Watermakers / Why Open Ocean
Why Open Ocean
Watermakers you can understand, service and trust. Here's what makes ours different, including the trade-off we chose on purpose.
Our Approach
Simple by design.
Our founders designed the first system after twelve years of offshore voyaging, where high-tech parts were usually the first thing to fail. We still build them the same way.
01
Simple manual controls
No complex controls or flashing lights. You run it with switches and valves, and you can see what it's doing.
02
Parts you can find anywhere
Pumps, fittings and membranes are standard sizes, and most are sold by hardware stores and industrial suppliers worldwide.
03
Fits the space you have
Components are modular, so the pump, filters, membranes and controls go wherever there's room on board.
04
Made in New Zealand
Our carbon fibre pressure housings and end caps are made in New Zealand, with a 5-year warranty.
05
You can service it
Every system comes with a full installation and owner's manual. A handy owner or any competent yacht service can fit and maintain it.
06
Proven since 2001
Open Ocean systems have been making water on cruising boats for more than twenty years.
The Trade-Off
More power, fewer things to go wrong.
Some watermakers recover energy from the high-pressure brine to cut the power they draw. That saves power, but it adds parts to the high-pressure side.
Ours keep that side simple: a commercial-grade high-pressure pump and a manual regulating valve. They use more power for each litre, but there is less to go wrong offshore, and the parts that wear are standard.
Our Technology
Two things we're known for.
Engine Drive
Water from the engine you're already running
The high-pressure pump runs off a belt and electric clutch on your main engine or generator, so it makes 80 to 240 L/h without drawing heavily on your batteries. The 11 kg pump turns in either direction, and two bracket styles cover most engines. Terry sea-tested the original engine-driven prototype for five years before finalising the design. Engine-driven systems →
115 L/h
High output from one short vessel
Our short-format carbon fibre vessel makes 115 L/h from a single 4" x 21" membrane, in a housing 115 mm across and 690 mm long. It suits cramped engine rooms where a full-length vessel won't fit, and fits our Engine Drive and AC systems.
Carbon fibre
Housings made in New Zealand
Our membrane pressure housings are carbon fibre, rated to 2000 psi, and lighter, stronger and more compact than traditional fibreglass housings. See the housing →
Talk to us about your boat
Tell us how your boat is powered and how much water you use. Pete will point you at the right setup.