Date: 12 December 2016. Hanging In
the Head.
© janice142
Seaweed's
*head has had some hardware additions over the years. I've made it more
convenient and added little touches that might work aboard your boat
too. These are a few of the tweaks I've made. All are inexpensive.
They make my life easier and better.
*Head: the
bathroom on a boat.
Head also
is the term used for your M.S.D. aka Marine Sanitation Device.
(That's the toilet.)

The head is in my cabin tucked in the corner on the
port side. In the above schematic, it's labeled W.C. for water
closet.
For the curious, I take a shower
in the area directly in front of the steering wheel. It is a bit
cramped. The best part is it is private and easy to use.
If something is not
easy I tend to not do it.
Having conveniences is critical to my happiness.
When I come aboard after swimming
I rinse off with fresh water in the cockpit. Out there I have a simple spigot. It
is one such as you would find
on a house to water the garden. That spigot allows me to wash off
the salt water before traipsing through Seaweed.
Salt makes little white crystals
when it dries. It's icky and feels sticky too. A two minute rinse
in the cockpit keeps the salt outside. A short piece of hose is all that is
required.
Real showers are taken down below
in the privacy of my cabin. I have a shower curtain that prevents
water from getting on the bunk. My shower area is small.

My sink is tucked in the corner. Frankly it is not in
the best spot. To use it I sit on the head because there is no
way to stand at the sink.
At the left corner of the sink
counter is a
plastic Huggies brand box with baby wipes inside. Huggies boxes are
slightly larger than the discount brands. It may be important to
have the larger size box if your refills require those dimensions.
I use baby wipes often. They are
refreshing. DO NOT put them down any marine head ever!
The
Baby Wipes article discusses how to save
money on wipes and how to select the best ones.
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← Picture repeated so you
don't have to scroll.
Just beneath my wooden
medicine locker I screwed in two eyebolts. Using 1/8" diameter
line I tied a wood bar under the locker. The wood holds both
my toilet paper roll and the towel I use to dry my hands.
Because my wood bar is
not round the toilet paper didn't pull off neatly. Of course
I could have bought a wooden dowel. Using what I have and
making do is a part of my nature.
The solution is discussed
in the
Toilet Tissue (aka TP)
article. |
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Also you might note a roll of bags
hanging just above the sink. Let me tell you about that.
When I first bought Seaweed she
had two small inadequate cleats mid-ship. One of the first things I
did was install two larger cleats just forward of my pilothouse
doors. The bolts come all the way
through the deck, a backing plate and into my cabin. By using extra
long
bolts I had room to add a second nut.
That second nut allows me to use
the bolts as a support. In this case a line secured with the second
nut holds another bar. That is where I hang a
roll of plastic garbage bags.
It's not fancy. I could store the bags
elsewhere however this is convenient. The bags are secure when
underway. Aboard a boat that leaves the dock often means that each
item is considered in the light of "what do I have to do to keep
this in place when underway?"
Seaweed has a lot
of stuff. Stowing my gear out of
sight is preferred. Otherwise I shoot for neat and tidy.
If friends want to take a ride,
it's easy when things are properly put away.

Edwin captain'ed Seaweed on a jaunt up the river.
That was a fun afternoon.
Having a boat that can be taken
out in fifteen minutes or less keeps me happy. It also means that
when someone says "it's a nice day out there" I can be underway in just a few moments.
One thing I discovered is how much
fun it is to have someone to talk to. Years ago I had Bob. See the
Time Stopped
article for details. Bob was my phone friend and de-facto cruising
partner. Sharing the journey makes the trip all the better.
Well, it's obvious I've wandered
down a Bunny Trail. Kidlet tells me when I don't say on topic that
I'm off on a bunny trail. Oops! Let's get back into the head.
This is my shower bag:

In front of my sink I screwed
two cup holder hooks into the teak trim. I hang my shower bag from the hooks.
Everything inside dries quickly. The little items don't slide around
and fall because they are contained.
For my
shower gear I use a small mesh bag. These can be found at dollar
stores. The marketed use is for protecting delicates in a washing
machine. On a boat
they are useful for organizing stuff.
Side Note:
I have a purse that had the top zipper fail. I have one of the mesh bags inside
the handbag now. It corrals my gear. Everything is easy to get to. The
small items cannot fall out because they are secured in the zippered
mesh bag.
The damp
shower bag is hung on the hooks. When my items have dried I put them into the
locker under my sink. On a boat keeping mildew at bay can be a
chore. Drying thoroughly makes that a non-issue most of the time.
Recently I
added a third cup hook holder to the left of the two that secure the
shower bag. Now I can hang my panties at night.
During shower time I
also wash my panties and silk nightie. They hang over night
and are dry by morning. Keeping laundry at a minimum is easy if I do
some each evening. By rotating my nighties I always have a fresh
clean one to put on.
This is in the head of Lily Maria.
↓
The half-moon towel hanger is unique and beautiful.

Visit the Lily Maria in the
Life onboard Lily Maria
(Thompson 44 M/V) article.
Friends Colin and Jean on M/V Lily Maria showed me their lovely
boat. One thing that really struck me was the nifty half-moon towel
rack in
their head. I can easily imagine hanging my nighties and
clothes to dry on that gizmo. I'm not sure what it's called but
sure do like it a lot.
"My name is Janice. I'm a gizmo-holic..."
One of the best
parts about visiting aboard other boats is getting to know the
owners. Many have well thought out tweaks which make their home
better. Boats brimming with personalization are a particular
favorite. Those unique touches often spark my imagination. Later I
might adapt their good idea into my Seaweed. Perhaps you're the
same?
Well I've
meandered all over the place in today's article. The fog is lifting
and I can either fix the article or take Seaweed for a ride.
McDonald's has parfaits and iced coffee. Guess what? One of those parfaits
has my name on it.
I'll see
you on the water.
Do you have anything nifty in your boat that makes it
special?
And, what is the coolest gizmo you've seen on another boat?
COMMENTS:
© 2016
Categories:
Boat Talk,
Boats,
Characters,
Unmentionables,
Anchor Down by Noon (policy vs.
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