I have always loved your KISS philosophy living on your boat. Been doing the same for 43 years. Other boat owners look at me funny. Like I'm eccentric or something. 😂
A little mineral oil through the head occasionally helps keep things working smoothly. I'll definitely use the strainer on the raw water inlet trick though. I might even have one in my spares box somewhere.
Toilets and showers are a passion of mine. I have a Dometic Electric head which I discovered early if you run the pump backwards it does and extremely fine “Blend” which is de-aerated and when is pumped out it sinks quickly to the bottom. The second part of that is a sterilizer which will kill all bacteria and viruses with hyperchlorus acid to the US standard so it can be discharged into inland waterways. Performance not yet proven. I also have a hand pump inline with the electric pump which is a backup for the electric pump and I also use it to pump the toilet hose dry to minimize scale build up. I’ve been living in fresh water for the past 6 years, but starting next year will be heading for tropical and salt sea waters, so have not yet experienced the damp towel problem. For water conservation I have a design for a recirculating shower which will allow for a half hour shower with just 9 litres of water. The key thing with recirculating showers is that you have to be able to open the pipes to clean them out, while also being able to heat the water on each pass. The water drops about 15C on each pass from the rose to the floor. This requires 3 water changes for a comfortable shower. The water should be circulated with a magnetically coupled motor such as in the Fisher and Parker dish drawer. I haven’t made that yet mainly because there was no pressure to. The shower rose for me must have a wide spread. I found and use one that is mostly OK but am on the lookout for one with a wide and uniform spray. My water heating is with an Eberspacher Hydronic Diesel which can also work from the engine cooling system when motoring. The first one of those I had installed overheated and melted som of its part. I have the unit mounted high up in a void near the center of the boat, and it was trapped hot air that destroyed the first heater. Second time around I draw the combustion air from the space above the heater to keep it cool, and the current unit has done 3 years service so far. I don’t flush toilet paper for various reasons so that goes into a container and into the trash. Dead keen to have a bidet unit installed.
great hacks! kudos on those that we (humbly) credit towards our 'change one thing' campaign to help stop ocean pollution. Those that grabbed me were the soap sleeve, on demand hot water, manual toilet. thanks for these practical and proven hacks!!! #onemillionboaterpledge
I almost pulled the trigger on a bidet before I left this season, and I wish I would have. My only “hack” was to switch to fresh water flush, I use an extra gallon per day of fresh water for one person but IMO its worth it to get rid of the buildup in the bowl and pipes, and that sour head smell is gone. Im going to put in a 3 way valve so I can run salt water flush if I’m low on fresh water.
@@markpeter1968 Yes it completely eliminates it, you may have to change your discharge hoses at the same time if some smell is emanating from them. I wouldn’t go back, its a lot easier on the seals and pumps also.
I think your "5 Point Shower" might be what the Navy calls "A Navy Shower" where you wet down, turn water off, lather up, then rinse off. Also, do you use a macerator for the toilet effluent? Have you considered a de-humidifier for the Head? For the saltwater hose with filter going into the toilet couldn't your use a filter that unscrews to clean it rather than taking off the entire hose and filter? Great video. Very resourceful esp. with the home-made vanity sink.
One "grate" improvement was a spring loaded toilet seat. You never drop the seat on your boat again. You do have to be careful in a marina because you forget they are low tech and the seat slams down. This boat didn't have a shower curtain track and water would go through the doors to the hall carpet. I found a curtain rack at walliworld with a hinge so it blocks that water and slides easily to each end.
Oh, and you are right on about a respirator when applying ANY bilge paint, but Total Boat bilge paint disapates it's smell and vapors gaster than any other brand, and that toilet paper and paper towel storage hack is awesome and uses an available inside locker space, just genius!
Wow, some awesome organizations, and helpful hacks, especially like the bilge paint item, as I have been struggling with painting the bottom half of the interior of my door to fend off the shower water, ...I was disappointed that Clark had not come up with a floor grate different than wood, as I don't like how nasty it gets underneath over time, but maybe this is just a permanent regular clean chore item...but keep em coming, very helpful
This has some seriously good tips, the biggest being a raw water straining on the inlet of the for a saltwater toilet. The hot water heater and the TP rack. Excellent suggestions.
I just love y’all’s videos and all the wealth of knowledge you share. In particular the bathroom paint y’all have chosen. I may actually use this in the bathroom in my house if possible. Thank you!
I'd go for it! It seems to be a really good product. Takes a while to cure and harden up, but when it does, it's fantastic. You might never have to paint again.
Lots of good tips. Adding an inline filter to the head supply line is a great idea. Now I have a use for my spare😂. Different topic- do you have a line cutter on your prop shaft? Thanks for the help.
No . In my 20,000 miles of ocean work I only caught one line. Quick dive where I could tie the ends together got me free and saved the fisherman's gear
Thanks for the video. Very interesting suggestions. I will definitely implement the sea water strainer for the toilet. How is Luperon as an hurricane hole?
