Installing a "Visa Marine 319 MSD" in a Catalina 22.

Mar 20, 2015
3,094
C&C 30 Mk1 Winnipeg
I am in the process of installing a "Visa 319 MSD" in our 1987 Catalina 22 New Design.

This 18 litre (4.75 us gallon) portapottie MSD is from a Canadian company

It's a newish product from what i can tell.
Price was good. (Cost me the equivalent of $140 USD from my local brick and mortar marine dealer)
Seems well made. (Time will tell)
Has a dual action pump instead of a bellows. (Instructions say it needs to be lubricated occasionally)
Parts are available from my local marine supply store.


20200716_140648_1.jpg

it comes configured for MSD use so you can hook it up to a pumpout and vent, but the a normal cap and spout are included if you ever need to dump in the old fashioned yucky way. The spout is stored in the bottom of the waste tank.

20200716_140704_1.jpg20200716_140713_1.jpg

The pottie is too tall to have the v berth insert in place. Opening the lid makes little difference because of how the top section is made. This doesn't matter to us, because we took the v berth cushions out and use it simply as storage. YMMV.

20200716_142554_1.jpg

The height is perfect for sitting on it, unlike our old 2 gallon dometic.

Hold downs attach front an back. They lock onto little ribs on the waste tank.
Time will tell how well they work. (@Gene Neill has posted complaints about how his Thetford hold downs work. Our old Sanipotty was ok, but the clamps were a bit loose due to age)

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The waste tank outlets are configured differently that the Dometic units, but I don't think that will be an issue.
I will be running the vent and pumpout hoses to the same location as @AaronD did for his install.
That way i can use some left over plywood i have from my galley modification and create a nice removable cover for the hoses against the port bulkhead.

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Stay tuned. Time to get out the hole saw.
 
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greg_m

.
May 23, 2017
692
Catalina Jaguar 22 Simons Town
I am in the process of installing a "Visa 319 MSD" in our 1987 Catalina 22 New Design.

This 18 litre (4.75 us gallon) portapottie MSD is from a Canadian company

Has a dual action pump instead of a bellows. (Instructions say it needs to be lubricated occasionally)
It self lubricates after a while... ie: the seals start leaking! Of course having boys onboard it all receives the occasional lubrication spray :rolleyes:
 
Mar 20, 2015
3,094
C&C 30 Mk1 Winnipeg
What is find interesting about this unit's design is that the flush section drops down a bit before it slides forward. (Instead of simply sliding back and forth on the flush seal) Should extend seal life.

The flush water pump is what i was referring to when it comes to lubrication in this case. I did read one review of the non MSD version of this toilet, where the owner complained it got hard to pump, until they lubricated it... LOL wonders never cease.
 
Mar 20, 2015
3,094
C&C 30 Mk1 Winnipeg
It self lubricates after a while... ie: the seals start leaking! Of course having boys onboard it all receives the occasional lubrication spray :rolleyes:
Do you have the same unit or are you talking about portapotties in general ?
 
Dec 2, 1997
8,709
- - LIttle Rock
The spout is stored in the bottom of the waste tank.
If I'm reading that correctly, I would not want to have to retrieve it to use it...so you might want to store it somewhere else. :what:

As for keeping the pump lubricated, do the instructions tell you what to use? Spraying it with urine will actually increase the need to use an actual lubricant, so I suggest you give the boys the instructions many sailors who have conventional pump toilets follow: "gentlemen please be seated."

Fwiw for those who want to keep the v-berth as a berth: Removing the lid lowers the top of most portapotties just enough to fit under the cushion. Before you say "yuk"...the tank is sealed off from the bowl except when flushing, so as long as you make the sure the bowl is always clean after use (adding water to the bowl ahead of solids will help...keep a milk jug of water handy) no lid won't make a bit of difference.

--Peggie
 
Mar 20, 2015
3,094
C&C 30 Mk1 Winnipeg
If I'm reading that correctly, I would not want to have to retrieve it to use it...so you might want to store it somewhere else
Don't really see it as an issue. The toilet has a separate cap and spout. The photo shows the storage location for the spout.

If i ever need to empty it the old fashioned way, i would swap the pumpout fitting with the cap. Then remove it from the boat. Once in a bathroom or dump location, i would then install the spout.
I will store the cap where the toilet supplies are.


Fwiw: i wouldn't want to manually empty a heavy 5 gallon waste tank, while hunched over in a small C22. Here's hoping i never have to.

As for keeping the pump lubricated, do the instructions tell you what to use?
pump= silicone lube
flush valve gasket seal = vaseline or silicone lube

Removing the lid lowers the top of most portapotties just enough to fit under the cushion.
As noted, in this case it doesn't. The top, seat, and lid, essentially nest together, and you lose little height by removing the lid...
 
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Mar 20, 2015
3,094
C&C 30 Mk1 Winnipeg
Just finished installing the potty hold down brackets.

Not sure how good they will be over the long term.

They appear to be designed so they sit tight to the front and back of the potty.
Because they are plastic, with angled sections that can flex, they look like they could flex enough to come unclipped from potty.

I screwed them to the cabin sole further away from the potty so they have some tension on them, but it worries me that the tension may eventually pull the screws loose so i will need to monitor that.
 
Jul 13, 2015
893
Catalina 22 #2552 2252 Kennewick, WA
Strange and wonderful trivia on your topic-- the early models came with a factory head/ seawater intake and blackwater discharge: long since removed and I too use the portable dematic quite effectively in that space.

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IMG_0241.JPG
 
Mar 20, 2015
3,094
C&C 30 Mk1 Winnipeg
the early models came with a factory head
At one time i was trying to find the owner of an, effectively abandoned, early c22 that still had it's original head but had a bladder tank installed. The boat was not really worth fixing but the trailer and some extras would have been nice to acquire for this c22
 

greg_m

.
May 23, 2017
692
Catalina Jaguar 22 Simons Town
Do you have the same unit or are you talking about portapotties in general ?
I got a french make... can't remember the name off hand. It has a syringe type hand pump type unit that takes the fresh treatment water from the top tank and sprinkles it via a sprinkler sprayer pipe into the bowl. You then pull out the flap valve and everything falls into the "black water" compartment. The syringe type hand pump is double acting. The seals and shaft of the piston have slight wear but if you work it just right a small stream of clean fresh treatment water spurts out in random directions. No spares available and I pretty much ban the use of it entirely! There are some topics I would like to discuss with God when I get to meet him one day!
 
Jan 15, 2021
22
Catalina 22 2313 Bowleys Quarters
hi. noted at the beginning of this string that the v berth cushions were no longer in use. still.have them? wanna sell them? let me know. bowleys quarters catalina...Chris
 
Mar 20, 2015
3,094
C&C 30 Mk1 Winnipeg
hi. noted at the beginning of this string that the v berth cushions were no longer in use. still.have them? wanna sell them? let me know. bowleys quarters catalina...Chris
We still have them but are keeping them for the future owner or in case we take friends for an overnight.

We find all the original cushions uncomfortable to sleep on and would make better ones if ours were missing. Eventually i plan to replace the foam for the setee and table area for that reason.
 
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Jan 15, 2021
22
Catalina 22 2313 Bowleys Quarters
Thanks, Gene. We unroll a corrogated bed cushion in top of the hard foam cushions on our Serenity...73 cat 22. The combo makes for great sleep. The threads are pointing me to make new. Guess I'll take a close look at that. Seems an outrageous waste to see a 22 with solid bones go to the dump for lack of cushions!