Head Mistress

[seadaddler]

I am finally ready to up grade my toilet in my 2007 Hunter 36 and need the info for contacting Raritan supplier in Florida.
I have the Head mate and want to change to a PH manual toilet,you had mentioned that I could buy the parts and still use my bowl and seat.
We have been doing a lot more sailing here in Florida with guest that have a problem using the toilet pump and yesterday after being out sailing the admiral gave me the order to throw it out and replace before I can going sailing with guest again
So where in Florida can I get the part I need and still use the very new bowl I have on my boat.
Nick

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

Order it from the sbo.com chandlery

You'll pay a lot less than you will if you get it directly from Raritan...and without the bowl, shipping won't cost you any more--maybe less!--than driving round trip to the Raritan plant in Ft. Lauderdale...which is prob'ly the only place in FL you could get it, 'cuz the PH II and PHC "conversions" (everything but the bowl, seat and lid) are so new that no one else knows about 'em.

The part # for the full size PH II "conversion" is PHIILBA. The part # for the smaller PHC "conversion" (same pump, but on a compact base and with a shorter handle to fit in the same space as a compact toilet) is PHCLBA.

Give Dave a call today and you should have it before next weekend.

 

[Dan Johnson]

Peggy...

will the "Compact Holding Tank" still fit around the new PHII bowl?

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

Nothing new about the PH II bowl

It's the same size "standard" and "household" sizes it's always been. The only thing that's new is the ability to buy a PH II or PHC without a bowl...and almost all bowls are the same sizes.

I don't recommend it the Raritan wraparound tank. It only holds 5 gals, which is only about 10 flushes from most manual toilets...barely enough for 2 people for a day, NOT enough for a weekend. Plus, it puts an "extension" at the front of the bowl that makes sitting uncomfortable. The portable version weighs over 50 lbs when full, making the permanent pumpout version the only viable option...and it's EXPENSIVE! You'd be much better off with a permanently installed MSD version of a 5-6 gal. portapotty...they cost less and hold 50-60 flushes.

So why you think you want it?

 

[seadaddler]

peggie

You did say I could use my Head Mate bowl on the new PHII.
Nick

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

Yes... One more time...

ANY bowl that has a 4-bolt + mounting pattern will fit the PHC and PH II base... and 99.9 % of marine toilet bowls have a 4-bolt mounting pattern.

which means yes...your HeadMate, Groco (any model), Jabsco--and even Raritan Compact and Cricket--bowls WILL fit!

If yours isn't one of those, ask me...I'll be glad to advise you.

 

[Dan Johnson]

Peggy...

I was inquiring about the Compact holding tank because I had installed one on my previous 27 footer that had no room to install a permanent hard tank anywhere else. Confined to "liquids only" and middle-of-the-night use, it did last more than a weekend when a marina head is nearby. Size and position-wise, it never seemed to interfere with the use of the head either.

It was the perfect solution for that situation and I have recommended it with a PHII to a number of others with boats smaller than 25 foot who have gotten tired of lugging the porta-potty tank to the head each weekend and lack enclosed space in which to fit a regular tank. I wanted to know if anything had changed dimensionally that would render this solution void.

I'm not a fan of bladder-type holding tanks and would rather use a hard one. The Compact, though pricy, was simple to rig and plumb, making it a "reasonable" choice.

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

Dan, IMO a 5-6 gal. "MSD" portapotty is a much better self-contained system choice

"MSD" portapotties are designed to be permanently installed and fitted for pumpout. Because they're vented, odor is easy to prevent...no toilet pump to maintain, none of the sea water odor and mineral buildup issues associated with manual toilets...a no-brainer for kids and guests to use (Thetford even makes a battery powered electric model)...no plumbing except the pumpout and vent lines...impossible to clog....they hold 50-60 flushes...and total cost to install is around $200, vs at least $500 the PH II and the wraparound tank.

 

[Dan Johnson]

Point well taken, Peggy...

most want to get away from the porta-potty look. That may be the best choice for the heads that hide under a v-berth lid.

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

"portapotty look???"

What IS it with people who think that a "real" marine toilet somehow makes their boats--and themselves--appear more "nautical" than a portapotty? It doesn't. All they're really doing is spending 3x the money to end up with something that works half as well--but only that well IF they do 4x the maintenance, without doing one damn thing for their image or the boat's.

What makes that even more puzzling is that these are same people who think everything on a boat should be maintenance free!

But now that money has gotten tight, they may have to give up the idea that "image is everything" in favor of what actually works best.

 

[Dan Johnson]

Didn't understand it...

when I was in the boat business. They would come in with a pre-conceived notion of what the boat of their dreams should look like and wouldn't consider something that was a great choice, but didn't fit that exact mold. These same people can't place a value on what is good advice and end up paying much more for what turns out to be a bad experience. Oh well...