Hunter 31 Owners, How have you upgraded your head

Dec 2, 1997
8,709
- - LIttle Rock
....installed a Raritan electric head. Admiral very happy and I eventually went back and added freshwater flush capabilities.

Peggie. Followed Raritan instructions for tying into electrical with a dedicated circuit and Raritan instructions for tying into FW system.
Only toilets that are designed to use fresh water should ever be connected to the potable water supply and Raritan's instructions for doing so only apply to those toilets. The Elegance and Atlantes are the only two Raritan electric toilets designed to be able to use both--and they're both fresh water toilets to which sea water flush can be added (requires adding a remote intake pump), not sea water toilets to which fresh water flush can be added. So unless your toilet is one of those, your saying that you "eventually went back and added fresh water flush capabilities" has me worried that you "converted" a sea water toilet to use pressurized fresh water, which is a major no-no because it puts the potable water supply at risk from bacteria that can migrate from the toilet bowl into it. Toilets designed to us pressurized flush water have built in vacuum breakers and backflow preventers which protect the potable water supply that sea water toilets don't have.
 
Dec 2, 1997
8,709
- - LIttle Rock
It IS a great job!

But would y'all PLEASE post photos as thumbnails instead of as full size photos??? Thumbnails of all those photos would have fit into a post no longer than my reply to Jerry just above this one. Clicking on the thumbnail brings up the full size photo.

Or better yet...when you have that many, put 'em in an album and upload a link to it. That'll allow you to post it in as many places and as often as you think it might be of value.
 
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pateco

.
Aug 12, 2014
2,207
Hunter 31 (1983) Pompano Beach FL
Great job, Chip. Questions for you:
1) How did you take the mirror down? Mine is in similar shape, and appears to be glued in place.
2) What will you do (if anything) about a replacement mirror?
3) How will you (if at all) attach the pull-out faucet head to a wall to take a shower?
1) How did you take the mirror down? Mine is in similar shape, and appears to be glued in place. Completely covered it with tape, and broke it up with a hammer. Pealed off the loose broken pieces, and scraped off the glue with a chisel scraper
2) What will you do (if anything) about a replacement mirror? I bought a 14"X48"door back mirror from Target for $5.99. I plan on removing the plastic frame, cutting the glass down to size, and then trimming the frame to reassemble. Haven't decided how tall to vut it yet. I need to get the admiral to the boat for a decision.
3) How will you (if at all) attach the pull-out faucet head to a wall to take a shower? It will fit in a standard RV shower hanger, but I don't think I am going to mount one. Hand shower will do since this is not a live-aboard.
 

pateco

.
Aug 12, 2014
2,207
Hunter 31 (1983) Pompano Beach FL
It is done. I just need to get the admirals decision on the mirror size, and it will be totally completed.

2017-07-08 14.33.20.jpg
 
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Dec 2, 1997
8,709
- - LIttle Rock
Ok...asking y'all to post photos as thumbnails obviously didn't work, so the next step: Ask the powers that be to make it impossible to do it any other way.
 

pateco

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Aug 12, 2014
2,207
Hunter 31 (1983) Pompano Beach FL
Ok...asking y'all to post photos as thumbnails obviously didn't work, so the next step: Ask the powers that be to make it impossible to do it any other way.
Peggie, I really appreciate your help and assistance on these forums, I am just wondering why thumbnails? I can obviously do it that way, but it makes the posts harder to read, and the thumbnails show up so small on my screen I end up having to do a lot more clicking. I appreciate it when others post as full size. If there is a technical reason, please let me know.
 
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Dec 2, 1997
8,709
- - LIttle Rock
It's really THAT much trouble to click on a thumbnail to open the full photo??? I upload photos from my files all the time...always as thumbnails because they don't double or sometimes even triple the length of the post. No one has ever complained about opening any of 'em yet.

A single full image isn't that bad, even though it's the size of a queen size sheet on my screen, if only one person uploads a single photo...but 7 in a row adds at least a page to a thread and makes it very difficult to "cherry pick" from any posts above 'em in a reply box at the bottom of the screen. If you upload thumbnails, it's just one click to open the first one...click on the arrow to see the next one...etc.

And I'm about to be late to church...we can take this up later if need be.
 

pateco

.
Aug 12, 2014
2,207
Hunter 31 (1983) Pompano Beach FL
It's really THAT much trouble to click on a thumbnail to open the full photo??? I upload photos from my files all the time...always as thumbnails because they don't double or sometimes even triple the length of the post. No one has ever complained about opening any of 'em yet.

