Hi all speaker of nautical english
Can somone explain to an ignorant furriner:
Why is the toilet on a boat called "head"

/Lars J

The toilets of many ships used to be built into the decorations at the
bow under the bowsprit so you were going to the "head". This was a
good location because they whole area got constantly washed by spray.
Going to the heads must have been really tough in bad weather though.

--

Roger Long



"Lars Johansson" wrote in message
...
Hi all speaker of nautical english
Can somone explain to an ignorant furriner:
Why is the toilet on a boat called "head"

/Lars J

Roger is correct but you must remember that the ships were square rigged
back then and always going down wind so that the smell from the head was not
sent over the deck.

On Fri, 1 Apr 2005 09:55:29 +0200, "Lars Johansson"
wrote:

Hi all speaker of nautical english
Can somone explain to an ignorant furriner:
Why is the toilet on a boat called "head"

/Lars J

Lacking a stronger source, I speculate:
a wooden bucket or small barrel was formerly used for the sanitary
purpose.
The top surface of a barrel is called the head.
This word head is graced with more than 20 distinct usages in an
Oxford dictionary

Brian Whatcott Altus OK

Brian Whatcott wrote:
Lacking a stronger source, I speculate:
a wooden bucket or small barrel was formerly used for the sanitary
purpose.
The top surface of a barrel is called the head.


Nice try, Brian and Ansley, but no cigar for either of you this
time...Roger's answer is the correct one--the head takes its name from
its original location at the head/bow of the vessel. And since waste
went directly overboard--no hoses or fixtures where sea water or waste
could collect--there was no odor. But since sailors of that era rarely
bathed, they wouldn't have noticed any odor from the head anyway.

--
Peggie
----------
Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and
Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"
http://www.seaworthy.com/store/custo...0&cat=6&page=1

"Peggie Hall" wrote in message ...

Nice try, Brian and Ansley, but no cigar for either of you this
time...Roger's answer is the correct one--the head takes its name from
its original location at the head/bow of the vessel. And since waste
went directly overboard--no hoses or fixtures where sea water or waste
could collect--there was no odor. But since sailors of that era rarely
bathed, they wouldn't have noticed any odor from the head anyway.


Yah, yah, yah - we've all heard that crap hundreds of times already.
Your not talking to a bunch of ignorant children, ya know.

What a pathetic woman. An entire adult life that revolves around sewage,
stink and human waste. Peggy, you are a walking, talking waste of humanity.

You stink, Peggy Hall.

Capt. Neal
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Fri, 01 Apr 2005 17:47:03 GMT, Peggie Hall
wrote:

Brian Whatcott wrote:
Lacking a stronger source, I speculate:
a wooden bucket or small barrel was formerly used for the sanitary
purpose.
The top surface of a barrel is called the head.


Nice try, Brian and Ansley, but no cigar for either of you this
time...Roger's answer is the correct one--the head takes its name from
its original location at the head/bow of the vessel. And since waste
went directly overboard--no hoses or fixtures where sea water or waste
could collect--there was no odor. But since sailors of that era rarely
bathed, they wouldn't have noticed any odor from the head anyway.


This is certainly the explanation most often cited: but it lacks one
feature for full credibility: on ships of the line, there were
heads, and these often were placed at the bows.
While the bows is plural, the head (of a ship) is always singular.

Still, never mind!

Brian W

In article ,
"Roger Long" wrote:

The toilets of many ships used to be built into the decorations at the
bow under the bowsprit so you were going to the "head". This was a
good location because they whole area got constantly washed by spray.
Going to the heads must have been really tough in bad weather though.

But in such weather one would not have to wipe.

h

--
To respond, obviously drop the "nospan"?

Brian Whatcott wrote:
This is certainly the explanation most often cited: but it lacks one
feature for full credibility: on ships of the line, there were
heads, and these often were placed at the bows.
While the bows is plural, the head (of a ship) is always singular.

You're not going far enough back in history, Brian...the first toilet
facilities on vessels pre-date the first century AD...Noah's ark prob'ly
had 'em.

By the time there were "ships of the line" in the 15th, 16th centuries,
there were even water closets--wooden "boxes" that even had flush water
reservoirs and trap doors that opened to the sea in the captain's
quarters and some other officers'/"guest" quarters which were in the aft
end of the ship. However, the crew's toilets were still in the bow--not
holes in the hull, but wooden planks with holes in 'em extending from
the bow and projecting below the figurehead...the crew had to climb over
to get down to 'em...and on small ships, they were dangerously close to
the waterline. On larger ships such as Nelson's "Victory" they were
higher and safer.


--
Peggie
----------
Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and
Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"
http://www.seaworthy.com/store/custo...0&cat=6&page=1

"Peggie Hall" wrote schoolmarmishly:


You're not going far enough back in history, Brian...the first toilet
facilities on vessels pre-date the first century AD...Noah's ark prob'ly
had 'em.

By the time there were "ships of the line" snipped drivel -advertising and
all.

Fascinating, YAWN!

CN