Alternatives to Dessalator.
A long-established French manufacturer with DC, AC and dual-power ranges. The DUO models switch between the battery bank and mains at a switch, which is unusual and useful on a boat that sometimes has shore power. If you are looking past it, the brand that overlaps most of its output range on the least energy is Schenker, from 3.7 Wh per litre.
If you were looking at…
Each Dessalator system paired with the closest system another brand makes, by output — the thing that actually makes two units substitutable. Energy and price differences run in whichever direction the figures put them.
| Dessalator | Closest alternative | Energy | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| D60 Freedom 60 L/hr · 9.2 Wh/L | Rainman Portable AC 70L 50–77 L/hr · 19.7 Wh/L | +10.5 Wh/L | — |
| D60 DUO 60 L/hr · 9.2 Wh/L | Rainman Portable AC 70L 50–77 L/hr · 19.7 Wh/L | +10.5 Wh/L | — |
| D100 DUO 100 L/hr · 7.0 Wh/L | Schenker Zen 100 100 L/hr · 4.0 Wh/L | −3.0 Wh/L | — |
Energy column: negative means the alternative uses less per litre. Price column: positive means it costs more.
The other brands, in one line each
Rainman
23 systems, 31.5–222 L/hr, 9.8–19.7 Wh/L. Conventional high-pressure pump.
Schenker
4 systems, 30–150 L/hr, 3.7–4.8 Wh/L. ERS energy recovery.
Spectra
4 systems, 24–64 L/hr, 4.5–4.5 Wh/L. Clark pump energy recovery.
LEDI
1 system, 20–20 L/hr, 10.0–10.0 Wh/L. Conventional high-pressure pump. Figures are manufacturer-reported and not yet confirmed by us.
Common questions
- What is a good alternative to Dessalator?
- On the published figures, Schenker: it covers a similar output range and reaches 3.7 watt-hours per litre at its best, against 7.0 for Dessalator. Which is right still depends on your power source and whether the system can be installed on your boat — the table above pairs each Dessalator model with its closest match by output.
- Is Dessalator worth the money?
- On energy, 2 of its 3 systems use less per litre than the nearest system another brand makes at similar output. On price, 0 of 3 undercut that same alternative. Those are different questions and a range can win one while losing the other. We do not rate build quality, reliability or support, because we have not tested these machines; what we can compare is what the manufacturers publish, and that is what the table above does.
- Who sells Dessalator in Australia?
- 2 verified businesses, including Marine Tech Electrics, Yard Engineering. Availability matters as much as specification — a system nobody services near you is a worse buy than one that is a little thirstier.
Alternatives to the other brands
How “closest” is decided. Nearest by rated litres per hour from a different brand, with efficiency breaking ties. That is a deliberately mechanical rule: it stops the page becoming a list of whatever we would rather sell you, and it matches how people actually shop — first for enough water, then for what it costs to make. Prices are indicative and exclude freight and installation. Methodology.