# Wet bath showers reality check



## bajaking (Jun 6, 2013)

I recently moved aboard a 27' shower-less boat and have been relying on the unreliable marina restroom and occasionally a gym for showers. 
I'm also starting to think about a boat upgrade, and in my upgrade fantasies I'll slip out of my bunk, step into the head, shower away, get dressed, and bound off my yacht in style, ready for work -- especially during our SF Bay winters when it's raining hard and the schlepping of clothes and shower bag and umbrella between the boat, and car, and restroom -- and god forbid, I forgot something, back to the boat again -- gets old, quickly.

Practically speaking, however, my next boat will probably have the traditional "wet bath" shower arrangement, where the whole head becomes the shower, with maybe a pathetic little shower curtain adding some decorum. Cal 39, Tartan 37, Catalina 34 and 320 etc. 
I've never used these showers. I have no experience with similar RV shower setups, and bareboat charters I've done were on big Bens/Jens that had usable separate shower stalls. 
_*
Do any of you shower this way on a daily or near-daily basis?*_ Water supply issues aside, and assuming good ventilation and heat, is it do-able, or are these setups really just done for boat shows and brochures? Is there a significant grossness factor, even with a curtain and proper sump box?

Similarly, there are a few boats on my list that do have a separate or semi-separate shower area (Catalina 36, late model Ericson 35 & 38). But is there enough elbow room for a 6' man to shower, or does the relative spaciousness afforded by a wet bath shower actually work better than these semi-stalls?


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## jephotog (Feb 25, 2002)

bajaking said:


> Similarly, there are a few boats on my list that do have a separate or semi-separate shower area (Catalina 36, late model Ericson 35 & 38). But is there enough elbow room for a 6' man to shower, or does the space afforded by a wet bath shower actually work better than these semi-stalls?


I know the Ericson 38 has a separate shower in the head. That being said when I spend time at the marina all live-aboards I know shower in the dockside restroom. I don't know a good enough ventilation exists on a small sailboat to offset daily showers. It would work but will cost you in boat humidity.

I think the best. way to make this work is to have a 40+ foot center cockpit with dual heads and using the shower opposite of the cabin you use.


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## capttb (Dec 13, 2003)

In 50 years I think I've only showered in the head compartment of a boat 3 times, I would rather row to shore in a rainstorm for a decent shower where you can let the hot fresh water run for as long as a teenage girl. I'm well under 6' and even on a fifty foot Bene it's like superman trying to shower and get into his leotards in a damp phone booth, while only using 2 gallons. On the other hand I have a Cat 320 and the wife has regularly used the shower in preference to a shoreside shower, part of her aversion might be "the creepy guy" who runs the bath house in Avalon, she figures there's one in every port.


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

I showered every other day while living aboard my Morgan 33 Out Island, and sometimes, daily. I modified the head door with an 8 X 12 louvered vent at the bottom, which prevents the water from splashing out while allowing great ventilation. I have an 18-inch port in the head, which I open when showering, and also a ceiling vent that has a 72mm computer fan installed, which does a great job. I keep a big sponge in the head to wipe it down after showering, which only takes a few minutes to accomplish.

I used to be 6 feet tall, but age has a way of making all body parts a bit smaller, other than your gut and hind end, both of which tend to grow in size. I have no trouble moving around in the shower, and it doesn't usually steam up too bad because of the vents. I was thinking of installing a small, oscillating fan in the head to dry the walls and floor faster, and provide some air movement during other uses. Just too lazy to do it right now.

A couple years ago, I installed a water saver shower head, which does a fantastic job on not only conserving water, but also provides a hard, dense shower pattern that rinses the soap off very quickly and efficiently. 

In contrast, my wife hates the boat's shower. Says it too small for her, and equates it to camping out in a tent and using one of those solar showers where you are barely surrounded by a small curtain suspended from a plastic ring attached to a tree limb. I have a friend that takes all his showers on deck using a solar shower and the same setup and raves about it. I have another friend that waits till after it's dark at an anchorage, and showers with a 3-gallon, black, plastic garden sprayer. The sprayer sits next to the mast in the sun all day and the black color makes the container absorb the sun's rays and heats up the water to where he says's the temperature is quite comfortable while showering.

