Interior layout

[TwoCoconuts]

Hello, I purchased my 31' FB in May of 2021. Since I have replaced all the thru hulls, rudder boxes, deck stringers, put in new struts with large coosa backing plates, pulled both motors gave them complete overhauls, reinforced the engine stringers, removed all the wood from the bottom of the deck and replaced it with coosa, painted the inside of the hull, removed the tuna tower, reinforced the gunnels, etc... In the course of doing all this, I removed the original bathroom and sink and have been thinking about the best type of new interior layout. I think a L shaped galley with cabinet storage would be nice, the L portion of the galley would be against the engine bulkhead. I removed the head and about 30 years of...grime...from the hull. I pulled out all the plumbing as well, now the boat smells great instead of like an old airport. I was thinking just forgo the head altogether and get a luggable loo for those moments...

Does anyone have thoughts or suggestions for this type of interior layout? I am very open to suggestions, I've put a lot of work and money in the boat and want really try to have it come out nice.

[Yannis]

If you intend to make an L shaped galley, it means that you probably also intend to spend some time on the boat cooking and using the galley. I would hate to not have a proper head when a need manifests itself, to me or my guests. Any form of portable head or no head at all, are just inconceivable to me. As is any type of head under the v berth.
You could just make a tiny bathroom just to barely fit a head plus a few centimeters on either side. Try to place the head parallel to the cabin bulkhead.
Then, you could still make that L galley up against the new bulkhead that will be separating the new tiny bathroom from the galley.

On second thought, I doubt there is enough width in the cabin that will allow an L shaped galley. Nevertheless, this bathroom alteration will at least provide precious length to the existing galley, which will probably need a demolition type of refurbishment...

[saburke17]

I did that exact thing, my interior had termites so it was fully gutted. I removed the Head all together. I just have a small portahead.


[urn]https://imgur.com/gallery/crHez11[/url]

[bob lico]

if i removed the head and had to have a porta - potty i would take my boat out the inlet 5 miles and scuttle it!!!!! thats how important the head is with privacy and sink.

[kross1]

I don’t have a dedicated bathroom on my 28. It came that way from the factory with a toilet in the vberth , which is now a porter potty which can be removed when needed. We definitely use the galley way more than the bathroom. with almost 8 feet of countertop we have a refrigerator, a separate freezer for plenty of ice, ice pops and frozen Charleston chews and a almost normal size sink plenty of room for my induction cooktop and don’t forget the margarita machine. We prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s your boat do it your way.

[Amberjack]

It’s your boat do it your way.

We all use our boats differently. Plumbing in a head means plumbing in a holding tank. Holding tanks need a deck pump out fitting and an on board T-12 bypass. It’s a lot to squeeze under the cabin sole of a Bertram so it’s a commitment. If your wife is OK with a portapotty and that’s how you see yourself using the boat go with it. Amberjack came with an enclosed head and we’re happy to have it. No refrigerator in the smaller galley so we use an ice box in the cockpit. We’re usually the only boat in the Marina walking out to the cockpit in the morning to get milk for breakfast but as Wilfred Thesinger said “It’s the life of my choice”.

[kross1]

As long as it works for you that’s awesome as you said we all use our boats differently

[bob lico]

amberjack there is two inches of plumbing waste in the cabin electric controlled fresh water toilet backs up the main bulkhead wall with two inches of special piping going thru bulkhead to vented holding , absolutely zero odor in boat

[Tony Meola]

We all use our boats differently. Plumbing in a head means plumbing in a holding tank. Holding tanks need a deck pump out fitting and an on board T-12 bypass. It’s a lot to squeeze under the cabin sole of a Bertram so it’s a commitment. If your wife is OK with a portapotty and that’s how you see yourself using the boat go with it. Amberjack came with an enclosed head and we’re happy to have it. No refrigerator in the smaller galley so we use an ice box in the cockpit. We’re usually the only boat in the Marina walking out to the cockpit in the morning to get milk for breakfast but as Wilfred Thesinger said “It’s the life of my choice”.

Doug

Going out to the cooler on the deck brings back memories of an offshore trip that never happened. We usually ran two boats offshore. Our 31 and our friends. We are all set to go when our friends crew shows up and asks us where he is. We did not find him until later on that day. It seems that one of the crew showed up the night before and they both went out and tied one on.

At some point the guy got up in the middle of the night, still drunk, headed out to what he thought was the cooler, but was the fish box, and he pulled out a jug and took a big drink. Turned out he drank from a bottle of Lysol. So, they were in the emergency room when we were looking for them.

So an in cabin refrigerator is not a bad idea. LOL

[Amberjack]

Tony, he doesn’t sound as though he would have been much support for your boat anyway with what must have been a huge hangover.

I’ve had a few wild nights out myself. Glad those days are behind me except for the scars from a couple of them.

[TwoCoconuts]

Thank you all for the responses. I did not expect that a number of people would feel so strongly about a plumbed in toilet. I will make sure to incorporate one. Any ideas on how to incorporate this in the cabin, without having a completely separate bathroom?

If complete bathroom area was reincorporated on the boat, I have seen one where it was moved to the bow bulkhead area in front of the windows. Has anyone seen that design in person? I don't have windows on the front so I think I may be able to make that work.

[Tony Meola]

You could put it up in v berth, as they did in the models that had the lower control station. They took out the center storage area and made that the head.

Not much privacy but you could always put up a curtain. Having a plumbed head has its pros and cons. Porta potty works also if you don't mind emptying it out every trip. The issue with a plumbed head is having to make a trip to the pump out station if you are not near one. That is usually a special trip. If you are running offshore, then you could put a Y valve in and once you are more than 3 miles out and pump it overboard, but once you come inside 3 miles, that Y valve needs to be locked and closed.

The only issue I have is that my tank is 9 gallons, so if you are offshore overnight, a couple of guys can fill that up pretty quick. Otherwise for my wife and I, I can get a couple of weekends of use out of it.

Oh and one of the other issues, when the dam thing breaks it is nasty to pull it out and fix it. Hence the advantage of a Porta Potti.

[Snipe]

Tony I use a porta potty and I like it never smells always clean and simple no holding tank. Coconuts I moved my head forward and used the old dash as part of the head I mounted a sink in there. I like it forward as it opens up the aft window for better view of the cockpit.

[Ironworker]

Here are a couple of early photos of my interior. The first is the port side. Nearest the engine bulkhead will be a 12 VDC Fridge/Freezer. Moving forward is a 75" long sofa. There is rod storage under the sofa. The head is in the V Berth. Moving to the starboard side there is another seat, the sink with a 12 VDC air conditioner. On the starboard side nearest the engine bulkhead is a 4' stainless steel toolbox that I bought from Costco. The boat will be able to sleep 4. The cabin is 9' long bulkhead to bulkhead. The hole in the floor is the fishbox. Everything is built out of 1/2" coosa bluewater 26.