Living aboard in a boatyard

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lurob

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Sorry, naive question coming up!

How do liveaboards cope with plumbing when the boat is out of the water in the yard? Sink waste water? Toilet waste? or are both completely out of order for the duration?

I'm thinking particularly of overwintering in Preveza.
 
lurob said:
Sorry, naive question coming up!

How do liveaboards cope with plumbing when the boat is out of the water in the yard? Sink waste water? Toilet waste? or are both completely out of order for the duration?

I'm thinking particularly of overwintering in Preveza.
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The usual plan is that a hose pipe is connected to the waste water for normal washing etc and fed into a jerry can. As for Toilet waste you have yo use the shore based toilets OR a bucket in the night and carry it the next day to the land based facilities. Never pleasant living on the hard.

Peter
 
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rivonia said:
The usual plan is that a hose pipe is connected to the waste water for normal washing etc and fed into a jerry can. As for Toilet waste you have yo use the shore based toilets OR a bucket in the night and carry it the next gay to the land based facilities. Never pleasant living on the hard.

Peter
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Bucket and Chuckit, All jolly good fun :-)

Seriously, we did not actually do this but other boats had in the boatyard here. The yard would put a large, pallet mounted container (2000lts) beside the boat and plumb it into the outlet for the holding tanks. When it was full they would fork lift it away and empty it (I did not like to ask too many questions as to how!). Brilliant :-)
 
rivonia said:
The usual plan is that a hose pipe is connected to the waste water for normal washing etc and fed into a jerry can. As for Toilet waste you have yo use the shore based toilets OR a bucket in the night and carry it the next gay to the land based facilities. Never pleasant living on the hard.

Peter
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I agree, except I can't find any Gay to pass the bucket to! ;)
 
lurob said:
ROFL - I just spat my wine all over the table!
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Better than on the laptop!

A 1.5l plastic water etc. bottle comes in handy for the men on board, either as it is with the screw-on lid, then you can't spill it , or cut the top section off so it is easier to use.

As for the women aboard, sorry haven't come across any really practibale solution yet.
 
Plumbing problems aside, I find the tedious thing about living aboard the boat when its propped up on the hard, is that boatyards are dusty, stony places and you have to be really fastidious about taking off your outside shoes before climbing up the ladder to get aboard and then scrambling down barefoot to find your shoes when you want to get off.
Everything has to be lugged up the ladder as well which can be quite an effort with bottles of mineral water and cans of beer!
All in all it's not a pleasant experience and we try to keep the number of days in the yard to the minimum by doing all the jobs we can such as removing sails and deflating the dinghy whilst in the water.
 
Insurance may be invalid if living on the hard, plus a lot of yards officially frown at it. But if living aboard during the winter in Prevaza, why not leave the boat afloat on the town quay, or in that concrete harbour thing, or move on down to Levkas?
 
Dreamcatcher said:
Insurance may be invalid if living on the hard, plus a lot of yards officially frown at it. But if living aboard during the winter in Prevaza, why not leave the boat afloat on the town quay, or in that concrete harbour thing, or move on down to Levkas?
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If you have full liveaboard insurance it shouldn't be invalid, I'd check your policy, it should say "afloat or ashore and on/in any marina, quay, harbour or mooring, swing and pile included this also includes at anchor".

If it doesn't include these in your policy have it added.
 
Although not a full time livaboard I have been kipping during refit on the hard.
I bought a portable chemical bog from Lidl for under £50 which sits next to the Lavac in the heads. (I just have to remember which one to use).
Sink waste goes into a bucket strategically placed under the skin fitting. I empty the bucked down the nearest yard drain.
 
lurob said:
I'm thinking particularly of overwintering in Preveza.
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The Preveza boatyards charge a premium on top of normal charges for living aboard from November to May. Typically 5 Euros per day per person which can add up for a family. Electricity is extra and metered. Ask for a price list and tc's before hauling (or booking for the winter).

Also there is usually no hot water and the shower and toilet facilities are cut back to the minimum for maintenance. Uni-sex facilities can be interesting.

Also the shuttle bus to the shops are not running between November and May so it is taxi or bus for groceries.

I would say that a car (or moped) is essential to live a comfortable winter. The preveza yards are basically for the storage of boats for seven months of the year with the owners at home. Bicycles are useless because they are not allowed in the tunnel to the shops.
 
Recently completed three weeks of this existance...

...and yes all that has been said is true. However I would recommend the "Dump Bag" as a practical solution to the problem of "the first of the day".

