Locked Dunny Door

[BruceK]

In Australia, "dunny" is slang for toilet/bathroom/head. There`s a town called Dunedoo which attracts some mirth.
Anyway, we went onboard to find the head door locked inside. How? We thought the electrician had been on board but unfortunately, he says he hasn`t,yet. So who was? Only other head access is via a locked port-light no one fits through.

The lock is a simple conventional door lock, like an internal one at home. Inside there is a slide lever to lock it,which was engaged. We removed the face plate, found a long square shaft we could pull out. The hinges are inside the door jamb, so no screw access.I planned using a thin blade on the angle grinder to cut the snib through the narrow gap, knowing the violence I`d do to the surrounds. My partner was horrified, so while I left to use another dunny at the marina, tried inserting a large flat blade screwdriver into the hole created by removing the square drive shaft. This somehow met resistance, and rotated, retracted the locking mechanism. We were in! Christmas cruise preserved.

Worth knowing? It`s a safety issue, as well as a "convenience" one. If I had the manufacturers manual for the lock I suspect that would be how you are told to unlock it from outside. Hospital toilets have to have hinging accessible from outside or other methods of entry, in case someone collapses inside with the door locked, it happens, someone died locked in the toilet of a local hospital. I had a friend who collapsed inside the head of his sailboat at anchor suffering a throat hemorrhage, his wife got help to break down the door. So it`s useful to know how to get in. Or useful to get lucky just trying to find a way.

 

[O C Diver]

Why do you have a lock on a head door, or for that matter any inside door on a boat?

My rule on my previous boat was every door hooked open when the room is unoccupied. If you enter a room and you want privacy (such as the head), close the door. If you come to a door that is closed, don't open the door without prior arrangement, or without the occupant inviting you in after knocking. Those that can't or won't follow these simple rules are exiled from the boat.

Keeping doors open when rooms are unoccupied helps control humidity and temperature. Keeping a head door open after completing a foul transaction and leaving the head, usually means the next occupant dosen't need to endure the last occupant. Can't imagine why anyone would close a head door after taking a shower and leaving the room.

Ted.

 

[BruceK]

Couldn`t agree more. We keep the door clipped back open. I suspect the electrician was looking for the back of the electrical panel. Some users of the head/shower might feel more comfortable locking the door while inside, I guess that`s why the lock mechanism was provided. Another of life`s little mysteries.

 

[SIBERNUT]

You guys all need to know about "courtesy flush", black tank be damned

 

[O C Diver]

You guys all need to know about "courtesy flush", black tank be damned

Courtesy flush and air freshener only go so far.

Ted

 

[ranger58sb]

Ours have a small pinhole on the outside, so pushing a straightened paper clip (or similar) through that will disengage the lock. Much like many household door locks.

-Chris

 

[SIBERNUT]

Brucek- while door open can you put hinge pins on outside ?

 

[Bmarler]

Both heads on my boat have locks. My grandson locked one one day and there was some panic for a while until I talked him down and we got him calm enough to unlock it.
There is a small cap on the exterior that may pry out to access the mechanism, and I really should check it out. We just never use the locks and hook the doors open like most do. The hinges are lift off style, so no pins or screws accessible. I guess I should take action before it becomes a situation again.

 

[rslifkin]

Ours have a small pinhole on the outside, so pushing a straightened paper clip (or similar) through that will disengage the lock. Much like many household door locks.

-Chris

Ours are the same as well.

 

[O C Diver]

Both heads on my boat have locks. My grandson locked one one day and there was some panic for a while until I talked him down and we got him calm enough to unlock it.
There is a small cap on the exterior that may pry out to access the mechanism, and I really should check it out. We just never use the locks and hook the doors open like most do. The hinges are lift off style, so no pins or screws accessible. I guess I should take action before it becomes a situation again.

While I never did it, I had considered removing the door set mechanism on the stateroom door, removing the deadbolt bar, and then replacing the door set mechanism (removing the ability to lock the door). When selling the boat, I would just reinstall it.

Ted

 

[CaptTom]

Our heads have "privacy locks" on them, too. The forward one always seems to slide over to the locked position. But privacy locks have a way to open from the outside. That's kinda the definition of the term. I agree it's good to know that way before you need it.

My previous boat was an express cruiser. It had the usual companionway door leading from the bridge deck to the cabin, with a hook latch on the inside. One day I hit a wake harder than I expected. The boat lurched just the right way to swing the little hook in a circle, up and around into the little eye to latch it. Took me a long time to find a tool which I could fish around through the opening to dislodge the hook.

 

[Delta Riverat]

Good thread. All the interior doors (heads and sleeping quarters) on mine are lockable with a little slide button right on the inside rim. I verified that it is possible to lock the door and then close it from the outside which is a potential problem. Yeah, no real reason for these things. If you can't trust everyone in the boat you have invited the wrong crew.

Going to investigate disabling these things.

 

[Shrew]

I've never seen a bathroom door on land or a head door on a boat that DID NOT have an interior lock on it. If nothing else, it keeps the person sitting inside from getting their knees smashed when someone decides to enter without knocking first.

Many people DON'T knock on a closed bathroom door, they just open it and attempt to go in. Bathroom door locks are to maintain privacy, not security.

 

[SteveK]

Our guest head has an old school slide bolt which replaced the original lock. Now you have to be inside to lock it.
When we have guests aboard the door is mostly in the closed position. However I have yet to hear a scream from inside.

 

[Delta Riverat]

That is a good idea.

This would be perfect. Small and looks nice too!

 

[gilbertpark]

I took the door off and put a shower curtain across - great when underway. Doesn't jam, much easier getting in and out especially when solo, when my wife is with me she hasn't stated any objections (in fact she made the curtain) but we have been together for many (many) years. When we have visitors one needs to be discreet!

Interestingly the Royal Navy doesn't have doors on any of its small boats I've been on (so some may have them), just curtains that are fixed at the top and have zips down both sides