Hollywood (Navy) shower

[rsn48]

So when I was in the Canadian Navy, we were taught to take "Hollywood" showers, I believe others call it a Navy show. Water on, wet down, water off, lather up, water on, wash down. The obvious reason to reduce wasted water down the drain.

I am often surprised at how large some of the fresh water holding tanks are on some of the larger boats out there. I try and think of how so much water can be used in one day. So heads flushing must be a big one (fresh water flush), dishwasher (?), showers and I'm sure some tasks I have not thought of.

But do folks take Hollywood showers (Navy) on their boats in this day and age?

 

[Comodave]

Actually a Hollywood shower and a Navy shower are exactly opposite of each other. A Navy shower is when you turn on the water and get wet, turn it off and soap up then turn it back on and rinse off. A Hollywood shower is when you get to use lots of water, usually a reward for a job well done since it is a luxury. We always do Navy showers aboard.

 

[Lepke]

I think it's worthwhile to have a watermaker that's big enough to not worry about water use. Especially if you liveaboard. I have a washer and dishwasher.
I took enough navy showers, 50 years ago.

 

[High Wire]

Actually a Hollywood shower and a Navy shower are exactly opposite of each other. A Navy shower is when you turn on the water and get wet, turn it off and soap up then turn it back on and rinse off. A Hollywood shower is when you get to use lots of water, usually a reward for a job well done since it is a luxury. We always do Navy showers aboard.

Agree. Never been in the Navy but read enough books to know that the "Hollywood" shower was a rare reward.
On our boat its the "Navy" version. The water heater tank is heated by the engine (160-190F) which makes balancing hot and cold critical. Water inventory is always limited. We have an on-off button on the shower head wand that makes it easier.

 

[ScottC]

Sometimes we do "Navy". Sometimes not. It seems that the extremely low-flow showerheads make this almost a non-issue these days. Head is salt water flush.

 

[Wayfarer]

If I’m marina hopping, or otherwise close to water sources, I’ll lean more toward the Hollywood end, especially when it’s hot. I don’t have AC yet, so it helps to cool off.

If I’m doing a few days at anchor, I’ll just take a shorter shower. I’ve got 200 gallons and a 20 gallon water heater, so plenty to go around. No navy showers here.

 

[FF]

A Navy shower like any behavior is a learned response, once one is used to ,it flushing vast quantities of heated water overboard seems a waist

It might be necessary for folks that enjoy maintaining a noisemaker , and hearing it chug way, and have maintaining a water maker as part of their nautical hobby .

For me, I have learned the Navy shower saves big bucks and hours of maint , that can be used for more enjoyable times aboard.

 

[Simi 60]

I think it's worthwhile to have a watermaker that's big enough to not worry about water use. Especially if you liveaboard. I have a washer and dishwasher.
I took enough navy showers, 50 years ago.

Or have a boat that can carry several tonne of water, collect rain efficiently and only needs to top up once or twice a year when they come in for diesel.

 

[Simi 60]

If I’m marina hopping, or otherwise close to water sources, I’ll lean more toward the Hollywood end, especially when it’s hot. I don’t have AC yet, so it helps to cool off.
.

Deck wash hose to a rain water shower head is what we have on the top deck
Cool off as much as you like in salt, a few steps to a quick rinse in fresh.

 

[menzies]

We put a water maker in before the start of last season.

Prior to that it was boat showers. Our issue was with guests who stayed for two weeks. Longer showers, more dishes, more laundry etc

We use around 25-30 gallons a day, double that with guests. We have a 350 gallon tank so can make a week or so.

In the Bahamas it is a bit of a pain having to go in for water as we never use marinas (maybe three or four nights in a three month cruise to pick folks up from the airport or avoid a storm).

Last year after the install we could avoid marinas water stops altogether. It will never pay for itself financially, but will many times over in convenience.

BTW, even after the install my wife still does boat showers, me full on!

 

[caltexflanc]

All depends on how long you will be away from the dock. Living full time on a mooring and/or at anchor, we could go easily and comfortably five or six weeks on 390 gallons (350 tank, 40 water heater). Plus we usually had about 10 gallons of water in various bottles or pitchers.

One of the very best investments we made was installing a water meter that tracked exactly how many gallons came out of the tank. That way we learned precisely how much water various forms of shower, dishwasher and laundry settings, and Vacuflush flushes took. Given that, I could never get a water maker installation to pencil out. We'd always top of the water tank when we got fuel.

 

[menzies]

... Given that, I could never get a water maker installation to pencil out. We'd always top of the water tank when we got fuel.

Did you include the tangible value of convenience and unlimited water?

 

[menzies]

It might be necessary for folks that enjoy maintaining a noisemaker , and hearing it chug way, and have maintaining a water maker as part of their nautical hobby.

We found that running the water maker when running the Genny as we would anyway gave us pretty much what we need to keep the tank topped up.

I can't actually remember running it just for water. Maybe letting it run an hour or two longer during the day when we didn't need overnight AC.

 

[O C Diver]

I guess I fall in the middle. While soaping up, I turn the water off, but have gone to a higher pressure water pump so that the rinse off is much nicer. Getting ready to replace the shower controls and hand held sprayer with a nicer setup that should be more water efficient. More pressure with the same GPM definitely makes a difference.

