Turning 2 of 4 Heads into Desks / Work Areas or Extra Storage

[Wellington]

We hope to buy an ex-charter 40-46 ft cat that will most likely come with 4 heads, when 1 per hull is enough for a family.
- Can you see possible drawbacks in dismantling 2 heads out of 4? (assuming that you never re-sell an older cat back into the charter business, do you think some sailors might see 4 heads as prefereble to 2 ?)
- Have any of you done that, or seen that on a cat ? Is it as easy as it seems ? (plugging through holes, etc.)
I would be most interested in seeing photos or drawings of such "heads turned desks" in particular.
Thanks

[Talbot]

most likely follow-on purchaser is looking for cruising capability, so additional storage is going to be more of a help than a hindrance in re-sale.

Go for it.

[talus]

I have to say that as a family buyer, I prefer the two head cats to the 4 head versions. I really like the Lagoons with the large single head per side with dedicated shower and the Leopard 43 Owners is just about my ideal yacht.

[muskoka]

Great idea. We have two heads on our boat and use the same one 95% of the time. The other is a backup used when guests stay overnight or the primary head fails. The classic charterboat layout (4 berths / 3-4 heads) doesn't make a lot of sense for cruising.

If you turn one head into a utility space you could locate a watermaker with the old sink connections. And maybe fit in a small laundry facility. I find that the tools / spares take up a fair amount of space. The second head could be converted to a small office or a pantry.

[sailingaway221]

I am in the process of doing this right now too. Not too sure whats going where yet...but working on it!

[imagine2frolic]

Imagine is 46ft., and 3 berths. Sometimes we have guest, and a total of 6. We find 2 heads is plenty. The imagination can run wild with what to do with all that space. Workbench, hanging closet, toolset, and the list is endless. The space can have multiple purposes at once, and even be used converting from one use to another. Let us know, and provide pics when you choose what to do........i2f

[Talbot]

Make sure you include a wet locker in your plans if you dont have one already. Too many boats are designed without thought for what to do with wet clothing!

[JustCatamarans]

Weve pulled heads out for owners and installed shelving etc for panrty/storage. We are currently working out pricing to convert Leopard/Moorings charter to a three cabin

[JamuJoe]

I copied an idea that I saw on another boat and converted one of the aft heads on our 4-stateroom Leopard 42 into a laundry room/wet locker. I removed the head and fit a chinese-made domestic washing / spinning machine (110v) into place. It was a squeeze getting the machine below, but the plastic body was flexible. I plumbed the outflow into the sink discharge, taking care to be well above the waterline. Inflow is through a filtered dock hose connection. The cabin will incorporate a workbench and storage.

[MarkJ]

We went on a monohull, I think it was a Hunter 47? Or Catalina 47? Anyway, they had converted a show stall into a galley larder.
The door opened onto floor to ceiling draws with plenty of air circulation. The rest of the head was a wet locker.

As it was an aft head is was straight over from the galley and made great sense. It really did hold an amazing amout of food.

[Bash]

Desks are fine, but only if one of them is installed with a bench vice.

[Palarran]

Hey Wellington, are you still looking at the Bahia? The port aft head has a double door with one in the hall. I'd keep that one and the port forward just the way they are. The starboard aft head would be the best on to convert. It also has a closet just forward which would give you an extra 2' of space to play with. Then, you can eliminate the midship starboard berth and make more storage shelves there.

In any case, I would definitely look are reducing the "head count". What would be great is to have an extra large shower stall that everyone could use. Have you looked at this one?
1998 Fountaine Pajot Bahia 46 Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com
Lots of re-hab work already so you won't mind tearing out half a hull. I'm guessing they want to off this baby quick.

[schoonerdog]

That's a great idea, we're planning on doing it ourselves. I've seen St Francis do it on a couple of their catamarans, it's a great idea, really opens up the space. I've written the factory and they said the walls are not structural, so they can be removed without impact.

[schoonerdog]

The only thing I'd recommend against is putting "storage" in that space as it's at the very aft end of the boat. Storage should be close to the center of the boat for balance. A desk would do nicely, or simply a bench.

[Palarran]

One of the features I like about Leopards is their tankage is mid-ship, right in the companionway. Cat's are so perfect for centering the weight and yet it seems that a lot of them carry it aft.