How Would You Build a New Shower?

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by phydeaux

Pan to size, with stringers for support. Plumb with Forespar's Marelon (for weight and durability). Panels and pan can be a Home Depot stall, or panels from the same source. Spend the money on a grate for footing (Tile/terrazo is a really bad idea). It's going to be interesting, but worth it in the end.

Just one lil question why would terrazzo be such a bad idea tile I agree ( hard to keep sealed in smaller applications)

[Cheechako]

Well, there are many so ways. But the best is specific to your space and shape.
-buy a fiberglass bottom pan and cut/modify it to fit.
or
-fab it all up in good plywood, coat it with fiberglass resin, or even something else if you are sensitive to that also. Nobody used epoxy for this stuff years ago. Then paint or gel coat it.
-or cover a fabbed bottom pan with tile (for just the pan and maybe 4" up the sides... not that heavy.) Or
-cover the pan with plastic simulated tile sheets from the hardware store. You could just fasten it with sealant or marine glue in a tube etc. Seal the edges nicely with sealant.
-Or fabricate the whole pan out of hardwood, teak etc. Using sealant on the seams. I've even seen beautiful sinks made from hardwood.

[reed1v]

Would advise Not to use teak grates in the shower. They quickly clog with soaps and become slippery and moldy. Better to use a non skid rubber mat that can be washed out while you are sailing along. Also much easier to clean up after someone barfs into the shower. We just dragged ours behind us and let the ocean do the cleaning.
Oh, and btw, be sure to use removable small screens in the drains to stop hairs and the like from clogging things up, especially if you have females and dogs aboard(especially a female dog).

[hellosailor]

I'd agree with going to an RV supplier, using premade shower panels or a premade shower. (Home builders used to use the same things in summer bungalows and such, but I think the home market has gone upscale.) They range from "painted" sheet metal or plastic about 2' on up. Some odd shapes for corners, too. Others come as panels, you just install the corner trims to waterproof them after you cut the sides to custom length. The use a standard pain underneath, or fab one up if you have to. Not fancy but effective, cheap and light. Your alternative is to buy a couple of sheets of a plastic material and fab it all up yourself but I don't think you'll save anything.
The sides will "oilcan" every time you bump them, unless you've fitted them or foamed behind them to fix them in place solidly.
Camping stores also sell "showers. Four corner support rods, a ring around the top, a full length plastic curtain that wraps around the outside. That's fast and cheap and light, but on a boat you're better off with a slid wall that you can use a small squeegee on, to get it mainly dry quickly after use, to discourage mildew. And a vent, prefereably a solar vent, right above it to help pull that moisture out.
Don't forget a drain filter to keep hair out of the drain line and pump, and preferably don't let it drain into the bilge--shower water makes nasty soup. Even if it just drains into a five gallon blivet and you dump that manually, make sure it drains someplace by itself.

[senormechanico]

Originally Posted by mr_f

I completely understand. My wife is stinky too.

Whatever you do DON'T EVER post your wife's email address or you'll never recover from that post !

[seasick]

Not directly pointed at your request for input on materials but a design consideration I have incorporated that I find very useful is a five gallon open sump below the floor grate with a stopper in the drain. This sump drains to another sump below wherein lies a pump for discharge. This upper sump below the grate acts like a big measuring cup so that the amount of water consumed can be monitored. As well, it is shaped like an upside-down pyramid so that water is directed to the drain even on a heel. I have been researching a recirculating system with sand filter and on-demand water heater so that once a person has completed their final rince, they could throw a valve then sit and luxuriate under hot water for a long time if they chose.

[Terra Nova]

Originally Posted by cruisersfarm

How would you build a very lightweight shower in an empty hull without...

1) Using epoxy other than to coat wood
2) Sanding...

I wouldn't, because I refuse to restrict myself so severely, arbitrarily and unnecessarily. You can easily hire a skilled helper to do the sanding and epoxying of anything for which epoxy is the best material choice.

Photos, or a description of your boat's interior would aid in selecting a construction method and design approach. But generally it is best to match that of the original builder, so new construction is not obvious and does not appear as if a DIY-er did it. As it most certainly would if you cheap out or refuse to use common boat building methods.

Any competent woodworker can turn a couple sheets of veneered plywood, some hardwood, screws and epoxy into a reasonable shower stall that more or less fits the boat's interior. Hire whatever help you need to get a workmanlike job done, so you can avoid that work which you cannot bring yourself to do.

[notiesbob]

How big is boat, how big is space allotted, what location (the pointy end, widest area)? On the 57' C&C's we shipped to Europe shower unit was located forward and sourced from residential supplier like MAAX Showers - Alcove Installation - MAAX There were minor modifications to fit it in hull (deck was not installed yet) and we use rod & curtain instead of doors. Using prefab laminated sheets that will bend/curve will take out some of the work, then laminate the joints, finish off inside with white gel coat or marine sealant.

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by cruisersfarm

How would you build a very lightweight shower in an empty hull without...

1) Using epoxy other than to coat wood
2) Sanding

Ideas? Do they make really lightweight tiles or plastic tiles?

I built a shower and head cubical year before last. I used 6 and 8mm marine ply and basically made a box. It included a floor. Then i sealed it with white epoxy, gel coat, which i put on with a brush. No sanding anywhere. The only area i fibreglassed was the foot well which is about 300 x 400. I purhased a small gulper pump and connected this to a outlet in the floor and this pumps into the head black water tank. So, no sump at all. Im really pleased with it. Works really well. Cost was around $500.