Ideally I (solo) would like to be able to have 3 to 4 weeks worth of water from my 300 gallon tanks without feeling pinched.

Ted

 

[ScottC]

For those with water makers

Showering - a la Joan Crawford

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

Hollywood all the way baby.......until I run out of hot water.

No worries about water here. Getting low, fire up the water maker.

 

[Marco Flamingo]

When I get home at night I always leave my car running. I'll probably use it the next day. The wife likes it because it she doesn't have to bother with starting and stopping the car all the time. Writing about it makes it sound like a waste of gas. But it's really more of a waste of time and money. Still, it makes us feel decadent. I'm kidding of course.

I just went cruising with the wife in the San Juans for 8 days using 164 gallons of fresh water. Head is fresh water flush. Daily Navy showers. I think one of my biggest uses is fresh water rinsing when pulling the anchor.

The benefit for me of limiting water usage is not having to go into marinas and, if we do, it is for important stuff like fresh scones. Now that's decadent.

 

[Northern Spy]

Hollywood shower?

Pffft.

I ain't no sonartech.

 

[rslifkin]

We've got no watermaker and an annoyingly small fresh water capacity (65 gallons), so it's navy showers for us. We're not generally away from a source of water long enough to go too crazy with it, but we've found that we can take a perfectly comfortable shower with under 5 gallons of water each.

 

[WayneDana2]

Deck wash hose to a rain water shower head is what we have on the top deck
Cool off as much as you like in salt, a few steps to a quick rinse in fresh.

LOL, I NEVER got into the water in Queensland. Too many things that want to either sting or eat you. As a Yank cruiser, I never knew which areas were safe or not.


Navy showers FTW! Watermakers give me hives. Hollywood only at the dock.

 

[DCDC]

We have two water tanks, 900 gallons total. On this years cruise to/from the Bahamas we filled up before leaving Florida and re-filled on the way back in Punta Gorda. 70 days, with 65 days at anchor, using 670 gallons or around 10 gpd for the two of us. Included daily showers, rinse after swimming, cooking, dishwashing, drinking and fresh water head. Conservative but not stingy.

One small help was placing a two gallon bucket over the shower drain, catching 1-2 gallons a day which we used for head flushing.

 

[caltexflanc]

Did you include the tangible value of convenience and unlimited water?

Absolutely. I had put a lot of time into researching, and getting estimates, and knew right where we were going to put it, had the money all ready. But after cruising for a year, neither of us felt any compulsion to get one and never did in the years that followed. A lot more fun using those $$ to buy diesel fuel. I think we were primed by having to live through a California drought early in our marriage back in the 70's, so water management was no big deal. To each their own. And we were anything but super ascetic boaters, we had no compunction in starting the generator when we felt like it, lived full time on a big, extremely comfortable boat, all the creature comforts of a nice home. We didn't lack.

 

[Fletcher500]

Regarding showers, the training ship we had in the mid 80’s was a 1939 converted bulk carrier. We made our own water using old school steam Evaporators. It was always a contest to see which watch could make the most fresh water on a 4 hour shift. Everything was manual (no automation, to teach us how to do it). If too much steam was introduced, carry over would occur. A fine line between production, and salting up. Fun times. When we were in the tropics and couldn’t produce enough desal water we got the salt water shower. Made me appreciate fresh water, and I still do.

 

[amapola]

Hollywood showers are long and luxurious. Navy showers are short and conserve water (wet, cut off, soap, rinse).

 

[rsn48]

I guess I can be excused for getting Navy and Hollywood showers mixed up, the lesson received through Fleet School in Esquimalt BC was 46 years ago.

 

[Diverrob]

I guess I can be excused for getting Navy and Hollywood showers mixed up, the lesson received through Fleet School in Esquimalt BC was 46 years ago.

Thanks for your service! I’m currently serving and typically we call them “Pusser Showers” the word pusser meaning proper and to regulation (or close to that). Onboard Sounder that’s all we take, 70 gal freshwater does not go very far if you abuse it. Wish I could have bigger water tanks but I don’t so we make due.

 

[clive1]

shower

I can't recall ever having had a "Hollywood" shower, on a boat or anywhere else. I'm opposed to waste of any kind, but especially water. One thing that helps on a boat or motor home is to install a standard sink sprayer for the handheld. It has a nice strong direct spray and turns off when released. Been doing this on both for 50 years. Works great and cheap at Home Depot (or anyplace else that sell that sort of thing).

 

[jeffnick]

We made our Navy shower more convenient with a foot valve.

https://72land-n-sea.blogspot.com/2018/03/for-sale-sea-rayseadoosame-trailer-call.html?m=1

 

[rsn48]

So "pusser" is a bastardization of the word "purser," the supplies guy on the ship, Royal Navy. And many items were stamped with the word purser on it, like soap, or just a "P" to designate purser. So as I'm sure you know, pusser can be both a compliment or an insult, but most often an insult, simple translation - keener. So for example: "He's so pusser he wouldn't let his own mother board the ship without saluting the quarter deck (stern)."

 

[OldDan1943]

Water makers.
12vt or 120vt
I opted for 12vt. Reason: I can make water while underway w/o starting the generator or using inverter.