Boat Showers

[Zanshin]

I was just looking over my list of criteria when it came to purchasing a boat or what I would do if I were to be designing my own from the ground up and realized that a relatively minor and unimportant facet had developed a very high priority for me - having a shower stall, no matter how small, separated from the head area. I realized that all of the different boats that had survived into my long "shortlist" either had shower cabins or had an extra head which I could convert into a shower-only room.
I'm not going to ask "Am I strange, or what?" since, just like a lawyer, I prefer not to ask questions where I know I won't like the answer; but am curious if my shower aberration is widespread.

[tdw]

Z,
Given my druthers I'd go for a full sized bath, with spa , separate shower, toilet with bidet and a couple of nubile young ladies to hold the soap and pour the bubbly.

Sadly that was not one of your options so I settled for "no biggie".

Really, it would be nice to have a separate shower, it could even be a practical idea if it doubled as a wet locker but the space available is usually going to be a problem.

I tell you what though, I'd forego the separate shower in return for a full sized toilet instead of those piddly little things you find in most sailing boats.

Cheers

[PBzeer]

I shower in the cockpit anyway. I don't need/want any more moisture inside the boat then I already have. If I did use an interior shower though, I would prefer a seperate one.

[Sasha_V]

My wife would like such a thing on our boat. She knows it is not going to happen unless I can turn the boat into the tardis...but she would definately like one.

Sasha

[AjariBonten]

I voted for a separate shower as well, and agree with TDW, a reasonable sized crapper would be a nice touch.

What's with the new boats with three heads, all the size of a phone booth? (for those of you under 30, a phone booth is the tiny little box UnderDog came out of )

I would MUCH rather have 1 head (fewer moving parts?) that was a decent size!

Fred

[TrueBlue]

We have two Lavac heads on our boat, each with an integrated shower. The forward head is what we use solely for toilet purposes.

The aft head however, is ensuite with the aft cabin. It encloses a toilet with a shower valve, tiled floor and an operable portlight. The sink is in a separate cabinet within the stateroom - outside of the head compartment.

This setup makes a great shower stall and is used solely for this function.

[xort]

we're shopping for a livaboard. Separate shower is a must for us.

On a weekender or day boat it would be unimportant

[speciald]

A separate shower with a seat to use while underway is best; keep the rest of the head dry.

[sailortjk1]

Our's is seperated from the head buy a nice curtain.
My wife uses it all the time. All the time is probably 6 - 8 times per season. I fit, but barley. I use it a couple of times a season. More important to have for the wife, than again, what is important for her is important for me.

[Siamese]

The shower in my Catalina 309 is typical of boats her size. A drain in the head floor and a shower curtain, and some sort of water resistant facing on the teak door. There's no way I'd want to shower in there, as the water and water vapor would destroy the head area. Not to mention, there's no exhaust fan. I guess they have to advertise the boat as having a shower so they waste money putting in the bare necessities.

A separate shower in a boat this size while possible space-wise, would be a bit of a stretch. I'd be very happy if the entire head were fiberglass, much like a home fiberglass shower stall. Fiberglass ceiling, too. The toilet, if it needs protection, could get covered by a vinyl cover thingy during a shower. A rudimentary sink could be molded into the side of the enclosure, but that is seconday for me. AND....one honkin' exhaust fan.

As it is, we shower on land, but we're going to rig up a cockpit shower for when we're on the hook.

Glad to see others have the same opinion re: boat showers.