A single full image isn't that bad, even though it's the size of a queen size sheet on my screen, if only one person uploads a single photo...but 7 in a row adds at least a page to a thread and makes it very difficult to "cherry pick" from any posts above 'em in a reply box at the bottom of the screen. If you upload thumbnails, it's just one click to open the first one...click on the arrow to see the next one...etc.

And I'm about to be late to church...we can take this up later if need be.
Understood, I have gone back and edited all of my posts in this thread for thumbnail view. Have a great weekend
 

pateco

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Aug 12, 2014
2,207
Hunter 31 (1983) Pompano Beach FL
Previous owner converted the holding tank to storage space so I could not easily convert back to a marine head.
2016-04-18 22.27.13.jpg 2016-04-18 22.27.53.jpg
 

SFS

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Aug 18, 2015
2,066
Currently Boatless Okinawa
Using the thumbnail size also really helps anyone reading the forum on a mobile device. Screen is not overwhelmed with image, and less data is used to download the post (compared to a post with a full size picture).

That looks like the original holding tank. I hope he used a LOT of bleach.
 

Manly

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Jan 3, 2018
47
Hunter 31 St. Petersburg
Pateco, the tile on your sink looks great, and your new installation of the porta-potti also came out very nice. I like your new soap dispenser and faucet. I picked up an RV faucet off ebay but it is pretty low so difficult to rinse my mouth after brushing my teeth. Yours looks nice and high.

Did you ever end up putting a new mirror in? If so, how did that go? That is on my list as well.

To answer your question, "How have you upgraded your head?" here are some pictures that show upgrades my wife and I have done to our Hunter 31:

<starting.png> This is mostly how it looked when I bought the boat, except in this picture I've already installed the ebay faucet and installed a new Jabsco toilet. Also, everything has been cleaned in this picture. You can also see how I've ran a larger drain hose down in the pan. After this picture I pulled the two polybutylene lines out and fiberglassed closed their two drain holes. Those lines weren't sealed so water was as likely to leak around them and get stuck under the liner. My master plan is to make a new "false" bathroom floor with a drain that will go directly to that new hose I ran, which will go to a sump in the bilge. Notice too there is just a curtain under the sink area. For some reason this boat did not even come with a sink! I bought a stainless one online and you can see that on the top shelf. The handle was also hanging loose which of course also got fixed.

<sink after.jpg>For the panel under the sink, I jigsawed that from plywood on the dock in front of our boat (because we're living on the boat at a marina this is where I do my projects). Since I didn't have the original for a template, I had to take some careful measurements which was a bit tricket. For the door, I eyeballed where the opening should go and jigsawed that out too. You'll notice the door is not quite where the original door is in your pictures (mine is further outboard). Our door stays shut with magnets and spring-loaded hinges which works well. All the plywood was faced with plastic sheeting from Home Depot. You can also see we installed a soap dispenser which is very handy. Instead of wooden trim to finish things off, I caulked the corners.

<Level Gauge.jpg>This was much needed so we can see when a pumpout is necessary without looking in the access port under our v-berth matress... or guessing. I bought the gauge off ebay for about $40. The sending unit that I installed in the holding tank I got for free, but is about $40 new. I could have rigged it to always be on, but didn't want the drain on the battery (even though I'm sure it's minimal) so put in a bush-button switch that turns the gauge on/off.

<Wiring.jpg>We ran a new dedicated 12 gauge wire straight from the panel to the macerator. To turn the macerator on you have to flip the switch at the panel AND flip a toggle switch under the sink I installed. We also ran a 16 gauge wire from the panel that pig-tailed into 5 power wires at the bathroom to power: the level gauge, an under sink light, battery monitor/usb port/cigarette lighter, the latter 3 in our V-berth, but installed from the bathroom side. In this picture you can also see the black/white contact paper my wife put in the storage area which made it look much better.

<Macerator.jpg>This shows the new macerator with new hoses. All waste hoses were replaced except the air tank vent line, which is not clogged and works fine. Also the deck fill port was replaced. You may notice tape on the sink drain. That isn't to stop leaks, but to keep those two joints from falling apart with boat movement. That is a standard home sink fitting from Home Depot and tended to fall apart. I need a better arrangement of fittings as this is over-complicated for a sink drain. Also, you can see in this picture the switch at the top that activates when the door is open or closed to turn on a light under the sink so even at night I can see the y-valve and sea-cocks without effort.

<Y-Valve.jpg>This shows the y-valve up against the hull. It diverts waste from the holding tank either down through the macerator (and out through a seacock) or up through the pumpout. I have it setup where all waste from the toilet goes to the holding tank. I don't have the option to divert directly overboard.

