The New Shower - Pan Pan Pan

One of the luxuries of Harmony that Beth is looking forward to is being able to take a shower inside the boat.  Our showers on Poetry consisted of SunShowers in the cockpit.  While certainly refreshing on a hot day and a wonderful use of solar energy to heat water, the shower experience was less than spectacular for modest people.

We would fold up the cockpit cushions to provide a little privacy, string the 5 gallon SunShower from the boom, and sit in the cockpit well in a bathing suit for the shower.  Since our mooring was right on the main harbor channel, we always felt a little uncomfortable about giving a "show".  Yes, it was great on a hot summer afternoon after a long day of sailing.  However, the SunShower only worked in the sun and if you filled the back with a tea kettle's worth of boiling water, you could get only a tepid shower.

In Marion we always have the option of going ashore to use the public showers.  These are actually very nice, as the Marion Harbormaster and his team keep them clean.  Between $0.50 and $1.00 for a very nice hot shower is not too bad.  As we conceived the Harmony project, we wanted to remain as independent (i.e. off the grid) as possible, and as environmentally responsible or efficient as possible.

While the public showers will work in a pinch, we believe using our own on-board shower will use less water and will use water we make ourselves from the ocean.  Harmony was originally constructed with a shower in the forward head.  However, when we took ownership, it was in need of serious work.  The plumbing was basically gone and the very small shower pan drained into the bilge:  NOT a good situation.

The space for the original shower pan in the forward head

We did not want soap, hair, and other indelicacies to slime up our bilge.  The bilge is a bad enough place without all of that soap scum coagulating.  So we had a relatively blank slate to work with, although the size and configuration of the forward head offered some limitations.

The relatively small original shower pan (white thing in center of picture) in the salon amongst other casualties of demolition

We chose to remove the original shower pan, which was easier thought of than done.  I had to remove the teak and holly sole first, and then pry up the fiberglass shower pan.  Once out, this left an inconvenient hole in the sole of the forward head.  However, it was now easier to clean the forward bilge and install the proper shower drainage sump.  After much consideration, we chose the Whale Gulley IC system.

The is a nifty "intelligent" shower pump system.  There is no sump, but instead the drain automatically detects the water level which activates the pump.  The pump, which pumps at about 5 gallons per minute can be mounted under the head vanity to allow easy maintenance and connection to the head sink drain:  double up on an existing hole in the hull.  As nifty as it is, we will have to be careful to monitor its electrical circuit, as any water spilled into the shower pan will cycle the pump.  Thankfully there is a built in check valve to prevent seepage back into the drain.

I took copious measurements in order to fabricate a new shower pan to fit the sole area.  This new design will place the shower pan in the center of the head sole and the drain hole was placed in the aft area, as the head sole cants aft.  The shower well is roughly 4 inches deep allowing for enough space for water collection and enough gap to not touch the hull sides under the sole.

New Shower Pan showing shape of forward head's sole and teak frame around the shower well.  Drain hole is in the aft area of the head's sole.

To not have a gaping hole in the head sole, I made a teak grating that fits into the frame of the well.  Once installed, a new head sole will be made of 3/4 inch teak and holly, which will not only match the look of the rest of the boat's sole, but provide enough strength to support the shower pan.

Teak Grate fitted into the teak frame covers the shower well and offers a bit of nautical ambiance, if not practical usefulness

While our showers on Harmony won't last any longer or use any more water than the SunShower system on Poetry, it will be private and available anytime.  An added advantage is that we can still use the SunShower, if necessary, through the overhead hatch!  Having both options just adds to the luxury and privacy we'll experience.

Fair Winds and Following Seas!