'ot showers on a Top Hat
Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2020 6:27 pmI'm sure each one of us views our TH a little differently: I intend to make mine into my favourite place in the world. Obviously a whiskey cabinet and cigar humidor are called for, but at some point I'll want a favourite chair, my leather bound books, and - I kid you not - a small log fire for freezing winters.
I can't afford a manor house with a garden maze, sundial, wood panelled library, etc, but I can make my TH into a miniature version. Some have described the interior of a Jaguar automobile as being "like the inside of a gentleman's club", and that's what I want for my TH. And by Jove, I'm going to fill the blighter with a fine library of classic tomes. Reading PG Wodehouse whilst canting across the Pacific would be the ultimate gentlemanly indulgence. And that gets me thinking about the thunderbox and the shower.
As wonderful as it is to have an enclosed head, is it necessary? Removing the walls would really open up the cabin, and you might even keep the bog in its place, surround it with storage space, and access it with a lift up panel, so it's normally not visible. Or one could do away with it and keep a porta potty.
Likewise, having lived in cars, tents, stairwells, and other zero budget abodes, the one thing that makes a gargantuan difference to your life is a hot shower. It can turn a cold and miserable situation into a warm and relaxing one. The first instant I stepped aboard my TH I thought, "By Jove, there's a space behind the tiller exactly the same size as a shower cubicle, and slap my buttocks and call me Beatrice if that isn't a pair of drain holes in exactly the right spot." Clearly, old Illy and Primmy intended someone to bung up a removable camping shower cubicle here, and it would be very silly not to hang a five litre tin with a tap and a shower rose above it. Boil 2 litres of water in the kettle, add a few litres of cold, and luxury awaits.
I may also install a hot water system (drawings coming soon), and I do tend to do things on an almost zero budget, so it will all be very affordable.
(I've occasionally wondered about having some removable canvas/plywood/plastic screens for the space in the front cabin for a mini shower there, draining into that itsy-bitsy bilge, with a mini pump drawing the water out and into the kitchen sink drain, but your head would hafta poke out the roof hatch. Might be ok for a dwarf.)
What do you think? I'm also considering making some sort of strong removable frame so that the cockpit could be occupied in pouring rain, (while at anchor) which would make the boat feel much bigger and drier.
This might sound a bit over the top for some, but I don't have a house to lavish money on, has anyone else got a hot shower on their vessel?
The other reason is, women love luxury, and I love women, so they'll really appreciate the hot shower and fireplace. There's not enough room for a butler, a drawing room, tea trolley, secret room, stables, or a hedge maze, but sometimes a chap just has to live simply. Let me know your thoughts, eh? Cheerio!
I can't afford a manor house with a garden maze, sundial, wood panelled library, etc, but I can make my TH into a miniature version. Some have described the interior of a Jaguar automobile as being "like the inside of a gentleman's club", and that's what I want for my TH. And by Jove, I'm going to fill the blighter with a fine library of classic tomes. Reading PG Wodehouse whilst canting across the Pacific would be the ultimate gentlemanly indulgence. And that gets me thinking about the thunderbox and the shower.
As wonderful as it is to have an enclosed head, is it necessary? Removing the walls would really open up the cabin, and you might even keep the bog in its place, surround it with storage space, and access it with a lift up panel, so it's normally not visible. Or one could do away with it and keep a porta potty.
Likewise, having lived in cars, tents, stairwells, and other zero budget abodes, the one thing that makes a gargantuan difference to your life is a hot shower. It can turn a cold and miserable situation into a warm and relaxing one. The first instant I stepped aboard my TH I thought, "By Jove, there's a space behind the tiller exactly the same size as a shower cubicle, and slap my buttocks and call me Beatrice if that isn't a pair of drain holes in exactly the right spot." Clearly, old Illy and Primmy intended someone to bung up a removable camping shower cubicle here, and it would be very silly not to hang a five litre tin with a tap and a shower rose above it. Boil 2 litres of water in the kettle, add a few litres of cold, and luxury awaits.
I may also install a hot water system (drawings coming soon), and I do tend to do things on an almost zero budget, so it will all be very affordable.
(I've occasionally wondered about having some removable canvas/plywood/plastic screens for the space in the front cabin for a mini shower there, draining into that itsy-bitsy bilge, with a mini pump drawing the water out and into the kitchen sink drain, but your head would hafta poke out the roof hatch. Might be ok for a dwarf.)
What do you think? I'm also considering making some sort of strong removable frame so that the cockpit could be occupied in pouring rain, (while at anchor) which would make the boat feel much bigger and drier.
This might sound a bit over the top for some, but I don't have a house to lavish money on, has anyone else got a hot shower on their vessel?
The other reason is, women love luxury, and I love women, so they'll really appreciate the hot shower and fireplace. There's not enough room for a butler, a drawing room, tea trolley, secret room, stables, or a hedge maze, but sometimes a chap just has to live simply. Let me know your thoughts, eh? Cheerio!