Practical boat bits and tips

Ample swinging room for arms in the head © Jack and Jude

Bathrooms on boats should be light and easy to keep clean and well ventilated. Before Banyandah's refit there was a cupboard below the sink and if a sudden wind gust put us on our ear before we had a chance to close the seacock, the sink would overflow creating a soggy mess to clean up.

Some features of Banyandah's head:

1. Where the bulkheads, floor, hull, and pedestals come together are completely sealed with concave rounded corners. This prevents water retention. After a shower, a quick sponge down keeps the head clean and it will dry quickly preventing mildew.
2. A little cupboard behind our homebuilt Lavac toilet (see website for details) acts as a backrest and the toilet seat rests against a rubber pad on a block of wood. This is the only storage below chest height and is used solely for small items like hair and tooth brushes. Drainage channels incorporated within the support ledge around its opening top keep items dry even when showering.
3. The sink pedestal, made from a flat fibreglass sheet pulled round a former then glued to rims top, middle, and bottom, ends well above the grated floor, which measures 36 cm wide tapering to about 12.5 cm by 90 cm long. Sufficient foot space for a shower with swinging room for arms. The toilet seat is convenient when washing legs and feet. Sink plumbing is accessed from underneath the pedestal. Toilet plumbing is exposed.
4. The toilet support, a formed fiberglass channel, has a gap between it and the hull which assists drainage down to the floor base.
5. Major plumbing and valves are visible so their open-shut positions are easily seen at a glance.
6. The hand operated fresh water pump also has a foot pump connected in series. The shower head screws onto the hot and cold pressure faucet and hangs on the bulkhead when in use. When not, it is coiled and stored in the cupboard.

Tip. A small deck hatch in the head aids ventilation. And the door can be hooked open, handy for funnelling in a breeze in hot climates.

Download more photos and details: Practical Boat Bits and Tips by Jude Binder

This article has been provided by courtesy of Jack and Jude.