Lots of options other than using the shower in the marina, which in many instances, is rarely cleaned. At least that has been my experience with marina showers.

Good luck,

Gary


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

Your best friend is a small squeegee, like a 6" window cleaning squeegee, to rapidly pull water down any flat surfaces so they will dry off way faster. And having an overhead vent, preferably powered like a solar vent, or a large porthole, to get the moisture out, is essential. If you can't keep it dry between uses, it will quickly grow funk.

You also want the "shower" to drain into a limited bilge area, preferably a shower sump so the gray water and hair and slime doesn't build up and grow things. With, yes, a separate bilge pump in it to get that gray water out of the way ASAP.

Then you only have to figure out a way to supply that endless hot water.(G)


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## Don L (Aug 8, 2008)

The two of us normally take a shower on the boat every day. We hold 150 gals of water and that will normally last at least 3 weeks. the last time we were in a slip (10 months ago) we still would take showers on the boat, but we would use more water when doing it, because that was less hassle than taking our stuff to the shower and then walk back in heat getting sweaty all over again.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

All I ever did as a kid was shower in the head and loved it. Prefer a bit more room today, but I’m sure I could manage fine. Need a hatch to vent and a sponge. 

Dual heads is ideal.


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## ggray (Jun 18, 2011)

We have "wet heads", but with two ports that help ventilate. Use the showers on board even in marinas. If nothing else, helps keep the head clean.

Navy showers, of course. Wipe the floor with a sponge after.


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## mbianka (Sep 19, 2014)

My 30 foot Nonsuch has a separate shower area that is now relegated to storage and part wet locker. I pulled out my on demand water heater and don't miss it. Most of my showering comes after daily swims off the boat in summer. For on board showers I bought a portable Coleman Hot Water Heater It works great for the few times a season I need it. Since it's portable I can use to take a hot shower in the cockpit or on cooler days empty out the stuff from the shower closet and use it in there. My unit is several years old though it appears Coleman is selling an upgraded On Demand Water Heater now. : https://biankablog.blogspot.com/2009/07/in-hot-water.html


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## capta (Jun 27, 2011)

I used to have a 33' sportfisherman that had a shower stall. Before I got it running I used to shower in the Charleston City Marina showers (they have really nice ones), but in the summer by the time I got back to the boat, I needed another shower! Hot, sticky and sweating like crazy. Once I got it operating, I never used a public shower again.
Our present boat has two heads with stall showers and we use them daily, as do our charter guests. Being at anchor every night, we never have a problem with ventilation in either.
But, generally speaking, I don't find shoreside showers to be clean enough or convenient enough to use unless there just is no alternative. I'd do almost anything to have a good, working shower aboard any boat I own. It's actually one of the "must haves" (make or break the deal, important) on the list when I'm looking for a boat to buy.


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## Skipper Jer (Aug 26, 2008)

Nor'sea 27 has a wet head. While ours has a pressurized water system I use a gallon garden sprayer. A fine mist to get wet, soap up and a fine mist to rinse. I normally use about half to 3/4 of a gallon to shower. What helps to keep the shower dry is a solar vent that pulls air out of the boat via the composting head.


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## bajaking (Jun 6, 2013)

capta said:


> ...I don't find shoreside showers to be clean enough or convenient enough to use unless there just is no alternative. I'd do almost anything to have a good, working shower aboard any boat I own. It's actually one of the "must haves" (make or break the deal, important) on the list when I'm looking for a boat to buy.


