For Comparison’s Sake: Water Hoses
For Comparison’s Sake: Water Hoses
The Wet: Designed for marine and RV use, this hospital-white hose is guaranteed not to kink or tangle. Makes it easy to coil up after use. Certified for potable water delivery. Lead-free. The five-eighths-inch-diameter version delivers plenty of water to fill up large tanks quickly. Available in 25- and 50-foot lengths. The Dry: The pristine white coating shows dirt and might disturb a neatnik’s sensibility. When it’s time to put it away, it’s still a regular hose and, of all the tested models, takes up the most room in a locker. $36 for 50 feet; teknorapex.com .
For Comparison’s Sake: Water Hoses
The Wet: Truly unique, it was first seen on TV (knives not included!). The scrunchy, shriveled-up green hose with attached ball valve and male-threaded outlet looks really weird. When attached to the hose bib, it expands to an impressive 50-foot-long hose. It stows in the least amount of space. The Dry: The hose must be drained completely for stowage. Not recommended for potable water. $20; pockethose.com .
For Comparison’s Sake: Water Hoses
The Wet: It’s called a space saver because this hose is flat when not in use. It takes up a fraction of the space of a conventional hose. Certified for potable water applications. Lead-free. Handy molded coupling is easy to affix to hose bib. The Dry: Just like the NeverKink, the pristine white coating shows dirt. Available only in a length of 25 feet. The half-inch diameter delivers less water than a five-eighths-inch hose, lengthening filling time for water tanks. $13; gilmour.com .
For Comparison’s Sake: Water Hoses
The ultimate solution for neat, professional-looking water delivery could be the HoseCoil system from Ocean Equipment. I checked out the 25-foot horizontal mount (Model HC25), which features a solid brass nozzle. It looks like a giant blue Slinky mounted in a white molded enclosure. It can be connected directly to an existing raw-water washdown pump or an internal freshwater system, and it includes a 25-foot feeder hose with a standard three-quarter-inch garden hose connector for attaching to a dockside source. It’s not recommended for potable water supply. $140; oceanequipment.com .