<Toothbrush Holder.jpg>We purchased this off etsy from RusticLogCreations and really like it. Cost was about $20. You can also see the wooden toilet paper holder I installed, which cost less than $5 from Home Depot.

<Light.jpg>Replaced the fluorescent light over the sink (which was broke) with this $14 one off Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Kohree-Ceiling-Interior-Lighting-Trailer/dp/B01L8CW9R0 It puts out a phenomenal amount of light and we really like it. The bathroom also still has the circular light in the middle and I replaced the festoon bulb inside that with an LED one. We usually use the circular (not so bright) light, but sometimes you need more light, and when you do this light is just the thing.

<Rear Door Closed/Open.jpg>This was a little touch I did to give us more storage space (this swinging door is bigger than the oval opening was) and give the bathroom perhaps a more finished look. Note that I also have a 3" air duct, pex lines, and electrical lines running along the top of this storage area.

Ok, so those are the upgrades I've done to our head!
 

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pateco

.
Aug 12, 2014
2,207
Hunter 31 (1983) Pompano Beach FL
Did you ever end up putting a new mirror in? If so, how did that go? That is on my list as well.
I didn't want to put plain mirror back up, so I have been shopping for a while for one that would fit and look nice. First attempt was a door mirror with a seafoam green plastic frame.
Mirror teal.jpeg
It was narrow enough to fit the wall, but I would need to cut it down in length, and modify the frame. It was really cheap so I figured I could risk it. The admiral did not like the frame color, so I resumed my search. Last weekend, I found another at Home Goods. It is the right size, and has a rustic wood frame, but only on the sides.
Mirror mapple.jpg
I did not get a chance to mount it yet. The picture attached is an example. The one I got is a little more symmetrical. The Admiral has not seen it yet, so I do not know if it is approved for use. Wish me luck. LOL
 
Sep 11, 2015
147
Hunter 31 Marina del Rey
What do you guys think about a modification to the door of the H31 head that allows both the v-berth and the head to be closed at the same time? I am thinking of a dark plexiglass door, roughly the dimensions of the current door that attaches to the inside (head side) of the door (the hinges should be at the edge where the current hinges are. When you close the door to the v-berth, the plexiglass door would be openable the other way so that it closes the head. I am thinking quarter inch plexiglass should be enough?

Pizzazz
 

Manly

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Jan 3, 2018
47
Hunter 31 St. Petersburg
pateco, the mirror looks pretty cool. Did you paint your bathroom walls too when you were re-doing it?

pizzazz, I think your idea of the plexiglass door would work. You may be able to just use a curtain or something too if you only needed additional privacy on occasion. I saw one mod where a guy took out the door and even half the bathroom wall by the sink so the bathroom went right into the v-berth area. He claimed it gave a lot more room in the bathroom to shower! So each person has his own ideas.

One funny thing is that shortly after buying the boat, I went to open the bathroom door and the entire thing fell apart like a stack of cards. There were about 7 pieces lying on the ground. So I glued the whole thing back together and now it is good as new.

Another comment on the door is that I'm not a fan of the way it opens from the outside where the latch lies smooth and I have to dig around to pull it out. I wish it had a door handle like the inside does. Anyone tried swapping out the stock bathroom door handle for a different one?
 

pateco

.
Aug 12, 2014
2,207
Hunter 31 (1983) Pompano Beach FL
pateco, the mirror looks pretty cool. Did you paint your bathroom walls too when you were re-doing it?
Yes, I completely repainted the walls and cabinet face, but left the Gel-coat floor liner alone. I filled in all the extra holes, and sanded everything. Painted it with Rustoleum Topside white using a roller and foam brushes.

Before: 2017-06-21 20.57.12.jpg After: 2017-07-08 14.33.20.jpg

My main goal was to get floor space back by replacing the old porta-potti. as you can see I gained about six inches of depth, and can now remove the shower floor grate for cleaning. It was blocked in before by the extra wooden supports for the potti. You can also now drop trou and sit down with the door shut LOL.
 
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pateco

.
Aug 12, 2014
2,207
Hunter 31 (1983) Pompano Beach FL
Another comment on the door is that I'm not a fan of the way it opens from the outside where the latch lies smooth and I have to dig around to pull it out. I wish it had a door handle like the inside does. Anyone tried swapping out the stock bathroom door handle for a different one?
I don't mid the door handle so much, but I do wish it lined up correctly with the door frame for the V-berth. The strike plate on the v-berth door frame is about 3/4" too high for the latch on the door to engage. I have thought about moving it, but it would require cutting out more of the v-berth door frame making it weaker.