They work well on larger vessels but cost $10,000 to $25,000 installed, require a professional installation and are difficult to service away from a major port.
A portable marine watermaker is a self-contained unit you can carry on, set up in minutes and take off the boat between trips. No drilling, no through-hulls and no certified electrician required. You drop the intake over the side, connect the supplied hoses and start making water. The trade-off is lower output compared with the largest fixed units, but for most cruising sailors that output is more than adequate.
LEDI Watermakers are made on the Gold Coast and use the same commercial marine-grade components as fixed installs, without the overseas distributor markup or installation labour costs. That is the main reason they are significantly more affordable than European or American alternatives.
How Much Water Do You Actually Need?
Before choosing a portable marine watermaker, work out your daily water budget. A realistic daily allowance for drinking and cooking alone is around 2 to 3 litres per person. Add basic hygiene and dishwashing and most sailors work from a figure of 5 to 10 litres per person per day at a minimum, rising to 15 to 20 litres per person when showers are included.
A few quick examples:
- Solo sailor or couple, coastal cruising, no onboard showers: 10 to 20 litres per day
- Family of four, extended passages, basic hygiene only: 20 to 40 litres per day
- Larger crew, liveaboard, showers underway: 60 to 120 litres per day or more
Match your daily demand to a watermaker output and decide how many hours per day you are willing to run it. A 20 LPH unit running for two hours produces 40 litres. A family of four on a coastal passage will likely find that comfortable. A charter boat with six guests wanting daily showers needs a much higher output system. For more detail on sizing, see our article on how to size a watermaker system properly.
The LEDI Scout: The Go-To Portable Marine Watermaker for Smaller Crews
The LEDI Scout is a 12V reverse osmosis watermaker available in 10 LPH and 20 LPH outputs. It weighs 18 kg, which makes it a single-person carry, and requires no permanent installation. Drop the stainless intake filter over the side, connect the hoses and you are making water within minutes.
Key specifications:
- Output: 10 or 20 litres per hour
- Power: 12V DC, 16 to 18 amp draw
- Salt rejection: 99.4% (output typically 250 to 300 ppm TDS, well under the 800 ppm Australian drinking-water standard)
- Built-in UV steriliser for an additional layer of safety
- Handles seawater up to 35,000 ppm as well as brackish and river water
- High-pressure pump: Pumptec 107SS (USA-made), 316 stainless, rated to approximately 800 PSI
- 5-micron pre-filter included
- Weight: 18 kg
- Price: from $4,799 AUD
The Scout suits trailer sailers, cruising yachts from 20 to 50 feet, catamarans and smaller crews. Because it draws 16 to 18 amps at 12V, a house battery bank with 200 to 400 watts of solar runs it comfortably with no generator needed. That solar compatibility is a major practical advantage for sailors on passage away from shore power.
All parts in the Scout are non-proprietary and off-the-shelf. Spare filters, membranes and consumables are available from LEDI's spares store and post Australia-wide and internationally, usually within one business day.
The LEDI Nomad: Higher Output for Bigger Vessels and Larger Crews
If your daily water demand exceeds what the Scout can comfortably cover, or you want output for showers underway, the LEDI Nomad steps up considerably. It delivers up to 80 LPH and is available in 12V, 24V and 48V configurations. It includes an integrated control panel, a CATPUMP high-pressure pump, a two-stage pre-filter system, TDS and flow monitoring, and autoflush compatibility.
The Nomad suits liveaboards, charter vessels, larger crews on extended passages and any situation where the Scout's output would mean running the unit for too many hours each day. It weighs approximately 38 to 42 kg and is designed for more permanent positioning aboard, though it remains a portable marine watermaker at heart.
The Nomad is available from $8,299 AUD. Final pricing across output variants is being confirmed, and the unit is available very soon. If you are interested, contact the LEDI team to register your interest.
The LEDI Modular: When You Want It Out of Sight
For a refit or new build where you want the watermaker permanently installed below decks and invisible to the crew, LEDI's Modular watermaker kit is the right starting point. It is configurable from approximately 10 to 80-plus LPH, supports a remote control panel and includes auto freshwater flush. Pricing is configuration-dependent, and the team will work through the options with you directly.
Power and Solar: Running a Marine Watermaker Without a Generator
One of the most common questions about portable marine watermakers is whether they will drain the batteries. For the Scout, a 12V system drawing 16 to 18 amps means approximately 200 to 360 watt-hours per hour of operation. A well-provisioned cruising yacht with 200 to 400 watts of solar panels and a 200 Ah or larger house bank handles this without stress, particularly if you run the watermaker during daylight hours when solar input is highest.
This is a significant advantage over 240V or generator-dependent systems. On passage or at anchor away from marina power, the Scout runs directly from the boat's 12V DC system, the same as a chart plotter or a refrigerator compressor. For a detailed breakdown of the power side, see our article on whether a watermaker can run on battery power.
Water Safety: What the Output Is and Why It Meets Drinking Standards
The Scout's marine-grade RO membrane rejects 99.4% of dissolved salts. Starting from standard seawater at 35,000 ppm TDS, the product water typically comes out at 250 to 300 ppm TDS, well below the Australian drinking-water guideline of 800 ppm. The built-in UV steriliser adds a second layer of protection against biological contamination.
The membrane and UV together cover both the chemistry and the biology of safe drinking water at sea. For more on what is actually in watermaker output and why it is safe, see our article on whether watermaker water is safe to drink.
Maintenance and Servicing: What to Expect
A portable marine watermaker requires basic upkeep to stay reliable. The main tasks are:
- Pre-filter changes: the 5-micron cartridge filter needs replacing periodically based on water turbidity and hours of use
- Freshwater flushing: flush the system with fresh water after each use and before storage to prevent salt crystallisation in the membrane
- Membrane pickling: for storage longer than about four weeks, the membrane should be preserved with a pickling solution to prevent biological fouling
- Maintenance chemicals for cleaning and preservation are available through the spares store
Every wear part on the Scout is field-replaceable. The Pumptec pump uses a standard service kit and the membrane is a widely available off-the-shelf size. LEDI offers a one-year warranty, extended to two years on registration, with lifetime in-house servicing available on the Gold Coast. Spares post Australia-wide and internationally, usually within one business day.
Ready to Choose Your Portable Marine Watermaker?
Most sailors doing coastal or offshore cruising with a crew of one to four will find the LEDI Scout covers their needs comfortably. Larger crews, liveaboards or charter operators should take a closer look at the LEDI Nomad. If you want it permanently installed and out of sight, the Modular kit is the conversation to have with the team.
LEDI Watermakers are made in Australia and sold direct. You deal with a real person, not a call centre. Reach the team at info@ledi.com.au or on +61 494 562 668 with any questions about which unit suits your boat, your crew or your power setup. Australian shipping is calculated at checkout. For international shipping, contact the team directly for a quote.
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