Thanks, capta, that about sums up my own feelings. Sounds like the consensus from most of you is that the wet head is indeed perfectly usable given proper moisture minimization and gray water setup. Of the dozen or so local marinas I've experienced, only one has a really good shower situation but it's not currently an option for me. So I'm really looking forward to a shower-capable boat. I'm ruling out any boats that don't have it in my search. 
I do enjoy a leisurely solar shower in the cockpit when out on the hook like everyone else, but I'm pretty sure my public, crowded marina has a no nudity policy -- and if they don't, they'll definitely add it after a few sightings of my sorry soggy butt!


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## roverhi (Dec 19, 2013)

Our Westsail had a shower set up in the passageway between the main cabin and forepeak adjacent to the head. Had a cirucual shower curtain track to try and contain the water, Used it once and never again. The condensation in the boat was so bad looked like I'd spritzed the entire boat with water. If you want a shower find one that's enclosed like the Pearson 365. Maybe if it's entirely in the head with a door might work but I'd still want a vacuum vent to get the wet air out of the boat.


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## fallard (Nov 30, 2009)

We have a day/night solar vent in our wet head, as well as an opening port and this keeps the moisture under reasonable control In New England waters. We also switched our head sink faucet to a pull-out Scandvik telephone-style shower. The Scandvik unit has a shut-off on the spray head that allows a small amount of water to flow in the “off” position, while allowing you to leave the valves on to maintain the hot/cold mix. The head has an isolated bilge/shower sump, so the gray water is contained in the head compartment. 

As noted in a previous post, a “submarine” shower conserves water. You wet yourself down, push the “off”button and lather up. Then you turn the shower head “on” and rinse off. The telephone style shower helps contain the water, so you don’t wet that much of the head compartment (if you’re careful.) A squeegee or sponge cloth can remove a lot of the water and facilitate drying out the head.

But you are not done yet. Perhaps on a weekly basis, you need to clean out the shower sump and use a bathroom type cleaner or dish detergent to sanitize the sump—unless you like foul odors in your boat.


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## Seaman_3rdClass (Jul 3, 2014)

We have a separate shower stall on our Freedom 40/40 with a small hatch directly overhead, a sump pump, and a plexi door between it and the head. It works great, and everyone who has showered there (guests included) loves it. 
Other boats with good shower set ups I've seen include various Beneteaus (373, 423, 42CC) and a Freedom 45AC, which actually has a bathtub of sorts.


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## SanderO (Jul 12, 2007)

bajaking said:


> Do any of you shower this way on a daily or near-daily basis?[/B][/I] Water supply issues aside, and assuming good ventilation and heat, is it do-able, or are these setups really just done for boat shows and brochures? Is there a significant grossness factor, even with a curtain and proper sump box?


This is the arrangement of the head on the Contest 36s (Shiva). The head has a large hatch on CL above for ventilation. The shower is a hand shower which is also the sink spout. It has an on off lever/valve and adjusts for stream or spray.

There is a fiberglass lining/sump with a lift up teak grate for the shower sole.

The head also contains two large lockers where we stone hanging wet gear and the other has shelves for towels and linens. Both lockers have active switched exhaust ventilation. On starboard there are two large cabinets with two shelves for stuff (TP roll is on the backside of one of the doors). Large shelf above w/ a raised fiddle where bottles and sprays live.

The walls are high glossed varnished teak.

ADVANTAGES

relatively roomy shower
relatively large head - 2 large cab, 2 large lockers (easy towel access)
you can sit on head to shower in a sea way
head walls and toilet get a wash and dry after showering and as a result there are no head odors
After use of shower head hatch and head door to salon and there is airflow which rapidly dries to head surfaces which aren't wiped down.

DISADVANTAGES

V Berth is blocked by head (we use V for a closet and sleep aft so this is not a problem) 
V berth is adjacent to head so if there are people sleeping in V they are VERY close to the head (rarely applies if ever)

This "thru head" is one of the best design feature of the cabin. We love it!


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## Guyfromthenorth (Jul 2, 2015)

I didn't read the whole thread and apologize if this was mentioned, and I also apologize for a mini-hijack here. K my Canadian apologies out of the way...

