O'Day 23 marine toilet installation.

[AWalker]

I have had my 1978 ODay 23 for many years. It was our first boat when we were learning to sail.
My wife and I started chartering bigger boats about 15 years ago, and got a taste for boats in the 40-50 foot range and somewhat lost the taste for boat camping on the lakes here in the desert.
My older kids are nearly out of the house leaving me and my 11 year old boy. I would like to take my boat to the Northern California coast next year and leave it moored for the summer. My wife is a bit reluctant, so I would like to make a few changes to make life aboard a bit less like camping.
One of those changes would be an actual marine toilet instead of a porta potty. There is plenty of room for the holding tank, and room enough for the toilet. This would be a toilet to holding tank with a deck mounts port to empty, as well as a y valve and pump to dump at sea.
Does anyone have advise, information, or a remodel thread link where this has been done? It would be nice to know what pitfalls I may encounter before ordering parts and starting.

Thanks,

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

You can have all the advantages of a marine toilet and tank that empties via pumpout without losing at least 1/3 of your storage space to the tank and plumbing, AND without the maintenance that a manual toilet needs (but rarely gets) to keep it trouble free. And that is an MSD version portpotty. The "MSD" designation in the model name/number means it's designed to be permanently installed and has the fittings for a vent line and pumpout line. There's been a lot of discussion about this over several years. Search the archives for "MSD Portapotty." And I'll be glad to answer questions after you've read all about it.

 

[AWalker]

It seems I wasn't really using the right search terms before. I did find the article, along with several threads on the topic.

The pump out isn't really the issue, as I always take care of it and it doesn't generally bother me. The flimsy awkward porta pottie is really the issue. With too small a seat they are not much different than squatting over a bucket( well they are better, but still not civilized).
It appears the marine porta pottie has come a long way since I bought my last one. The 5 gallon models appear to solve the height issue, as well as the storage volume issue.

So I guess the remaining questions are; are they comfortable to use? Is my wife going to think it is more like an actual toilet than a porta pottie?

Thanks,

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

The marine portapotty has indeed come a loooong way from the camper portapotties sold at Sears and Walmart...they're quite sturdy now...even have a recessed TP holder. The 5 gallon models hold 50-60 flushes (you'd need at least a 30 gallon tank to hold that many from a marine toilet)... and a full tank weighs about 50 lbs, so the ability to pump it out may be more of an issue than you've considered! The small 2-3 gallon ones are a lot like squatting on a bucket, but the 5-6 gallon ones are the same height as a household toilet and have toilet seats (or a molded version of one), so it's not like squatting on a bucket...I don't think your wife will find it too objectionable. The two best ones are the SeaLand 965 MSD and the Thetford 550P MSD, both available from the online store here.
No toilet pump to maintain...no plumbing except the vent line and pumpout line. You get to keep ALL your storage space...tank is vented, so you can keep it odor free with the right tank product,..only maintenance needed is a bucket of water through the tank during pumpout...and it's a no-brainer for guests to use. As I said in my first reply, all the advantages of a toilet and tank, none of the hassle. IMO, it's the ideal solution for almost any boat up to about 26-27'.