We always try to collect rainwater aboard our Serendipity 42 so we can enjoy plenty of cool, sweet-tasting water without having to run our watermaker. To do this we designed our shade awning so that it is also a super-efficient rainwater collector.
We shaped the awning with a belly on each side where water can collect; a rope running along each side of the awning forms a gutter. A shallow funnel is sewn into the lowest part of each belly, and 1-inch plastic fittings provide the attachment points for drain hoses. The system is designed to handle the large volumes of water often produced by short, but very wet, tropical rainsqualls. Small reinforced canvas loops are sewn in place near the hose fittings and along the gutter. These serve as attachment points for tie-down lines and limit the amount of flapping.
The drain hoses slide into the inside of the tapered hose fitting to ensure a tight fit, and both hoses are long enough to reach the water-tank fills on either side of the boat. The long hoses allow us to route the rainwater into one or both tanks or into jerry cans. Fred Roswold
