Showering on deck

Nostrodamus

Nostrodamus

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www.cygnus3.com
What is the best way to shower on deck when anchored out and you cannot heat water for on board showers. I do prefer warm water to a cold shower.

There are the usual proliferation of solar bags hung from the boom but I wondered if anyone had found a different or better method.

Just a black bucket left in the sun. What about one of those garden weed sprayers pained black so you can build up a bit of pressure?

Anyone have any alternative methods or are the solar bags the best bet?
 
You could always :-

Swim over to a boat that has a naked Dutch lady and share one with her..

But you would probably need another shower after you get back..
 
Nostrodamus said:
What is the best way to shower on deck when anchored out and you cannot heat water for on board showers. I do prefer warm water to a cold shower.

There are the usual proliferation of solar bags hung from the boom but I wondered if anyone had found a different or better method.

Just a black bucket left in the sun. What about one of those garden weed sprayers pained black so you can build up a bit of pressure?

Anyone have any alternative methods or are the solar bags the best bet?
Click to expand...


I am currently looking into putting an element into the calorifier attached to the 'dump load' of my solar panel MPPT. I am hoping that will keep the water warm. It would be helpful if anyone knows if this would work or am I missing something?
 
Tomahawk said:
Swim over to a boat that has a naked Dutch lady and share one with her..

But you would probably need another shower after you get back..
Click to expand...

If the wife saw me I would also need to get used to life as a eunuch. She doesn't sleep with two bricks under her pillows for nothing!!!! :eek:
 
Ok a more useful idea

My first yacht had a small hot water geezer run on bottled gas... about 12 inches by 18h and three deep..

Not sure if they are still available on account of CO risk... but it is not a boiler for constant heating, just heating the water when needed so not running for very long.....

Proof needed of next door shower arrangement, or we do not believe she exists..
 
dslittle said:
I am currently looking into putting an element into the calorifier attached to the 'dump load' of my solar panel MPPT. I am hoping that will keep the water warm. It would be helpful if anyone knows if this would work or am I missing something?
Click to expand...

Calorifier elements start at around 900w and go up from there. Where are you going to get the 80 amps or so required from 12v to drive that lot? :)
 
surley nosty..

Haven't you got a button on your Oyster that you press and out pops a shower cubical with flashing disco lights and probably dancing girls from below deck..:p
 
We use a solar shower, if we remember to fill it in the morning it is too hot by the evening so we have to top it up with cold! There is more than enough for two showers in one bag. We also have a 5 litre garden spray which we use to shower off after a swim. We haven't painted it black and it does get warm during the day.
 
what about painting the boom matte black and running water in at the gooseneck and out at a drain at the end ? If the boom extends over the cockpit, voila, ready made shower.

Piffling details such as anchoring the boat at 90 degreees to the sun, and how to control the temp of the output flow, will kep you gainfully engaged for an hour or two :)
 
I have been toying with several ideas for warming our shower water. It is a dedicated 5 gallon bottle kept in the stern locker. It has a submersible caravan pump and a pressure switch, with a shower head in a fitting in the transom, where it is very handy for showering on the stern platform.

I have a spare solar panel, 38 watts and considered using a 12 volt element that can be bought for heating a cup of water in a car.

The next idea was to make up a coil of copper tubing inside the bottle to take the discharge from our seawater cooled refrigerator. This is not particularly hot but it runs for around 8 hours per day.

I think the idea I am going to go with is to make a heater tube from some large diameter copper pipe I have at home. This will be attached to the solar panel arch plumbed in to a loop with a small pump, taking water up and down from/to the reservoir. In Greek temperatures it will probably only take half an hour to heat the water to a decent temperature.
 
we also use a solar shower and find that it sometimes it gets too hot . The other problem is that I like a shower first thing in the morning after a swim,and of course bag is cool by then. I had the bright idea of storing the hot bag overnight in a M&S coolbag ,which insulates it enough to keep it comfortably warm for the morning.
 
A huge vote for the garden pest spray. We are now on our 2nd after about 10 years.
Mk2 is 8ltrs and leaving it out on deck gives us a good warm shower for 2 people. If the weather get a little colder, then simply add a kettle of hot water.

Showering with a friend is fun but you can tie the wand up to your bimini or boom.
 
Can get chilly in N Wales

I used a solar shower in North Wales.
I attached a watering can rose to the outlet and hoisted it on a spare halyard.
It was perfect but I did get some dodgy remarks from my shipmates.

The wife was embarressed, my mates girlfriend thought it funny and my mate found it quite arousing.

No photo's I'm afraid. I would love to have shown you the rig in action !
 
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