Who ever uses marina loos or showers?

[RupertW]

Or who, like us, almost never use them.

It’s been a slow change of habit but in our boat we now only use the loos and showers on board and only use our base marina loos when we have finished a trip so won’t be able to empty the holding tanks.

Using marina loos and showers now feels like leaving your house and going to public loos way down the street.

Is the the majority view now?

 

[Sandy]

We use them all the time, why faf around using resources on the boat when there lovely clean facilities ashore.

That 10 minute hot shower at the end of a long, cold, wet day is bliss.

Filling the water tanks and cleaning the heads after a shower is not my idea of fun

 

[Topcat47]

We use them all the time, why faf around using resources on the boat when there lovely clean facilities ashore.

That 10 minute hot shower at the end of a long, cold, wet day is bliss.

Filling the water tanks and cleaning the heads after a shower is not my idea of fun

+1 Of course it helps that I don’t have a holding tank or shower on Snark. The prospect of unlimited hot water and a cubicle you can stand up, turn round and don’t have to clean is just so beguiling and it’s anti-social to pooh in a marina.

 

[VicS]

We use them all the time, why faf around using resources on the boat when there lovely clean facilities ashore.

That 10 minute hot shower at the end of a long, cold, wet day is bliss.

Filling the water tanks and cleaning the heads after a shower is not my idea of fun

Surely the hired crew do all that.

 

[Praxinoscope]

We use them all the time, why faf around using resources on the boat when there lovely clean facilities ashore.
mk
That 10 minute hot shower at the end of a long, cold, wet day is bliss.

Filling the water tanks and cleaning the heads after a shower is not my idea of fun

The other point to conside, a high percentage of us don’t have boats large enough to have showers fitted.
Besides, your payng for the marina facilities so you may as well use them.

 

[DJE]

Currently in Cherbourg on a bank holiday weekend and there is no hot water in the Capitainerie.

 

[RupertW]

The other point to conside, a high percentage of us don’t have boats large enough to have showers fitted.
Besides, your payng for the marina facilities so you may as well use them.

I think that’s a big factor - we used them all the time when we had a 31 footer but when looking for this boat 2 heads were an essential requirement ( I couldn’t see why but I get the point now). Using up boat resources isn’t an issue as that’s what they are for and the convenience of just opening your bathroom cabinet rather than living out of a washbag and the shower itself cleans the compartment with a quick spray around at the end.

Getting into the habit of boat as independent home means we usually have a nice hot shower when sailing overnight although pressing the button to empty the shower sump when heeling needs precise timing.

 

[ashtead]

Currently in Cherbourg on a bank holiday weekend and there is no hot water in the Capitainerie.

Was rather lukewarm when we were there but hopefully you still have sun to warm it up? We only use showers ashore where facilities merit e.g. Lymington marinas both first rate but numerous marinas are looking tired on South coast or north France . Who publishes a true guide to marina facilities though to rate in a trip adviser way?

 

[dunedin]

Kind of depends also on whether the crew is a couple on their own boat (when we also tend to use our own facilities) or six blokes on somebody else’s boat.
Also how far the facilities are away and whether it is cold, wet and windy

 

[[2574]]

We use shoreside facilities where we can so as to keep moisture out of the boat wherever possible. Less of an issue if weather is dry and warm but if wet and cold we don't want to introduce more moisture. Less of an issue if we have the dehumidifier aboard. We always dry hair ashore for same reason.

 

[shan]

We use the loo and shower on our boat. Electric flush loo and the shower delivers a good quantity of hot water. We don't skimp on showering either - morning and evening. Using the marina facilities feels too much like camping to me.

 

[pvb]

I use the on-board toilet and shower all the time. Much cleaner than the marina facilities. Wiping the shower down after use takes about a minute, and there's a hair dryer plugged in to the socket in the locker, ready for immediate use.

 

[[3889]]

Was thinking of starting a similar thread myself. By default I always used marina facilities until this year when, after a cold and smelly experience in La Rochelle, I started using the boat, which has a decent size shower, separate from the heads.
Now I would never go ashore, even for palatial ablutions such as Swanick, with the faff involved. Tanks last for 12 days with 2 of us showering daily. A lot less hassle to fill than than the morning trudge down pontoons.

 

[capnsensible]

I use the on-board toilet and shower all the time. Much cleaner than the marina facilities. Wiping the shower down after use takes about a minute, and there's a hair dryer plugged in to the socket in the locker, ready for immediate use.

How often do you need to empty the holding tank for the head and shower?

We live aboard nearly all the time so thats not practicable for us. But nearly 20 years of Marina showers means im not over worried about it.

 

[Sybarite]

Was thinking of starting a similar thread myself. By default I always used marina facilities until this year when, after a cold and smelly experience in La Rochelle, I stnarted using the boat, which has a decent size shower, separate from the heads.
Now I would never go ashore, even for palatial ablutions such as Swanick, with the faff involved. Tanks last for 12 days with 2 of us showering daily. A lot less hassle to fill than than the morning trudge down pontoons.

For palatial try the facilities at Port-La-Forêt.

 

[[3889]]

For palatial try the facilities at Port-La-Forêt.

Never been but unusual for S Brittany. Crouesty seem to have mastered the art of heating the water just enough to deter complaints.

 

[RupertW]

How often do you need to empty the holding tank for the head and shower?

We live aboard nearly all the time so thats not practicable for us. But nearly 20 years of Marina showers means im not over worried about it.

Shower goes straight into the water but heads holding tank seems to be about 12-15 person days and we have one heads each so for practical purposes it’s never an issue for two of us but if we have 4 guests sharing one heads then we need to be at sea once every 3 days or so - which we would be anyway.

 

[alant]

Or who, like us, almost never use them.

It’s been a slow change of habit but in our boat we now only use the loos and showers on board and only use our base marina loos when we have finished a trip so won’t be able to empty the holding tanks.

Using marina loos and showers now feels like leaving your house and going to public loos way down the street.

Is the the majority view now?

Females onboard seem to insist on proper plumbed in ashore facilities.

 

[pvb]

How often do you need to empty the holding tank for the head and shower?

The shower pumps out directly overboard, so the holding tank lasts ages.

 

[capnsensible]

The shower pumps out directly overboard, so the holding tank lasts ages.

Not been in UK marinas for a while, are they generally happy with discharging showers into the water? Med marinas Ive been in are a lot more fussy, I suppose with lack of tidal flow. But its clear that some ignore the marina rules anyway. I certainly did with washing up water! Allegedly.......