1984 Hunter 37C

[Mikem]

My daughter has a 1984 H 37C. Everything abut the boat is great but for the holding tank. A previous owner installed a 15 gallon bladder (Vetus brand) under the V berth about four years ago to either augment or replace the original holding tank. I think the original holding tank is under the shower seat, in other words inaccessible. Even with both tanks flushed and pumped there is the occasional really bad sewage smell. The vent is clear. I know from the SBO reviews that the original tank is aluminum. My question is, has anyone removed and or replaced the original holding tank and if so what issues did you encounter. Thanks.

 

[sandpiper10471]

I cut out the shower seat to access the top of the tank. I used an angle grinder and cut a rectangular hole in the tank. It had been a definite leaker, probably for years. The remaining effluent had turned into black dry compost. Easy to clean out. I then epoxied and painted the inside surface and got some slide on moulding to cover the raw edges. I now have an extra storage bin. The shower seat was framed out and a thick piece of laminated wood makes a nice seat. Sorry, no pics. It is deep winter here. A new tank was installed under the V-berth.

 

[Mikem]

Thanks. Do you recall it’s capacity or rough dimensions?

 

[CTsailordan]

We have a 1984 Hunter Cuter with a similar odor problem. The prior owner removed the old original aluminum holding tank, and replaced it with a Vetus bladder. It smelled, and it was a mess to remove. We installed a new holding tank under the V-bunks with new hoses. For a few seasons we had no odor. Only recently did we start smelling it again. It was getting worst each season. My friend, who has the same boat as we have, had a Natures Head and swears by it. Another friend with a Dufour had installed a Natures Head in his boat with no complants about the slight organic odor. Last year, we we purchased a used Natures Head on Craigslist in excellent condition for less than half the price of a new one. We hope to be installing it this year. I would rather have an organic odor than that awful head odor. Plus, no more hoses, holding tank, or pump outs. I'm not endorsing Natures Head or any other composting toilet. However, you might want to do some research into them as an alternative to your odor problem. We hope or solution works for us. Good luck with yours.

 

[Mikem]

Thanks. Right now looking at a 20gal holding tank under the V berth. Will keep you posted.

 

[chichiflys]

We removed the holding tank completely. I'm not sure how your daughter currently uses or plans to use the boat, but we removed our "standard" head and holding tank and went with a Nature's Head competing toilet. I am very familiar with the "controversy" of such items, and the fact that in reality they really aren't "compositing" devices, but for us it was a great change We do not have pump-out capability at our dock and typically only spend 3-4 days max on the boat - in the future of course I'd like to extend that time frame, but for now it's been great. No smell, and I mean, no smell. Emptying the "liquids" is simple, and the "solids" container takes a while to need to be changed out. Couldn't be happier to be honest. Yes, there are some growing pains with learning about the best type of "material" to use for the solids chamber, but learning is fun, right? No holding tank (smell), no "joker valve" maintenance, gained space from removing tank, less hoses, through hulls, etc. Not trying to convert anyone, just sharing a positive experience on an option.

 

[Mikem]

Thanks for the input. There are four in her family, boy 13 and a girl 10 plus the husband. We have fixed and portable pumpout available in the marina. Not sure they would be wild about a composting head.

 

[smokey73]

Hi classmate. Hopefully Peggy wil chime in wlith a solution. Luckily on my 40.5 the aluminum holding tank was reasonably accessable below the cabin sole. I replaced mine with a poly tank from Triple M Plastics in Maine. (Triple 'M' Plastics) They may even have the drawing for an orginal sized tank in the original location. They did for mine.

I think I recall Peggy mentioning another company that makes poly tanks suitable for waste tanks in a wide variety of sizes and shapes. I am sure with a little "wiggling" you or one of the kids (a little smaller than us) can get reasonably accurate measurements for the V-berth option to either buy a tank of similar shape/size or even have one custom manufactured. Its not an easy DIY project to build a poly tank but its not rocket science either and I am sure there are companies out there that can fabricate one. The harder part might be plumbing the tank for proper flow of the "stuff", venting, and pumpout. Seems locating it at the original location might be easier in the long run.

You may already know all of this and the question was just how to access the original location but a poly tank is the way to go IMO.

Smokey

 

[Mikem]

Hi Smokey, the original aluminum tank is under the shower seat and is inaccessible. I have ordered a 20 gal poly tank that will fit in the v berth. I don’t trust the original tank and the Vetus bladder leaks. Will replumb and it should be good to go. Thanks, classmate.

 

[smokey73]

Without the original tank and permeated waste hose being removed will the odor go away or will it linger for a long time? How long to do that? You may still be faced with removing the old tank and hose just to get rid of the lingering odor.

 

[Mikem]

I will get rid of the leaking bladder and the gap around the vent line from the old tank first and see what happens. The bladder and lines are about three years old. The old tank is bypassed. If that doesn’t fix it then it is access hole and angle grinder time

 

[Jim Legere]

The original aluminum holding tank can be removed without cutting open the seat in the shower. Here is the link to how one H37C owner did it: Hunter 37-cutter Owner Modifications and Upgrades
All new owners here should take the time to go through all the articles under "...Boat info/37-cutter/owner mods" here on SBO. There are almost 100 entries with photos by owners who have dealt with common upgrades and fixes for the Hunter 37 Cutter. Several of them are about holding tank replacement. No point re-inventing the wheel...