DIY Sparkling Water on a Boat
We joke our life in the marina is about schlepping. We schlep groceries and boat parts from the car down the ramp and across the docks to the boat. We schlep laundry from the boat to the laundry room. We schlep our shower bags from the boat to the on-shore showers. And we of course schlep our drinks from the car to the boat. Bottled drinks are heavy to schlep! And they take a lot of space on the boat where storage space is precious. And bottled bubbly drinks are expensive!
So when we saw this video from Emily and Clark’s adventures we had to give it a try. Less expensive (over time), more space on the boat, and no schlepping of heavy cases of sparkling water? Yes, please! Big Bubbles watch out, we’re coming for your profits!
The Emily and Clark video provides all the details and links to Amazon listings for what is necessary to create the CO2 system. The parts to purchase are a tank of CO2, a regulator, a length of hose, a fitting to fill the soda bottles, and a couple of 1 or 2-liter soda bottles (you can reuse them). We were fortunate that one of our local homebrew stores (F.H. Steinbart) sold the CO2 system as a kit. But to piece it together it would be possible and likely a cheaper option. We liked the idea of buying local & supporting local and all the parts we purchased are stamped as being made in the USA and appear to be of high quality.
Not having to schlep heavy cases of sparkling water is nice. But let’s do the math. Yes, the initial investment was steep. But over time it does make economical sense. We paid about $360.00 for our complete CO2 kit (excluding the Pelican-style case). And our favorite sparkling water is La Croix (see related video) which runs about $4.50 for 8 cans (excluding bottle deposit) at our local Fred Meyer (as of June 2022).
$360.00 / $4.50 per case = 80 cases. This means we could have bought 80 cases of La Croix for the same price as our CO2 kit. So let’s say we drink 1.5 cases per week between the two of us. 80 cases divided by 1.5 cases per week means that after ~53 weeks the kit has paid for itself. That’s about 1 year of La Croix. And per Emily & Clark, they get about 1 year per pound of CO2 in their bottle. Our bottle is a 5-pound capacity. So our $360 investment starts saving us money after the first year and essentially gives us four years of free crispy drinks.
Big Bubbles definitely doesn’t want this info to leak out (haha, get it?).
And we really like the idea of creating other fun drinks. Mix various fruits, fruit juices, etc. to create a custom taste. We even have ideas of turning regular wine into sparkling wine! And what if we mix a little rum or vodka into the bottle? Yes, please! This was a fun project with a lot of potentials and we’re glad we did it.
Video link: https://youtu.be/yvNHYTF7VC0
