Cold Cockpit Shower

Brian S · Dec 2, 2015

Bad Obsession said:
I have one of those. Been there, done that, tired of lugging it around and trying to find a good place to put it.

Good points which I agree with. I think the best thing Duckworks did was to make a cap to replace the hose. It's much easier to store without the hose and shower head flapping all over. But still, it's hard to find a nice place to keep it in the sun all day. Since I was daysailing on a lake, I would just leave it sitting on my dock, come back and grab it, then go find a cove to hang out in for dinner, have a shower in the cockpit after it got dark. Sleeping onboard is much more comfortable without residual sunscreen and lake crud on you

Brian S · Dec 2, 2015

So, over a weekend this fall, I thought I had run out of oil at the house (summer/winter hot water through the oil furnace.) The tank was on fumes, anyway... So I headed up to the boat, retrieved the Duckworks pump up shower, boiled water on the stove, filled the shower, and went and had a comfy shower in the bathtub. I was pleased with myself that I have enough camping stuff that I could have a warm shower even if the oil ran out, and the electricity went off, what with the Coleman white gas stove, or the single burner backpacking stove.

When I'm planning to sleep out on the lake, because it's fresh water, I save shower water by diving over to get wet, then soaping up in the cockpit, then rinsing off with the non-lake fresh water in the pump up shower. It's good fun, pretending to be on a self-sufficient cruise or something...

Ukeluthier · Dec 2, 2015

deltaten said:
the Eccotems are a "hang anywhere handy" unit that is self contained. Attach garden hose (adapted), screw in pound tank and go!!

Absolutely. A propane heater is the way to go as far as I'm concerned.
I'm in the process of plumbing a hot/cold cockpit shower into my little Menger 19' catboat right now. If it works on my boat, yours would be a cinch.
I installed an ABYC-compliant propane locker with a 5-lb. tank for the galley stove last year, so adding the Eccotemp is simple. The Menger has a small diesel inboard, but it is a raw-water cooled one-lunger which won't work well with a storage-type water heater.

pateco · Dec 3, 2015

Currently have a sureflow that I bought at a yard sale for $5 and used to replace this original pump.

So far it is working quite well. I was wondering if anyone has installed one of these small accumulators, and how well it worked?

Ukeluthier · Dec 3, 2015

I have the same accumulator. Works fine.

pateco · Dec 3, 2015

Ukeluthier said:
I have the same accumulator. Works fine.

Where did you install it in your system?

Ukeluthier · Dec 3, 2015

Immediately downstream of the pump.

slaume · Dec 3, 2015

Raven has hot and cold pressure water and carries 60 gallons but I am still very conservative with water usage. I usually either swim or wash with buckets of salt water and then just do a very short freshwater rinse to get the salt off. I mounted my mixing valve in the cockpit locker because I didn't want another hole that could leak around the shower head in the foot well. I did the same thing I have always done with solar showers, which was to put a sink sprayer on the end. This is off until you want it. I lift the locker lid, adjust the valves, then close it up and I can rinse in spirits. This also works great to rinse fishing and dive gear. You can get by with very little water if it is only used in bursts. I have done fresh water showers in the early and late season on short trips and it is then that hot water is really nice, Steve.

centerline · Dec 3, 2015

Benny17441 said:
I still to this day carry a sun shower 5 gallon bag aboard. Haven't used it in a while but would not hesitate to bring it out if the other alternative was a cold shower.

yep...the sun shower bags work pretty well, but if there isnt any sun to heat the water, then its GOING to be a cold shower.

if the sun is out and hot, it doesnt really matter what the shower water temp is, but when its cooler outside, it certainly does.
but even if the air temp is 50-60°, if there is cloud cover with some sun breaks, it will bring the water temp in the shower bag up at least a few degrees over ambient air temp, which will feel warm as you shower in it, and thats enough to get the job done.
when one has very warm and extremely comfortable shower water, there is a strong tendency to go thru more water than one would otherwise...

Chris & Lenore · Dec 4, 2015

http://www.whalepumps.com/marine/pr...t_ID=10031&FriendlyID=Whale-Twist-Deck-Shower
Before I forget, this is the shower unit I plan to add next season. Only one hole and you can get a version with built in mixing valve (no second hole to cut). I had a good look at one and it's extremely well made. I plan to also add a valve to select either fresh or lake water.

Chris

Bob 04 H260 · Dec 4, 2015

Chris & Lenore said:
http://www.whalepumps.com/marine/pr...t_ID=10031&FriendlyID=Whale-Twist-Deck-Shower
Before I forget, this is the shower unit I plan to add next season. Only one hole and you can get a version with built in mixing valve (no second hole to cut). I had a good look at one and it's extremely well made. I plan to also add a valve to select either fresh or lake water.

Chris

Chris, if you have a wash down for the anchor you can probably just use that for the sea water shower as well, unless you prefer the privacy of your cockpit ?

Bob

Crazy Dave Condon · Dec 4, 2015

What I have read, we forget this is a small boat with limited space and when on a long cruise, there is very little room to store gear and supplies. I know the boat as I use to sell them. A simple on demand pump in line to the galley and to the back of the boat for a shower or one spicket would be the way to go. There is a lot to say to keep it simple on the Com Pac 23. As for hot water being added to the tank, two owners whom I know have said fiddlesticks for hot water. Too much time and would not really work adding to the small fresh water holding tank. Plus this is not a winter boat that I would want to stay on in the winter where Bad Obsession lives.

Brian S · Dec 4, 2015

centerline said:
yep...the sun shower bags work pretty well, but if there isnt any sun to heat the water, then its GOING to be a cold shower.

My experiment with running out of house oil, and using my Duckworks pump up shower with stove heated water, tells me that even if I were out on a cool, cloudy day, I could still have a warm shower. I think that the Duckworks shower makes this easier, because it would be easier to transfer the warm water from a pan into it than it would be to pour the water into one of those hanging bag style showers. Still, it could be done. I've used both kinds in the past.

The best we used to do was when we went kayak surfing down at the shore all the time. My buddy and I would head down in the morning, and come home the same day. It was nice to wash the salt off us for the ride home. Had a hanging bag style then, which would warm up nicely in the car in the summer. But come fall, not so much. So I had an old wool blanket and a plastic tote. I'd fill up the bag shower in the AM with the hottest tap water, wrap in the blanket, and put in the tote. Come twilight when we'd FINALLY get out of the water, it was nice to have a hot shower, with steam coming off us in the chill air.

CptnRn · Dec 4, 2015

I did this on a Pearson 28 that I used to have, installed near the stern in the cockpit. It was very handy for showering in warm weather or rinsing off a spilled beer on occasion. I'd go with the Scandvik 12106, it worked fine on my boat and it appears they have provided a new hinged cap which should be superior to the old plastic flap they used to come with. It deteriorated quickly from sunlight, but the hand held shower fitting always worked well.

Chris & Lenore · Dec 6, 2015

Bob 04 H260 said:
Chris, if you have a wash down for the anchor you can probably just use that for the sea water shower as well, unless you prefer the privacy of your cockpit ?
Bob

Good suggestion!

Ron20324 · Dec 6, 2015

Not sure about the Scandvik, but my home faucet can make use of an adaptor (hardware stores) to connect a garden hose to. I hose off the deck, but you could use it for a shower and not have to do the shower plumbing.