........... As far as the mud bucket goes, it seems like an option, but I don't think its one for me. I'd probably get grossed out or something.
I was very skeptical about these from the beginning...were they legal, the cost, would they leak, etc.. As you can tell I'm not a skeptic any longer. Are they for everyone? No, but it you want to have extended trips they sure can be the ticket.
I often see these threads mention pumping out and such and like you where we have been sailing that isn't much of an option. Also having to find someplace every 3-5 days to go ashore lugging the bottom of a porta-potty is not an option.
On our last trip, Florida, we went about 10 days before going ashore would of been an option. Sure we could of gone 5-6 miles one way out of our way once in that period. Then what happens when the weather pins you down for 2-3 days and ruins your schedule and you can't go ashore to dump?
I've got info on....
...how we use our head here.....
http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/MacgregorTrips-3-Powell09/09-10-16-Powell-09.html
and how it was built here....
http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor/inside-index.html
My suggestion to someone who doesn't want to give up a porta-potty, but also doesn't want to get into a situation where they dump it over the side would be to take a bucket like Tom posted and some Double Doodie or Wag Bags with you just in case you do need them.
On the smell deal I don't think you can eliminate it entirely while using it, but here is what we do. Let's say the bag has been used once. We don't get any smell in the boat while the used bag is in the head as the top is held down by the seat assembly.
Now as soon as we lift the seat assembly and take the lid off there is going to be smell if the bag has been used. We immediately spray a couple squirts of Glade Powder Fresh Spray into the head and a couple squirts into the cabin air. Then when done we sprinkle some Glade Carpet & Room Odor Eliminator into the bag over the load and put the lid back on.
Is this going to eliminate all odor? No, but it is less and we feel just a fact of life if we don't want to be tied going to marinas every 3-5 days if they are even available where we are. In Florida where we were they weren't near where we were.
We put the bags into a used soap container and that has worked very well as they seem to seal well but we are going to order a couple buckets like Tom posted.
For us 5-10 minutes of smell a day is the price we will pay for the freedom the bags give us. And the clean-up process sure beats taking a porta-potty ashore and dumping it and cleaning it. We won't go back to that. What about you? Would you be happy going back to hauling and cleaning the porta-potty. I've mentioned it before, but will again.
This whole thing came up on a Mac site the other day and I wrote a little story that I'll copy and post here for anyone who has nothing better to do...
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Once Upon A Time
There was a family of four that had a nice MacGregor 26 sailboat. They started off taking 1 day or weekend trips, but wanted to stay out longer so replaced the small porta-potty that came with the boat with a 5 gallon model so they didn't have to come in as often to empty it. This worked for a couple years and they never once dumped that porta-potty in their favorite sailing waters.
The kids got older and bigger and all was fine. At the end of the sailing season one year they decided to take that dream trip the next summer and stay out for 2 weeks. They planned the trip carefully so that they would be fairly close to a marina on the 5th and 10th days of the trip to empty the porta-potty as that was about the limit before it was full.
The trip went along as planned until the 4th day. They had picked a night's anchorage about 10 miles from a marina in a sheltered cove and planned to head to the marina in the morning and empty the head.
Well that day when someone used the head late in the afternoon they pronounced it full. Seems like the children had grown some and along with that their contribution to the head. They had a problem, but everyone said that they could probably hold it to they got to the marina in the morning.
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Note: Now you the reader can decide which turn this story takes....
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First Choice: When they went to bed that night they were aware that a small storm was approaching them from listening to NOAA. About 4 am they are awaken with the boat rocking and rolling on the anchor and they were in a pretty sheltered place. When it became light they found out from NOAA that the storm had changed directions some and that there was going to be 25-35 mph winds for the next 24 hours or so.
Second Choice: The family awakes in the morning to a glorious bright sunny sky, but absolutely no wind and they had planned on sailing over to the marina. No problem we will just fire up the outboard and motor the 10 miles to the marina and be there in 2 hours. Then try as they might the outboard doesn't fire. Now they are going to have to wait until the wind appears and NOAA says that might not happen for a day or so.
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Either story line above is not good considering the head situation and a couple members of the family said that there was going to be no way they would make it another 24-36 hours....
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Now you the reader has three choices on how this might end.....
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First Choice: They feel shame and regret, but they unclipped the porta-potty from the floor in the head and remove the bottom and take it above and dump it over the side.
Second Choice: Two years prior to this trip the government implemented a new law stating that all heads had to be attached to a pump-out hose and have a vent. The law was implemented not because they wanted you to necessarily pump out vs. taking the head on shore and emptying it, but to make it harder on you to remove the bottom of the head and dump it over the side. So now the family still had to deal with the situation, so dad said with great shame and regret "where is the bailing bucket" and that was used again over the side.
Third Choice: No new laws were enacted, but it was still illegal to dump and if caught you could be fined heavily and possibly loose your rights to be on the water for a year. The government did make one "recommendation" and that was that you carried on your boat a watertight/airtight container and some Double Doodie or Wag Bags as a backup. The family had done exactly this and they put a Double Doodie bag in the head and everyone who needed to used it. Then they removed it and sealed it up and placed it into the sealed container and made it to the marina 2 days later with a clear conscious.
End of Story,
Sum
.
