The 40-plus pounds of water that the 5-gallon Smart Bottle holds provides an effective weight for trimming a small boat.
For years I've carried a succession of inexpensive, 5-gallon flexible plastic water containers aboard my boats. They nestle nicely wherever I stow them, and I can head out knowing I have drinking water aboard whenever I take off for a row. The ones I've been using were showing their age, and on my to-do list for this season was to buy a new one. I happened to be looking in a back issue of WoodenBoat and ran across an advertisement for just the product I wanted—a clear flexible bag called a Smart Bottle. It looked interesting, and at $11.95 for the 5-gallon size, it was worth a try.
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Comments (4)
Thanks Ben. I, too, needed to upgrade my water containers for the upcoming season. My previous hard-shell containers were awkward and the spouts leaked. In looking around in the stores and online, I never found the Smart Bottles, but I did find a bag called AquaSto, by Seattle Sports. I bought three 5-liter bags. They are rectangular, about 14.5″ X 11″ when flat, with the opening at one corner. They are narrow enough when full that they can be tied up alongside my CB case and not get in the way.
I figure with 3 bags, if any one of them springs a leak, I won’t be totally hooped. They also come in 8-liter size.
For several years now I have been using some surplus black rubber 5-gallon bags that retailed for $9.95 (on some sites they listed for as high as $29), because I could not find anything else that wasn’t shaped like a “hard” plastic jug. I carried them while canoe camping on Puget Sound. They worked well as dead weight to help balance the boat, but I am really tired of the rubber taste the water has. The Smart Bottles will serve the same function but will let me enjoy the trip more in the future. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Wow, this is exactly what I’ve been looking for! Our kayak platform winters in a marina where the water smells like sewage and tastes like blood. We drain the tanks every fall and need a handy way to refill them in the spring before we launch. Twice now, I’ve dropped expensive folding bags lugging them up the ladder because the handles gave way. They burst like rotten pumpkins.
Ben Fuller
Thanks Ben. I, too, needed to upgrade my water containers for the upcoming season. My previous hard-shell containers were awkward and the spouts leaked. In looking around in the stores and online, I never found the Smart Bottles, but I did find a bag called AquaSto, by Seattle Sports. I bought three 5-liter bags. They are rectangular, about 14.5″ X 11″ when flat, with the opening at one corner. They are narrow enough when full that they can be tied up alongside my CB case and not get in the way.
I figure with 3 bags, if any one of them springs a leak, I won’t be totally hooped. They also come in 8-liter size.
Duckworks Boatbuilder’s Supply and Small Craft Advisor have the 1 gallon in stock. A great product.
Simeon
SCAMP #11, NODDY
For several years now I have been using some surplus black rubber 5-gallon bags that retailed for $9.95 (on some sites they listed for as high as $29), because I could not find anything else that wasn’t shaped like a “hard” plastic jug. I carried them while canoe camping on Puget Sound. They worked well as dead weight to help balance the boat, but I am really tired of the rubber taste the water has. The Smart Bottles will serve the same function but will let me enjoy the trip more in the future. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Wow, this is exactly what I’ve been looking for! Our kayak platform winters in a marina where the water smells like sewage and tastes like blood. We drain the tanks every fall and need a handy way to refill them in the spring before we launch. Twice now, I’ve dropped expensive folding bags lugging them up the ladder because the handles gave way. They burst like rotten pumpkins.