Hot shower options good enough for the girlfriend to move in

[Will10MNT]

Originally Posted by sailingabe41ds

The op does not realize how lucky he is that all its taking is a little hot water for his wife/gf to move in. After 25 years and wife number 2, I am still trying to figure out what else I can do to get her to move in.
Abe

Lol its been a process. The new bigger boat with a bed that you can sit up on without banging your head, a toilet that doesn't need to be pumped and her feet can reach the ground, a fridge with a small freezer spot, and of course - no boat smell. Hot shower is the last bit, but boat smell still creeps back from time to time

[Will10MNT]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Looks nice, but why would you forgo the engine coolant loop? Best of all, two separate loops so you can splice in a hydronic heater later.

Do you have any direction you can point me in for a hydronic heater? Looking around now they look to be around 800 dollars roughly, not sure if thats accurate.

[JPA Cate]

Will10MNT:

I'm an old fashioned cruising woman. I used a sun shower for all my showering for roughly 18 yrs. I'd say, it depends on the woman.

Using foot pumps for sinks, and carrying your own washing and cooking water, and using the sun shower, all contributed to my understanding of how precious fresh water is.

Ann

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by sailingabe41ds

The op does not realize how lucky he is that all its taking is a little hot water for his wife/gf to move in. After 25 years and wife number 2, I am still trying to figure out what else I can do to get her to move in.
Abe

It can be a real problem. Sometimes, just having a chat with the woman involved will elicit what you're hoping for; however, some women find the concept of living aboard a boat forever to be unacceptable, and you could easily get led into doing this and that, and her still coming up with another reason to not move in. Often, a consideration is that she might have to give up a lot of her own treasures to come join you, and that she hasn't a clue how to make it feel like it is half hers when it is all an expression of you. She has to "get permission" for what is normal and desirable for her. She has a problem.

If she deals honestly with you, then perhaps some kind of quid pro quo???

Ann

[sailingabe41ds]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

It can be a real problem. Sometimes, just having a chat with the woman involved will elicit what you're hoping for; however, some women find the concept of living aboard a boat forever to be unacceptable, and you could easily get led into doing this and that, and her still coming up with another reason to not move in. Often, a consideration is that she might have to give up a lot of her own treasures to come join you, and that she hasn't a clue how to make it feel like it is half hers when it is all an expression of you. She has to "get permission" for what is normal and desirable for her. She has a problem.

If she deals honestly with you, then perhaps some kind of quid pro quo???

Ann

Thanks Ann...

Seriously, we will always have a home on land for "stability" and a place for friends and children to visit. She is good with travelling (future) in the NW, Alaska, going to Baha Cal for weeks at a time as long as we come home every 3-4 weeks. I am good with that and that is a good enough compromise.
Little steps at a time. We bought a nearly new Jeanneau 41DS because she loved the lay out, contemporary looks, and galley (I would have bought the older 45DS). I now have a diesel heater delivering heat in all cabins and my Honda 2000 provides hot showers. microwave, and freshly brewed coffee not to mention it came with electric heads. It is all good (for now). If I could get a Viking Range/Oven it would make her day.

Abe

[JPA Cate]

Okay, then, have her read Seaworthy Lass's post here: https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...47499-104.html

When I looked, those were out of our price range, but surely looked like fine stoves.

Ann

[GILow]

Originally Posted by MartinR

I use a Webasto Thermo-Top heater to heat my 12 gallon calorifier. The heater is on a timer and runs every morning for about 40 minutes, to supply us with enough water to last through the day. Uses a small amount of diesel and a few Amps of the battery.



The good thing is it can also run a heating system if the weather is cold.



If you already have a calorifier, this is an option, but it is one more thing to maintain. I would go for electric.



The electricity your calorifier uses is not very much if you calculate it. OK, the Wattage is maybe high, but the runtime is low. If you are worried about Watts, you can switch the heating element to something lower, say 800W. Will not make any difference to the total energy consumed, but maybe keep the harbour master happy.

^^^^^

This.

I do the same, let the system run each morning to get to temperature (usually less than ten minutes in summer) and I’ve got hot water on tap all day and a shower before bed.

My system is based on the design ColdEh posted here on Cruisers Forum years ago. Works just like he said it would.

