Albin 25 drains--cockpit, shower?

[Seabear]

Hi. We just went aboard our first Albin 25, looking to buy one. A few questions:
For you owners, have you ever put in a shower drain? We had one on our sailboat and would miss having a shower (from hand held plant sprayer) for overnight passages.

And how does the water that eventually comes into the cockpit drain? The boat we looked at had substantial water in the bilge that the owner said was from rainwater. We saw no drain, no self-bailing cockpit.

Thanks!
SeaBear

[WillieC]

Self bailing cockpit? I suppose you could drill a hole in the bottom...The A25s resemble a bathtub, with substantially high gunwales, plopped in the water. I hope I never achieve self-bailing lean angle, mainly because of the unintended consequences.

I have pondered a shower inside the boat. Not sure of a good place to accomplish this. We have a full BC hardtop, so, theoretically, one could arrange a curtain in the seating area, call it the cockpit, to channel water and soap down into the bilge. There are removable floor sections, plywood panels on the WillieC, that could be modified or replaced to allow drainage to the bilge, I suppose. That water could be pumped overboard either by hand via the original Whale handpump, or whatever electric bilge pump is installed.

I have seen pictures of showers that are enclosed in the head on more luxurious models. Everything gets wet. This option would be sketchy on the A25 since the electrical panel, behind a plywood panel, is in the head. Also, the walls are made of plywood. I lean more to the cockpit plastic shower curtain, which may not work very well on those without a full hardtop.

In the meantime...I use a five gallon solar shower plastic bag and entertain everyone in the anchorage with my on deck arrangement. When in marinas, it is the coin fed option on shore. The Starfleet Commander rates marinas solely on the quality of the shower facilities.

[Seabear]

Great discussion! Thank you for your thoughts. You're certainly right about the advisability of trying to make the cockpit self-bailing! However it sounds like any water that gets into the cockpit area will drain into the bilge and thus go to the bilge pump. Is it safe to assume that a floor drain installed in the head will similarly drain to the bilge?

[WillieC]

Careful on that assumption..Check out this thread. It all depends on how your boat is put together.

viewtopic.php?f=28&t=10908

To your point, does everything drain to the same bilge area? Yes. There are removable floor sections in the forward cabin where you can see the low point of the boat. There is about a 1", maybe 3/4", tube that connects the front section to the center bilge area just aft of the engine. The pan under the engine is self-contained. Its purpose is to collect all the nasty stuff and NOT drain to the bilge, until it overflows. Unfortunately, at least on the WillieC, it is not large enough to accommodate an auxiliary racor type pre-filter, so any leaks there, or any maintenance done with it, are not protected from dumping fuel into the bilge. Careful, careful.. Use lots of diapers when servicing.

I think mine was originally built to drain that trapped area under the head sole, but over the years, its drainage tube was either plugged purposefully or simply by years of tuna can deterioration. Either way, even if it were functional, I doubt it would be big enough to serve as a drain for a shower. Of course that would depend on what one considers a shower. And of course, it would be subject to more clogging with use.

With some clever fiberglass and plumbing work, one could improve the drain in the head for use as a shower, but that does not address the added moisture which I would prefer to not subject all the electrics. But you are onto a major improvement in our little boats.

[notsowindyyet]

I do not own a 25 yet, but when I sat foot on one the first time, my very first thought for longer camping holidays on travel, was to install a shower in the cockpit and to drain it into the bilge. I think heads is far to small and the moisture is no good down there

[DesertAlbin736]

I think a shower in the the head compartment is not very practical our even possible, considering all the wood work and the small size of the compartment. I agree with WillieC, considering that all the DC circuit bus bars and terminal blocks are on the wall behind the hinged door panel inside the head compartment. Probably your best bet would be to MacGyver something like a solar camp shower in the cockpit area and rig a drain to the bilge through the floorboard. Drain water would collect in the keel sump to be pumped out with your bilge pump. Otherwise, spend the night in a marina every few days & sponge bathe in between. Either that or upsize to a 34 or 36 foot trawler.

[kerrye]

Draining to the bilge from the cockpit would work. Some people in camper vans use small kids inflatable pools and stand in the middle of it for a shower. Not sure if they are rigid enough to pick up and toss the water overboard.

[stmbtwle]

A simple bilge pump will take care of the drain issue. I once saw a Gibson houseboat with the shower set up that way (apparently from the factory). Keeps soap and hair out of the bilge. You can also buy shower sumps with their own pump.