H30 original head?

Oct 27, 2011
154
Hunter 1980 Hunter 30 San Diego, Mission Bay
Just wondering if the 1980 H30 came with a marine head. My 1980 has a porta-potty, but some of the stuff for a marine head - vent and pump out line - is there. No sign of a holding tank though. So wondering if the porta-potty was stock or a replacement for the real deal.
 

kito

.
Sep 13, 2012
2,011
1979 Hunter Cherubini 30 Clemmons
My 79 H30 had a porta potti. Well, not a removable tank, but an internal tank that was plumbed to a pump out deck fitting. It was also plumbed to a manual hand pump to discharge in legal waters. I replaced it with the same style. A Thetford with a 5 gallon built in tank. I figure it will hold enough between pump outs. The only place to put a holding tank was under the v-berth. I didn't like the idea of sleeping over a tank of crap. 5 gallons is plenty big enough for us.
 
May 25, 2004
443
Catalina 400 mkII Harbor
when i had my 1976, it had a head and a bladder under the v birth. it was disgusting when i bought it in 2003. i put in a plastic tank, changed the head and hoses and had to add a vent line, the bladder didnt need a vent.

mike
 
Oct 27, 2011
154
Hunter 1980 Hunter 30 San Diego, Mission Bay
I forgot to mention that on my boat the dockside pump out line is there but not connected. There is a discharge line hooked to a manual pump, so I discharge waste at sea.I would like to be able to use the dock-side pump-out though. Maybe I just need a y-valve to get this working?

The Thetford units seem pretty good; I especially like the new Curve model, but it looks like the Curve does not have provisions for pump out. Maybe in the future they will release an MSD version of the curve.
 

kito

.
Sep 13, 2012
2,011
1979 Hunter Cherubini 30 Clemmons
My discharge line goes directly to the deck fitting. In that line there is a tee that branches to the manual pump and then to a gate valve on the thru hull fitting. That's the way it was when I bought it.
 
Oct 6, 2007
1,141
Hunter H30 1982 Chicago IL
I think all the H30s had a head and a five gallon tank with deck pump out, T fitting and thru-hull discharge with manual pump. That's what my '82 had when I bought it. The tank is under the V-berth and it's the original fiberglass one tabbed into the hull.
Being in Lake Michigan since the early '80s, the thru-hull and manual pump had never been used (I hope.) and the corroded old gate valve was a problem waiting to happen. I replaced the head and hoses, took out the overboard discharge side of the system and glassed in the thru-hull.
One less hole in the bottom to worry about and more space under the lav sink.
 
Sep 3, 2012
48
79 Hunter 30 Carlyle lake Il.
My 79H30 has a head which looks like it was upgraded to newer evidenced by a few extra bulk head holes going to an upgraded plastic 5 gal. Tank which required some cut outs to the lip for the port side V berth hatch under the cushion.

There was a manual pump leading to a bladder which I removed completely due to some very foul smells emitting from the v berth area.. (I did blame the admiral for those until she learned me).

Anyway, that's what I have from 79.
 
Oct 27, 2011
154
Hunter 1980 Hunter 30 San Diego, Mission Bay
Took a closer look at my system. My head is a fixed-in-place porta-type potti with an integral tank that I guess holds 5 gallons. It is vented overboard and has a discharge line that goes thru the bulkhead to under the v-berth. There, the pump out line connects to a tee in the discharge line. The other side of the tee leads to a manual gusher-type pump and then to a 1/4-turn ball valve, and then to the thru hull. So, similar to Kito's boat, except for the type of valve. I looked carefully in the v-berth compartment for any signs of a prior tank and couldn't find any.

The reason I though the pump out line was not connected is that the only time I tried the dock-side pump out, nothing came out. The head pumps out just fine manually, so I think the vent line is not plugged. I'm sure that when I tried the pump out, I also tried opening the gate valve between the toilet bowl and and the holding tank below, so to be sure the tank was vented. I will back flush the pump out line with water to make sure it is not blocked.

Fortunately, the system doesn't smell, except in use, when one opens up the sliding valve to discharge the contents of the bowl. Then you get a good whiff of the contents of the holding tank, which is pretty foul even with deodorizer. AS long as the door to the v-berth is kept closed, there is no smell there, fortunately. My only incentive for considering a marine head is to eliminate holding tank fumes from going into the boat when the head is used.

Dalliance - in your old set up, where was the manual pump - in the v-berth compartment along with the holding tank? The compartment looks pretty tight for that.

Cheers,
Gary
 
Nov 8, 2007
1,593
Hunter 27_75-84 Sandusky Harbor Marina, Ohio
Odorlos!

Use Odorlos, or another oxygen source in the tank and the odor will nearly disappear! Really!

The bacteria that grow in an oxygen starved container are the ones that create the smell. Keep the vent clear and use Odorlos and you will be surprised.

Because you don't need flush water, a 5 gallon Porta-potty has the capacity of a 20 gallon holding tank.
 
Jun 5, 2010
1,123
Hunter 25 Burlington NJ
Hunter toilets

All the 1970s Hunters came with either Porta-Potti (some 25s and maybe 27s) or Raritan fixed heads-- as Raritan, like Hunter, is originally a New Jersey company.

I still have the original 1974 Raritan 'Compact' (series 1) head for my boat but cannot unfreeze the pump nor find a replacement. I am currently using a Wilcox (now Thetford) 'Head-Mate', which is very common to the era.