Seperate Shower & Head Compartments

My last post asked about the number of staterooms people prefer and the response was great, thanks.

My next question and something that should also generate some discussion is how people feel about separate versus combines shower and head rooms. This is something we are thinking about doing on the next boat and see mostly Pro's and few Con's. Any thoughts? thanks

John T.

A separate shower was an "assumed" part of our trawler search after we had rented various boats with integral showers and heads. If there are two heads with integral showers, you can make one a dedicated shower...no big deal, but a separate shower is not something we want to be without. I should add....the two stateroom KK Manatee also had a sink in the master stateroom, and with a single head, this was an excellent feature where one couple could wash up, brush teeth, shave, etc. While another couple was using the head/shower.

The pro is they are separate and there's not as much cleanup after a shower.

The con is, separate compartments take up room that might be put to better use on the boat. It's more of an issue with smaller boats and less with larger boats.

rwidman said:

The pro is they are separate and there's not as much cleanup after a shower.

The con is, separate compartments take up room that might be put to better use on the boat. It's more of an issue with smaller boats and less with larger boats.

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We have separates. The pro is as you stated.

To turn your con into a pro, we put a removable closet bar in the shower compartment so we can also use it as a hanging locker.

However, this now pro turns back into a con because in order to take a shower you then have to remove all the gear from the shower cum hanging locker and dump it on the berth.

Need a bigger boat I guess.

The Admiral and I are in complete agreement that if we were to buy another boat one of the mandatory items would be a separate shower stall. Just too messy the way ours is laid out but space is at a premium in a 33 foot boat.

Shower / tub is even nicer.

On our Ocean Alexander we have a separate head/tub/shower..and it is a two cabin boat..the Admiral thinks it's perfect. We dropped 10' of l.o.a. and a second head and shower from the last boat but so far all are happy. Nothing worse than cleaning hair and soap scum from around the already nasty head.
Hollywood

definitely a space use item and a personal hygiene issue....seen both work...seen both be miserable in the hands of some.

A separate shower is a must for live aboards! To take it one step further........a shower stall large enough to shave your legs...........looking at this from an Admiral's point of view.

Dotty aboard Cool Beans ( with a shower large enough to shave my legs)

We don't like a combined or "Wet Shower" for any frequent use. May be that it's just not what we're use to but showering around a toilet and/or sink and then having everything wet just is a major annoyance to us.

We have "bathrooms with showers in them, just like at home.

Thats a preference for us. Sometimes you want to use the head and take a shower.

CoolBeans said:

A separate shower is a must for live aboards! To take it one step further........a shower stall large enough to shave your legs...........looking at this from an Admiral's point of view.

Dotty aboard Cool Beans ( with a shower large enough to shave my legs)

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I am quite sure the Admiral would require a separate shower if she had to shave my legs..
:lol:
Hollywood

Have them separate. It would be a pain getting the entire bathroom wet because of a shower.

hollywood8118 said:

I am quite sure the Admiral would require a separate shower if she had to shave my legs..
:lol:
Hollywood

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Or that 9 AM shadow your avatar is sporting....

Ingenuity can resolve some of those "combined" compartment issues...depending on overall size.

psneeld said:

Or that 9 AM shadow your avatar is sporting....

Ingenuity can resolve some of those "combined" compartment issues...depending on overall size.

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Or just use the aft cockpit shower after dark....


HOLLYWOOD

ksanders said:

We have "bathrooms with showers in them, just like at home.

Thats a preference for us. Sometimes you want to use the head and take a shower.

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I know it's going to be tight,but when I build my boat,I will have a shower pan with the head in the corner and a sink beside.I have a paved driveway. I have been laying out the boat floor plan in full size.Then,I walking around with 1x2 piece of wood trim the height I think I want everything.It's given me ideas on what I need to move,lower,or raise.The only thing I can't test is the over head locker and console.

A bench in the shower is a nice touch. The OSR shower in my boat doesn't have one. The guest shower does. Go figure. We use the guest shower.

