2 heads better than 1???

[Daydream believer]

Not a very savoury subject, but might it be beneficial to have (for use with Porta-Potti-type conveniences) spare waste-tanks, so that having filled and removed one in the middle of the night, it needn't necessarily be emptied immediately at the shoreside point, to enable further use on board?

How many crew & how many curries does it take to fill a holding tank in one night???????

 

[dancrane]

I admit, I've never used a chemical toilet so I don't know the procedure or the tank-capacity.

My Achilles had all the plumbing for a sea toilet, but the prospect of squatting in that tiny open-plan cabin for relief, made a bucket in the cockpit under a boom-tent seem preferable, for comfort, respiratory health and dignity.

I'm on the side of Janus - two heads are better than one. Geem already knows I admire his boat. The description of separated ends of the accommodation, enabling two couples to avoid each other's steam, stinks and forgotten pants, is just so civilised.

Clearly it can be done within the layout above a certain size. If there could be a second head but there isn't, I'd expect later buyers to regard it as a shortcoming, like a car that doesn't have the engine which the model was famous for - it's just disappointing.

I think the preference for only one head compartment is a narrowing group, a fact which may influence Cosmo if he foresees ever selling the Dufour. All the newcomers to sailing that I've met, had high expectations for comfort and tended to grimace at traditional shared appointments. Meanwhile, older sailors with mobility or health concerns also seem to like a cabin with its own loo.

It may be hardy and Tilman-esque to share minimal facilities with a crowd of shipmates, but how many future buyers are likely to prefer a boat which by design, requires everyone mucking-in together?

Of course, the privacy principle could be taken a trifle far...five bathrooms aboard the Nauticat 44, below... ?

 

[TiggerToo]

Of course, the privacy principle could be taken a trifle far...five bathrooms aboard the Nauticat 44, below... ?

lovely boat, her.

On the other end of the spectrum, spare a thought for one Capt R Fitzroy and his cruising partner C Darwin. They sailed for nearly 5 years on board of HMS Beagle: just over 90ft... and 72 other souls ( ). Privacy? I wonder how many heads they had.

 

[dancrane]

Customarily it was done over the bow, wasn't it? Somebody noticed this moment in the fine film Master and Commander...

...I guess those lads didn't much like sharing the indoor crapper, either.
.

 

[Tranona]

Arrangements on a Dhow are far superior. You can see the barrel on the port side of the stern. single seater and very hygienic. You can see it in action on Michael Palins trip across the Gulf in his round the world series.

 

[dancrane]

I haven't seen that show since it was first shown, maybe thirty years ago? But I recall him saying that his bowels had flatly refused to operate in the available facilities.

It was funny, but I sympathised, and I feel the same about many new and old yacht toilet-compartments...sympathy for the users.

 

[Arcady]

I’m amazed how many responses this thread has generated! FWIW I have just specified the one head option on a new boat as it increased the amount of living space available compared to the two head option. There is no ‘right’ answer: it all depends on one’s priorities.

 

[ashtead]

It’s curious based on what is said re the dufour layout that the dealers chose to show the one head layout at the SBS to give all that space below but that the standard layout has 2 heads ie it’s not an optional extra. I just wonder which sell in greater numbers? Is a single head version going to be a disappointment for some when you come to sell on in say 10 years time if the majority have 2 heads? At least this dufour doesn’t have the cramped bed on one side in the forecabin. If only one smaller person is to sleep in the bow the lack of storage and space might not be an issue-what does the smaller person say?

 

[dancrane]

It always amused (and irritated) me that the Centaur's Layout C is by far the rarest, despite looking easily the most comfortable.

I've known several Layout B Centaur owners who felt the same way. ?

I s'pose one could put a chemical toilet in the aft cabin of a Chieftain, and have the smallest two-bathroom boat out there.

 

[Moodysailor]

Depends on design. Our 44ft boat interior layout is nothing like the layouts on modern boats. The layout is optimised for two couples.
An aft cabin with ensuite and forepeak adjacent to the front heads. In the evening the door from the saloon into the front of the boat can be closed such that the forepeak cabin, passageway and large front heads is separated from the saloon. In the aft cabin the door to the galley and saloon can be closed such that the aft cabin and ensuite are separated. The saloon and galley act as an isolated space between the two cabins. Lots of privacy. The 1 1/2 inch thick doors and bulkheads provide additional acoustic insulation so you can't hear what ever nocturnal activities are going on in the other end of the boat?

A great layout - we would love something like this

 

[dslittle]

Sorry, but that's not correct. Heat very much helps to dry clothes. Outside air at zero degrees C and 100% saturation has very low g of moisture per kg of air. You can't dry clothes with this air as it's fully saturated. Heat that air from zero to 20degC and that air will now have an RH of 26%. It is now very dry air and will dry clothes extremely well.
In a boat you need to bring outside air in so it is heated and mixed with the warm damp air in the boat. This will lower the boat RH and help to dry clothes.

All very true but it all works MUCH better when you use a desiccant dehumidifier (which is what we do in the second heads…)

 

[Alfie168]

lovely boat, her.

On the other end of the spectrum, spare a thought for one Capt R Fitzroy and his cruising partner C Darwin. They sailed for nearly 5 years on board of HMS Beagle: just over 90ft... and 72 other souls ( ). Privacy? I wonder how many heads they had.

In the days of sail there were normally cutout holes in the bow rail for you to stick your backside in. It was all very public and they relied on the bow wave to wash it all away. Anything new takes practice and a little familiarity to enable the gut to relax spontaneously. I never found French standups easy. My boat is so small a Thetford porta potti and a curtain is the most luxurious option, but it has a rudimentary flush and as long as you don't skimp on the sanitary fluid the pong is minimal. Caravans and campers often have them. There is a sealed cassette to take the nasties away for disposal. Ideally there should be a disposal point but often it just has to go down a convenient land based bog. Not ideal, but it can be done with cleanliness maintained at all times.

I have to say that in answer to the poll my gut reaction ( geddit?) was to vote for one. Having read all the way through I have had my mind changed and voted for two. Have we all forgotten that two heads are better than one ? The answer was staring us in the thread title all the time ?

 

[Spanjaard]

If I would have the choice I will go for 1 head and 1 wall mounted urinal locker. Less space than an additional head, more convenient, all men on board happy and women even happier.

 

[davidpbo]

On my walks up to communal loos in the early hours, I have often mused that a porta potti type arrangement would be a better idea than a holding tank which generally will fill in about 3 days (mind you, I am old and so visit the loo a lot!). I suppose not so good in say an enclosed anchorage.

Still better than a small holding tank. You either take the boat out and empty it, or take it in, either to a toilet or ideally chemical toilet emptying point. At least we had the option.

If we weren't sure we could empty it via mains sewer we would not put chemicals in the bottom tank. The motion of the boat meant that it was slurry we were emptying.

It suited us but we were two up on a small boat. I would only consider it as a second heads on a larger boat not the primary.