Have you thought about installing an electric water heater with a tank? Many camper van builds use that method. The electric heater can be set to activate only when the batteries are full and will heat a small tank of water to a set temperature automatically with the excess electricity.
thanks for the ideas i assume the ' filter ' on the toilet connection is a strainer? also propane is heavier then air, so watch out with that water heater
The easiest way to install a floor grate in a head is to cut up the thick rubber anti-fatigue mats you see in commercial kitchens, which sit above the floor on rubber studs. Nothing in the two heads in my boat can't be cleaned with a pressure washer and that's the easiest way to clean a bathroom by far, but rather than carry one around I've made a super-long kitchen faucet sprayer hose that can reach both ends of the boat from the galley, making it possible to use hot water to clean anything in the boat.
If you are in or near a marina or other public accommodation, etc do you try to use their bathroom facilities?? My businees is fairly regular, right after morning coffee. Is a daily morning jaunt to a land based cafe feasible?
You did an excellent job on the video. Clark is like an engineer. I would swear you two could survive for 1 year, without having to come to the mainland for supplies. You should do a video of how you do laundry on a boat.
Growing up we hung clothes on the line with the wood pins but the line was threaded through the circle of the metal spring so they wouldn't go amiss.😅 Wouldn't help on all your lines, but the one you hung specifically for laundry would work. My dream is an outdoor deck shower. Somehow Imma make this happen. Love your indoor multipurpose sink faucet/showerhead! Gonna give that bilge paint a try too. Very cool finish.
Thanks for the in-line water filter tip! Am curious about the bidet function set-up and product you would recommend… could you provide some details please.
I don't think you left anything out. That was great. I never thought of having on demand hot water. I always had the storage tank off of the motor. it was always entirely satisfactory, however I love your idea. now I want to try it.
Are you guys is till in Luperon? I wonder if you know someone that could give me some sailing lessons. I'm getting a 37footer soon and would like to get some experience. Maybe even passage if schedule aligns. I went to a regatta once, but just trimmed some sheets for a day, some actual experience would be lovely haha. Thank you!
How did you solve the issue with insurance using on demand propane water heater? I heard that non marine types of such things are not in favor of insurance companies.
Also curious to know if you considered setting up a solar water heater system. It would perhaps have to be a custom-made contraption taking into consideration surface available above deck with a tank for storage…
I have used solar showers. They work fine. I rigged a hook so one can wash dishes with one. Storing hot water inside a hot boat in the tropics isn't a great idea.
@@Clarks-Adventure Thank you for your reply. Am actually in the tropics too, with a rainy / warm nights season and a dry / cool nights season. Hot water has proven a good remedy on numerous occasions despite the tropical location and a major improvement to cleaning chores. A hot water tank running off the engine was set up in my initial boat construction, some 45 years ago, but I am looking at replacing the system by coiling copper exposed to the sun, feeding a tank, and wondering if that might have been one of your considerations.
Plumbed my sink drain as an option for water supply to the head. Wash your mitts and clean the bowl with the newly soapy water simultaneously… Pretty good conservation/odor tactic as a third/fourth benefit(s). Fair winds!
I suggest that it is safer to mount the propane heather outside and have your shower in the cockpit or on rear swim grid! It also keeps the humidity down
Interesting. After being told so by several others, we don’t use bar soap due to it having binding ingredients that can cause clogging. Perhaps an urban myth. Your thoughts?
If you don't use the tank and pump enough to only leave salt water in the lines, there is no smell. With the tank it's vital to have a vent. And use GREAT hose. Not cheap white sanitation hose. The black stuff from shields
I do a lot of home DIY, ummm.... have I done x25 separate jobs on my bathroom? Shower, Light, Mirrors, Shaver point, Shelf, Paint, Toothbush holder, Heater, Cistern repair, Roll holder, Towel rail, Extractor fan, Door Repair, Hot water Thermostat (had to replace) - nope not even close 🙂 My bathroom is over 9ftx9ft - something tells me I couldn't buy a big enough boat 🙂 The water table in my area is about 6ft down, tide hasn't come in yet 🙂 Kidding apart I do like sailing.
A cheap Asian style "bum washer" hose also works well using salt or fresh water. Handy to clean the bowl too. Dry off with just a little toilet paper. Do you flush your toilet paper?
I do not believe installing the camping-style on-demand water heater inside is worth the risk. I get the logic with ventilating the room, CO monitor, etc. However, the failure modes (portlight is shut, CO monitor batteries fail, room door is left open to rest of boat, etc.) is asking for trouble. We simply heat water on the stove and use a 2 gallon camping sprayer with a kitchen sprayer handle attached ($30 shower) and it works fine for us. Yes, kitchen stove is propane as well and that's also a risk we assume. No offense meant, to each their own risk judgement, but I wanted to put this counter-point out there for your viewers. I enjoy your content.
Everyone has their own idea of safety and should follow it. This is well tested by us for us. Over 30 years! 0 rise in co level (back when I had a sensor with a readout) Also consider to raise the temperature of your water on the stove uses almost exactly the same amount of propane burnt in a possibly more enclosed of a space.
