Need Help Peeing Off A Boat? Tips To Pee Discretely & Safely

Have you ever been in this situation?

You’re out on the water…with a full bladder…and not sure of your options? If so, this is your article…

There are plenty of discrete, sanitary, and safe ways for peeing off a boat that doesn’t have a bathroom. You can go over the side, on the swim platform, over a bucket, or even in the live well tank.

Let’s explore these options closer…

Table of Contents

• Pee With The Fish
• Bring A Bucket
• Perch On The Gunwales
• Swing Off The Swim Ladder
• Sit On The Swim Platform
• Lean Over the Livewells
• Grab A Female Urinal (or Funnel)
• Pick Up A Poncho
• Let People Know You Will Be Peeing Off A Boat
• Wrapping Up!

Pee With The Fish

If you’ve got the bathing suit on and everyone else is climbing in and out of the water, you can be guaranteed two things. First, no one is going to notice you’re going in for a pee break. Second, everyone else is also going in the water for a pee break, too.

But…not all boating activities involve swimming…at least not year-round. 

Below is a round-up of other options that don’t include passing up a drink because you want to keep an empty bladder. One should surely fit your boat and comfort level.

Bring A Bucket

Peeing in a bucket is probably the most common solution for peeing on a boat that doesn’t have a bathroom (though maybe not the best or most discrete option on this list).

Grab a bucket (there is probably already one onboard), ask for a little privacy, and squat.

For emergencies, when you need to do more than pee, line the bucket with a bag and treat the contents no differently than the poo bags we all walk around the neighborhood with when we walk our fur families.

Perch On The Gunwales

If the only spectators around for your bathroom emergency are onboard and not in nearby boats or on the shoreline, hanging your butt off the gunwales requires much less coordination than squatting over a bucket.

Your boat’s gunwales are probably close to “toilet height” and more comfortable to sit on than the sharp edges of a hardware bucket.

And, maybe most importantly, there is no tossing the contents when you’re done. (Because you know there’s always a chance of splash-back. Just ick.)

Swing Off The Swim Ladder

If perched up on the gunwales feels too exposed, take a peek at the swim ladder.

Can you grab a hold and swing your rear out over the water?

This option, while providing a smidge more privacy, does come with a notable risk of going very wrong, however. Don’t let your grip slip!

Sit On The Swim Platform

Boats with grated swim platforms offer up a low and private place to pull down your pants. 

You can even sit your bare bum right on the wood and let it all trickle through the gaps.

Lean Over the Livewells

A boat’s live well tank seems about as close to a plumbed toilet as one can get.

Well, I mean, except for the live fish if they are in there…

But this is a simple option (fish or no fish) that keeps all parts of you inside the boat. It’s self-rinsing, too. Just nothing other than pee, obviously!

Grab A Female Urinal (or Funnel)

Still just jealous of the guy’s ability to just stand there like nothing is going on? You have options to keep you on your feet, too.

Buy a simple hospital-style urinal or a silicone contraption that is nothing more than anatomically correct funnels.  Put in place and aim! 

 Hello, no squatting! Goodbye, dribbles down the leg.

To be honest, you might want to grab one of those travel-sized gadgets so you can avoid any contact at the sketchy (and smelly) boat ramp bathhouse!

If you want any more ingenious solutions for peeing off of a boat, you should read this page from Women Of Fisheries.

Pick Up A Poncho

Still feeling too exposed?

Not putting full faith in your crew’s ability to keep their eyes averted?

Grab one of those one-size-fits-all ponchos. Whether you choose the bucket method, the gunnel method, or the urinal method, you’ll get an extra layer of privacy.

Plus, a poncho is so much easier to wrangle than holding up a beach towel.

Just make sure you don’t grab one of those clear ponchos!

Let People Know You Will Be Peeing Off A Boat

Seriously, maybe the most important point is just to speak up.

We are all human. We all pee.

Don’t let a full bladder be the reason you don’t fully enjoy a day on the water. Announce you gotta go if you need people to face the opposite direction. Then, get on with having a good day.

Wrapping Up!

Look at your boat. Which would be the best choice for you?

• In the water
• In a bucket
• Over the gunwales
• In the live well
• On the swim platform 
• Off the swim ladder
• Standing up
• In a urinal

Whatever it is, don’t wait until you are miserable. Speak up and go!

Also, if you’re the owner of the boat with guests aboard, explain the options at the beginning of the day and keep everyone comfortable.