Take a large (undamaged) supermarket bag and spread it out inside the dry bowl of your "Compact seatoilet" using the seat to keep it in place, tucking the handles and any protruding tucks of plastic under same.(Bag handles best at sides) Arrange three layers of decent quality kitchen paper to form a "target area" in the bottom of the bag. Have an empty 1.5litre water bottle available, best with a small plastic funnel in top for convenience. Lower oneself into position and perform as usual. Some personal control as to when each type of excretia is excreted is a benefit but not essential as you have both ends covered so to speak!.

A little fresh water down the funnel to rinse and then the bottle top screwed back on, the bag top tied in a knot and you're ready to visit the yard skip with your load.

I must apologise for what might seem an indelicate response but it is, to some an indelicate subject but we're all human after all!

Chas

Very handy solution if caught out with full holding tank in a sensitive anchorage too!
 
CharlesSwallow said:
...and yes all that has been said is true. However I would recommend the "Dump Bag" as a practical solution to the problem of "the first of the day".

Take a large (undamaged) supermarket bag and spread it out inside the dry bowl of your "Compact seatoilet" using the seat to keep it in place, tucking the handles and any protruding tucks of plastic under same.(Bag handles best at sides) Arrange three layers of decent quality kitchen paper to form a "target area" in the bottom of the bag. Have an empty 1.5litre water bottle available, best with a small plastic funnel in top for convenience. Lower oneself into position and perform as usual. Some personal control as to when each type of excretia is excreted is a benefit but not essential as you have both ends covered so to speak!.

A little fresh water down the funnel to rinse and then the bottle top screwed back on, the bag top tied in a knot and you're ready to visit the yard skip with your load.

I must apologise for what might seem an indelicate response but it is, to some an indelicate subject but we're all human after all!

Chas

Very handy solution if caught out with full holding tank in a sensitive anchorage too!
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Photo?

Before and after would be nice.
 
CharlesSwallow said:
...and yes all that has been said is true. However I would recommend the "Dump Bag" as a practical solution to the problem of "the first of the day".

Take a large (undamaged) supermarket bag and spread it out inside the dry bowl of your "Compact seatoilet" using the seat to keep it in place, tucking the handles and any protruding tucks of plastic under same.(Bag handles best at sides) Arrange three layers of decent quality kitchen paper to form a "target area" in the bottom of the bag. Have an empty 1.5litre water bottle available, best with a small plastic funnel in top for convenience. Lower oneself into position and perform as usual. Some personal control as to when each type of excretia is excreted is a benefit but not essential as you have both ends covered so to speak!.

A little fresh water down the funnel to rinse and then the bottle top screwed back on, the bag top tied in a knot and you're ready to visit the yard skip with your load.

I must apologise for what might seem an indelicate response but it is, to some an indelicate subject but we're all human after all!

Chas

Very handy solution if caught out with full holding tank in a sensitive anchorage too!
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I take it Charles that you are referring to plastic supermarket bags and not the paper ones that sometimes are provided in the Med.
Of course you are..silly me
 
either -or

two systems afloat. bucket and chuckit offshore or bag it and bin it in harbour.

on the hard its usually bucket and early morning visit to the ablutions. quite an interesting selection of buckets outside. usually with boat names and designated ;P:
on bucket. grey waste in another bucket.emptie when full.
I have a 40litre holding tank in the forecabin underneath the bunks. never used in anger . only tested with 20litre of water after installation. its pristine. perhaps as well as never seen a pump out station in greece. BUT we have a pump out facility in the new Cochin marina in india. with a pipe line ashore. when we ask where the pipe line goes we never get a definite answer. suspect it is diverted back into the harbour. the tide flushes out a 5 knots at springs so it joins the dead dogs ,weed ,snakes etc . that journey back and forth with tides.
 
Well - we did use a bucket but when I was living aboard on the hard for seven weeks I went and got a porta potti, and it's been a really useful thing. It just sits next to the toilet in the heads and while it puts a little extra strain n the knees, that works well. Once we're in the water we clean it extra thoroughly and stow it. (Once it's in pieces it has various deep pockets it goes into.) It has significantly improved our quality of life when working ashore.

(We still have the bucket but use it for other things.)

Aslo we attach a line or two to our pushpit rail and all heavy stuff comes up that way: it's much easier and MUCH better for your back etc to climb the ladder with light weights and se back and knees to pull the shopping/kit/whatever up after you.
 
Thanks for all the replies, and for being so candid, very helpful.
The alternative option for us would be be to winter afloat at Levkas (Nov-March) but, as we hope to leave the boat for 2-3 months, figured that ashore would be the cheaper option, maybe not though if the yards charge a premium for living aboard. Also, hadn't thought of the insurance implications, we'll have to check that out.
 
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