Shower basin level with floor boards?

[imranino]

Hello!

I'm getting rid of a full-length bath (!!) in favour of a shower basin. The extant bath is a few inches higher than the floor boards, meaning I need to be hunched to have a shower. 

Is there an blindingly obvious reason not to have a shower basin that's perfectly level with the floorboards? The pump is already offset, so the outlet would just need to go below the boards for a few inches before going to the pump.

Please let me know! I'm dreaming of having a proper shower on my boat

[rusty69]

Make sure you have a provision for detecting leaks,unless you have a wet bilge anyway.

[imranino]

yes! That came to mind. Some sort of inspection hatch would be smart. Hm.

[Kendorr]

My shower tray is level with the floor, I use a gulper pump. When it's been used there is always a small amount of water left in the shower tray, which I clean out with a cloth. This leaves water in plug hole. I can check for leaks very easily, as long as there is water in the plug hole, there is no leak.

 

Kevin

[jddevel]

I`ve a wetroom with adequate "headroom" for me at 6`1". The shower area is 800 x 800mm enclosed by two sets of  bi-fold doors which I had admittedly have specially made due to not realizing that those normally available were to tall and where for normal domestic use. Although expensive these in my opinion were a superb product from Spain. I have made provision for viewing below the shower area which is raised approximately above the overall bathroom area. Whale Gulper located externally. Wall hung vanity unit allows for under unit access and floor sealed toilet. 

Missed out the 25mm above the overall area. Whole bathroom wetroom material is dressed up the walls by 100mm. 

[ditchcrawler]

2 hours ago, imranino said:

Hello!

I'm getting rid of a full-length bath (!!) in favour of a shower basin. The extant bath is a few inches higher than the floor boards, meaning I need to be hunched to have a shower. 

Is there an blindingly obvious reason not to have a shower basin that's perfectly level with the floorboards? The pump is already offset, so the outlet would just need to go below the boards for a few inches before going to the pump.

Please let me know! I'm dreaming of having a proper shower on my boat

Do you have room under the floor, no ballast etc. 

[Ratkatcher]

On my boat the shower 'tray' is a removable bit of flooring on plastic feet, there is a gap around it and water drains into the bilge to be pumped out.  As this is original fitting it was obviously designed to work reasonably efficiently, perhaps you could mimic the principle and have the full height of your bathroom available.

Good luck in achieving your ideal shower.

[Ex Brummie]

7 hours ago, Kev's Halcyon said:

This leaves water in plug hole. I can check for leaks very easily, as long as there is water in the plug hole, there is no leak.

 

Kevin

+1

[Murflynn]

19 hours ago, jddevel said:

I have made provision for viewing below the shower area ....................

voyeur ?      

 

you really need a clear polycarbonate shower tray.

 http://www.limelightpolycarbonate.com/sdp/998833/4/cp-7225459/0/Polycarbonate_Kayaks.html

Edited September 16, 2017 by Murflynn

[Neil2]

 

On 9/15/2017 at 13:57, Ratkatcher said:

On my boat the shower 'tray' is a removable bit of flooring on plastic feet, there is a gap around it and water drains into the bilge to be pumped out.  As this is original fitting it was obviously designed to work reasonably efficiently, perhaps you could mimic the principle and have the full height of your bathroom available.

Good luck in achieving your ideal shower.

A lot of the old wet bilge boats had this arrangement, simple but effective.   Our boat has a wet room style shower that works on a similar principle with a "sump" containing a bilge pump.  It means you can have the shower tray bottom a bit lower than if you had to fit a conventional drain and it will work with any cheap bilge pump you don't need a Gulper. 

 

[Opener]

One minor point which is probably very obvious to anyone who already has a shower fitted but maybe not so obvious to anyone planning to fit.

Step 1 - pop outside and take a good look at your boat.  The bow is higher than the stern, isn't it? That's why you check for a wet bilge at the stern.

'Make sure you take that into account when you install the shower tray and position the drain/plughole towards the stern. Otherwise you will be pumping out the water from the top of the slope in the tray and forever mopping out the rest sitting at the bottom. 

Ask me how I know!!

 

[Kendorr]

2 hours ago, Opener said:

Ask me how I know!!

Possibly the same way I found out (and forgot to mention).

Kevin