A shower with a door that seals the steam in is very helpful in colder climates. I would never have a wet stall bathroom as primary, I had one hated it.

Separate shower from head is one of the things that sold me on the Ocean Alexander 38 over a GB 36, and it's LARGE. Have been living aboard the last 4 months and couldn't be happier with the arrangement. (the shower that is, necessity to live aboard is a whole 'nother story)

So are you guys talking about a shower that is a separate shower stall that happens to be in the same room with a door as the commode and sink, like in a house?

Or are you talking about a room with a draining floor that has a shower head, and a sink, and a commode in it?

We have both

The master has a separate love it

The other is a combined hate to have to clean the mess after guests leave

Well, just to add in some balance, we in our 34 ft boat don't have the luxury of a separate shower cubicle from the bathroom/toilet compartment, and our shower is hooked into a mount on the wall opposite the loo. Yet we can shower without wetting the loo seat, and with only minimal wipe-down needed after a shower, so in fact it works out better than it sounds.

If we had a bigger boat then separate toilet/basin etc and shower stall/cubicle would be nice, but we don't. I have been on board boats of similar size where they went to a lot of trouble to have them separate, and the result was often the bathroom is basically part of the for'd stateroom, and has to be entered by any visitors or guests to use the said ablutions, thus removing all privacy. So, unless they are your own, (and preferably young) family, it makes the boat a 2 person overnighter only.

On our boat by not having them separate we have room for there to be a door between our stateroom and the small lobby accessing the combined toilet/bathroom. This works much better if we have guests.

ksanders said:

OPTION A-So are you guys talking about a shower that is a separate shower stall that happens to be in the same room with a door as the commode and sink, like in a house?

OPTION B-Or are you talking about a room with a draining floor that has a shower head, and a sink, and a commode in it?

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Yes. That is the discussion. Option A vs. Option B

funangler said:

A shower with a door that seals the steam in is very helpful in colder climates. I would never have a wet stall bathroom as primary, I had one hated it.

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Yes, but do you have an exhaust fan in the shower stall to exhaust humidity and stray odors?

Ours are separate, shower to stbd, head & basin to port. But not originally, we discovered.
Our IG 36 Europa has a single sleeping cabin fwd. The long term (25 years) PO had a wardrobe/dressing area to stbd converted to a large shower, at his wife`s insistence. We`re glad he did, and that it was done to match the original fitout.

Like most, the Coot's shower is a sub-compartment of the bathroom. (Despite the below drawing, the shower door is folding and turns into the shower compartment.) Both toilet/sink section and shower have their own drains.

BandB said:

Yes. That is the discussion. Option A vs. Option B

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Oh

I thought nay very small boats have a head with a draining floor. That's what we had on our 28' Bayliner.

No choice. Separate

With 2 people usually on board having exclusive space that is used 1% or 2% of the time seems a waste.

On our quite small 50 ft boat interior , there is a shower pan built into the corner of the main salon behind the dinette back.The manual head is located there .

A SS shower curtain rod goes full circle to contain the shower water.

Most times the head or shower is being used in an empty room so privacy is assured.

Not for folks that travel with a gaggle , but for a couple its just fine.

With 4 opening bronze ports , two hatches ,two Dorade vents , humidity or aromas are not a concern.

We have separate head and shower -- two completely separate "rooms" -- and we like it that way. Our shower also has a seat, which can useful in lieu of full tub. All pros, for us; no cons.

The new owner of our brand has build a couple newer versions of our boat... and their version has two wet heads (drain in head) in place of our separate set-up. Commentary from the owner's club has been almost unanimous thumbs down.

We had a separate, enclosed shower within the same "room" as our head in a previous boat (Mainship III) and that was also adequate... but not as useful IMO as what we have now.

-Chris

hollywood8118 said:

Or just use the aft cockpit shower after dark....


HOLLYWOOD

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That's what we do. If we're in a marina we take advantage of the marina showers that we have paid for.