[JPA Cate]

Congratulations, GILow. On your way at last, you've worked long and hard for it. Fair winds.

Ann

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Will10MNT

Do you have any direction you can point me in for a hydronic heater? Looking around now they look to be around 800 dollars roughly, not sure if thats accurate.

Webasto, Espar, Planar are the main brands. The 4kW hydronics are about €500 over here. I would think should be a little cheaper in the U. S.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

Congratulations, GILow. On your way at last, you've worked long and hard for it. Fair winds.

Ann

Mostly south easterlies at the moment.

[Seafarer7]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Looks nice, but why would you forgo the engine coolant loop? Best of all, two separate loops so you can splice in a hydronic heater later.

Here’s a twin coil+twin immersion heater calorifier for heating from electricity (mains), 12v battery (eg solar), engine coolant, and hydronic heater (4 heat sources if you select the extra 12v option).

https://www.heatso.com/surecal-30-7-...il-calorifier/

It costs less than the mentioned no-coil single-heat source option.

[SV__Grace]

Originally Posted by nwdiver

Demand hot water heater like the hurricane, got fuel you got hot water until out of water......saved many relationships.

We have an ITR Hurricane Combi and it works well for hot water and hydronically heating the boat (hence the "Combi" part of the name).

While the hot water is on demand and unlimited when using the diesel burner (35,000 BTU) the electric element that you would use on shore power only heats the water in the unit, which is 4.8 gallons. While plenty for a navy shower, it is not "unlimited" and at 1500 watts, 5,000 BTU it takes 30-40 minutes to heat the water from cold.

It's a great unit and the diesel burner is thrifty on fuel, using .3 gallons per hour, BUT it doesn't run continuously, only to heat the coolant in the unit, which only takes @5 minutes for the initial cycle from cold, and then a minute or so every 15-30 minutes depending upon ambient temperature. If you do the math that would be less than 1/2 gallon per day (on "Summer" mode, not using the heating loop).

Being so fast to start up, we keep it off until we take a shower, enjoy glorious unlimited hot water, then turn it off. On shore power the electric element is fine for dishes and such.

It's also a space saver- using about as much space as a 5 gallon hot water tank.

It's pretty easy to maintain and replace parts, their tech support is top notch.

[Soundhaven]

You all know there are women in this group, right?

I would not want to live aboard with a person who "sneaks" aboard. Dishonesty does not fit with "good person to live with."

When I was cruising in SE Alaska with a friend who single-handed her boat up there from Olympia, WA, and a third female friend, we had a simple way of showering. We heated up a kettle full of water, then mixed a bit of cool water with hot in the sink (in the head), and used a cup to pour it over ourselves. Get wet, lather, rinse.

On our boat, we have a new water heater, but still use the marina showers, when we are at the dock, because they are roomy and my husband and I can shower together. ☺
Of course, we pay a bit more, being legal liveaboards. When it's warm enough outside, we sit in the cockpit and hang our solar shower from the bikini for our shower. It's fun to shower outdoors!

How did he get me to move aboard? The question is asked of my husband over and over again. He delights in telling them that I was living aboard the boat (1990 Island Packet 32) when we met. He tells them that I took him for a 5-week-long sea trial before committing to the relationship. He proposed, sold his house and moved aboard!

Maybe it's not the lack of a shower that's keeping her from wanting to move in with you. Just food for thought.

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by Soundhaven

We heated up a kettle full of water, then mixed a bit of cool water with hot in the sink (in the head), and used a cup to pour it over ourselves. Get wet, lather, rinse.

For anyone contemplating this system, it is worth considering adding a pump and shower rose. You can even buy self contained battery operated submersible pumps if you want to avoid any fuss with installation, although a conventional marine water pump will work better. This is an example of the simple battery powered option:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Outdoor-Por...Cclp%3A2334524

This turns the sink into a normal shower. In many ways it is more pleasant than a domestic shower because the water starts and stays at the correct temperature.

[RobPatterson]

Very strange situation.
When I stayed in marinas, I showered on land.
The deluxe stand-up shower with 5-gallons if heated fresh water was for times underway, at anchor, or when the marina facilities were disgusting.

The 5-gal electric option seems best but that still means stopping the water while lathering.