Only showering at marinas?

[Toccata]

Fair criticism re "attacking the poster"?? (me in this case) It was not my intention to cause offence.
Just shows how many ways the written word can be interpreted.
I was just trying to understand why anyone would not fix the shower and indeed bother asking such a question? If the shower is vital to a comfortable trip, to me, it's a bit like asking "how do I stop the boat rocking"?

Possibly it was a disingenuous question/issue, and just designed to elicit this type of response (given that they have not reappeared on the forum) ie just stir up the forum.

Maybe I jumped the gun trying to understand the premise behind the question and should have answered the mechanical aspects of the question first. ie: marina availability, cost thereof, mechanical issues, then I might have developed a better understanding of the poster OR maybe I just don't have that many heartbeats to spend....

Anyway, looks like a non issue and no further or deeper understanding is going to come from bashing the keyboard.https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...lies/peace.gif

[flightlead404]

Originally Posted by ChrisJHC

One approach is to go a week without showering and then pull into a marina overnight.
While there, do your laundry, shower, go shopping, refuel, fill water tanks, recharge batteries, etc, etc
Wet wipes work fine as a shower-substitute (although my wife would disagree ).
Just don’t put them down the head!

A better option to wet wipes, which have a disposal problem and imho a nasty perfume, is simply a washcloth and a ziploc bag of soapy water. Eminently portable.

[CSY Man]

Originally Posted by Toccata

Fair criticism re "attacking the poster"?? (me in this case) It was not my intention to cause offence.
Just shows how many ways the written word can be interpreted.
I was just trying to understand why anyone would not fix the shower and indeed bother asking such a question? If the shower is vital to a comfortable trip, to me, it's a bit like asking "how do I stop the boat rocking"?

Possibly it was a disingenuous question/issue, and just designed to elicit this type of response (given that they have not reappeared on the forum) ie just stir up the forum.

Maybe I jumped the gun trying to understand the premise behind the question and should have answered the mechanical aspects of the question first. ie: marina availability, cost thereof, mechanical issues, then I might have developed a better understanding of the poster OR maybe I just don't have that many heartbeats to spend....

Anyway, looks like a non issue and no further or deeper understanding is going to come from bashing the keyboard.https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...lies/peace.gif

I agree, the shower not working is probably the easiest one to fix on a boat and a pump, whether electric or hand/foot operated can be jury rigged many different ways.

1) If the boat has only 1 tank and it is leaking or unusable, get a bladder, 50 gallons, or 2 fifty’s, leave one below deck, in a cockpit lockers, whatever.
2) Hook up a small pump, attach a plastic water hose and a shower head, connect to 12 volts.
3) Take a shower.

[JPA Cate]

Hi, Cheery Sailor,

Welcome aboard CF.

We had to learn to get on without showering as frequently as when landbound. What our experience taught us was that we could make do most times when it was too cold to use sea water to wash, with one shower a week. At that time, our boat carried only two 25 gal water tanks. So, first we bought a 5 gal sunshower, and rigged a privacy curtain and showered in the cockpit (keeps the soap scum out of the boat). Between showers, I used isopropyl alcohol, on a piece of toilet tissue, to scour my armpits, daily. I like that better than using deodorant. Later, we did get a garden sprayer (also useful for degreasing the engine box), painted it black (so it would absorb solar radiant heat, like the sun shower) and we used that. Honestly, either can be made to work, but I found the sun shower more convenient. So, I am confident you will have no difficulty with using either of them to keep clean between proper showers.

We have since then learned that some laundromats have public showers, and some trailer parks will allow you to use their facilities. Usually, the latter have no charges, and you can shower while the laundry is washing. Our practice was always to ask the manager first.

When you look at the marina websites, see if they have a "waiting" dock for people to tie up prior to berth assignment. You may be able to walk in to the marina office, and see what you can negotiate, and then, leave if you don't like the deal that is offered. Always be friendly. Leave it cleaner than you found it.

