40ft boat with 1 or 2 heads?

[cmedsailor]

The discussion on the "which 40ft boat" thread for having 2 or 3 cabins has raised the following question to my head:

If you were buying a 40ft boat (for private use) and you have a family or sail occasionally with friends, would you prefer one with only the standard aft head or one with two heads (the additional head at the bow cabin)?
Personally, I believe it is nice to have your own heads in the master cabin so I would prefer 2 heads.

 

[RupertW]

The discussion on the "which 40ft boat" thread for having 2 or 3 cabins has raised the following question to head:

If you were buying a 40ft boat (for private use) and you have a family or sail occasionally with friends, would you prefer one with only the standard aft head or one with two heads (the additional head at the bow cabin)?
Personally, I believe it is nice to have your own heads in the master cabin so I would prefer 2 heads.

2 heads was a must have when we bought our last boat. I wasn’t convinced then but am now. Guests have their own private cabin and own heads (not ensuite) and so do we. Most nights are at anchor so showers and loos in full use and we keep the same habit in marinas so we treat it as a second home not a campsite with communal facilities.

And for most of the time with just two of us we have a bathroom each which is great.

 

[asteven221]

+1 for 2 heads every time for the reasons others have stated. There is also the advantage if one breaks.

On our new (to us) boat I am going to make one electric, but leave one manual to conserve power on moorings. I would have electric over manual all the time as they seem a lot cleaner and never smell, other than the first flush after leaving the boat for ages. Manual heads always seem to end up being the source of a slight smell no matter how much cleaning is done.

 

[RupertW]

I have thought of changing one to electric but the tales of plastic cogs and fragile drive belts keep pushing it down my long list of tasks.

 

[Yngmar]

We're a couple with occasional guests on a 40 footer. I specifically wanted a boat with only one head, but if it had happened to come with two I would've happily converted the extra room into a small workshop or storage area and glassed up the holes in the hull.

I do not want to deal with maintaining two toilets, holding tanks, through-hulls and associated plumbing.

We're in warm weather though, so showers happen on the transom, not inside the boat.

 

[dunedin]

If the majority of time will have guests then perhaps 2 heads, but if generally sailing as a couple or solo then a single heads would be preferable for me.
The second heads takes up a lot of valuable space, often making the bow cabin much smaller. And of course double the cleaning, maintenance and holes in the hull.

 

[Laysula]

We use the second heads as a wet locker.

 

[PerformanceSailor]

Prefer one (really good quality) head. Having said that, I crewed one long delivery on a KP-44 where first one and then the other head stopped working... Lucky us, there was a complete pump on board to restore one of the two!

 

[westhinder]

One heads is all we need. Two heads in a 40 footer is a waste of space.
The people we invite are family or good friends, all people we are close enough with to want to spend time together in the confined space of a boat. That means using the same toilet for a couple of days. People who are not able to take leave of the idea that they need their own private toilet and bathroom to survive are not likely to be invited aboard. No one has ever enquired whether they would have their own private toilet, or shown the slightest unease at using the one toilet available.
Am I missing something?

 

[Deleted member 36384]

I have two heads. The forward head is used by everyone as it is larger and is good for a shower. I have a bar that I install across it to convert it to a wet locker, then everyone uses the aft heads. If I go cruising for a prolonged period one of the heads would be stripped out for sure and converted to store, probably the forward head.

It was not a consideration when I bought the boat, it just came with two heads. Cleaning is fast and easy. One bucket of hot water with bleach and the toilet cloth, less than 5 minutes a toilet. The rest of the compartment is cleaned with the non toilet cleaning materials at about 5 minutes each. 15 minutes later, shiny shitters, ready for the next sitter.

 

[duncan99210]

We’ve got two heads. One forward is en suite to our cabin, the other is aft on the opposite side of the boat. When we have guests on board, it makes life simpler with a head each. When sailing, one head is always on the “downhill” side, hence easier to use. With two stern cabins, one is given over to storage, the other for guests, so converting one head to a store is not required. We live aboard 6 months every year, so there’s a lot of kit on board but with the aft cabin shed, no need to create more storage space.

 

[Goldie]

Two heads weren’t on the ‘wish list’ when we changed boats but there are advantages. There’s an element of redundancy - if a heads fails it’s always an ‘inconvenience’ (sorry!), it’s useful when two can conduct their showers etc simultaneously and it’s great having a heads on each tack. Useful yes, but essential? Not in my book.

 

[mainsail1]

I find two heads is a great bonus when there are four or five of us onboard. There is always a time in the morning and the evening when everyone wants to use one so the queue is less.

 

[capnsensible]

For sure once you get over that 40 foot ish point, there is room for two heads. These days with modern materials, the extra holding tank (Med sailors and charter boats), diverter valve, inlet and outlet hull valves, shower and basin drain hull valves making those extra holes really isnt the problem it used to be.

Downside of course, is that there are two opportunities for some ill advised crew to put tissue down either one and block it with sodden wood pulp! That can be trained out of people though.

Only real drawback is when a designer puts both heads on the same side of the boat, chucking the either tack advantage! Bavaria 42 bloke take note.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

..... Bavaria 42 bloke take note.

Peter Brett, Rival 41 designer, also take note, I guess with both being on port at least on starboard tack one can be confident on the commode.

I have never bought into this starboard tack lark, who goes for a shit in the middle of a fleet of yachts?

 

[Gerry]

'Two heads are better than one' ...sorry! We have two, one on each tack-fantastic when needed particularly in rough seas. Nice to have seperate facilities for visitors and a back up in case of blockage. Certainly not a must have but very very nice.

 

[pessimist]

Peter Brett, Rival 41 designer, also take note, I guess with both being on port at least on starboard tack one can be confident on the commode. I have never bought into this starboard tack lark, who goes for a shit in the middle of a fleet of yachts?

That's interesting. Which 41? We have a 41A and one is starboard, one port.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

That's interesting. Which 41? We have a 41A and one is starboard, one port.

The 41C, centre cockpit. I have sailed on two and both were the same, as it is in accordance with his design drawings. The 41A was designed and launched 5 years after the 41C which many changes.