Aft head or not

[srg610]

I wanted to get any feedback on whether an aft head location, as are common with the Lancer 29 and 30, and some other boats, are a better idea than the traditional behind the V-berth location? I have been offshore several times, and had to make my way forward to use the head, and was thinking that the aft location of the head makes sense as it would allow the on-watch crew to come below and not disturb any sleeping crew-members. I would appreciate any comments that you all have...

Thanks,
Scott G.
Oregon City, OR

 

[sailingdog]

Yes, and the motion is generally less with aft heads.

 

[RAD]

The problem I have with my center cockpit is the head is midship right by the companionway and there's also a open port window right there so anyone sitting in the cockpit knows every ones business when the head is being used,ok for family members but with guests it can be... well you get the picture

 

[Ron20324]

Generally speaking, there is more room in the beam, so you get a bit more room in the aft head. But not all boats. I would have picked a B343 over the B323 if the 343 head was as big as the 323.

 

[Tim R.]

Good location when you need to go below and strip off wet foulies. Hang a curtain for privacy.

 

[Bad Obsession]

Having the head near the companionway is great. I don't have this but the benifits are obvious. With the head in that location there is less movement because it is not closer to the ends. You can also go below and not go through the whole cabin in wet foul weather gear getting water everywhere.

Could you imagine trying to use a head located in the bow of a boat (Like a Catalina 42's forward head) while under way in choppy seas! LOL. It would be like playing battleship (or battleshit) with the toilet!

 

[BobM]

Sounds great...but that a radio in the head might be a nice addition.

Perhaps the 1812 Overture...LOL

 

[larryw]

Coming from my own perspective; In a lifetime of boating, I've never had to strip off wet foulies. I don't even own foulies, and I have used a forward head in rough conditions, but it wasn't that bad. Most people, even on blue-water boats, spend 90% of your time on the boat either anchored, moored, or in a slip. Two couples aboard. The guest wife is not going to like using the head close to the cockpit, especially with an open port or hatch.

 

[Chris Burti]

Either way works fine. We have had it both ways. I've done some blue water sailing and a ton of coastal sailing and I would say that the aft head we now have on our C-320 has the edge in that it is a bit more convenient. The only noise we hear in th ecockpit is the pump and that is about the same level as from the forward location.

That said, rhis would never be the deciding factor for me in choosing between two boats unless all else really is equal.

 

[Stu Jackson]

The layout

also takes into consideration the location of the cabins. On our C34s, the great part about the midships head is that it is on the port side while the entrance to the aft cabin is on the starboard side, and the V berth is up fwd: no issue with using the head at night in close proximity to someone's "head" on the other side of a flimsy thin bulkhead - the privacy is nice and it's quieter.

 

[druid]

I think the Big Question is: what are you losing at the companionway when you put the head there? Most of the boats I've seen with aft heads are VERY cramped, trying to stuff a head, a galley, a chart table, and access to the aft berth all in the same spot. The result is usually a head door about 1ft wide that I don't think I could get through in my wet foulies!

Although if everything else is equal, I'd prefer an aft head, the compromises are too great for me.

druid

 

[SeaLifeSailing]

Aft head - isn't every boat a compromise?

There are plusses and minuses to all of these - I agree that an aft head has some plusses, including a shorter trip through the boat, and that some of them allow you to sit pointing forward. This can be less difficult than facing the center of the vessel, particularly if you're trying to use the head while the boat is heeled significantly.

My girlfriend was using the forward head on a friend's Beneteau 50', and when they hit some very big commercial shipping wake - well, let's just say she'd rather not use a forward head in a vessel underway again.

On my boat the head is almost exactly amidships, and you are seated toward the centerline of the boat, rather than pointing forward or aft which would be my preference, but there are advantages to the head's location here, as there are two doors to access it - from the private aft berth and from the cabin. I'd lose a private double berth aft if the head were located there. I think it comes down to the configuration of the vessel and finding an overall layout that you can comfortably live with.

I don't worry too much about an open hatch that's near the cockpit even on a boat with the head by the companionway (which mine isn't). Most people figure out to shut the hatch while they are using the head, and reopen it to ventilate the head afterward.

One more note:

"Coming from my own perspective; In a lifetime of boating, I've never had to strip off wet foulies. I don't even own foulies"

While this may hold true for some, in the Pacific Northwest, for instance, we use our foulies quite a bit at various times of the year, and the less distance you cover while drip-drying, the drier the boat's interior when you do drop the hook for the evening

 

[Ross in Tampa]

I would like the aft head just so that I don't have to go forward first thing in the morning. When we anchor over night, my wife sleeps in the v-berth, I sleep in the settee. The head in the 25 oday is right between us. Also, it does have a bifold door to hide it from the salon, but nothing to hide it from someone in the v-berth.

 

[RichH]

Advantages of aft head: Less mess through the boat such as dripping water over a sleeping crew, etc. Closest to aft cockpit for helmsman, etc.

Disadvantages of aft head: Smell close to the cockpit. Anyone sleeping in the forepeak has to pass by those sleeping in the cabin. Usually closer to galley than with midships head.

Advantages of midships head: easily accessed from cabin or forepeak ... and with less disturbance of either when they are sleeping. Usually furtherest away from galley. The closer to the mast/amidships the least rotational motion.

Disadvantages of midships head: From cockpit, have to travel past crew sleeping in cabin.

Dont eat or drink immediately before or when sailing then you wont have a 'head location' dilemma. Never serve BEANS while sailing.