My Mirage 33 came with a shower setup in the head. It's a shower head that attaches to the wall and to the sink. This is the first boat I've had with a head big enough to sort-of shower in. We have never used the shower, and probably never will because of the wood bulkheads. I see these showers all the time on youtube, on yachtworld, and on my boat, that are inside the head with no curtains or protection for the wood bulkhead walls. Are these curtains just removed for show or do people just not protect the wood from water\soap?

I ask because my bulkheads are perfect (thank god) and they are load bearing (deck\hull load AND chainplates). I would be scared to spray them down daily with shower water. It seems to me a leaky chainplate would have nothing on a 10mins a day worth of shower water.

What am I missing here?


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## SanderO (Jul 12, 2007)

Guyfromthenorth said:


> I didn't read the whole thread and apologize if this was mentioned, and I also apologize for a mini-hijack here. K my Canadian apologies out of the way...
> 
> My Mirage 33 came with a shower setup in the head. It's a shower head that attaches to the wall and to the sink. This is the first boat I've had with a head big enough to sort-of shower in. We have never used the shower, and probably never will because of the wood bulkheads. I see these showers all the time on youtube, on yachtworld, and on my boat, that are inside the head with no curtains or protection for the wood bulkhead walls. Are these curtains just removed for show or do people just not protect the wood from water\soap?
> 
> ...


My head with shower is varnished teak... who knows how many coats... 33 years and looks as good as new.


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## chef2sail (Nov 27, 2007)

Here I thought I was the only one with a varnished teak Head. It’s looks as good as when she was new.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

I’ve seen more than one woody head, with the wood epoxied or glassed over. Not a bad idea, although, as nice as varnish looks, I would prefer a plastic/fiberglass head. The sin is to paint the wood, even if atop epoxy. Once painted, always repainted. No thanks.


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## chef2sail (Nov 27, 2007)

Our teak Head requires no more maintenance than a fiberglass one. We squeegee the sides off the same. No soap scum and no mold.


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## Lazerbrains (Oct 25, 2015)

On the other end of the spectrum, there are those of us with small 30' boats. As I prep my boat for cruising this is one of the things I am currently trying to figure out. Attached is my layout - very simple "walk through" head with sink to starboard and toilet to port. Not much room, but could be possibly converted to a wet shower with sump. I am considering instead adding a shower to the cockpit instead as it solves the moisture concerns, doesn't require any further plumbing for drainage, etc. I could easily construct two panels to enclose the bimini for added privacy if need be. A bit more "camp out" style, but such is life on a 30' boat. I think it would work well for me.


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## Jammer Six (Apr 2, 2015)

Minnewaska said:


> Not a bad idea, although, as nice as varnish looks, I would prefer a plastic/fiberglass head. The sin is to paint the wood, even if atop epoxy.


Me, too. When I'm in there, I always have a job to get done, with no time (or room) to admire the woodwork. Only one of those jobs allows time for admiring woodwork.

Now that you bring it up...


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## RegisteredUser (Aug 16, 2010)

FG cockpit with drains is a natural for bath shower.
Just flush it well.
Privacy as needed.
Plenty of room...sit stand etc.
Climate dependent..


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

We have a hot/cold water shower on the transom. It’s no more than a dish sprayer with on/off/temperature control. My wife will use it whenever weather allows. I would say nearly half our guests will choose it over the shower in their head. Unless pretty remote, they all do so with a bathing suit on. I think it uses less water too.


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## TakeFive (Oct 22, 2009)

Minnewaska said:


> We have a hot/cold water shower on the transom. It's no more than a dish sprayer with on/off/temperature control. My wife will use it whenever weather allows. I would say nearly half our guests will choose it over the shower in their head. Unless pretty remote, they all do so with a bathing suit on. I think it uses less water too.


We have a similar cockpit shower, and it's the only one we use. Our integrated head shower (no separate stall) has a rail on the ceiling for a wrap-around curtain that prevents water from getting all over anything. The curtain sits neatly folded in a settee locker.


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