[Ribbit]

Originally Posted by ramblinrod

1. Prefab residential shower floor pan.
2. Aluminium profile framing.
3. Prefab FRP panels.
4. Residentail tub enclosure panels for interior.
5. Tube of 3M 5200.
6. Wood veneer or laminate exterior.
7. Shower curtain (or acrylic folding trackless shower stall door).

Light, low cost, deck fluff friendly. ;-)

Ramblin Rod
Marine Service Provider
About Sheen Marine

I'd stick with something like this including RV showerstall base if a shape suits better - but a lot of these are too flimsy for purpose and fail pretty soon, so if you get the right one shape wise but strength is naff, beef it up underneath to make it really solid. Avoid any glass or tiles for obvious safety reasons, or anything that allows molds and spores to get a grip. Associated with that I'd stick very much with GRP, or standard foam cored upvc board for the panelling. when it's all done prior to installing the fittings and trimmings , you can Awlgrip spray it for extra surface wearability and future maintenance, as well as use a very hard silicon polish on it to extend durability. Perhaps have a 2/3rds height swing door for the entrance, that's easy to solidly secure (and helps to keep someone actually in the shower if it is rough - if you are cold and wet coming from a watch, this will be bliss), or if potential bruising isn't an issue, just a shower curtain door, and I'd include a solid seat in the shower with a solid footrest opposite, so it is easy to brace yourself in securely while under way. I'd stick a couple of solid stainless steel 'disabled type' hand holds at a useful height too. But that's just me (I've been thrown around a fair bit in poorly prepared heads before - drop dead gorgeous sure does look nice, but counts for sweet FA when you need reassuring security). Eta: the fold down safety bars you see at the side of disabled toilets can be a huge help in someone being able to stay on the heads . . . .

You might notice I like 'solid'.

That fibreglass and upvc stuff is safe to use with standard (and cheap) shower cleaner sprays, which keep things sparkly and are a good preventative against molds and spores appearing, plus, if you fail in the prevention, you can steam clean them to kill the molds and spores.

Getting the sump for it right will be critical.

Getting the plumbing, heating, lighting, and drainage sorted, will be down to what suits you and the boat best.

[rourkeh]

I refit both the heads on my boat, originally 2 identical heads. I turned one into a dedicated shower stall with large cabinet to house my watermaker. Weight was not an issue with me, but structural integrity was important. Stripped everything down to bare fiber glass, built new sub-floor and used Corian for everything. Here are before and after shots.

[cruisersfarm]

This thread really took of and contains a wealth of great information on materials I wasn't aware of.

Going to take some time this weekend to sort through each response and see about sourcing the materials.

Thanks so much. A great, great set of responses.

[wrwakefield]

Originally Posted by newhaul

Just one lil question why would terrazzo be such a bad idea tile I agree ( hard to keep sealed in smaller applications)

Hi Newhaul,

If you are asking whether an appropriately rated terrazzo [purpose built ceramic] tile is usable on a boat, I can say yes- from personal experience.

When searching for our current vessel in 2013-14, we looked at several Nauticats. They all had one thing in common: Italian terrazzo tile soles in the heads, shower stalls, and saunas (on boats that had one...)

The boat we ended up with also had the tiles on the sole in both heads and the shower stall. [No sauna...] I wasn't sure I would like it at first, but after a couple of years, I can report is is quite robust, easy to keep clean, with excellent non-skid qualities- even when wet and/or heeled.

One downside is it is cool to the touch and can sweat condensation where it is applied directly to the hull. [A small portion of the head sole in the master head in our case. Remember we are in colder water year around... The positive side is the shallow areas of the bilge are also our beer coolers...]

High quality ceramic tiles are available in various Skid Resistance ratings. Ours seem to have a very high non-slip rating yet are still easy to keep clean.

I have not experienced- nor would I want- tile for shower walls on a boat.

Regarding grout: One trick to keeping tile grout intact and clean is to seal the mature grout with an appropriate sealer when new, and again every few years.

Having shared this, I'm not advocating for a tile sole in every head, nor am I planing to replace ours... I just wanted everyone to know that it has been done with success for many years [our tile is original to the boat and was installed in 1983...]

If I were building from scratch, or re-doing our head soles, I would consider using a fiberglass/epoxy pan finished with thickly applied KiwiGrip non-skid.

For what it is worth...

Cheers!

Bill

[newhaul]

Bill I know it is good I was wondering what phydeaux's reason was I used to install the stuff on boats and ships but not the terrazzo tiles we used the bulk stuff you mix with epoxy or a latex then trowel on just like cement then after it was cured use a sealer coat. Lasts forever and looks excellent. And as you found out easy to keep clean.

[wrwakefield]

Originally Posted by newhaul

Bill I know it is good I was wondering what phydeaux's reason was I used to install the stuff on boats and ships but not the terrazzo tiles we used the bulk stuff you mix with epoxy or a latex then trowel on just like cement then after it was cured use a sealer coat. Lasts forever and looks excellent. And as you found out easy to keep clean.

Thanks, Newhaul,

That is good to know about the pourable shower pan use on boats. I suspect the tile substrate on ur boat may be something similar. It is very firm- like a concrete slab [which may be why we haven't experienced loose tiles or cracked grout.]

Can you recommend any specific products we or others might consider? I could see that sealed with epoxy and with KiwiGrip applied as the non-skid finish to make a very robust and long lasting head/shower sole.

Thanks again,

Cheers!

Bill