So I've Googled the heck out of this, and can't find an answer. I'm hoping y'all can set me straight:
We recently bought a 1976 Catalina 22 that came with a marine toilet on the port side, under the V-berth. There is no holding tank - just two thru-hulls. One takes seawater in, and the other pumps waste out directly to sea.
We do not intend to use the head at all, and I'd really rather not get into a discussion of whether the solution to pollution is dilution, etc. Our bigger concern is whether we could be cited or fined by the Coast Guard just for having a direct-discharge marine toilet on board a 40-year-old boat.
Are older vessels grandfathered in? Could we post a sign or lock the seacock somehow to show we aren't using it? We have a lot of projects we'd love to do, and I'd rather not spend the time or money to remove a toilet we aren't using anyway (unless we really have to).
For what it's worth, we're a small town with a large USCG presence. We love 'em, but it also means EVERYONE gets boarded at least once every summer. I'd like to be legal when we are!
Thanks in advance!
We recently bought a 1976 Catalina 22 that came with a marine toilet on the port side, under the V-berth. There is no holding tank - just two thru-hulls. One takes seawater in, and the other pumps waste out directly to sea.
We do not intend to use the head at all, and I'd really rather not get into a discussion of whether the solution to pollution is dilution, etc. Our bigger concern is whether we could be cited or fined by the Coast Guard just for having a direct-discharge marine toilet on board a 40-year-old boat.
Are older vessels grandfathered in? Could we post a sign or lock the seacock somehow to show we aren't using it? We have a lot of projects we'd love to do, and I'd rather not spend the time or money to remove a toilet we aren't using anyway (unless we really have to).
For what it's worth, we're a small town with a large USCG presence. We love 'em, but it also means EVERYONE gets boarded at least once every summer. I'd like to be legal when we are!
Thanks in advance!