Random Boat Facts, why a Boat bathroom is called a head - (2024)

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Random Boat Facts, why a Boat bathroom is called a head -? ›

In sailing vessels, the head is the ship's toilet. The name derives from sailing ships in which the toilet area for the regular sailors was placed at the head or bow of the vessel.

The term “head” used for a marine toilet started because of the location of the toilet on the earliest sailing ships. For crewmen, the facilities were located at the head of the ships. The front of ships had a figurehead: a carved wooden figure or bust fitted on the bow of the ship.

“The bathroom of a maritime vessel is known as the head because of its location aboard vessels in the bow or fore of the ship, as explained by the Naval Heritage and History Command. The term first appears in 1708 in Woodes Rogers' book, “A Cruising Voyage Around the World.” Source Ask.com.

In nautical terms, head refers to the top or forward portion of a vessel. The head of the mast or the head of the bowsprit or the term dead ahead are examples. Back then, when a sailor needed to relieve himself, he would have to go forward saying, “I need to go to the head of the ship”.

The front of a boat is called the bow, while the rear of a boat is called the stern. When looking towards the bow, the left-hand side of the boat is the port side. And starboard is the corresponding word for the right side of a boat.

"Head" in a nautical sense referring to the bow or fore part of a ship dates to 1485. The ship's toilet was typically placed at the head of the ship near the base of the bowsprit, where splashing water served to naturally clean the toilet area.

The bathroom expression “John” comes from a man by the name of Sir John Harrington. Harrington lived in the late 16th and early 17^th centuries. He wrote risqué poetry, and people referred to him as the “Saucy Godson” of Queen Elizabeth I.

Verb. hit the head (third-person singular simple present hits the head, present participle hitting the head, simple past and past participle hit the head) (US, slang) to urinate or defecate; to go to the bathroom.

Typically the bow was called the head of a ship and the toilet was usually placed there near the base of the bowsprit. This way the sloshing water would wash away the nasties.

A deadhead is a log that's been swept to sea, become waterlogged and commenced the slow process of sinking. While floating for months or years on end, it has also become home to sea life—seaweed, barnacles, kelp—that further weighs on it.

Why do they call the bathroom the loo? ›

Despite being a very British word for toilet, 'loo' is actually derived from the French phrase 'guardez l'eau', which means 'watch out for the water'.

Wake is the wave a boat generates as it moves through the water. The wake disperses an amount of energy based on the boat's speed and the amount of water the boat displaces. The wake created by a boat may endanger others.

In sailing vessels, the head is the ship's toilet. The name derives from sailing ships in which the toilet area for the regular sailors was placed at the head or bow of the vessel.

Since the wind was blowing from the rear to the front, the “head” (or front) of the ship was the best place for sailors to relieve themselves. So, when the shipmates went to the toilet, they went to the head. (I guess a sailor could have said, “I'm going to the bow.”)

Center Console vs.

Most center console boats feature a head within the console, and some larger models may even have a cabin like Boston Whaler's 420 Outrage models.

In sailing vessels, the head is the ship's toilet. The name derives from sailing ships in which the toilet area for the regular sailors was placed at the head or bow of the vessel.

Head. The term "head" is one of those terms from the age of sail that has stuck around until now. The head is the bathroom, and the term comes from the fact that in old square-rigged sailing ships, the wind was almost always from astern (Connell and Mack).

Figureheads are the carved wooden sculptures that decorate the prows of sailing ships. In the perilous life of an ocean-going ship, figureheads embodied the spirit of the vessel, offering the crew protection from harsh seas and safeguarding their homeward journeys.

The ship's one toilet is a small transportable camp-toilet which is placed under deck in the bow. Under deck does not mean that you can go UNDER deck and hide.