Ann

[dlj]

Originally Posted by flightlead404

A better option to wet wipes, which have a disposal problem and imho a nasty perfume, is simply a washcloth and a ziploc bag of soapy water. Eminently portable.

There are biodegradable wipes. I can't recall the name. In the US I can buy them at REI . Something like land and sea, but don't really recall the name. They also do not have the perfume problem IMHO

dj

[MicHughV]

Good grief....a quick trip to any marine store will get you a "sunshower"...basically a plastic bag with a small hose attached.
Fill with fresh water and haul it up the mast 7' or so.....voila.....hot water shower.

A single night in a transient slip can buy several of these.

Tip # 2. What I use. Any hardware store sells these...a 2.5 gal garden sprayer. Take the spray tip off and attach a sink sprayer. A few pumps on the handle....voila...pressure water. Paint the bottom part black, so the sun will heat it up.

[Cheery sailor]

Hi everyone, sorry for the delay in getting back to you all. Just jumped back online. We need to fix several components of the shower. Our element is broken in our heating element and the plumbing needs to be redone. The boat needs serious upgrades, and we live off the hook at the moment. I was asking as I was hoping there might be some people who work for Marinas that could answer the question. We are definitely docking or using mooring balls as needed when we need to shower, fuel up, food resupply, etc. but most places we have stopped at do not carry the equipment/parts that we need to replace within a few hours drive (via car rental). Please note that I meant no offense by asking this question, was honestly just curious as I cannot find anything about something like this online.

[Greatest Lakes]

I dont know if it has been mentioned, but most truck stops have reasonably priced showers, might be a hike from the marina though.

[JPA Cate]

Sorry, Cheery Sailor, I must have misunderstood the question.

Is the question more like "how can I get x, y, and z delivered to a marina near me?" We have had to wait at marinas for parts from time to time. UPS or the equivalent does the delivery, don't generally have to rent cars for parts chasing, often a new friend will drive you. Public transport works, too and is its own kind of adventure. East coast US, I'm pretty sure Defender delivers.

Good luck with getting your parts in a timely way, and with getting the whole new to you boat up to what you want.

Ann

[Kettlewell]

Get to Annapolis. Very good local stores and repair facilities, plus rental moorings, plus a harbor facility for cruisers with showers and laundry. Very walkable city, but just a short distance by cab if you have heavy stuff you need to pick up.

[kayakerChuck]

Welcome aboard, Cheery.

Defender delivers, and Amazon has drop boxes. A friendly local or Uber can get you around. I'd start by ordering a sunshower. Heat water on the stove, fill the sun shower, and enjoy.

As mentioned above, Annapolis.

[flyingw]

Don't forget, if you ask the marina to use their showers and they say yes (with or without a fee), leave it spotlessly clean and in better condition than you found it. Much of the reticence of people which run the various facilities is the absolute slovenliness of the typical person nowadays. Why does everything from public toilets to any common-use area have to be a f-ing pigsty?

[Pandor]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

Get to Annapolis. Very good local stores and repair facilities, plus rental moorings, plus a harbor facility for cruisers with showers and laundry. Very walkable city, but just a short distance by cab if you have heavy stuff you need to pick up.

“Very walkable city” - once upon a time. They used to have two hardware stores, groceries, city market, and two boat supply stores walking distance to the city dock. Now it is very walkable to overpriced restaurants and tacky souvenirs.

[SV_FlyingTigress]

1. Buy this.

2. Fill with fresh water, leave in sun for 1-3 hours.

Amazingly effective as a shower, and....
Great for washing decks using minimal water.
Fresh water rinsing salt off of stuff.
Cleaning mud off anchor chain and anchor as well as rinsing anchor chain to get salt water off.
Washing the fish cleaning board
Spraying the admiral as a joke.
Long distance rinsing bird poop off of solar panels.
etc
etc
etc
.... all of this being very miserly with the volume of fresh water used

One of the absolutely most useful things on the vessel.

[MicHughV]

Take that spray hose off and fit a kitchen faucet spray extension and you'll have a simple shower.
I painted the bottom half of mine black to attract heat.
Whole thing work like a champ